To provide meeting professionals with guidance on the safe return of meetings and tradeshows to Las Vegas, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and Sands Expo & Convention Center have launched several initiatives that keep attendee safety in the forefront, as part of the landmark convention center’s Venetian Clean Commitment.
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Earlier this year, The Venetian and Sands Expo were among the first major convention centers to share protocols for meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These Venetian Clean guidelines were put to the test this summer when the resort hosted a major television production in its convention center.
A NEW ERA OF THE TRADESHOW
The Venetian has played a pivotal role in the “reimagining” of the meetings and tradeshow experience in Nevada. A mock tradeshow was recently staged in the Sands Expo exhibit hall, working in collaboration with government partners, public health experts, and the largest resort companies on the Las Vegas Strip, as well industry vendors.
Nevada state leadership, including Governor Steve Sisolak, and other meetings industry professionals, recently toured the set up to see the physically-distanced meeting, tradeshow, and event setups, as the state was finalizing new guidelines for public gatherings.
The 296,000 square-foot exhibit followed the guest journey of a tradeshow, from attendee arrival, through registration, and into the exhibit hall, where exhibitor booths, educational sessions, food courts and general sessions were staged to demonstrate physical distancing protocols and sanitization procedures.
VENETIAN CLEAN CERTIFIED BY BUREAU VERITAS
To verify its Venetian Clean standards, The Venetian Resort aligned with Bureau Veritas, a nearly 200-year-old world leader in testing, inspection, and certification.
Bureau Veritas has developed the Safe Guard™ Hygiene Excellence and Safety Label to support the operational activities for The Venetian as it continues to keep safety and hygiene at the forefront. The Cleveland Clinic serves as the Medical Advisor for Bureau Veritas’ health, safety and sustainability programs, including Safe Guard.
The partnership between The Venetian and Bureau Veritas included an on-site inspection and a thorough review of the resort’s Venetian Clean protocols. Through this certification, and subsequent ongoing reviews, the Safe Guard label can provide comfort that the resort — from the suites of the hotel towers to the meeting space of the Congress Center — is ready for meetings and conventions.
SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS CONTINUE
As part of the industry-leading Sands ECO360 program, The Venetian Resort created the Green Meetings program to help minimize the environmental impact of an event. This program’s newest initiative is an innovative recycling program to keep disposable COVID-19 face masks out of local landfills. As part of this pilot project, the discarded masks are collected on-site at The Venetian Resort and Sands Expo, and sent to a recycling facility where they are separated, shredded and densified into a crumb-like raw material.
This material will be used to make repurposed products such as composite lumber for shipping pallets, railroad ties and composite decking. This project will help provide “proof of concept” for such recycling, to encourage others in the meetings and hospitality industries to replicate the program.
Additionally, the resort has created the Venetian Clean Guide to Meetings, a comprehensive set of protocols that contemplates the entire customer journey and provides guidelines on delivering a highly controlled, organized, and safe environment for meetings and events.
For more information on the Venetian Clean Guide to Meetings, click here.
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