CMW’s Iain Stirling sat down with Kelly Gleeson-Smith, senior vice president of sales at Caesars Entertainment, at IMEX America 2025, to discuss a dynamic year for the hospitality giant. Gleeson-Smith shares insights into major hotel transformations, the surge of meeting demand, evolving client priorities, and Caesars’ pioneering work in wellness and sustainability. Offering a candid perspective on the future of business events in Las Vegas and beyond, she highlights how Caesars is adapting to market shifts, technological advances, and the enduring value of in-person experiences.
Iain Stirling: To start things off, how has 2025 been for Caesars Entertainment?
Kelly Gleeson-Smith: We’re having a pretty decent year. We went into 2025 fairly optimistic about how things were going to turn out, and we’re really bullish about the year and what’s to come. Caesars is particularly excited about the conversion of the Cromwell Hotel to Vanderpump. That’s going to be a really big deal – an unbelievable boutique-style hotel that’s going to be the new belle of the ball on Las Vegas Boulevard.
IS: Tell me more about the Vanderpump conversion. Will it still be part of Caesars?
KGS: Absolutely. It’s still part of Caesars, but it’s going to be a brand new experience for customers. Lisa Vanderpump, who is a restaurateur, TV personality, and businesswoman, is bringing her touch to the entire property. The rooms will be completely redone. It will continue to be a space we completely control and own, so if a group wants to use it for meeting functions, it’s still available. But the nightly nightclub experiences and overall atmosphere will be transformed.
IS: When is the refurbishment likely to be completed?
KGS: We should have that ready by early 2026.
IS: Beyond Vanderpump, what other hotel renovations are in the pipeline?
KGS: Caesars Palace, believe it or not, is getting work done. We’re starting renovations on one of our towers in 2026. We recently achieved Five Diamond status from Forbes for Nobu, which is a really big deal. Right now, only Four Seasons and Waldorf Astoria have that designation in Las Vegas. We’re putting our teams through Forbes training, which focuses on cleanliness and hospitality standards. We’re also planning a product refresh for the Augustus Tower at Caesars Palace.
IS: What about your properties outside Las Vegas?
KGS: Atlantic City has amazing product, and Tropicana is going to get a refresh as well. Atlantic City is a strong market for us given its proximity to New York City. We also have Harrah’s New Orleans, which opened an additional tower last year.
IS: How has Caesars Forum been performing?
KGS: Really well. We’re hopeful about continuing to enhance the product. We have a refreshed offering coming to help support the convention centre. Caesars Forum is hands down one of the best convention spaces in Las Vegas, and every planner will tell you that. We’re just working on keeping the product fresh and updated.
IS: With the current political and international situation, how has demand for meetings and business events at Caesars properties, and in Las Vegas overall, been affected? KGS: Demand for meetings at Caesars properties remains strong, and we’re actually seeing record-breaking activity. For example, IMEX this year drew around 17,000 attendees, and data from the LVCVA supports this positive trend. While there are misconceptions about a downturn, we haven’t experienced one and remain optimistic about continued growth. That said, while the number of meetings and conventions is up, attendance per event has dipped slightly compared to original contracts. This is largely due to international factors – tariffs have made it costly for some countries to send delegates – and government budget cuts have reduced travel for official events. These issues have impacted the city overall, with visitor numbers down about 3.5%, but Caesars’ convention volume has not declined.
IS: Are you finding booking windows are shorter term or longer term these days?
KGS: We’re seeing more short-term opportunities. We don’t have availability in a lot of cases, but we’re very encouraged. In the United States right now, we’ve seen a lot of companies that were hesitant due to corporate uncertainty. Now that many have better earnings visibility and have been given the green light to move forward, we’re seeing reactionary corporate responses – companies booking meetings on a short runway.
IS: Are you facing any other current challenges economically?
KGS: We’re starting to see shifting interests from customers in terms of what they’re trying to achieve. Our biggest opportunity is with groups coming later this year or next year. If they’ve had budget modifications or fewer attendees can attend, it changes the scope of what we have on the books – not in a negative way, but it means we need to be competitive. If they don’t need all the space we’ve allocated, we can get it back and sell it to somebody else.
