NEVADA.

Las Vegas 

You can bet there's a reason millions of convention delegates come to Las Vegas every year-and it's not the all-you-can-eat buffets. The fastest growing city in America has more than 5 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space, and several new sites in store. Owners of the 3,000-suite Venetian resort, which opened last year on the popular Las Vegas Strip, arc talking about breaking ground this fall on a new property. The proposed second tower, called the Lido, would add another 3,000 suites and 300,000 square feet of convention space to the complex. The Venetian, together with the Sands Expo and Convention Center, currently features 1.3 million square feet of convention center space and 500,000 square feet for meetings. Planners should also set their sights on the 2,700-room Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino, with its 25,000 square feet of very flexible meeting space and prime location.

But in the city of big, the biggest hotel news of the year may be the opening of the new Aladdin Resort and Casino complex in August. No lantern needed to make your meeting wishes come true here: The 34-acre site is one of the city's largest, and includes a new 2,600-room hotel and the completely remodeled 7,000-seat Theatre for the Performing Arts. The theater is one of the few venues of its size in Las Vegas and can also be configured for smaller groups of 2,500.

The Aladdin also offers 75,000 square feet of flexible pre-function and meeting space, including breakout and board rooms, and direct access to the conference floor from the guest rooms and lobby.

Coming soon: the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall expansion, which will bring the center's total meeting and exhibit space to about 3 million square feet. That project is scheduled to be completed by late 2001.

Reno

Reno's on a roll, with several multimillion-dollar expansions and renovations in the works, The Reno-Sparks Convention Center is undergoing $105 million in changes that will increase its current size from 370,000 square feet to more than half a million in meeting space. The project is set for completion in late 2002.

The city has more than 20,000 guest rooms all within minutes of the airport and convention center. Conveniently located across the street is the Atlantis Casino Resort, which recently opened a new 27-story tower with 400 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space for a total of 32,000 square feet. Meanwhile, work is finishing up at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino, which added 10,000 square feet of meeting space that can be used as two large rooms or nine separate break outs. This brings its total convention space to 90,000 square feet.

World-famous Lake Tahoe is just a half-hour away, so when they're not in the meeting room, participants may want to take advantage of a variety of outdoor recreation activities and attractions. And for something a little out of the ordinary, your group can have its own rodeo at the Reno Livestock Events Center, a versatile meeting site with indoor and outdoor arenas and a 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall.