LAS VEGAS, May 5, 2008 – Mandalay Bay Convention Center today announced impressive results of a new recycling program designed to lessen the impact of trade shows held in the facility by making the events more environmentally friendly.

Results found the combined efforts of clients and staff resulted in an impressive 74 percent of all trade show exhibitor waste leaving the Mandalay Bay Convention Center was diverted from southern Nevada landfills and sent to recycling centers. This high number impressed even the program’s biggest proponents.

“We knew our efforts could make a contribution to the recycling effort in Las Vegas,” said Martie Sparks, Mandalay Bay Vice President of Catering and Convention Services. “But we had no idea how significant that contribution would be. By coordinating efforts with our clients, we’ve been able to divert much of what was previously discarded as trash and re-route it to recycling centers where those materials can have a useful second life. Our staff, our clients and their attendees should all feel a part of this success.”

In the four months from September to December 2007, the new recycling program was implemented for more than 29 major trade shows held in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. During that period, more than 6,000 cubic yards of recyclables were collected, while just more than 2,000 cubic yards of waste were taken to the landfill. Most impressively, three trade shows produced no waste at all, sending 100 percent of their materials to be recycled. In 2008, trade show recycling has maintained a consistent 74 percent through April. More than 11,000 yards of material have been recycled and two of 26 trade shows have recycled 100 percent of their waste.

These numbers reflect recyclable waste gathered from large trade shows where, typically, hundreds of exhibitors will set up individual booths and thousands of attendees will circulate through the event. Because of the rapid load-in and load-out nature of the shows and the highly competitive environment, trade shows often produce very large amounts of waste. Mandalay Bay is changing its approach to waste and has identified a way to capture recyclables.

Despite the huge success of this new program, the recycling effort remains invisible to the public. Exhibit waste is collected in common bins and removed from the building. Sorting of the recyclable materials takes place on the facility loading docks, where cardboard, plastic and aluminum are separated and deposited into containers which are routed to a dedicated recycling area on property. The materials are then bailed and loaded for transport to local as well as out-of-state recycling centers.

“This is but one example of Mandalay Bay’s ongoing efforts to reduce our property’s environmental footprint on our community,” said Bill Hornbuckle, Mandalay Bay President and COO. “We are taking a holistic approach that involves every department - Convention Center, Engineering, Hotel Operations, Purchasing, Food & Beverage. Our staff and managers are identifying innovative ways we can streamline our processes, while maintaining our reputation for exotic luxury.”