Filming at Mandalay Bay Convention Center

Vendor approval comes first

Access here is tightly linked to paperwork. The venue's contractor and vendor policy says all contractor and vendor companies must be on the Approved Vendors List, which show management submits to the Convention Services Manager at least 14 days before load-in. Companies not on the list will not be allowed on the property, and staff wear wristbands showing they are included.

For a videographer or photographer, this makes 14 days a practical backstop rather than a target. Ask show management when its own cut-off falls and tell it who your crew is as soon as you have booked. Filming permission itself should be confirmed with the show, as its exhibitor manual sets the camera rules.

Insurance figures to pass on

The policy states that a company without a current certificate of insurance on file is not authorised to work on the premises. If a business works here several times a year, an annual certificate is acceptable.

• General liability: $3,000,000 per occurrence on carpet and $5,000,000 per occurrence on concrete.
• Auto cover: $1,000,000 per accident for vendors bringing vehicles or using their own employees.
• Workers' compensation at statutory limits.
• Employers' liability: $1,000,000.

Exclusive services that affect a shoot

Exhibitors and their contractors may not perform or subcontract the services in the venue's exclusive categories. Three matter most to a video crew.

Edlen Electrical is the exclusive provider of electrical and plumbing labour. Exhibitors and contractors may not install or remove monitors or LED walls in concrete areas, distribute electrical materials, connect services rated at 208V or higher, or assemble ground-supported static lighting and truss. In practice, bring battery lights or plan your power order well ahead rather than expecting to patch into the building.

Encore holds rigging, along with all audiovisual services in breakouts and meetings, excluding general sessions, including projectors, screens, microphones, speakers, mixers and lighting. A camera crew recording a breakout should ask the show and Encore how it may take an audio feed and what kit it may bring. Nothing may be suspended from air wall tracks.

Load-in and docks

The planning guide says security gates control the lower docks off Russell Road and Frank Sinatra Road, along with the Upper West and Upper South docks. The company running load-in must provide a dock supervisor, and Mandalay Bay Security must cover the docks and any open freight doors.

There is no truck staging on the surrounding streets, and police will ticket parked vehicles, so contractors must arrange off-site staging. Freight door sizes vary widely. Bayside ABCD has doors 15 feet wide by 24 feet high, while Bayside EF includes dock doors just under 12 feet square, which matters if you are bringing in a set or a large display for a shoot.

Shows and scale

The venue describes itself as the fifth largest convention centre in the US, with 2.1 million square feet of meeting space. Shoptalk Spring is one business event booked here, with its 2027 edition running from 22 to 24 March. Distances across a site this large affect how quickly a crew can move between a keynote and a booth, so build in time.

Working with a local crew

Fame Crew can source a vetted local videographer or photographer for your stand or session. Tell us your show's vendor deadline, which rooms you plan to use and whether you are on carpet or concrete. Those details decide which insurance certificate your crew needs to provide.