The Las Vegas Convention Center debuted its new $1 billion USD West Hall on June 8.

The milestone was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by the opening of Informa Market’s World of Concrete, the first major convention to return to Las Vegas and to the U.S. post-pandemic.

The Las Vegas Convention Center Loop also became fully operational. The underground tunnel developed by Elon Musk’s The Boring Company shuttles convention attendees throughout the 200-acre campus in all-electric Tesla vehicles.

World of Concrete’s arrival comes on the heels of Las Vegas’ full reopening to 100 percent capacity on June 1.

“We are excited to welcome our convention customers back to Las Vegas and to our new West Hall, reigniting the meetings and convention industry,” said Steve Hill, president and CEO, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). “Today is not only a great day for our city, it’s a great day for the meetings and conventions industry across Las Vegas and across the United States.”

Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall and Loop

The facility’s new West Hall features a contemporary design with an abundance of natural light. Highlights include:

• 600,000 square feet of exhibition space, including 328,000 square feet of column-free space, the largest column-free exhibition space in North America;
• an open-air atrium with a 10,000-square-foot digital screen developed by Samsung, the largest digital experience in a convention center in the U.S.;
• and a 14,000-square-foot terrace that can hold receptions of up to 2,000 attendees.

The $52.5 million USD Las Vegas Convention Center Loop connects the West Hall to the center’s North and South Halls via two one-way vehicular tunnels, including three passenger stations. It runs approximately 40 feet below ground and transforms a 20+ minute walk into a two-minute trip.

Plans have been announced to expand the system throughout the resort corridor. The expanded system, which will be called the Vegas Loop, will operate as far north as Downtown Las Vegas, throughout the Strip and as far south as Allegiant Stadium.