Vegas goes all-in on experience destinations
by Martin Palicki
Much like the Strip skyline, the attractions scene in Las Vegas is always changing. Since expanding its offerings beyond gambling decades ago, the city has become something of a proving ground for the experience industry, willing to try different concepts and with the capital and space to make it happen. The most recent wave of immersive attractions seems to capitalize on post-pandemic trends favoring experiences over shopping. 2021 was a key year in Vegas, as both FlyOver Vegas opened on the Strip and nearby Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart debuted at AREA15 – soon followed by Illuminarium and Lost Spirits Distillery in adjacent buildings.
Now, more experiential attractions are coming to the Las Vegas Strip, continuing the city’s tradition of constant reinvention and new development. Three brand new experiences opened in the second half of 2023, each employing technology and immersion to entice audiences.
Museum of Illusions
Considered their flagship location, the Museum of Illusions (MOI) is located between The Cosmopolitan and The Shops at Crystals. It’s one of more than 45 privately owned Museum of Illusions scattered across four continents, and part of 11 new locations that opened in 2023. The company offers a franchise model and is based in Croatia, where the first Museum of Illusions opened in 2015.
According to Pien Koopman, Marketing Manager for MOI Las Vegas, “Each museum has a core set of exhibits, but we also offer special touches for each city.” In Vegas, that means a unique slot machine illusion, a room where you appear to be playing poker with a table of clones, and others.
Many of the exhibits are classic illusions, such as where one line looks longer than another, but they are the same size. MOI makes it interactive by providing a measuring tool so guests can check for themselves.
The museum is designed for taking photos. Several exhibits provide a setting where you can take a photo, flip it and appear to be performing superhuman feats. Others rely on mirrors and other optical illusions to help create the perfect selfie.
Naturally, the museum employs tricks common to themed entertainment, such as a vortex tunnel, two-way mirrors and projection effects. MOI Vegas is also introducing seasonal events. During InPark’s visit, the facility was decorated for the winter holidays and Santa made an appearance to take photos with guests, using an effect to make it look like Santa and guests were precariously hanging off the side of a building.
Koopman says the shift toward experience-based attractions in Vegas really took off thanks to the pandemic. “Vegas was hit really hard,” she explains, “and we started to look for things we could create that didn’t pack lots of people into small spaces.” Towards that end, MOI offers timed ticketing and guests flow naturally through the space.
ARTE MUSEUM
Located next to Museum of Illusions is ARTE MUSEUM, the sixth installation of the projection-heavy immersive experience from d’strict, based in the Republic of Korea. It’s the first ARTE MUSEUM located outside of Asia. New locations are also scheduled for Dubai (UAE), Busan (Korea) and Santa Monica (USA). d’strict is known for creating public art installations and other immersive experiences around the world.
Acording to their own materials, ARTE MUSEUM invites guests to “step into the world of ETERNAL NATURE” through a series of 12 exhibits that employ projection technology, a custom soundscape, lighting, and curated scents.
Most of the exhibits surround guests with projected imagery on the walls and floors, some incorporating mirrors for different effects. The environment is contemplative and reflective. Perhaps most impressive is the “Beach” exhibit where waves appear to crash onto the floor and rush up to guests’ feet. The division between wall and floor essentially vanishes in the simple but effective projection effect. Projection throughout the museum is handled by 34 Barco UDM 4K22 and 48 Barco G62-W9 projectors. Several exhibits utilize Christie’s Pandoras Box video playback and processing solution to manage and deliver media content.
Other exhibits are more interactive, especially the “Live Sketchbook” where guests use crayons to color in an animal before scanning it into a computer. Moments later, the animal appears in animated form, traversing across the room’s long screen.
The largest exhibit is “Garden,” an expansive room with projection-mapped walls, floors and structures. Several different experiences are presented in the room. One focuses on Korean imagery and history, another on classic painters, and another presents artistic interpretations of Las Vegas.
For an additional fee, guests can visit the Arte TeaBar and enjoy a cup of milk tea that illuminates with projected flowers when placed on the table. That moment when the server places the cup down is an unexpected surprise and adds a touch of whimsy to the experience.
ARTE MUSEUM also offers timed ticketing to ensure a steady, but not overcrowded, flow of people through the experience. Discounts are offered for off-peak visits.
Sphere
Opened at the end of September 2023 and connected to The Venetian Resort via a pedestrian bridge, Sphere made international headlines with its LED exterior and impressive high-resolution curved LED screen inside. The venue has changed the landscape of Las Vegas and brought attention to the technology advancements that made Sphere possible. Rock band U2 inaugurated the venue with a months-long tour at Sphere. But guests can also experience everything the venue has to offer by booking seats for The Sphere Experience featuring director Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth film, with shows scheduled regularly.
The Sphere Experience starts with time in the expansive Atrium. There, five AI-powered humanoid robots named Aura chat with guests. The interactions between the computers and humans are entertaining, if not a bit unnerving. Naturally, people seem to enjoy asking Aura about the future of technology, and AI in particular.
Sphere Immersive Sound powered by HOLOPLOT, the venue’s next-generation sound system, also has an exhibit showcasing its directionally focused sound system. It’s similar to a demonstration HOLOPLOT often presents at industry events. art, enjoy giant holograph-like imagery and stock up on snacks and beverage for the main show.
Elsewhere in the Atrium visitors can be scanned to have a virtual avatar created, take in some computer-generated art, enjoy giant holograph-like imagery and stock up on snacks and beverage for the main show.
Once inside the main bowl the sheer size of the screen is apparent immediately. With no support beams, nearly every seat provides a full view of the screen, which offers 16k x 16k-resolution.
In addition to the screen, Postcard from Earth takes advantage of other special effects systems built into the space, including haptic seats, wind effects and scents. The film tells the story of two humans arriving at a distant planet as they recall their time on Earth and the events that led them to leave for a new home. The storyline is largely a vehicle for showcasing grand vistas and stunning scenery from around Earth, captured with Big Sky – an ultra-high resolution camera system built by Sphere Studios.
The experience is a super-charged version of a traditional domed theater, with the LED screen providing crisp, bright images without edge warping. At times, objects in the film even appear three-dimensional.
Postcard from Earth lasts nearly an hour, which seems like the perfect length for such an immersive experience. More films and concerts are planned for Sphere, giving Vegas visitors ample reason to return again and again. •
