A new Cirque du Soleil show, called "Elvis", joined the more than half dozen shows produced by that company in an already saturated entertainment market filled with an endless number of gymnastic-based tumbling acts complementing the dozens of comedy performers, illusionists, headliners, topless reviews and ultralounges. Although the number of entertainment venues in Las Vegas is overwhelming, the diversity is quite limited almost in the same way McDonald's and Burger King have saturated their own market segments with the same-old-same-old despite the front of adding salads and occasional new selections. The fact is that many of the big shows in Las Vegas are heavily "comp'd", meaning lots of those "sold out" shows are free tickets given to patrons in exchange for gambling-related revenue. Presently, Ka and Le Reve barely make enough to cover nightly costs with the auditoriums filled with non-paying customers. The shows, however, certainly increase foot traffic in the casinos, sometimes as much as 10-20% before and after the shows.
When Steve Wynn transformed the town back in the 90's, it was because he had a vision of trying something new, far beyond cheap buffets, small hotel rooms where people spent less than 6 hours in on-average, and the 1950's gambling methodology catering primarily to the stereotypical blue-haired old ladies and men who wanted to see topless reviews. Our idea is fresh and is a no-brainer concept for an ever-changing and exciting show that never grows old accommodating almost every form of entertainment and emotion one could find in a single location.
In response to inquiries we have received about this project.
How did we get the idea to design an entertainment show from a shopping mall experience?
When we first conceived of our show concept and methodology in the very late 90's, we were in Argentina working on both the Disney Festival and the Abasto re-development. In the 1930's, the Abasto was one of the biggest marketplaces in downtown Buenos Aires until it finally stagnated and became part of what would be eventually become a slum. Decades later, a new idea for renovation of this deserted, huge semi-domed building, was to create an upscale combination shopping mall and entertainment complex envisioned to re-ignite the dying old heart of downtown. We needed a way to lure guests from the bustling suburban areas and travel to what was once the most thriving part of the city. The model for this renovation was similar to how downtown San Diego was transformed during the 80's from a Navy town with tattoo parlors, shady bars and some red light activities ...*ahem*... to what is now a magnificent example of re-birth of a downtown area with the simple addition of an upscale mall, boardwalk and now a ballpark for the Padres. So our challenge was to bring new life to the Abasto the same way.
Mere advertising and premium quality venues and shops would not quite provide enough influence to the general population to lure shoppers totravel the subway or buses to come there. So we invented a promotional "game". A reward system to inspire kids and adults to visit each shop, club, restaurant and every off-the-beaten-path nook and cranny in the Abasto. Enter human curiosity and reward psychology. Knowing that moms clip their grocery store coupons only to see how much they saved as if to win a prize, and how men love gadgets, kids love Easter egg hunts and Trick-or-Treat, and teens love thrills, challenges and edgy new ideas, we decided that we could actually create a demand by guests, of any age, to voluntarily wear radio frequency ID tags (RFID) while in the Abasto. These tags would provide a method for mom's to know the whereabouts of their teens in the arcade or mall area (who wants to shop with mom?), but additionally, the RFID tag was a promotional device to get an extra 10% off at the cash register while it also tracked shopping habits and dwell time in stores. The tag could be used to entice a guest to travel to a "dead zones" in the mall due to poor proximity to the anchor stores, by perhaps giving the shopper a free promotional item if they were to visit, say, the Left-handed Cup Store on the third level of the mall. Each reward would lead to a new reward and further enticements. You can read more about the Abasto at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abasto_de_Buenos_Aires .
This methodology of tagging, tracking and rewarding, as well as the fact that the RFID tag was also an electronic coupon device, debit instrument and promotional quest tool, appealed to us as the best new thing in the shopping and foot traffic cultivation for the location-based entertainment industry. The RFID concept was also pitched to the upper management folks at one of the major theme park developers as a really efficient way to control guest flow at their parks and reduce waiting lines by using the tags as sort of a quick pass reward. But regardless of the particular manifestation of tracking and rewarding guests and controlling foot traffic and flow, it is a sure bet that tagging, tracking and a reward system is a very useful tool for promotion and spending.
