Martin Stern Jr to be honored with Sarno Lifetime Achievement Award

The award is being presented for Stern's work as a visionary designer of entertainment, hospitality and gaming venues that changed the landscape of Las Vegas. G2E is the premier trade show and conference event for the international gaming entertainment industry and will take place October 4-6 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.

"We are pleased to honor Marty Stern with the Sarno Award for his lifetime of achievements and contributions to driving forward the field of casino design," said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the AGA. "He was a true visionary and transformed the Las Vegas skyline when he designed and built some of the largest and tallest casinos the world had ever seen."

Stern founded Martin Stern, Jr. and Associates, an architectural firm that helped transform Las Vegas from a low-rise stretch into an extravagant vertical city. His first project on the Las Vegas Strip came in the form of a low-rise addition to the Sahara Hotel and Casino, which led to the Sahara's high-rise hotel tower, drastically changing the landscape of Las Vegas Boulevard. His most enduring contribution came with the introduction of the integrated hotel resort, first seen in Las Vegas at The International Hotel and the original MGM Grand Hotel and Casino (now Bally's Las Vegas Casino Hotel). Martin Stern, Jr. and Associates also designed other notable projects, including The Mint  Hotel in Las Vegas and the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City.

The Sarno Award, the highest honor afforded to any individual involved in the design and construction of casino resorts, is presented annually during G2E, which provides the only education content dedicated solely to casino architecture, design and decor, and construction. The Award is named for Jay Sarno, the grandfather of casino design, who envisioned such well-known casino resort properties as Caesars Palace and Circus Circus in the 1960s. The Sarno Award will be presented October 4 during a luncheon from 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. in room Galileo 901.