There was unmistakable excitement from MGM CEO Jim Murren who spoke in a one-on-one interview with 13 Action News ahead of Wednesday's grand opening of T-Mobile Arena.
"We've crushed it. This is the coolest venue in the world," said Murren. "There hasn't been a big thing to talk about for many years, and this is the first time we've built an arena in a long time. This really is the first time that I can say this was built for the community.
MGM Resorts International says the new T-Mobile Arena is the future of Las Vegas.
"Acoustically it's one of the best arenas I think exists in North America," Murren said.
There are major tech innovations inside, but there's also new concepts being executed on the outside. The Park, which opened Monday, is green space on the Las Vegas Strip, a long-time coming.
"We've missed some things that you would have in a great city," Murren said. "These public spaces are critical to quality life in any great cities ... I can tell you MGM is going to do more of these types of public outdoor venues because we know that's what the consumer wants."
The CEO also candidly talked about MGM's new parking policy which will eventually require both locals and tourists to pay for parking.
Murren said, "In the world we live in today, these garages need to be as state of the art and as excellent as any other part of the resort but that takes money. We're putting more money into these garages than anyone else is, and I bet our competitors will do the same thing over time."
But Wednesday, there is no competition for the spotlight.
"We just can't wait to see 18,000 screaming fans in here tonight," Murren said.
13 Action News also spoke with Mark Prows, the senior vice president of arenas for MGM Resorts International. He's a long-time Las Vegas resident and says the arena has been long overdue.
"This is the pinnacle of my career," he said. "I mean I can't think of anything more exciting, more dynamic than delivering this building to this incredible marketplace."
Prows said he was involved in the design process and says everything looks exactly as planned when it was laid out on paper.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW BELOW.