Applying the RFID Tag to a Multi-Dimensional Show.
Fast forward to the Realm Adventures "Oasis" project. The planning and execution of this project has been a fun challenge and we invested thousands of man-hours on the business model alone to see if, architecturally and from a guest flow standpoint, we could meet our design goals and generate income from such a continuous show matrix. Technology, guest flow and a very clever way of utilizing our show matrix architecture, with is changing facades for the full 14 hour per day operating schedule, are factors which allow this particular show configuration to be viable as a new form of entertainment.
Part of the success formula is tracking, tagging and rewarding the show guest with full occupancy utilization of the facility in an efficient manner. The "reward" is the most important factor. Just as slot machines reward guests with coins, or board games reward a player with a strategic win from time to time, or as a movie, play or theme park thrills you, makes you laugh, brings out empathy, we humans thrive on the reward of our emotions. The more positive emotions, the more thriving, as if you were a household plant on MiracleGrowTM. This is the premise for our show and the technology and techniques behind it ...not that we are going to let you read the script or see the architectural guest flow map...that's our secret and our competitive advantage.
When you look over the technical concept page on this web site, you will notice that there is really nothing new from a technology standpoint. RFID tags have been around for years, so has infrared tracking. Many of our special effects, show themes and elements are also tried and true. It is the application, configuration and cleverness of presenting the content and revealing the story in our own particular way is why we feel this concept is the holy grail of show entertainment for the next decades. This is a living movie and our show will be judged by the characters, action, script, appeal, quality and how much fun the patrons take away from this ever-evolving show.
FAQs: The Whys and Whats
We get email all the time about the "why" and the "what is it" questions. These include "what is the show about?", "what is the plot?", "why are you choosing the Las Vegas market?", "why are you publishing the technical specification concepts on the web site if it is a secret?". And the ever present "are you a theme park or a show or a play?".
Theme Park Not.
We are creating a feature length show. We are not a theme park or a theme-park-in-a-box, just as a theme park is not a movie, but each contains common elements. In the entertainment market, theme parks are the land of cross-promotion and park builders would like to think that when you go to a ride in the park, that you are actually now experiencing the movie. Hardly. What you are experiencing is recognition of themes and characters and this elicits certain emotions such as nostalgia and provokes your imagination and familiar thoughts. Who would want to go on the Dumbo ride if there were only seats and pictures and no Dumbo you could actually ride upon?
Although most of our crew comes from the theme park industry, we are building a show based upon a script which happens to take you into the movie as a live action witness of real 3D life objects, sets, live characters and a plot. If there was ever a merger between a themed attraction and a movie, we think we have finally conquered the method far beyond other attempts such as "Murder Mystery Weekend" or something in the genre of a "Tony and Tina's Wedding" or god-forbid, those really tacky reenactments of the Civil War that would-be actors perform each year in various towns. Geez!
Why Las Vegas?
Las Vegas needs new ideas constantly. There is money being spent on show attendance on The Strip. There is plenty of guest flow. Theme parks and themed rides failed miserably years back in Las Vegas because none of the show concept people understood the market. Vegas is ever-changing, but it is adult. The typical age of a guest is over 40, many of those patrons are over 60 for now, but changing downward. Unlike other attractions and shows, we are reconfigurable and adaptable to each demographic group without shutting down. We can change with the market, and since other location-based entertainment markets are totally saturated, we feel Las Vegas is the most fluid choice for new ideas. Our goal, of course, is to be a revenue and foot traffic generating engine.
The Plot.
Sorry, we're not going to reveal the plot. In the past, we generated many, many scripts, ideas, effects, characters, gags, storylines etc. for a different kind of market other than Las Vegas. We haven't thrown those away. But what we have done is create a show which has all the standard components that successful shows have such as character recognition, good against evil, deception, parody, humor in the form of satire, some mystery and of course a solid plotline. Sometimes you'll actually identify with the characters, the period, the themes. You will loathe the bad guys, you will weep in situations that you think are hopeless, you will witness love, you will sympathize. It's a two hour show, we have plenty of time to stir you.
