philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

AREA15 Foreshadows the Mall Of the Future

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Blooloop, the location-based entertainment trade magazine, announced last month that Las Vegas’ AREA15 has been named the most visited attraction in the nation. The multimedia attraction and experience mall won a category that includes museums like the African American Museum and New York’s Natural History Museum, but it is much more than that. AREA15 features a diverse array of curated art installations, concept bars, and themed restaurants, including a distillery. Activities include zip lines, VR experiences, arcade games, ax-throwing, and a golf simulator. The twenty-acre grounds that surround the facility are big enough to accommodate outdoor events, festivals, and concerts from well-known acts. According to Placer.ai data Area15 attracted 3.23 million visitors in 2022. ...

“We didn’t come up with the idea for AREA15 and go searching for a place to build it. We began with a partner’s empty lot and the challenge of what to put across the highway from one of the world’s most magnetic entertainment capitals,” said Beneville. “What would break the gravitational pull of the Strip? AREA15 is the product of that process. This is a story about a creative collaboration 10x-ing a $10/square foot warehouse district with creativity and risk.” ...

AREA15’s anchor tenant is Omega Mart by Meow Wolf, ...

In March of 2022, Fisher Brothers acquired land along I-4 in Orlando and placed a giant robot on it, literally planting a flag. The 17-acre parcel is between Disney and Universal’s theme parks. ...

 “I love the simplicity of the illusion,” Beneville told me. “That’s the magic. Imagination is more important than technology here.” ...

See the full story by Charlie Fink here: https://arinsider.co/2023/07/04/area15-foreshadows-the-mall-of-the-future/