Outside of the postponed residency show from Celine Dion, it appears as if Resorts World has made good on its promise of becoming the next great live entertainment destination in Las Vegas, possibly even exceeding those lofty expectations. And things haven’t slowed down, as more diverse entertainment options have been announced in recent months continuing the evolution of the new property’s broad slate of programming.

“That was our plan from the beginning,” says President Scott Sibella. “Even before we announced our residency acts of Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Celine, we always said there would be more to come. We’re happy with how things have gone with what we talked about before opening, and we couldn’t be happier with the shows themselves. People love them, and they’re selling out almost every show, and we’re not stopping there.”

In addition to the Perry, Underwood and Bryan residencies — pop favorite Perry wraps up her current run on June 3, 4, 8, 10 and 11 before country music star Bryan returns on June 15 — the Resorts World Theatre recently hosted a successful limited engagement starring Michael Bublé, and will be the home of a new magic production from David Blaine beginning on September 30.

“Bublé had a good run, and hopefully, we’ll do more with him in the future, and we just signed David Blaine ,and we love what we can do in that showroom with what he’s capable of doing,” Sibella says. “We are just trying to be the best entertainment [destination] we can possibly be throughout the property.”

That effort includes the expanded programming at Resorts World Events Center, a 70,000-square-foot, 5,000-capacity venue just outside the doors leading into the theater, a venue that was not announced upon the opening last summer. That site has already hosted a slew of nonprofit galas and sporting events, and it will launch a summer concert series on June 1 with the return of the KLUC 98.5 FM Summer Jam pop music event starring Charlie Puth. Other dates in the series include country singer Jamey Johnson on June 11, Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA on July 1, and alt-rock band Young the Giant on July 9.

 “A property this size was made for a lot of people, a volume … more than just the people who are staying here, and anything we can do to introduce the property to more visitors up and down the Strip, that’s what we’re working on today,” Sibella says. “Having the events center allows us to host different events. We just had Top Rank boxing there, we’re going to be hosting concerts there and some convention events, and it’s just another tool to drive business.

“Being the new kid on the block, we know it’s coming, that we’re going to get a heck of a lot of walk-in business [eventually]. Until that comes, we have to find ways to drive business here, and entertainment is the No. 1 way to do it.”

Meanwhile, back at the theater, Resorts World has distinguished its concert experiences compared to other Strip residency shows by offering unique VIP opportunities for each show. At Bublé’s gigs, audience members were able to sit on the stage for the first time, and at this week’s Katy Perry shows, premium VIP ticket holders will not only get great seats, complimentary drinks and limited edition merchandise, they’ll have access to a post-show meet-and-greet, a preshow tequila toast with the singer and time in the show’s themed hospitality suite.

Each residency at Resorts World Theater has different VIP package offerings. When Bryan’s show returns, upgraded VIPs will sip margaritas with the “American Idol” judge and five-time ACM Entertainer of the Year and watch him perform a couple songs in a special preshow acoustic performance before catching his production in the theater. It’s another way to bring fans closer to their favorite artists in an only-in-Las-Vegas way, says Sibella.

“It wasn’t about building a regular showroom or theater. If we weren’t going to do it differently and take it over the top and create an experience like no other, we wouldn’t have done it,” he says. “When you have a theater and artists like this, the sky is the limit. What we’ve been able to put together makes for a great experience, and now, we have artists calling us because they’ve heard about it and they want to play there.”

This aspect of the Resorts World experience has proven successful in its first year, but the property’s entertainment programming will truly reach full-strength when Dion, the artist who started the modern residency revolution at Caesars Palace, is able to return to the Las Vegas Stage. The Canadian singer has been battling health issues since she postponed the opening of her new Strip residency and recently postponed her European tour dates for a second time after the pandemic originally altered her plans. Her next scheduled performance is Feb. 24, 2023, in Prague.

“We can’t wait to get Celine back ,and we wish her the best, and she’s doing much better,” Sibella says. “She’s the first entertainer we partnered with and we’re looking forward to getting her into this theater that she helped design.”

By Brock Radke