We could describe 40 other emotions in here but you get the picture that our primary goal is to give you a sampler of everything from awe, wow and "ahhhhh" to "oooh", "geez!" and "on-no...not again!". When the show lands you back in reality, what we really want you to say is, "that was soooo fun and wonderful, let's go again". Then we'll dynamically change the show on the fly. Remember that RFID tag you were wearing? Yep, we know who you are and what we did to you last time, we'll tweak that just a bit for the next go-around. If you can figure out how we do that, we'll throw in another show for free, because you won't figure it out unless you work here. When we think back, we are not even sure how we figured this out ourselves, how can we tell you?
Are We Revealing Too Much?
No. We're just teasing everyone and we want to make the industry as a whole re-think entertainment. Our concept was partially born out of frustration with B and C-quality shows, the same old stuff over and over again, long lines at theme parks, over-priced theatre tickets, crowds. We eluded to this before and that the idea of a "feature length" attraction is not new. Show designers have talked about it for years, and even pitched the idea many times, but they never got the business model right, nor did anyone want to even dare to rock the boat. The biggest bugaboo results from the fact that creative minds don't get along well with the engineers and the accountants. Treating the concept as a product which has to be produced is so very much different than having a pie-in-the-sky concept that won't make money. The second problem is that the engineers and accountants think they are creative (we'll work on that). It's a teaming and trust-building effort and constant maintenance of relationships between these compartmental disciplines that are required. Who is going to tell the big mouse in Orlando to change their entire formula for theme parks, queue lines and merchandising? And how do you change the mindset and methodology for successful Broadway plays or blockbuster movie hits? You don't. But you do offer everyone another choice and let competitive factors and quality be the judge.
Rides?
No. No rides. This is a show, not a theme park. But there will be "transport" and "transportation" at times to move you between scenes. It is also not a walk thru, it is a show. We are ADA compliant, and you have to be able to move about, but no worse than going to a mall or wandering around a casino or getting in and out of a performance hall.
Creating Buzz without giving away The Farm?
Our actual architecture and story are not revealed on our web site or literature except to team members as these concepts, designs and ideas provide our competitive advantage. Anyone who wants to glean a few general ideas from us is fine, just like we grabbed a few ideas from previous developments. But we really do want to promote this product and start the buzz going. Anticipation is a key marketing ingredient.
Intrigued?
Contact us. We're here and reachable. Got show ideas for future upgrades and story changes? We license material.
Archive News
Cyber Design Corporation and their Project Masters Entertainment, headquartered in San Diego, California, has commenced a four year project to develop a brick and mortar entertainment complex with projected annual income of nearly $135 - $165 Million per year. The 200,000 ft. facility will house "a never before concept in immersive, interactive entertainment". The project's working title is "Realm". There is approximately 175,000 sq. ft. of guest accessible floor space.
Mike Strong, a principal founder in the project, outlined the unique characteristics of the project including "cutting edge special effects, new guest flow methodology, proprietary architectural design, patents and new computer technology which will allow nearly 4,000 guests per day to experience adventures as if you were an actor in an adventure movie". Cyber Design Corporation's Project Masters division brings with it a consortium of talent from the themed entertainment and motion picture industry including many of the concept and design team members who created the Disney and Universal Studios theme parks.
The project's Executive Producer, Bob Goodman, stated, "This is a unique opportunity to create an entertainment show experience beyond interactive shows, Cirque du Soleil-genre spectaculars, and certainly far beyond any theme park attraction". Mr. Goodman continues, "This new guest flow concept of wrapping people into a non-stop, continuous adventure and storyline which lasts for hours, is exactly what guests and creative folks have been clamoring for." Cyber Design Corporation is a privately held engineering company in the Midwest specializing in unique systems designs. "This project would not be possible if it were not for the algorithms, software, control systems and an absolutely astounding design concept", said Michael Escher, VP of Creative Content for the new development, "Our concept allows every nook and cranny of the show scenes to thrill each patron during every moment they experience in this feature length attraction".
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