The Vegas Reception Report 2026 · Original research
We Studied 1,726 Las Vegas Company Receptions. Here's What We Found.
Featuring receptions at Mandalay Bay, The Venetian, The Cosmopolitan, Wynn, ARIA, Caesars Palace, Resorts World and MGM Grand
81% of Las Vegas company receptions fall on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, and 6 PM is the most common start. At CES, opening night is the busiest.
Every big trade show in Las Vegas comes with a second calendar. After the show floor closes, companies host receptions, parties and dinners for their customers.
Lots of sites list these parties. We added them up: 1,726 of them, listed from January 2023 into July 2027, across more than 80 trade shows and conferences. We looked at the night, the start time, the room and the company that hosted each one.
Here is what we found.
FIND YOUR COMPANY PICK YOUR CES NIGHT
Is your company in it?
1,714 companies hosted a Las Vegas reception in this study. Type your company's name to see every one we found for it, and what stands out.
Not there, or missed a night? Tell us and we'll add it.
Here is a summary of our key findings:
- At CES, opening night is the busiest. 43 of the 110 CES receptions with a date fell on the first day of the show. For CES 2027, that is Wednesday, January 6.
- Tuesday is the top night. 524 receptions, 31% of those with a date.
- 81% fall on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Friday and Saturday together: 4%.
- 6 PM is the most popular start time. 354 of the 1,032 receptions that listed a time.
- Two in three start in the 5, 6 or 7 o'clock hour.
- The busiest single night had 76 receptions. Wednesday, August 5, 2026, in Black Hat week.
- August is the busiest month. 450 receptions, more than one in four.
- Mandalay Bay is the resort named most: 295 receptions, ahead of The Venetian with 268.
- House of Blues is the most-booked room. 55 receptions named it or its Foundation Room.
- 1,714 different companies hosted. 445 hosted two or more.
- 313 companies came back in a second year. 63 hosted five or more receptions.
- Black Hat week throws the most: 389 receptions. AWS re:Invent is next with 271.
The standout hosts
17 companies came back to the same show every year
These companies hosted a Las Vegas reception at the same show in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Most receptions first.
AWS
AWS re:Invent, every year from 2023 to 2026
The most receptions of any company in the study: 63. AWS re:Invent every year since 2023.
AWS re:Play, the AWS party at re:Invent, 2018. Video: Amazon Web Services, on YouTube. ProsperOps
AWS re:Invent, every year from 2023 to 2026
12 receptions. Only 3 companies hosted more.
Wiz
Black Hat week, every year from 2023 to 2026
11 receptions. Only 4 companies hosted more.
TWIF
Money20/20, every year from 2023 to 2026
9 receptions. Only 8 companies hosted more.
Cloudflare
Black Hat week, every year from 2023 to 2026
7 receptions, Black Hat week every year since 2023.
Skyflow
AWS re:Invent, every year from 2023 to 2026
Signature room: Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian, 6 of their 7 nights.
See all 17
ClickHouse
AWS re:Invent, every year from 2023 to 2026
6 receptions, AWS re:Invent every year since 2023.
Optiv
Black Hat week, every year from 2023 to 2026
Signature room: Daylight Beach Club at Mandalay Bay, 4 of their 6 nights.
Presidio
AWS re:Invent, every year from 2023 to 2026
6 receptions, AWS re:Invent every year since 2023.
Vercel
AWS re:Invent, every year from 2023 to 2026
6 receptions, AWS re:Invent every year since 2023.
Halcyon
Black Hat week, every year from 2023 to 2026
5 receptions, Black Hat week every year since 2023.
Legit Security
Black Hat week, every year from 2023 to 2026
There on the busiest night in the whole study, Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
Island
Black Hat week, every year from 2023 to 2026
Signature room: House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 2 of their 4 nights.
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Photo: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0. McDermott Will & Schulte
ITC Vegas, every year from 2023 to 2026
Signature room: StripSteak at Mandalay Bay, 3 of their 4 nights.
StripSteak at Mandalay Bay. Photo: Prayitno, CC BY 2.0. Pentera
Black Hat week, every year from 2023 to 2026
Signature room: Hakkasan at MGM Grand, 4 of their 4 nights.
The line outside Hakkasan, MGM Grand. Photo: Daniel Ramirez, CC BY 2.0. Sophos
Black Hat week, every year from 2023 to 2026
There on the busiest night in the whole study, Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
ZeroFox
Black Hat week, every year from 2023 to 2026
Signature room: Skyfall Lounge at W Las Vegas, 3 of their 4 nights.
The W Las Vegas tower (then called Delano), home of Skyfall Lounge. Photo: EconomicOldenburger, CC BY-SA 4.0.
CES 2027 · January 6 to 9
Pick your CES 2027 night
CES 2027 opens on Wednesday, January 6, and the show floor closes Saturday, January 9. Media days come first, on January 4 and 5.
