“With Mandalay Bay home to many of the city’s top events and trade shows year after year, we recognized the need to upgrade the space to reflect modern-day needs and create a timeless design complemented by our service experience,” said Ernest Stovall, vice president of sales for Mandalay Bay. “We listened to feedback from meeting planners over recent years and are confident this refreshed and upgraded space will exceed their needs and expectations in every way.”

Specifically, 11 digital walls, each measuring 24 feet by 13 feet, will enable brand placement, event-oriented messaging, and sponsorship highlighting. Twenty double-sided mobile “flexible display units” will also help conventioneers get to where they’re going. For safety, all meeting rooms will be retrofitted with radio-frequency-identification locks and more than 220 motion-detection cameras will be installed throughout the center.

These improvements are piggybacked onto the recent installation of CAT6A ethernet cabling in the Convention Center, doubling the speed of data transmission. MGM likens it to downloading a 4K-resolution feature film in 30 seconds.

The changes aren’t all business. With the collaboration of Vegas-based Dezmotif Studios, MGM will add brighter illumination and intimate seating nooks. It will also repaint all walls, ceilings, and pillars. The new color scheme is described as “cerulean and coral tones … accentuated by warm walnut accent walls.”

Last, but not least from MGM’s perspective, is an ongoing emphasis on public art by minority and otherwise under-represented artists. Among the names floated for inclusion are Thandiwe Muriu and Sarah Anne Johnson.

The entire project is expected to be completed in a little over two years. Following this remodel will be a complete re-do of Four Seasons’ 424 guest rooms and suites, a makeover of Stripsteak (targeted for an early 2023 debut), and the addition of Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar next summer.