RE-AWAKENING THE SHOW

RE-AWAKENING THE SHOW

PERCEPTIONEER #1

For this query, I decided to search for a timeline in which the show checked the following boxes:- Great Merchandising- Great Promotional Material- Ticket are in high in demand- Great Pre-show - Every show should start with one, in my opinion- Entertaining Lobby - First impressions set expectations- Inviting Box Office - The design of the box office is part of the appeal of a show- Fun Bar - Always full- Great and Original Drinks - From the cheapest to the most expensive- Great Giftshop - Always exit through the giftshop!---
THE PRESHOWWhen I found the right timeline, it was July 2028.I arrived at the entrance of the theater, looking towards the stage.Since I wanted to have the full experience of the show, I looked at a point outside of the theater to which I could slide. (Sliding in XR is when we move from one point to another, whether it is in time or space, during the same query.)From that new vantage point, I was entering the “Pre-show” area.It was amazing!
I’ll do my best to describe it, it is by far one of the most amazing things I’ve experienced in any theater show before, Vegas or elsewhere.The very first thing I was able to observe was a metallic door that appeared to be changing colors, as if it was reflecting changing lights around it.The door to the Awakening show area withing the casino was open, so there was one half of the door on each side.The texture of the door’s metal was brushed, and it seemed to reflect the lights around it, it was reflecting blue, purple, pink, some kind of green, and a red shade from time to time. After a few minutes of observing the door, I realized the colors changed according to the number of people that entered the pre-show area in a very subtle way.I got intrigued, so I looked closer, and it turned out the doors were covered by a very high definition LED flexible screen material. It was not cold to the touch, though. It was warm(ish). I suppose there is some other electronic part other than the actual screen.After a few minutes, the doors turned from being metallic to being made out of very old and antique wood. If I didn’t know it was not wood, I would not know the difference even up close until you either touched it or were close enough. Other than that, it was an amazing thing to watch. When I looked down, the floor itself had also changed color and pattern!I already loved what I was experiencing, and I was just at the entrance.Once I stepped through the doors and inside the pre-show area, the first thing I noticed was that it was heavily and beautifully themed!I’ll do my best to describe how it looked.Once past the doors, on the left side is the entrance to a gift shop that sells merchandise for the show, but not the type that you would normally find. It didn’t sell shirts, hoodies, cups or the usual. This was, for lack of a better word: weird, but good weird. I made sure to come back after the show.On the right side is the box office.The gift shop’s exterior was covered in the same video screen material as the doors, and it even replicated the colors and textures of the doors. The same is true for the box office.However, screens were not the main ingredient.Both facades also had physical elements to it like windows and decorative stuff.The facade of the gift shop was mostly made out of texturized wood , metal and glass.Right in the center of the facade there was an entrance, o each side of the entrance there were oddly-shaped windows. The windows were big, you could see inside from a distance.Outside of the gift shop there were lots of guests laughing and pointing towards the shop.I turned to look and turned out that when a guest enters the gift shop, the windows show them as one of the characters of the show. When you were inside the gift shop, what you saw through the windows was an amazing scene, like a forest of some sort where the guests outside were transformed into trees, birds, etc. It felt like AR, but through the windows themselves.Very real and 3D, so your eyes don’t know the difference.And the music! There was a soundtrack playing. It was amazing.The sounds from all the musical instruments in the soundtrack came from different points in the preshow area. There were markings on the floor for guests to stand on and listen.There were 2 points, that seemed to be right in the middle, in which you could listen to all the instruments playing the soundtrack. As you moved from the center you were able to listen to fewer instruments. I hope it makes sense. It was a very interesting thing to listen to.Apparently the concept was that no matter where you go in life, there is always some type of “music” with you. Something to do with being one musical instrument and always being someone that will play your same tune, or something like that.The box office’s physical elements were actually holograms! You interacted with the hologram to get your buy