Many event clients hold sustainability as a strategic corporate priority and look to champion their commitment in their events. At MGM Resorts, we are proud of the unique environmental attributes of our large event venues, including the Mandalay Bay Conference Center, which features America's largest contiguous rooftop solar array. We optimize energy and water use, increase our use of renewable electricity and adopt extensive materials and waste reduction programs into our venues, recognizing that a venue’s environmental programs and practices drive much of its carbon footprint.
Environmental Initiatives Across MGM Resorts:
Mandalay Bay
Mandalay Bay is one of the largest meeting facilities on the Las Vegas Strip, with more than 2.1 million square feet of space.
MGM Grand
MGM Grand has more than 850,000 square feet of flexible meeting space adaptable to the needs of groups of all sizes and types.
ARIA Campus
With the 2018 expansion, ARIA features more than 500,000 square feet of meeting space and an abundance of naturally lit and outdoor space options.
Bellagio
With more than 200,000 square feet of elegant meeting space and unique amenities such as the world-famous Fountains of Bellagio and stunning Conservatory, Bellagio offers an artful blend of imagination, sophistication and creativity for events of all types.
As of December 31, 2020, our portfolio of integrated resorts and entertainment venues earned several certifications for green building design and sustainable hotel operations. They include:
Further details about green building certifications at MGM Resorts can be found in our Design & Development section.
Our approach to sustainable events aims to save water and energy, reduce materials and waste and engage the community. For this, we focus on four areas: venue and space, décor and signage, food and beverage, and outreach and education. To assist clients in improving the environmental efficiency of their events, MGM Resorts has designed a custom deck of playing cards featuring 52 sustainable event ideas. The ideas also support one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGS), which are also visually highlighted on the cards, as well as an assessment of the likely cost impact. The ideas on the cards combat the common misconception that environmental and societal benefits from events are cost prohibitive.
We support our clients by offering low-carbon, environmentally sustainable venues.
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We offer décor and signage options that help reduce waste and increase circularity of material flows.
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We have an extensive offering of sustainable food and beverage options and have a best-in-class program to manage event-related food waste.
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We help meeting planners communicate the sustainable event elements implemented and offer detailed sustainable event reports to help quantify impacts and benefits.
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One of the most socially beneficial materials and waste programs at MGM Resorts relates to food donations. We have developed a robust program in which we safely donate unserved food to the food insecure in the communities in which we operate. We donate three major food types: unserved perishable prepared food from events, perishable unprepared kitchen food from kitchens and non-perishable food from minibar and warehouses. In collaboration with the Southern Nevada Region’s primary food bank, Three Square, we also helped establish the core infrastructure needed in Las Vegas to safely collect, transport, and store food from hotels.
At MGM Resorts, we embrace innovation and continuous improvement. While the COVID-19 pandemic affected our events and banquets business, it also required us to create digitally forward ways of doing business. For events, this digital transformation has also spurred environmental benefits. What began as a health and safety measure, such as digital event registration and mobile check-ins, has become a best practice for reducing paper waste – a significant waste stream in events. Additionally, offering virtual attendance options to our guests helps lower the carbon footprint of our clients’ events.
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