Black Meetings & Tourism - Las Vegas Strip's First Park To Open April 4, 2016

Industry Briefs
Las Vegas Strip's First Park To Open April 4, 2016
Immersive Outdoor Dining and Entertainment District Creates Neighborhood Environment on Strip's West Side Connecting New York-New York, Monte Carlo and New T-Mobile Arena MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) will debut its dynamic park, dining and entertainment district on the Las Vegas Strip April 4, 2016. An eclectic blend of restaurants, bars and entertainment tucked into rich desert landscaping, The Park will become a central gathering place on The Strip's west side connecting New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts as well as the new 20,000-seat world-class T-Mobile Arena. An interactive and social environment, The Park aims to build a sense of community through innovative programming and events. Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, said, "Today's consumer wants to sample, to experience, to discover - it's no longer about visiting one resort and staying there. With this in mind, we've created a neighborhood environment that invites our guests to explore many of our resorts on the Strip's west side, collecting experiences along the way, with The Park serving as a central gathering space for people to relax, dine and be entertained." A GLIMPSE INTO THE PARK: Experience: The Park re-envisions the traditional pedestrian experience by adding a new layer of diverse social spaces in Las Vegas. It will draw passersby from the hustle and bustle of The Strip into an authentic oasis offering opportunities to experience Las Vegas outdoors and at one's leisure, only steps from one of the largest boulevards in the world. Inspired by the iconic plazas, promenades and squares that have served as important public gathering destinations within the world's great cities throughout history, The Park will offer an array of common spaces for socializing, relaxing, exploring and sampling the surrounding tastes, sights and sounds. By day, visitors will be able to bask in pockets of sun or enjoy shade beneath mature trees or one of the stunning, trumpet-like shade structures towering more than 50 ft. above. Patio-style seating will encourage a genuine social environment, while seating alcoves tucked into large planters will provide areas for respite. Unique water features, including water walls stretching more than 100 ft. in length along the entrance, will add unexpected visuals as will dramatic plantings incorporating a variety of beautiful desert blooms. Exploring The Park, guests will discover spontaneous live entertainers, such as acoustic guitarists and street performers. As the sun sets, illuminated elements of The Park's landscaping will create a dramatic setting. The shade structures, a work of art in and of themselves, will emit marvelous LED sequences from high above, captivating guests below. Sounds of live music, clinking glasses and laughter from bordering open-air venues will saturate The Park with energy, giving guests an entirely new way to experience Las Vegas beneath the stars. Dining Under the Sun and Stars: Not unlike the small cafes and bistros that spill onto iconic promenades, clusters of casual restaurants and bars with outdoor seating will open each resort to The Park creating a colorful patio ambiance. Ranging from fast-casual to mid-level, each offering will be a unique-to-market, up-and-coming brand. Confirmed partners include: Shake Shack - Boasting patios overlooking The Park and New York-New York's Brooklyn Bridge, the much-beloved Shake Shack is a modern day "roadside" burger stand known for its all-natural burgers, flat-top dogs, frozen custard, beer, wine and more. With its fresh, simple, high-quality food at a great value, Shake Shack is a fun and lively community gathering place with widespread appeal. Beer Garden - This fun and unpretentious beer garden will be highlighted by its outdoor spaces and vantage points of all The Park's activity. Guests will be able to indulge in sustainably raised farm-to-table meats, an impressive regional craft brew list, live music and, of course, games to get any social gathering started - bocce ball, darts and outdoor ping pong. California Pizza Kitchen - California Pizza Kitchen is the authority in creative dining with a California vibe. Blending fresh, seasonal ingredients with bold, global inspiration, "CPK" offers signature hand-tossed, hearth-baked pizzas, inventive main plates and shareables, unique pastas and salads, alongside premium wines, craft beers and hand-crafted cocktails featuring fresh fruits, herbs and spices. With an outdoor patio, full bar and open kitchen centered around the hearth oven, CPK's rustic, modern atmosphere is perfect for drinks and small plates before a show, dinner with family and everything in-between. Sake Rok - This theatrical hotspot open for lunch, dinner and a late-night bar/lounge, will thrill guests with more than just its array of delicious sushi, Japanese cuisine and private sake label. By night, Sake Rok will transform into a high-profile social dining extravaganza, immersing guests in an experience part culinary, part performance and completely unexpected. Inspired by Japan's vibrant pop culture and fashion movements, interactive servers will invite guests to partake in restaurant-wide sake bombs while doubling as entertainers, spontaneously breaking into dance and lip-sync serenades. Bruxie - The fast-casual, gourmet waffle restaurant born out of Orange County will serve up its signature takes on The Sandwich. Bruxie's next-generation sandwiches use a light, airy authentic Brussels Waffle as the "Bold Fold." The Waffle is crisp, lightly yeasty and not sweet - reminiscent of freshly baked bread. Bruxie Waffles are paired with quality seasonal ingredients, offering both savory choices like Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Chili Honey and Cider Slaw as well as a variety of sweet options such as Strawberry Crème Brûlée. Design: The design for The Park is a collaborative effort led by MGM Resorts International with master planner Cooper, Robertson & Partners, leading landscape architecture and urban design firm !melk, and Marnell Architecture. Envisioned as the connective tissue between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, The Park's unique design elements include: Green Initiatives: The Park has implemented an integrated environmental sustainability program throughout construction stages, and will continue post-opening with operational focuses addressing energy and water conservation, green building and waste management through cutting-edge technology and innovative design. The restaurant corridor is being built to LEED Gold standards, and The Park also has salvaged roughly 75 mature trees from the current area to enhance the lush environment. Asphalt existing on-site also has been salvaged, ground and recycled to create new paved surfaces within the development. Natural Landscaping: Landscape design utilizes native and desert-adaptive species of plants, which are able to thrive in hot and dry environments with minimal water. Large planters with inset seating feature dramatic plant life displays created by the juxtaposition of cloud-like plants (santolina, apache plum, mormon fir, etc.) alongside vibrant shoots (red yucca, torch lily, desert bear grass, etc.), lush grasses (Mexican feather grass, fountain grass, orange sedge, etc.) and spikes (blue agave, golf tooth aloe, horsetail, etc.) Cooling Elements: Mature trees, vegetation, water features and artful shade structures will create comfortable environments for guests to enjoy The Park year-round. Ground and surfaces have been constructed using marble - a naturally cooling material. Hand-laid in mosaic tile patterns, the marble features color palettes of the American Southwest.