or pick up your tickets. Apparently no cellphones allowed, so no tickets on your screen to scan. There are paper tickets, but they are actually made out of recycled materials. I was not able to find out what materials were used, but the tickets degraded in one to two days, transforming basically to dust.Your tickets disappearing is actually part of the story! You know how very old books when they have not been properly conserved, they might look solid, but when you touch them they disintegrate? That’s exactly what happens to them.I turned around, and sure enough, not a single person had a cell phone inside the preshow, including the gift shop and people approaching the box office. I found that to be very interesting, and it explains why people are engaging with the music, windows, etc. Smart move! Kudos to whomever came up with that idea!As I walked towards the entrance of the theatre, the floor “rippled” with every step I made, as if the floor were made out of water. Then it was not ripples, but what appeared to be beach sand, then other textures. The floor’s texture always made a good combination with the material of the doors. A very intricate network of sensors and video projectors was responsible for the effect.I realized that the doors to the theater also changed colors and textures.In essence, all doors in the preshow, including those that give entrance to the actual theatre, always have the same textures, but not the same colors; those change according to the number of people around them.When I asked why, the person I talked to told me that it was an algorithm created with AI that finds the perfect color scheme to present to guests, to elicit feelings of anticipation and excitement, and also to keep people calm and happy without their phones. Genius! It made sense to me! LolThe soundtrack playing in the pre show , the light effects, and all the sensory experiences seemed to be designed to “keep people entertained and happy” while the show started. It really did seem that guests were happy and enjoying each other’s company, however I can’t help but think in what other ways this type of technology might be used for.THE THEATERTo enter the theater guests were required to go through a face scan recognition process to be let in. It is a local system. I found it fascinating.Besides security control, the face scan also has another use, which I will talk about in a moment.I am not going to talk about the plot of the show. I will reserve that information, along with other information relevant to its production, for Wynn Resorts.However, I can say that at a certain point in the show, the stage becomes a holographic display in which every guest is seen walking towards “something” on stage. Everyone is smiling, and wearing the same clothes. Crazy, interesting, fun, and creepy all at the same time. It makes sense in the show, and guests can’t stop talking about it. It is one of the reasons the show is sold out months in advance.Another interesting thing was the sound. Each seat has its own 3D sound system as well as effects like smell and temperature. All effects are synched to the show, and unless you know what to look for, all the equipment is virtually impossible to spot, which makes it even more interesting, in my opinion.When a guest sits down, there is small touch screen on the right side, in which you can select your language for the show. They had English, Spanish (2 types), Chinese, Russian, French, Dutch, and German.It is amazing. The theater itself has no speakers of any kind on the stage or anything like what we are used to in big concerts and things like that.All the sound comes from this personal “Experience Pods” that create an immersive environment for the guests. The sound is 3D, and it provides, as I mentioned before, smells and temperature changes, among other effects that I am saving for Wynn Resorts.If you were on stage performing, you wouldn’t hear any music. You would only hear the instructions from the director over a general track of the music playing at a low level that allows the performers to focus on precision moves. Weird, but effective.Because the sound system is 3D, I could hear the sound as if speakers were installed all over the theatre. It reminded me of XS-Tech, an attraction from the late 90s at Disney World.The overall experience was amazing! The show was great, the effects and illusions were crazy, the special effects mind blowing and I would say that there is no show like it anywhere!Apparently, if someone wants to attend, there is basically a 6 month wait; all shows are sold out! 2 shows per day, 7 days a week.Once the show is over, I exit back to the Pre-show area, but now it had been completely changed. It matched the color, atmosphere, texture, smells,music, etc. of the last scene in the show.To the left is the bar, already full.I walked towards the gift shop.THE GIFT SHOPThe gift shop report will be available soon.

