Tech giant Oracle has signed a three-year deal with Caesars Entertainment to relocate its flagship OpenWorld conference to the under-construction Caesars Forum convention complex on the Las Vegas Strip.
OpenWorld, which attracts around 60,000 attendees and visitors, will debut at the new facility either in September or October of next year.
“(Las Vegas) and its vast amenities are tailor-made for hosting large-scale events,” Oracle said, “and we look forward to bringing the industry’s most comprehensive technology and developer conference to America’s premier hospitality destination.”
OpenWorld traditionally is held in San Francisco, but Oracle said soaring hotel room rates combined with unsafe streets compelled the company to make the “difficult decision” to leave.
The San Francisco Travel Association said the move will cost the city an estimated $64 million a year in lost revenue.
Scheduled to open in March, Caesars Forum will encompass 550,000 square feet and offer more than 300,000 square feet of flexible space, including two of the largest pillar-less ballrooms in the world, each measuring 110,000 square feet and capable of accommodating more than 10,000 attendees at a time. It also will offer two 40,000-square-foot ballrooms, six board rooms and more than 100 break-out rooms. Its Forum Plaza, the only outdoor space of its kind in the city, will offer a further 100,000 square feet of dedicated event space.
Caesars said the venue has already secured more than 1 million room nights and $390 million in contracts, more than 70 percent of which represents new business.
