Raiders-MGM Resorts new tie-up to enhance fan experience

Article posted by Coliseum, February 4^th, 2020

Image: MGM Resorts / Las Vegas Raiders

The professional American football team Las Vegas Raiders has entered into a new tie-up with American global hospitality and entertainment company MGM Resorts International. The latter is now the official gaming partner of the former and the main objective of the collaboration are to give an ethereal experience and bang for the bucks to fans.

MGM Resorts also has been named a founding partner of Allegiant Stadium and an official home of the Raiders’ pre- and post-game party.

The President of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL), Marc Badain, and MGM executives announced the collaboration recently at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, United States.

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As part of the deal, MGM Resorts will boast signage in the Raiders’ new residence – soon-to-be-opened Allegiant Stadium.

MGM Resorts will also enjoy naming rights to the West VIP entry and drop off zone as well as an “ultra-exclusive” MGM Club in the domed stadium.

“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with the Raiders and to welcome professional football to Las Vegas. Las Vegas is becoming one of the top sports destinations in the world, and this partnership is a natural fit of culture and vision. Together, we look forward to creating unique and world-class entertainment experiences for our guests and Raiders’ fans,” asserted Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International.

“We’re going to create the world’s best pre-game tailgate experience right here at Mandalay,” mentioned Murren, a self-proclaimed sports fan.

“Between Mandalay and Luxor, we have a lot of property; it’ll be something that you cannot see in another stadium around the United States,” he further explained.

“The Raiders are thrilled to welcome MGM Resorts International as our newest Founding Partner. MGM Resorts is an institution in the gaming and hospitality industry and the activations they have planned for Raider games and all events at Allegiant Stadium will bring their best-in-class expertise to the entertainment experience,” Badain observed.

“We’re lucky here in that right next to our stadium you have the best playground in the world,” he further stated.

The company has also become the founding partner of Allegiant Stadium to enable premium expertise to the entertainment experience in Southern Nevada.

The entitlement of the MGM Club at Allegiant Stadium will provide an ultra-exclusive experience to VIP patrons with a full-service premium bar, luxury lounge and an upgraded stadium seating for game viewing at the coming 65,000-seat domed property. The hospitality major’s portfolio of resorts in Las Vegas will also provide fans with crème de la crème experiences before and after Raiders’ home games.

An important initiative for both organizations, MGM Resorts and the Raiders are committed to collaborating on community outreach programs benefiting Southern Nevada. Through these efforts, the Raiders and MGM Resorts will continue to give back to their community.

Legends Global Partnerships represented the Raiders to secure the Founding Partnership with MGM Resorts as a part of their duties as the stadium’s official premium ticketing and sponsorships agency.

Previously based in the northern California city of Oakland, the Las Vegas Raiders relocated to Nevada in 2017 and are tentatively scheduled to begin playing their home games at Allegiant Stadium from September this year. The franchise’s President, Badain, proclaimed that he was “thrilled” to embrace MGM Resorts International as his organization’s “newest founding partner” as it attempts to turn around a recent decline that has encompassed only one post-season appearance since 2003.

The new pact between the Las Vegas Raiders and MGM Resorts International is to additionally involve the casino operator holding pre- and post-game events inside its Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Las Vegas. This 3,209-room venue is located only a few hundred yards from the under construction Allegiant Stadium and will purportedly be looking to recreate the fan zones hosted by its New York-New York Hotel and Casino and Park MGM Las Vegas compatriots for home National Hockey League (NHL) contests involving the Nevada city’s Vegas Golden Knights franchise.

Murren was of the view that pre- and post-National Hockey League (NHL) games at the T-Mobile Arena are regarded as the best in the league. He expects the ambience at Allegiant Stadium to be more electrifying because there are fewer games and the company can build up special activities for each one.

Despite announcing associations with the Raiders and Allegiant Stadium at various levels, Murren remained closemouthed on whether parking facilities in MGM properties would be allowed during game days and other stadium events.

“We’re working on all parking solutions. It’s a work in progress,” he said.

Though the parking situation is still a little murky, MGM will offer its patrons transportation from various other MGM properties.

Murren further stated, “MGM already has robust transportation plans in place. We want to make the fan experience as easy as possible.”

What Murren visualizes is fans flying in, staying at a resort property on the Strip and taking public transportation to the Mandalay Bay/Luxor area where they’ll take part in pre-game activities.

“Then they’re going to walk right across Hacienda, which is closed to vehicular traffic on game day and you’ll literally come right into the stadium. Logistically, we know that’s what the fans want… I know the Raiders have spent years trying to find the best elements of every stadium, I’ve seen the plans, it’s over the top, it’s going to be really great and we’re lucky to be here.”

While MGM will have a presence at Allegiant Stadium, it’s still out of bounds as far as gaming is concerned, distinctly prohibited by the legislation that established $750 million in public funding through an increase in Clark County’s hotel room tax.

Some sports venues in Washington, D.C. and Maryland permit sports wagering, but an amendment to Senate Bill 1 would be required for Allegiant Stadium to boast similar offerings.

Badain informed that additional partnerships with the Raiders and Allegiant Stadium will be announced in the months ahead.

The celebratory event was attended by dozens of MGM employees which included the Mandalay Bay President and Chief Operating Officer Chuck Bowling, and several Raiders player alumni and Raiderette cheerleaders at Mandalay Bay. The team and the company also announced that MGM would be a founding partner for Allegiant Stadium thus joining the bandwagon of 10 other companies with that status, including the first gaming company, Caesars Entertainment Corp., and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which operates a tribal casino in Southern California.

Murren considered the partnership a win for all of Las Vegas – “This is a win for the whole community, not just an MGM win. It’s a win for Las Vegas, and a win for the industry I represent all around the country.”

Murren said he was pretty impressed with Raiders owner Mark Davis embracing Southern Nevada – “I am humbled by the partnership with the Raiders. I’ve gotten the opportunity to know Mark Davis, a man of his word. I’ve gotten to know him socially because he is a passionate fan of the Las Vegas Aces — I see him courtside all the time when he’s in town. In fact, I see Mark Davis all around this community.”

The Aces are the Women’s National Basketball Association team MGM acquired as the San Antonio Stars and relocated to play at Mandalay Bay’s arena.

“A lot of people come to this town, kind of look around and they leave.

Mr Davis, Marc Badain, the whole Raiders organization are planting deep roots. That means more to me than almost anything else. So the fact is that this commitment is a level of trust. Handshakes mean everything to Mr Davis, they mean everything to me, the fact that the Raiders are putting deep roots into this community, the fact that it’s a global brand,” he continued.

Singing paeans of praises for Raiders, Murren said Raider Nation extends beyond US borders and he sees Raider emblems whenever he travels – “Everywhere I travel around the world — I’m in Japan all the time, China or Europe or the Middle East — you’ll find the Raiders flag all around the world. It’s truly a global brand, and not every NFL team can say that. So to have a global brand here in a global entertainment sports city like Las Vegas with an alignment of interests is absolutely the perfect partnership.”

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