NOVEMBER | FEATURE
What happens in
Vegas, leaves Vegas
W
hen it comes to event trends,
Vegas doesn’t keep its secrets
for long. The entertainment
Mecca has championed world-wide
phenomena from Cirque Du Soleil to
megastar residencies, but Access’ recent
trip to the tax-friendly State of Nevada
unearthed some game changing
projects.
Area15
Not to be left behind by the trend
for ‘festivalisation‘, Area15, set to open
in 2020, is taking the concept into
futuristic dimensions.
Billed as an ‘immersive bazaar’, this
experiential retail and entertainment
complex by day will double as a must-
22
The destination that caters for every human
desire is poised for one of the world’s most
exciting festival projects, but that’s just the
start…
Above: Area15
attend night spot where artists are put
‘front and centre’. The project is also
well-positioned for the much-billed
merging of events and retail, with areas
dedicated to VR and AR experiences
aimed at forward thinking companies.
AREA15 is a joint venture between
real estate development firm Fisher
Brothers and creative agency Beneville
Studios, both of New York. The project
signed Meow Wolf, a multi-media
production company based in Santa
Fe, New Mexico, as its anchor tenant.
Meow Wolf (of which Game of Thrones
author George RR Martin is one of the
biggest investors) creates immersive,
interactive experiences focusing
on ‘story and exploration’ through
fabrication, painting, sculpture,
architecture, virtual and augmented
reality, sound, performative experiences
and interactivity.
Creatives on the project (see boxout)
have backgrounds in companies
including Live Nation, and cite
inspiration from festival experiences
including Burning Man. The space
will include input from arts collective
Beowulf who will build art exhibits,
and activations. The events on offer will
include deep house and EDM festivals,
drone racing, TED Talks, and even a
barbecue competition.
Access took part in a hard hat tour of
the space, located next to Interstate 15,
and spanning 11,705sqm, with 6,317sqm
of leasable ground floor space and up to
5,388sqm of mezzanine space. Area15
will also boast a 3,716sqm outdoor
event space suited for live music,
festivals, corporate events, and e-sport
tournaments, positioned adjacent
to the retail and dining options. The
indoor and outdoor event space has the
capacity to accommodate up to 3,000
guests at a time, with plans to host
more than 100 events per year.
Ashley Treviso, marketing manager
at AREA15, told Access that the project
is breaking all the norms of retail and
events. “All our tenants bring new
experiences, and won’t be considered
unless they are pushing boundaries.
How a visitor chooses to interact with
the space is up to them. They can solve a
mystery, or use our VR elements to, say,
walk through a fridge into an ice land,
or into an enchanted forest where they