Industry Briefs

Las Vegas Strip's First Park To Open April 4, 2016

Immersive Outdoor Dining and Entertainment District Creates Neighborhood Environment on Strip's West Side Connecting New York-New York, Monte Carlo and New T-Mobile Arena

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) will debut its dynamic park, dining and entertainment district on the Las Vegas Strip April 4, 2016.

An eclectic blend of restaurants, bars and entertainment tucked into rich desert landscaping, The Park will become a central gathering place on The Strip's west side connecting New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts as well as the new 20,000-seat world-class T-Mobile Arena. An interactive and social environment, The Park aims to build a sense of community through innovative programming and events.

Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, said, "Today's consumer wants to sample, to experience, to discover - it's no longer about visiting one resort and staying there. With this in mind, we've created a neighborhood environment that invites our guests to explore many of our resorts on the Strip's west side, collecting experiences along the way, with The Park serving as a central gathering space for people to relax, dine and be entertained."

A GLIMPSE INTO THE PARK:

Experience: The Park re-envisions the traditional pedestrian experience by adding a new layer of diverse social spaces in Las Vegas. It will draw passersby from the hustle and bustle of The Strip into an authentic oasis offering opportunities to experience Las Vegas outdoors and at one's leisure, only steps from one of the largest boulevards in the world. Inspired by the iconic plazas, promenades and squares that have served as important public gathering destinations within the world's great cities throughout history, The Park will offer an array of common spaces for socializing, relaxing, exploring and sampling the surrounding tastes, sights and sounds.

By day, visitors will be able to bask in pockets of sun or enjoy shade beneath mature trees or one of the stunning, trumpet-like shade structures towering more than 50 ft. above. Patio-style seating will encourage a genuine social environment, while seating alcoves tucked into large planters will provide areas for respite.

Unique water features, including water walls stretching more than 100 ft. in length along the entrance, will add unexpected visuals as will dramatic plantings incorporating a variety of beautiful desert blooms. Exploring The Park, guests will discover spontaneous live entertainers, such as acoustic guitarists and street performers.

