Powering up IMEX America
By Eric Wallinger, Director of Sustainability, MeetGreen
The energy on the IMEX America show floor is unmistakable. But there's another source helping power the show and the venue: the sun.
Sustainability strategy has been an integral part of IMEX America since the show first arrived in Las Vegas in 2011. Over the past decade, IMEX and MeetGreen have had a front-row seat to innovations in venue infrastructure and the ways the show is powered.
Many venues purchase renewable energy from their regional power grid. Mandalay Bay Convention Center generates some of its own.
On the rooftop: Renewable energy comes to Mandalay Bay (2014-2016)
When IMEX and MeetGreen conducted initial site visits in 2019 to plan for the move to MGM Resorts, the primary source of renewable energy in MGM's Las Vegas portfolio came from the Mandalay Bay Convention Center roof.
Installed in two phases in 2014 and 2016, Mandalay Bay's rooftop solar array includes approximately 26,000 solar panels and is one of the largest contiguous arrays in the United States. At full production, MGM estimates the system can provide approximately 25% of the electricity used across the Mandalay Bay Resort complex.
If you've stayed at the Mandalay Bay or W and looked out from the south-facing windows, you've likely seen this extensive array firsthand.
Going big: The Mega Array (2021)
Two years later, in time for the first IMEX America at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, MGM Resorts International significantly expanded its solar capacity with the deployment of the new 100-megawatt Mega Array located about 40 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip.
The expansion added 323,000 solar panels across 640 acres, helping extend renewable power beyond the convention center to MGM's broader Las Vegas portfolio. The Mega Array provides renewable power for approximately 35% of the total electricity used across all 13 MGM Resorts properties in Las Vegas over a 24-hour period.
IMEX marked the development by helping organize a bus tour with MGM Resorts during IMEX America 2021, giving attendees the opportunity to see the site in operation.
Expanding further: Escape Solar + Storage (2026)
The expansion of renewable energy continues in 2026 with the Escape Solar + Storage Project, adding another 115 megawatts of solar capacity and, for the first time, 400 megawatt-hours of battery storage.
Combined with the Mega Array and the convention center rooftop system, solar energy can now supply up to 90% of MGM Resorts' Las Vegas properties' daytime electricity needs, while battery storage helps extend renewable power into the evening and other lower-production periods.
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