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RE-AWAKENING THE SHOW

PERCEPTIONEER #2

While walking the Strip to collect marketing ideas, I tried out these scenarios using timeline jumping:-Reduced pricing (25% reductions) on low traffic days (Probably not effective?)-Collaborate with other shows with a similar theme (futuristic, action, high tech) to distribute flyers at each other's shows. For example, as the show attendees exit, these "competing shows" distribute flyers near the exit door (either just
inside the exit or outside near the exit) for a reduced price to Awakening.-11% off - This may get people with similar interests who'd be most likely to attend. The Awakening show returns the favor and does the same as agreed in the collaborative arrangement.-Enlist people to embed themselves in high traffic areas coming and going from shows to speak loudly between/among themselves about what a great show Awakening is; loud enough to be heard by those in proximity. They're prepared to enthusiastically answer questions from nearby strangers about the show.- Restaurants and hotels distribute flyers for 10% off in exchange for the Awakening show distributing similar flyers for their businesses at the show's entrance/exit.- An acrobatics team performs in show-themed costumes on the Strip sidewalks with a team observer distributing flyers for the show. (Flyers may or may not be
10% off, depending on "willingness to pay research" done quickly on the Strip.)- Set up Instagram and other social media sites to advertise the show with short clips from it along with a quick tour of the merchandise shop (e.g., "Have you tried the Challenge drink? lt's a challenge you can handle." How about the Warrior Hot Shots?)- The show starts with a brief video tour of the exclusive VIP booth and a holiday promotion to win this special seat. The winners are subsequently interviewed before and after the show, and the video is aired on social media.-10% off flyers are distributed in well-known, high traffic gaming stores around the country.ll. Ticket Price-$75-$250 ($250 for VIP booth)
-low traffic nights-every 25th person gets in free.lll. Merchandise
-The usual souvenir booklets, key chains, t-shirts, hats, glow sticks, body stickers, head gear and other show themed items to wear. Average prices,business is brisk.lnterspersed with these medium price items are VR type headsets at below market price...only for sale after the show in the show's merchandise shop and not available to the general public.This type of merchandise is intended to draw people in to the show for the opportunity to see and perhaps buy this item. lts appeal is also to allow the show goer to take the show experience home with
them. Other special high end items are featured on a random basis to add to the suspense of what's coming next and draw show attendees.-After show photo/video booth outside the merchandise store for special effects pictures/video of showgoers for an "average" price of -$25.00.-Merchandise purchases include a social media address sticker with the item with the intent of creating a social media special interest "club" for attendees and prospective attendees.—--Round #2 (Tiimeline where ticket sales were low.)lntention: To determine why ticket sales were lower than expected
Reason: Show was less "exciting" and couldn't compete with others with more immersive and high tech experiences. The show got mediocre reviews. Merchandise was uninteresting and unengaging.-Ticket price reductions didn't work..backfired. (i.e., if it's cheap, it must not be any good.) Neither did old school fly-overs with banners advertising the show.The Fix:-Producers revamped the show with added multi-sensory etfects that reviewers enthusiastically covered. (see summary)-Merchandise enhancements added with items promising to allow the viewer to take the show experience home.Round #3While walking the Strip again, I heard people commenting on an advertisement for Awakening that it is just another action movie with the reminder, remember when
it first came out and what a flop it was!The Fix: (seeing the show a year from now)Show producers brought in the street acrobatics team used to advertise the show and had them do a brief performance at the start of the show. A video is playing
on a large screen in the background that creates a sense of audience vertigo and vulnerability as acrobats fly through the air. This creates a kind of “audience bonding" with the show, a kind of shared experience (not unlike trauma bonding).The audience remarks that, as awesome as the show beginning was, it pales by comparison to the show itself.After the show, the audience exits by way of two crowd management pedestrian gates into the lobby, where the actors engage the audience in continued dancing
and other maneuvers from the show.lt's like a large raucous party in the lobby.The crowd must exit by walking through the merchandise shop where they can buy merchandise which duplicates the show experience (hats, t-shirts, glow
sticks, and VR headsets are exclusive to the show shop below market price).Final: (thoughts, analysis)
I see the show as successful a year from now, with sell-out performances.By way of a summary, the fix involved a show remodel with enhanced multi-sensory audience experiences, bringing the street-side acrobatics team used to advertise the show inside to kick off the show start, using a psyops technique to induce audience vertigo and bonding with the show experience, continuing the
show experience into the lobby, through the mechanizing shop and ultimately to the audience members' homes through the merchandise they bought and through the social media sites featuring clips from the show.Regarding show reviews: I saw the show producers developing a personal relationship with reviewers by staging social events aimed at giving them an inside scoop and background meant to enhance their reviews with interesting tidbits of "insider" information. ln this way, producers created a not so subtle
reviewer nudge that ultimately overcame the past flop reputation when the positive reviews became consistent. Waiting out the slump in ticket sales while giving the changes time to work proved to be a winning strategy.

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RE-AWAKENING THE SHOW

THAT'S IT FOR THIS PROJECT!

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