Today in Las Vegas Magazine

The More the Merrier at Madame Tussauds

Unless you’re an event planner, supermom or a concierge, being the one picked to be in charge of entertaining a large group is like, well, being dipped in hot wax. No need to worry, leave all things wax, to the group sales people at Las Vegas’ Madame Tussauds (MT). The accommodating staff can take that burden away, by providing a wide variety of choices that make party-planning, team-building, field trips or holiday parties, a breeze.

Rosita Chapman heads that talented department and said “At Madame Tussauds, we welcome groups of any variety and size to come in and share the unique experience our attraction offers, together. Whether it’s a small family reunion, or a corporate group of hundreds of sales agents, we guarantee a group setting unlike any other.”

Before we even begin to tackle all that, I’d like to provide a little background about the attraction, before getting back to the all the enhancements that the savvy group sales staff has to offer.

MT originated in London in the 1800’s and since then, five more museums have opened to audiences around the world. If you want a quick history lesson of other countries’ celebrities, check out the MT website and see who is represented in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Shanghai or London. Quick, who is Hu Jintao or Shah Rukh Khan?

If you’ve never been to the MT in Las Vegas - well, why not, because you need to. This is more than just a house of wax. Speaking of which, make sure to rent either “House of Wax” videos before going here. Trust me, it will make the experience kind of creepy (did that wax figure just move?) as well as informative and entertaining. FYI, the Vincent Price version is clearly the better of the two, but the 2005 one has uber-hottie Elisha Cuthbert and Paris ends up getting a pipe through her head. That’s hot.

The Madame Tussauds figures, now totaling over 100, are so life-like, it’s scary. MT has a Chamber of Horrors, but more on that later. Recently, one of my relatives came over and saw a collage of my family posing with the wax figures and asked how it was that we knew so many famous people, and of course, I said, it’s really just commonplace when you are in the media in Las Vegas.

We’ve all been to museums where the cars, statues, figures, animals, paintings, etc. have been roped off, and touching them is completely out of the question, right? Touching, kissing, hugging and mugging for the camera are all allowed and totally encouraged here.

Inside, the wax figures are staged in rooms that best represent them, ranging from Viva Las Vegas, or the Sports Arena, to American Idol and the Chamber of Horrors, which may or may not have live actors in there (hint, don’t be first in line when entering the chamber if you are faint of heart).

Now, back to groups at MT. You’ve picked the short straw and have been designated to organize an outing for your church group. No sweat, read on.

For smaller groups of at least 10 people, MT offers up an array of features that will definitely work for any kind of group. Discounted rates, your own personal tour guide, photo ops with souvenir photo, select retail merchandise tour souvenirs, scavenger hunts, hand wax dipping or an on site viewing of their “behind the scenes” video, are all bonuses that will make your group excursion memorable.

Exclusive private parties for 50 to 100 guests can have the opportunity to taste some of the best wines of various wineries and take home a bottle. Also available for that same amount of people is the Spirit of America room, where you can add a couple of celebrities to dine with your guests. Or how about a wedding? One of your guests can “marry” George Clooney or have him and other wax celebrities be guests on hand as you get married - for real - smack dab in the middle of the wedding capital of the world, Las Vegas!

For huge groups, MT offers unique-themed (maybe make it a costumed event?) special events with flexible menus that include an hors d’oeuvres and cocktail reception, and buffet or sit-down dinners that can accommodate up to 1,000 guests with a buyout of the entire venue.

So there you have it, don’t be the one afraid of organizing the crew, be the one to embrace it and receive all the accolades when your group has an unforgettable time at Madame Tussauds. Take it from Chapman, “Our attraction delivers entertainment and memories that will last a lifetime!”

-Brett Revell

Madame Tussauds Las Vegas
Venetian Hotel. 862-7800. Admission is $24.00, adults, $17.00, students and $14.00, children.
For group outings please call 702-862-7814, 1-888-689-4686 or e-mail: groups@madametussaudslv.com