Las
Vegas Arena Company, owned by AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM),
broke ground today on a world-class, privately funded, $375 million indoor
arena set to open in spring 2016. Located west of the Las Vegas Strip, between
New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts, the new 20,000-seat arena will host
boxing , UFC and other sporting events, major headline entertainment, awards
shows and special events.
On-hand
to welcome guests to the special ceremony, which signaled the start of
construction of the venue being built on a 16-acre site, were Dan Beckerman,
President & CEO of AEG and Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts
International. Joining the partners to
put the first shovels in the ground were Chair of the Board of Clark County
Commissioners Steve Sisolak, President of Ultimate Fighting Championship Dana
White, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer, NBA and NCAA legend and
Hall of Famer Bill Walton, NHL legend and Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille and W B
C Welterweight World Champion Floyd Mayweather who took time away from final
preparations for his Saturday night title defense to participate in this
historic ceremony.
”We
are committed to ensuring that Las Vegas retains its title as Entertainment
Capital of the World for generations to come.” said Murren “The addition of this world-class arena,
which will attract new events to the market and enable existing events to grow
in scale, is an integral component in that strategy. No destination can deliver the level of
energy and excitement found in Las Vegas, where every day has the vibe of a big
event day.”
Beckerman
said, “We are excited to be breaking ground today on this iconic project.
Together with MGM, we have designed an arena with some of the most unique
features, offerings and amenities for our fans and sponsors. We look forward to bringing the best sports
and entertainment events to this new state-of-the-art arena in one of the most
vibrant entertainment markets in the world.”
Expected
to host more than 100 events annually, the arena designed by industry-leading
architect Populous, will house multiple locker facilities, premium dressing
rooms, complete broadcast facilities and a variety of staging innovations that
will bring the biggest stars and most important events to Las Vegas’ newest
landmark. Designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards for
LEED® Gold Certification, the arena will feature 50 luxury suites, more than
two dozen private loge boxes and other specially designed exclusive hospitality
offerings never before featured in a facility of its kind.
Commission
Chair Sisolak said, “This arena should symbolize for everybody watching that
Las Vegas will continue to emerge from the recession a stronger, smarter, healthier
and more vibrant destination for international tourism. Projects such as this
create much-needed jobs and are true economic drivers.”
AEG
Global Partnerships, an affiliate of AEG that collaborates with more than 100
venues and other AEG assets worldwide to create sales and marketing platforms,
is overseeing the sale of naming rights, sponsorships, premium seating and
luxury suite sales for the new Las Vegas showplace.
About
MGM Resorts International:
MGM
Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global
hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands
including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. The Company also
owns 51% of MGM China Holdings Limited, which owns the MGM Macau resort and
casino and is in the process of developing a gaming resort in Cotai, and 50% of
CityCenter in Las Vegas, which features ARIA Resort & Casino. For more information about MGM Resorts
International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.
About
AEG:
AEG
is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a
wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or is affiliated with a
collection of companies including over 100 of the world’s preeminent facilities
such as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), StubHub Center (Carson, CA), Best Buy
Theater (Times Square, New York), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China),
Allphones Arena (Sydney, Australia) and The O2 arena and entertainment district
(London, England). Developed by AEG,
L.A. LIVE is a 4 million square foot/$3 billion downtown Los Angeles sports,
& entertainment district featuring Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, Club Nokia, and
a 54-story, 1001-room convention "headquarters" destination. In addition to overseeing privately held
management shares of the Los Angeles Lakers, assets of AEG Sports include
franchises such as the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo and the Amgen
Tour of California cycling stage race.
Along with AEG Facilities, other global divisions include AEG Live, the
world’s second largest concert promotion and touring companies comprised of
touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event
divisions and AEG Global Partnerships, responsible for worldwide sales and
servicing of sponsorships, naming rights and other strategic partnerships. In 2010, AEG launched its AEG 1EARTH
environmental program featuring the industry's first sustainability report
while in 2011, AEG introduced AXS a comprehensive entertainment platform
serving as the company’s primary consumer brand including AXS Ticketing which
provides fans the opportunity to purchase tickets directly from their favorite
venues via a user-friendly ticketing interface, Examiner.com and the AXS TV
network. For additional information, visit www.aegworldwide.com
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