- Monday, January 4, 2027: Media Day 1 and CES Unveiled
- Tuesday, January 5, 2027: Media Day 2
- Wednesday, January 6, 2027: Opening day
- Thursday, January 7, 2027: Day 2
- Friday, January 8, 2027: Day 3
- Saturday, January 9, 2027: Last day
The last three CES shows opened on a Tuesday. This one opens on a Wednesday. So we lined up every CES reception by show night, not by day of the week, and set it on the 2027 calendar.
Chart 1
Opening night is the busiest night of CES week
CES receptions, parties and dinners by show night, set on the CES 2027 calendar. 110 with a date in show week, 2023 to 2027.
Opening night carried 43 receptions, 39% of the ones with a date in show week. The nights after it get quieter: 31 on day 2 and 18 on day 3.
When CES receptions start, night by night
| Night | Before 4 PM | 4 PM | 5 PM | 6 PM | 7 PM | 8 PM or later |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Jan 4Media Day 1 and CES Unveiled | 1 | |||||
| Tue, Jan 5Media Day 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |||
| Wed, Jan 6Opening day | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| Thu, Jan 7Day 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | |
| Fri, Jan 8Day 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Sat, Jan 9Last day | 1 |
Key takeaway: Opening night means the most parties pulling at your guests. Day 2 and day 3 have fewer.
Pick your night at the other big shows
Pick a show. See which nights other companies chose, when they started and where. Busy nights mean more parties pulling at your guests.
Black Hat week: receptions by night
389 receptions listed since 2023. Bars run Monday to Sunday.
AWS re:Invent: receptions by night
271 receptions listed since 2023. Bars run Monday to Sunday.
Money20/20: receptions by night
119 receptions listed since 2023. Bars run Monday to Sunday.
Google Cloud Next: receptions by night
70 receptions listed since 2024. Bars run Monday to Sunday.
HLTH: receptions by night
58 receptions listed since 2023. Bars run Monday to Sunday.
NAB Show: receptions by night
52 receptions listed since 2025. Bars run Monday to Sunday.
HIMSS: receptions by night
43 receptions listed since 2025. Bars run Monday to Sunday.
ITC Vegas: receptions by night
41 receptions listed since 2023. Bars run Monday to Sunday.
The burgundy bar is the busiest night. A show's most common start time shows when at least 20 of its receptions listed a time.
1. Tuesday is the top night, and 81% land Monday to Wednesday
Trade shows run on weekdays, and so do their receptions. Tuesday carried 524 of the 1,669 receptions with a date. Wednesday was close behind with 489.
Friday and Saturday together carried 62. When the show floor closes, the week is mostly over.
Chart 2
Tuesday is the top night for Vegas company receptions
Receptions, parties and dinners by night of the week, 2023 to 2027. 1,669 with a date.
2. 6 PM is the hour
1,032 receptions listed a start time. 354 of them started at 6 PM, more than any other hour. Two in three started at 5, 6 or 7.
Chart 3
Most Vegas receptions start between 5 and 7 PM, and 6 PM leads
Receptions by listed start hour. 1,032 with a start time.
Key takeaway: At 6 PM on a Tuesday, your guests have choices. The first hour is when they decide to stay.
3. On the busiest night, 76 receptions competed for the same guests
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 fell in Black Hat week. That one night carried 76 company receptions. The next busiest night was the Tuesday before it, with 57.
| Night | Show week | Receptions |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Aug 5, 2026 | Black Hat week | 76 |
| Tue, Aug 4, 2026 | Black Hat week | 57 |
| Wed, Aug 6, 2025 | Black Hat week | 49 |
| Wed, Aug 7, 2024 | Black Hat week | 38 |
| Tue, Dec 3, 2024 | AWS re:Invent | 37 |
| Tue, Nov 28, 2023 | AWS re:Invent | 36 |
| Wed, Nov 29, 2023 | AWS re:Invent | 34 |
| Tue, Dec 2, 2025 | AWS re:Invent | 34 |
Key takeaway: On a night like that, the receptions people talk about are the ones that gave guests a reason to come and a reason to stay.
4. August is the busiest month, then October and December
The calendar follows the big shows. August is Black Hat. October brings Money20/20 and more. Late November and early December are AWS re:Invent.
Chart 4
August carries more than one in four Vegas company receptions
Receptions by month, 2023 to 2027 combined.
5. Mandalay Bay is the resort named most
295 receptions named Mandalay Bay or its hotel tower (Delano, now W Las Vegas). The Venetian and Palazzo were next with 268. Together, those two were named by more than one in three of the receptions that named a venue.
Chart 5
Mandalay Bay and The Venetian are named by more than one in three Vegas company receptions
Receptions by the resort named in the listing. 1,471 named a venue.