IS: Are you seeing a shift in the types of events coming in? Any new sectors or types of events you’re trying to attract?
KGS: I can’t say we’ve seen any dramatic shifts in sectors, but we’re always open to new opportunities.
IS: Wellness and health have been a massive part of what Caesars has been promoting. How’s that been received?
KGS: I think we became the front-runner and thought leader in that space before we even realised it. When we saw everybody else jumping on board, I was so happy because everyone brings something different to wellness. The fact that we brought it to meeting planners and made it easier for them by having a white paper, a wellness menu for food, and wellness programming has really set us apart. We started it, so we’re going to continue leading in that space.
IS: You’ve taken wellness initiatives on the road as well, haven’t you?
KGS: We did that earlier this year because there’s this misconception that bringing wellness into the meeting space is hard and complicated. It doesn’t have to be. Something as simple as EFT tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) is one of my favourite things. If you can teach somebody emotional breathing techniques in five minutes, it could have a lasting impact on the rest of their lives. It doesn’t take a lot.
IS: Sustainability has become a top-three question in RFPs now. Are you finding more clients asking about carbon footprint and sustainability measures?
KGS: Definitely. Our corporate social responsibility report just came out, and we’re very focused on this. Clients are looking at carbon footprint, water reduction, and waste reduction. There’s significant effort, especially in Las Vegas, where everybody is mindful of water usage. Customers want to know what we’re doing – they have expectations.
IS: Do you work with the local community on sustainability and humanitarian efforts?
KGS: We do. We encourage our customers to take advantage of opportunities to help the community, whether it’s building bikes for kids, Habitat for Humanity, or putting together hygiene kits for the homeless population with essentials like toothpaste and feminine products. We try to make it easy for customers to participate. Caesars Entertainment has impact groups focused on different initiatives, including sustainability, and employees across the company come together around these causes.
IS: Looking ahead, how do you see the future of events, both for Caesars and Las Vegas generally, over the next couple of years?
KGS: I’d say it looks really good. What makes me excited is the innovation happening – not only at Caesars but across Las Vegas. We’re always on the cutting edge. When we look at AI right now, I think AI is going to help support the need for face-to-face meetings. So much is going to be online that you won’t know if information is accurate. The only way you’ll know is if you’re having an in-person conversation. I think that’s great for business.
IS: There are interesting AI applications emerging – wristbands or smart badges that can gauge mood and potentially shift meeting agendas based on audience engagement. Are you exploring any of that?
KGS: Absolutely. There’s a lot of opportunity to control the senses, and AI can help support that. You need audience permission to collect data, but I think there’s going to be capacity to use scents in rooms that change mood, and AI can detect engagement levels. It could make meetings more efficient and free up time for planners. From a meetings perspective, we don’t even know what’s to come yet. It’s a very exciting time.
IS: What does a show like IMEX actually bring to Caesars? How much exposure do you get when everybody’s here?
KGS: The exposure is invaluable. Every customer is here. My team has the opportunity to meet with customers who haven’t really considered Caesars before. They get to see our team, engage with us. We also host you, the media, as you know, which is great – because we want you to see our best. You get to visit our properties, experience our restaurants, and see any new offerings we have.
IS: In your own words, what makes Caesars such a great company to work with and work for?
KGS: Hands down, it’s the people. Whilst meetings and events are a small part of the overall business, we are a family. I think that’s something we don’t take for granted. We really do care about the person, and we believe in work-life balance. From the top of our hierarchy down, the Caesars family believes in family-style service, and that trickles down through how we treat our team members. People feel valued and have the privilege of work-life balance.
IS: What does the future hold for you personally? Will you be in this position for the next five to ten years?
KGS: I feel very blessed every day. I love our industry. My son actually asked me last week, “How do you describe what you do?” It’s not easy to explain to someone outside the industry, but we’re responsible for creating experiences and memories that last a lifetime. For the foreseeable future, I am here to stay.
