Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas
Biloxi ’ s Beau Rivage
“ We went through the resort evolution and the Mirage came . We went through the restaurant evolution , with world-class chefs coming , and then we went through the retail evolution , building out world-class shopping experiences , and now we ’ re in the entertainment revolution ”
Nightclubs brought in the younger audiences making Vegas the nightclub capital of the world . And with three of the four major sports leagues either present in town or coming soon , becoming the sports capital of the world is next up .
Where can it go next ? Digital may be one option . It ’ s something Hornbuckle sees as “ transformational ” albeit with work to do on improving the experience .
“ The question is what ’ s next ? There ’ s an experiential part of our business emerging . Las Vegas has always been good at creating something unique you can ’ t get anywhere else in the world . We have to think about how we build on that .
“ It ’ s probably around this experiential entertainment concept ,” he continues . “ While you could put on a set of glasses and have something like that experience at home , we can put it in a real environment and make it part of the activities we offer here . That could be very interesting .”
Considering The Sphere recently opened , the experiential evolution may already be on its way .
STORM CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON ?
However , there are obstacles to clear before the evolution can begin . The threat of a recession refuses to go away . F1 ’ s triumphant debut came after controversy around the practice race and disruption to planning .
ICE LONDON 2024 • ISSUE 135 • 57