Trends – VEGAS UNFILTERED BLOG by Sam Novak

Palms’ reinvention lights up Strip via Flo Advertising mobile LED billboards…

When you visit the city as often as I do, you tend to become…shall we say…jaded by most of the sights and sounds around you. You can only gawk at the Bellagio fountains, the Luxor pyramid or New York NY‘s twisting Big Apple Roller Coaster so many times before you start to walk right by with perhaps a casual glance.

So whenever something new and exciting catches my gaze, it’s a memorable Sin City experience. That’s what happened last month when heading over to Planet Hollywood Casino after taking in the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden‘s spring display (always pretty…and pretty much the same as the last time).

While approaching the crosswalk between Cosmopolitan and Miracle Mile Shops, I was stunned by what appeared to be a giant set of teeth about to devour a man’s hand. Cue the theme from “JAWS”.

It took a moment to absorb what I was seeing…then realize that I was witnessing FLO Advertising in action. You may have caught my previous piece on FLO and how their mobile digital billboards were drawing the morbidly-curious and adventurous types to the Official SAW Escape Room Experience.

Taking in the stunned reactions from pedestrians at the busy intersection of four major hotels was, I’ve gotta say, pretty gratifying. It’s one thing to write about a cool concept but something altogether visceral to witness it in action.

That’s what makes FLO’s approach so effective…and why Stations Casinos has entrusted FLO Advertising to publicize their reinvention of Palms Casino. Here are the specs:

FLO’s mobile digital billboards are 23% larger than the conventional mobile digital billboards you’ve been seeing on the Strip. Their electronic signage is a staggering 10,000 NITS brightness which is 25% brighter than the competition. Their state of the art technology is instantly update-able and flexible, allowing for unlimited creativity and immediate response to marketing demands.

At this point you’ve gotta be wondering what any of this has to do with sharks. Well, the predator in question is the main attraction at a new Palms lounge called Unknown Bar. Right in the heart of the casino’s reimagined gaming floor, Unknown Bar‘s unusual shark sculpture is called The Unknown (Explored, Explained, Exploded).

This eighteen-year-old work has never been publicly exhibited before, but now it’s the centerpiece of creator Damien Hirst‘s outlandish lounge concept. Yes, the British artist who made the sculpture from a real tiger shark (and lots of formaldehyde) also designed the bar space as well.

Hirst has been known to raise eyebrows (and ruffle the feathers of animal-rights advocates) with his use of real creatures as art. But stirring up controversy is intentional in the new Palms ‘tude. Check it out:

This daring video reflects that gutsy approach. It depicts vandalism and arson of the Palms as a reason to celebrate. Not the kind of advertising campaign you’d typically expect to see in today’s turbulent society. But hey, points for originality!

As cool and eye-catching as the video is, it’s one thing to view it on your smartphone or PC and something far different to catch it super-lifesize and super-bright while walking the heart of the Strip. Take my word for it…FLO technology is stunning with the naked eye.

The “From Dust To Gold” renovation is covering just about every nook and cranny of Palms. Top-floor funspots like Apex Social Club and The View will compete for your attention with ground-level Rojo Lounge and 24-hour Tonic.

On the dining front, beloved Cafe 6 at Palms Place has given way to Laguna Pool House and Kitchen, expanding the venue beyond gourmet burgers to full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The poolside location is gorgeous and tempting, but keep your shirt on…the elevated menu makes it clear that this isn’t a swimsuit-appropriate eatery.

Both the buffet and 24-hour diner have been given top to bottom renovations and new names, too. Out with the world’s largest Hooters, in with Scotch 80 Prime, a fine-dining destination with a focus on rare whiskeys from Scotland.

Along with new dining and entertainment outlets, the common areas, guestrooms, infamous Sky Villas and even the parking garages are getting major overhauls. It’s all in an effort to bring Cosmopolitan-style coolness to the off-Strip legend while offering Stations-style value to tourists and locals alike.

With all of this newness in the works, it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that Palms Casino Resort has teamed up with FLO Advertising to spread the word. Boasting the biggest and brightest mobile billboards in the city, FLO assures that visitors will take notice.

So the next time you’re fishing for a little off-Strip excitement, hop on a bus, taxi or LYFT to check out the changes at Palms. And keep your eyes open for that shark. But don’t worry about getting chomped…he’s only going with the FLO.

