Lenny Talarico

Director of Events
MGM Resorts Events, Las Vegas, NV
www.MGMresortsevents.com 

BIO
He received a GALA Award from Special Events Magazine recognizing his work on the Grand Opening of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, has been recognized as “Event Planner of the Year”, and received the prestigious “Spotlight Award” thru Event Solutions Magazine and is a recipient of numerous WESTIE-Awards.  

He is actively involved in the industry and has served as the president of ISES-Las Vegas.  Lenny served on the ISES International MARCOM Committee, providing monthly content to the ISES International e-news letter.  Currently he is serving as a committee member for the 2012 Event World in Dallas.  He is among the select group of event professionals to have obtained a CSEP certification.  He was a founding member of IACEP (International Association of Corporate Entertainment Producers), and worked with the association on standardizing industry entertainment practices. He is a member of both MPI (Meeting Planners International) and the LVHA (Las Vegas Hospitality Association).   

As a speaker he has guest lectured at UNLV and Temple University for their event management curriculum and been a part of the education seminars for numerous industry conferences, most notably, the G2E Global Gaming Expo held in Las Vegas. He is a proponent of education in the field of events and serves on the board of TISOH (The International School of Hospitality), where he is a regular lector.  

His connection to the events and entertainment community in Las Vegas is long standing. As a Las Vegas resident over 25-years, the early part of his career was spent performing and entertaining on the Las Vegas strip in showrooms and lounges.

Interspersed during his performance career he quietly began a career in the special event industry working in a regional capacity as an Event Coordinator for Macy’s and Dillard’s department stores. He served as the personal shopper for the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” during on location taping in Las Vegas.