6. House of Blues is the most-booked room
55 receptions named House of Blues at Mandalay Bay or its Foundation Room. TAO at The Venetian was next with 33. Most of the top rooms are clubs, lounges and restaurants, not ballrooms.
| Room | Where | Receptions |
|---|---|---|
| House of Blues and Foundation Room | Mandalay Bay | 55 |
| TAO | The Venetian | 33 |
| Topgolf Las Vegas | Behind MGM Grand | 23 |
| Flight Club | The Venetian | 20 |
| Hakkasan | MGM Grand | 18 |
| Swingers | Mandalay Bay | 18 |
| Delmonico Steakhouse | The Venetian | 15 |
| OMNIA | Caesars Palace | 15 |
| Skyfall Lounge | W Las Vegas (was Delano) | 15 |
Every room named by 15 or more receptions.
7. The same companies come back
1,714 different companies hosted or co-hosted a reception. Many came back, show after show and year after year.
Key takeaway: A reception is not a one-time thing. For hundreds of companies, it is how they do every show.
8. Almost half are receptions. The rest are parties and dinners.
Chart 6
Of every 100 nights out, 45 are receptions, 37 are parties and 18 are dinners
775 receptions, 641 parties and 310 dinners. Each square is one in 100.
What the best hosts do with the first hour
Your reception is one of dozens that night. The guest walks in at 6, looks around, and decides whether to stay or head to the next party.
Immersive experiences topped the list of things that made an event better, chosen by 64% of nearly 2,100 event-goers in Freeman's 2024 trends report. An immersive experience is something guests take part in, not something they only watch.
On a night with 76 receptions, give guests something to do in the first hour. The fun is why they stay.
One way to do it: Wizard Messages, our immersive experience. Guests step up one at a time. Each one gets a personal Message, just for them.
Conclusion
Vegas company receptions run on a tight clock: Monday to Wednesday, around 6 PM, in the clubs and lounges of a few big resorts. At CES, opening night is the crowded one. The same companies host show after show.
That makes the night crowded and the first hour precious. Which finding surprised you most?
Your company is in the study
Hosted a Vegas reception since 2023? See your record, or send us one we missed.
Your venue is in the study
Run events at a room on these lists? Check your numbers, and tell us what your room does best.
Get the data
All 1,726 receptions in one file: date, night, start time, show, type, venue, resort, host companies and the source page. Free. No sign-up.
Embed a chart
Sources and method
What counts: a reception, party or dinner a company hosted in Las Vegas during a trade show or conference, listed on a public party list or event page from January 2023 to July 2027. That is 1,726 events from 1,714 companies.
What we left out: happy hours and anything outside Las Vegas. An event listed on more than one site counts once. Hosts are companies, never people, and one company's party listed twice on the same night at the same place counts once.
When: we froze the data on October 16, 2026. The CES 2027 dates come from ces.tech.
Checks: one script counts every number on this page from the frozen data. A second, separate script checks the page against the data before it goes out.
- CES, Dates and Hours (CES 2027 schedule), ces.tech
- PCMA, "Freeman Trends Report 2024: What Event Attendees Want," January 16, 2024
- Conference Parties, conferenceparties.com
- Luma event pages, luma.com
- Black Hat Radar, blackhatradar.com
- Internet Archive Wayback Machine, web.archive.org
Download the raw data (CSV, 1,726 rows)
Photo credits, all via Wikimedia Commons and cropped. The AWS video is Amazon Web Services' own, on YouTube.
- House of Blues: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0
- StripSteak: Prayitno, CC BY 2.0
- Hakkasan: Daniel Ramirez, CC BY 2.0
- W Las Vegas: EconomicOldenburger, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cite this: Ask a Wizard. “The Vegas Reception Report 2026: We Studied 1,726 Las Vegas Company Receptions.” Study. Updated October 16, 2026. https://askawizardmagic.com/library/vegas-reception-report
Questions
- Is my company in The Vegas Reception Report?
- Type your company's name in the search at the top of the report. 1,714 companies are in it, each with every Las Vegas reception we found for them, a link to share and a badge for your site.
- What is the busiest night for CES receptions?
- Opening night. In CES weeks from 2023 to 2027, 43 of the 110 receptions with a date fell on the first day of the show. For CES 2027, that is Wednesday, January 6.
- When is CES 2027?
- CES 2027 runs Wednesday, January 6 to Saturday, January 9, 2027, in Las Vegas. Media days are Monday, January 4 and Tuesday, January 5, according to ces.tech.
- What time do Las Vegas company receptions start?
- 6 PM is the most common start: 354 of the 1,032 receptions that listed a time. Two in three start at 5, 6 or 7 PM.
- What night of the week has the most Las Vegas trade show receptions?
- Tuesday: 524 of the 1,669 receptions with a date. 81% fall on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
- Where are the most Las Vegas company receptions held?
- Mandalay Bay is the resort named most (295), then The Venetian (268). House of Blues at Mandalay Bay is the room named most (55).
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