The stations are named MGM Grand, Bally’s-Paris, Flamingo-Caesars, Harrah’s-Imperial Palace, Convention Center, Las Vegas Hilton, and Sahara. The monorail does run by the back of the Venetian and gets very close to the Sands Expo Center, half a block or so, at the corner of Koval and Sands avenues. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there.
The closest the monorail gets you to the Sands convention center is the Harrah’s-Imperial Palace station. If you don’t have trouble walking, this is eminently doable, probably a 15-minute hike from the station to the Sands. You disembark the monorail at the station, which is in the rear of the two casinos. Then you walk through Harrah’s, out onto the Strip, past the Venetian and Palazzo, around the corner, and another block to the entrance to the meeting hall.
You can also walk through the Venetian, which might save you a little distance, but not time, as you have to navigate the long entrance, the longer casino, and the longest hallways to the exhibit hall and ballrooms.
Since you have trouble walking, we’re not sure the monorail provides you with a workable alternative to staying at the Venetian or Palazzo. When all is said and done, it’s probably close to a mile’s trek.
Easiest, of course, is to bite the bullet and stay at one of the convention center’s hotels; then you’re right there.
Another idea, if it’s a smaller convention when cabs will be more available, is to stay at a nearby hotel or motel, such as the Super 8 at Ellis Island or Terrible’s, or any of the smaller business hotels that line Paradise Road between Desert Inn and Flamingo. Cabs won’t be too expensive and they’ll deliver you door to door.
If it’s a big convention when cabs are at a premium, check to see if complimentary buses will be shuttling between the large hotel-casinos and the Sands. If so, you can stay anywhere a bus pulls up to the front door.
Good luck -- and let us know how your adventure turns out.
