How Anaheim, Georgia Expo and Sahara Las Vegas Are Lending Helping Hands

May 7, 2020

In many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought out the best in humanity, including those in the events industry. Over the past several weeks, more and more destinations, event companies and venues have been jumping in to support the fight against the virus. Here are some examples of compassion in action to brighten your week: 

Visit Anaheim and Partners Supporting Community

From donating supplies and food to sharing messages of hope and encouragement, stakeholders within the city of Anaheim, California, have teamed up to serve as valuable resources during this time.

Anaheim Convention Center continues to serve as a logics and storage center for donated supplies, while the city’s Emergency Operations Center arranges distribution to vulnerable residents. Several area hotels have donated toilet paper, hand sanitizer, gloves and other essential supplies to the EOC, with Anaheim Resort Transportation helping to transport these much-needed items to the convention facility until they can be distributed.  

Visit Anaheim

“[Through] Anaheim Convention Center’s [actions], we are helping needy seniors, families and the homeless through this difficult time,” said Mike Lyster, spokesperson for the city of Anaheim. “Our convention center has risen to the challenge of coronavirus not just by postponing events, but by serving as our logistical hub for donations and community support initiatives.”

Visit Anaheim recently teamed up with Anaheim Chamber of Commerce and ART to deliver a bus filled with surgical masks to first responders at Anaheim Fire & Rescue. Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu was on-site to accept the 1,500-mask donation to help emergency crews safely service local residents in need. 

In late March, Honda Center and Second Harvest Foodbank of Orange County launched a weekly Saturday drive-through food bank for vulnerable local families. In one day alone, the operation was able to provide 4,000 bags of food. Soon after, Honda Center, the Anaheim Ducks NHL team and the Los Angeles Angels MLB team collectively donated additional supplies to the effort, including pallets of non-perishable food and thousands of rolls of toilet paper.

The team at Visit Anaheim also lent a hand at a local food bank, with more than a dozen part-time staff helping out on the first two Saturdays of April. 

To learn more about Visit Anaheim and partners’ Response and Recovery COVID-19 task force, go here.

Georgia Expo Team Sewing 80,000+ Masks Per Week

To help keep their businesses afloat while aiding in the COVID-19 relief effort, some event suppliers have shifted gears to produce much-needed medical and disaster relief products, and Suwanee, Georgia-based Georgia Expo is no exception. As a manufacturer of pipe, drape and equipment for trade shows and events, the company pivoted in late February to begin creating pipe-and-drape rooms and walls for makeshift hospitals across the U.S. 

According to Amanda Gray, vice president of sales and marketing for Georgia Expo, the company supplied thousands of these items over a 4-6 week period to disaster relief companies and service contractors setting up temporary medical relief stations at the Boston Convention Center, Javits Center and other event and conference venues.

“Once we noticed the need starting to dwindle for those, we looked at our capabilities and decided to use our sewing department to make fabric masks,” Gray said. “We hooked up with a few companies who were looking for surplus sewing; that quickly grew and we found ourselves needing to hire a second shift to keep up with the demand.”

With Georgia and other states starting to reopen businesses and re-start their economies, the demand for face masks from local businesses in particular has skyrocketed, Gray explained. The company is now sewing approximately 80,000 masks per week, with plans to produce more than 100,000 per week, she added. 

As a result of all this new business, the company has been able to retrain 80 percent of its staff from other areas of the company to sew masks, has hired an additional 40 seamstresses and is actively seeking 30 more employees to help with the massive effort.  

“Our goal through this entire shift has been to maintain our staff’s employment and health benefits,” Gray said. “We’re also trying to be good citizens by setting an example as an American manufacturing company that is pushing through and getting these needed products to market quickly.”

To learn more about Georgia Expo’s disaster relief custom sewing efforts, go here. Watch a video of their efforts in-action here.

SAHARA Las Vegas Partners with World Central Kitchen 

In late April, SAHARA Las Vegas teamed up with Nevada Restaurant Association and Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen to feed more than 2,000 healthcare workers and 400 first responders across the Las Vegas Valley.

SLV WCK

The culinary team from SAHARA Las Vegas, including Executive Chef Alex Pitts from Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, prepared and delivered fresh meals to more than 20 OptumCare Nevada healthcare and UMC Quick Care locations as well as the Henderson Police Department.

According to Sahara Las Vegas officials, the food was carefully produced and distributed following guidelines and protocols established by WCK, which has a team of “food first responders” who mobilize to get meals to those who need them most. 

The nonprofit is activating hundreds of restaurants and kitchens across the country to feed vulnerable communities as well as medical professionals fighting on the front lines of the pandemic.

Founded in 2010 and known throughout the world for helping to feed communities in times of crisis and beyond, the WCK has so far served more than 2 million fresh meals in response to the current health crisis. 

To learn more about SAHARA Las Vegas’ community efforts, go here.

 

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Partner Voices
Just when it seems like Las Vegas can’t get any bigger, brighter or more exciting for groups, MGM Resorts raises the bar again. The company continues to invest and innovate across its portfolio of Las Vegas resorts, with new attractions and upgraded experiences for attendees of all interests.  Remodeled Guest Rooms MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with over 5,000 guest rooms and an 850,000-square-foot conference center. It is home to the newly remodeled MGM Grand Studio Tower—700 reimagined guest rooms with a fun mid-century vibe. Nearby, the iconic New York-New York Las Vegas Hotel & Casino recently completed a $63M redesign and remodel of its 1,830 guest rooms and 155 suites. Down the street, Bellagio Las Vegas is sporting renovated rooms in the Spa Tower with sunrise-inspired decor and luxurious soaking tubs in Premier King rooms after a $110-million transformation. Reinvented Luxury Experiences The Luxury Meetings District, made up of Bellagio Las Vegas, ARIA Resort & Casino, Vdara Hotel & Spa, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas, is now more connected than ever before. A new interior walkway opened this October for a seamless attendee experience – connecting Vdara, Bellagio, and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, guests can now walk from Park MGM to Bellagio in around 15 minutes. New on the scene in the Luxury Meetings District is Cathedrale at ARIA, TAO Group’s upscale establishment specializing in exquisite French-Mediterranean cuisine offering elevated private dining experiences that opened in May. Heralded by World’s Best 50 Restaurants, GQ and VOGUE, LPM at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is opening this fall and will deliver its signature spontaneity and imaginative celebration of France’s Mediterranean cuisine, art, and culture to the unique luxury resort in impeccable fashion.  A “New Wave  for Mandalay Bay A new wave of enhancements and experiences has arrived at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, including Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar, an 8,445-square-foot restaurant that opened this June, perfect for pre- and post-game eats and drinks. Event planner’s favorite, Chef Michael Mina’s StripSteak, received a full renovation and now includes one of the largest private dining rooms on The Strip. Retro by Voltaggio debuts a one-year residency with a fun take on pop culture of the 80s and 90s with classic American dishes. An exciting addition planned for 2024 is Swingers, a 40,000-square-foot oasis of street food, miniature golf and art at Mandalay Bay. Most exciting for meeting planners, the 2.1 million-square-foot Mandalay Bay Convention Center  is undergoing a complete refresh, with lightened space, added eye-catching art, and improved technology infrastructure for even more flexible space. Energy-efficient digital signage now leads the way with faster internet speeds and new AV options. From renovated guest rooms and meeting spaces to celebrated dining options and dedicated teams, MGM Resorts is dedicated to delivering exceptional and innovative meeting experiences.