(Crates are stacked outside the Westgate Las Vegas convention center.)
Brian Sullivan shopped around some of the roughly 5 million square feet of event space available at Las Vegas hotels before settling on Westgate Las Vegas for the relocation of Indoor Ag-Con, a controlled environment agriculture tradeshow and conference.
The show no longer “fit in the box” at Caesars Forum, where it was previously held in conjunction with the National Grocers Association Show, says Sullivan, chief executive officer of Indoor Ag-Con.
“Westgate was the right package for us,” he tells Exhibit City News during a short break in his schedule. “Caesars Forum doesn’t have a lot of things that a full convention center has.”
The new location provides more floor space for the 207 exhibitors who occupied most of Westgate’s 225,000-square-foot pavilion and events center March 11-12, and extra meeting room space to accommodate the show’s steady growth. Attendance is close to 1,600.
Sullivan acquired Indoor Ag-Con Asia in 2019 when the show ran in Singapore and brought it to Las Vegas after the pandemic.
In selecting Westgate Las Vegas, the CEO looked at pricing for convention space and hotel rooms, offerings for services and amenities, food and beverage options and available transportation.
“Here, we are self-contained and ready to go, go, go, so it worked for us,” Sullivan says. “One of the things we wanted to be sure of is hotel room rates. We look out for our entire community when we pick.”
At just over $100 a night, Westgate Las Vegas saves Indoor Ag-Con a bundle from $300 to $400 rates charged by upscale Strip resorts, leaving a little extra fun money to spend in Vegas.
WESTGATE ADVANTAGE
From its beginning as the International Hotel, where Elvis Presley ruled the stage for 636 sold-out performances, to its transition as Las Vegas Hilton and then Westgate in 2014, the hotel has capitalized on its proximity to the expansive Las Vegas Convention Center, home to some of the largest tradeshows in the world.
It’s a 5-minute walk from the hotel to the convention center; the pavilion is within a stone’s throw of LVCC’s North Hall.
Westgate can handle everything from small-scale affairs such as weddings and private parties in themed suites to large-scale tradeshows with 10,000 in attendance, says Dawn Rawle, senior vice president of marketing and entertainment.
Each meeting room is equipped with the latest in audio-visual technology and elegantly furnished to create an environment conducive to brainstorming, presentations and getting business done.
Between in-house groups and those attending shows at Las Vegas Convention Center, the meeting and events industry accounts for about half of Westgate’s annual revenue, Rawle calculated.
“It’s a huge percentage of our business. We really ebb and flow with conventions. More times than not, we’re full (occupancy),” she says.
“Many of the citywide conventions and tradeshows use our function space for additional exhibit space, catering events, registration and business meetings.”
CONVENTION SALES
Westgate employs an experienced sales team that knows the Las Vegas convention market well, Rawle notes. They travel to conferences and tradeshows related to the industry on a regular basis, meeting with clients and strengthening partnerships.
“We attend local industry events as well to keep up with Las Vegas trends and knowledge about competition within the city,” the hotel marketing executive elaborates. “Las Vegas is a small town, relatively, so we know the strengths and weaknesses of all the hotels. There’s so much variety between the different properties, which makes it easier for groups to find the perfect fit for their event.”
The connection between Westgate’s pavilion and events center creates quite a large space. It allows for special events such as the American Poolplayers Association tournament that runs 10 days in April with action on 450 tables. The tournament was formerly played at the Riviera.
“I think our location is our competitive advantage,” Rawle says. “If you look at conventions and you have to take an Uber from your hotel, it can be an hour wait.”
The underground Vegas Loop, which transports conventioneers throughout the LVCC campus, recently opened a station at Westgate, and the Las Vegas Monorail stops at the hotel and convention center on its 5-mile route. Or you can take the short walk.
“It’s a big deal,” Rawle attests. “We do say we’re the most connected property to the Las Vegas Convention Center because of the monorail and Loop stations.”
PERFECT LOCATION
Jennifer Wilson, sales representative for Cedar Springs, Mich.-based Display Pack, was visiting clients at Indoor Ag-Con and seeing what’s going on with growers of leafy greens and herbs. She says room prices at Westgate “didn’t seem outrageous.” She also stays at Westgate when she comes for Pack Expo at Las Vegas Convention Center. “It’s just so convenient, being next to the convention center,” she says.
A curious crowd gathered around the bumblebee nest displayed by Koppert Biological Systems of Howell, Mich. The bees are released to pollinate crops and control pests without the use of chemicals, company representative Jarene Brown explains.
She lodged at Hilton Suites, as her company earns rewards through Hilton Honors. She likes that the Westgate is on a “quieter part of town.” It’s also a shorter walk, though Caesars has a few more restaurants, Brown admits.
“I like Westgate Hotel, period,” chimes Greg Ellis, a third-year Indoor Ag-Con exhibitor with Atlas Greenhouse of Alapaha, Ga. “It’s easy here and rooms are reasonable.”
ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON
Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con is the largest tradeshow dedicated to indoor agriculture and the place to find the latest trends shaping the future of farming. Top trends from this year’s show:
Smart Greenhouses: Advanced climate control technologies are making greenhouses more efficient and resilient.
Climate Control: Indoor agriculture is increasingly reliant on advanced climate control systems to optimize growing conditions and improve crop yields.
Sustainable Storage: Proper containment systems help regulate nutrient solutions, water, and growing media, ensuring crops receive consistent and optimal conditions.