As the sun sets, illuminated elements of The Park's landscaping will create a dramatic setting. The shade structures, a work of art in and of themselves, will emit marvelous LED sequences from high above, captivating guests below. Sounds of live music, clinking glasses and laughter from bordering open-air venues will saturate The Park with energy, giving guests an entirely new way to experience Las Vegas beneath the stars.

Dining Under the Sun and Stars: Not unlike the small cafes and bistros that spill onto iconic promenades, clusters of casual restaurants and bars with outdoor seating will open each resort to The Park creating a colorful patio ambiance. Ranging from fast-casual to mid-level, each offering will be a unique-to-market, up-and-coming brand.

Confirmed partners include:

Shake Shack - Boasting patios overlooking The Park and New York-New York's Brooklyn Bridge, the much-beloved Shake Shack is a modern day "roadside" burger stand known for its all-natural burgers, flat-top dogs, frozen custard, beer, wine and more. With its fresh, simple, high-quality food at a great value, Shake Shack is a fun and lively community gathering place with widespread appeal.

Beer Garden - This fun and unpretentious beer garden will be highlighted by its outdoor spaces and vantage points of all The Park's activity. Guests will be able to indulge in sustainably raised farm-to-table meats, an impressive regional craft brew list, live music and, of course, games to get any social gathering started - bocce ball, darts and outdoor ping pong.

California Pizza Kitchen - California Pizza Kitchen is the authority in creative dining with a California vibe. Blending fresh, seasonal ingredients with bold, global inspiration, "CPK" offers signature hand-tossed, hearth-baked pizzas, inventive main plates and shareables, unique pastas and salads, alongside premium wines, craft beers and hand-crafted cocktails featuring fresh fruits, herbs and spices. With an outdoor patio, full bar and open kitchen centered around the hearth oven, CPK's rustic, modern atmosphere is perfect for drinks and small plates before a show, dinner with family and everything in-between.

Sake Rok - This theatrical hotspot open for lunch, dinner and a late-night bar/lounge, will thrill guests with more than just its array of delicious sushi, Japanese cuisine and private sake label. By night, Sake Rok will transform into a high-profile social dining extravaganza, immersing guests in an experience part culinary, part performance and completely unexpected. Inspired by Japan's vibrant pop culture and fashion movements, interactive servers will invite guests to partake in restaurant-wide sake bombs while doubling as entertainers, spontaneously breaking into dance and lip-sync serenades.

Bruxie - The fast-casual, gourmet waffle restaurant born out of Orange County will serve up its signature takes on The Sandwich. Bruxie's next-generation sandwiches use a light, airy authentic Brussels Waffle as the "Bold Fold." The Waffle is crisp, lightly yeasty and not sweet - reminiscent of freshly baked bread. Bruxie Waffles are paired with quality seasonal ingredients, offering both savory choices like Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Chili Honey and Cider Slaw as well as a variety of sweet options such as Strawberry Crème Brûlée.

Design: The design for The Park is a collaborative effort led by MGM Resorts International with master planner Cooper, Robertson & Partners, leading landscape architecture and urban design firm !melk, and Marnell Architecture.

Envisioned as the connective tissue between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, The Park's unique design elements include:

Green Initiatives: The Park has implemented an integrated environmental sustainability program throughout construction stages, and will continue post-opening with operational focuses addressing energy and water conservation, green building and waste management through cutting-edge technology and innovative design. The restaurant corridor is being built to LEED Gold standards, and The Park also has salvaged roughly 75 mature trees from the current area to enhance the lush environment. Asphalt existing on-site also has been salvaged, ground and recycled to create new paved surfaces within the development.

Natural Landscaping: Landscape design utilizes native and desert-adaptive species of plants, which are able to thrive in hot and dry environments with minimal water. Large planters with inset seating feature dramatic plant life displays created by the juxtaposition of cloud-like plants (santolina, apache plum, mormon fir, etc.) alongside vibrant shoots (red yucca, torch lily, desert bear grass, etc.), lush grasses (Mexican feather grass, fountain grass, orange sedge, etc.) and spikes (blue agave, golf tooth aloe, horsetail, etc.)

Cooling Elements: Mature trees, vegetation, water features and artful shade structures will create comfortable environments for guests to enjoy The Park year-round. Ground and surfaces have been constructed using marble - a naturally cooling material. Hand-laid in mosaic tile patterns, the marble features color palettes of the American Southwest.