Smith Center Blog

Discovering The Smith Center

With a New Chairman at the Helm, The Smith Center’s Board of Directors Continues Providing Strong Oversight

Halkyard, Chief Financial Officer of MGM Resorts International, takes over as Chairman of the Board in the fall of 2024, succeeding longtime Chairman Don Snyder, who stepped down after more than 20 years in the position. Halkyard, who has served two stints on the Board – from its pre-opening phase until 2014, when he moved to North Carolina, and again when he returned to Las Vegas in 2021 – has watched Snyder up close, and says he plans to model his approach after that of his predecessor.

Discovering The Smith Center

Art With Heart - Smith Center staffers describe their favorite visual works on campus

If you’ve been following The Smith Center’s Facebook or Instagram accounts lately (and you should be), you’ve witnessed world-renowned interior designer Roger Thomas’ guided tour to some of the many extraordinary works of art throughout this 5-acre campus – a collection the former Smith Center board member helped build.

Discovering The Smith Center

Board Chairman Recalls Turning Points That Made The Smith Center Possible

When asked about his favorite visits to The Smith Center, Don Snyder says that includes every time he steps foot inside. “I end up watching the (audience) as much as I watch the performances,” says Snyder, Smith Center Board Chairman. “I like to see the reactions people have when they’re in the facility.”  It’s no wonder Snyder feels emotional about The Smith Center, as he devoted roughly 20 years to helping fundraise, plan and construct it.

Discovering The Smith Center

The Art Of Sound

Kevin Harvey had barely entered his teenage years when a singular experience set him on his life’s course.  “I went to see The Who in Bristol (England) in 1966 when I was 13, and it completely changed my life,” Harvey says. “I realized I couldn’t be Pete Townshend, but I could be the soundman.”

Discovering The Smith Center

Ask The Smith Center – Answers to Common Guest Questions

Providing the highest-quality guest experience remains a top priority for The Smith Center, and to help with this, the center regularly collects audience feedback through frequent surveys. Often, visitors share similar concerns.

Discovering The Smith Center

How The Housekeeping Team Keeps The Smith Center Pristine

When Ana Reyes hears people compliment how glittering clean The Smith Senter looks, it fills her with pride. As Assistant Director of Housekeeping, Reyes and the rest of The Smith Center’s 20-member housekeeping department work hard 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to keep the center spotlessly clean.

Discovering The Smith Center

Why The Smith Center Earned National Recognition for an Important Accessibility Service

Of all the shows Niki White has experienced at The Smith Center, her favorites definitely include “Riverdance.” She enjoyed the complex step and tap dancing, she says, plus the lavish, velvet costumes and the enormous set pieces. It didn’t matter that White, a Las Vegas resident who is blind, couldn’t actually see any of this – because The Smith Center’s audio describer informed her of every visual detail on stage, allowing her to enjoy it fully.