Information about FLO Advertising Mobile Digital Billboards is available on their website. Click here to learn more or request a quote.

Photos: Sammasseur, Palms Casino Resort via Facebook

Videos: Palms Casino Resort, FLO Advertising

Vegas Unfiltered’s 2017 In Review continues with “The Year In Trends”…

Most Influential Trend – Rideshare Services

Taxis gouge and the lines are super-long. Buses smell…and so do many of the passengers. Rental cars rack up parking fees and run the risk of accidents and DUI’s. Then there’s the monorail line, which services too few hotels and shuts down at 2 am. Thank goodness stalwart party people can choose LYFT and Uber, two modern ways of getting around that have impacted the way that we “Vegas”.

Now completing their second year of servicing McCarran International Airport along with the rest of the city, these two ride-share services will get you where you want to go at any hour. Best of all, they’re cheap!

There is a downside with rideshares in that both the airport and the resorts seem to have conspired with the local Taxicab Authority to locate designated pick-up spots in remote areas. But expect that to change as the initial shock wears off and rideshare companies evolve from being an upstart service to the transportation method of choice.

On The Rise – Classic Cocktail and Liquor Bars

You may not have realized it, but bottle service has quickly become very “2014”. These days, the hip, young and young-at-heart are gathering at classic cocktail and liquor bars. Venetian/Palazzo opened up two this year (The Dorsey and Rosina) to enormous success.

Downtown’s Golden Nugget recently replaced Gold Diggers Nightclub with a Vegas version on NYC’s Troy Liquor Bar, bringing a much-needed element of class to the frequently-skeevy Fremont Street. I’ll be visiting that one soon and will report back.

Element of the Year – Water

Water was a major player in Sin City this year. WOW – World of Wonder joined O and Le Reve as the third water-based production (read my review here). More resorts added the option to decline housekeeping and laundry services in return for resort credit, saving money, labor…and lots of water. Chippendales brought in a Prince-ly “Purple Rain” shower sequence that has audiences breaking the sound barrier with screams.

The level of Lake Mead continued to drop, worrying officials and providing a disturbing sight for those who fly into the Valley from the east. $817 million and six years were invested into drilling a new “intake straw” to ensure that the remaining water could continue to be siphoned in a “last ditch effort to save Las Vegas from drought doom” .

Despite the water emergency, construction is set to begin on Wynn Paradise Park, a man-made lagoon and theme park that will replace the recently-closed Wynn golf course.

Sadly (or perhaps fortunately), it also brings a whole new focus on the concerns for water mismanagement. Steve Wynn is probably hoping that the new fire-based INFERNO show at Paris will take some of the heat away from his continued wasting of Sin City’s most precious resource.

Fading Fast – Male revues

Any regular reader know I love attending this type of show, despite the fact that some of them are sheer crap. While 2017 started with an all-time interest for male revues, the sizzle fizzled out pretty rapidly.

A marketing blitz for Magic Mike Live caused long-time standards Chippendales and Thunder from Down Under some concern. After the initial madness, MML became just another option in a landscape littered with hungry male strippers (what an image!).

Black Magic Live quickly moved from the Strip’s Tommy Wind Theater to a banquet hall to an off-Strip ghetto nightclub. Aussie Heat has cooled down to two performances a week (with talk of closure in the coming weeks). Men of the Strip‘s dreams of a multi-media nightclub at Tropicana were reduced to a two-week gig at Hard Rock Cafe. Then they left Las Vegas altogether for a tour through North America.

An insider told me that it’s much too difficult to launch a residency in expensive Vegas venues. He cites the ease of filling up large spaces in other cities where this type of entertainment is rare and there is little to no competition. The profit margin is much greater for tours as well.

You can be sure that Chipps and Thunder won’t be going anywhere next year. Unfortunately, that’s probably true for the nauseating Magic Mike Live. But in Vegas, where Sin is touted as a lifestyle and wild girls (and gays) come here to get their male-stripper groove on, expect the choices to be more limited in 2018.

Photos: Sammasseur, Wynn Resorts (and other sources, too)

Tag: Trends

Shark Sightings Stun Tourists On Las Vegas Boulevard

Palms’ reinvention lights up Strip via Flo Advertising mobile LED billboards…

2017 In Review Part 3 – Trends: Hot, Cold, Wet and Sweaty

Vegas Unfiltered’s 2017 In Review continues with “The Year In Trends”…