Go West
FlyOver Las Vegas takes guests on a journey through the American West. Photo courtesy of Pursuit
A world-class team brings Pursuit’s signature FlyOver attraction to the Las Vegas Strip by Joe Kleiman Pursuit builds its brand in Las Vegas
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lyOver Las Vegas is not only a state-of-the-art flying theater experience in the entertainment capital of the world; it also represents an emerging breed of standalone attraction. Open since September 2021, FlyOver Las Vegas is the latest in the FlyOver series of attractions that have delivered a string of successes for tourism and leisure company Pursuit. A FlyOver attraction immerses guests in an audiovisual environment and takes them on a simulated aerial journey through the combination of a half-dome shaped screen and motion seats that suspend them with feet dangling, plus other effects such as wind, lighting, scents and mist. Each is in a destination location, designed to capture the vibe of the city and region. It began in 2013 with FlyOver Canada in Vancouver, which in 2016 was acquired by Pursuit (at that time, the Viad Travel and Recreation Group) with the intention to expand the brand into new markets. Vancouver was followed by FlyOver America at Minnesota’s Mall of America and FlyOver Iceland in Reykjavik. The Vancouver, Reykjavik and Las Vegas locations are fully owned-and-operated venues, while the FlyOver location at Mall of America is operated by a third-party licensee.
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Designed for success Complementing Pursuit’s operational acumen and innovative business model is the world-class creative team brought together to design and implement each FlyOver attraction – a roster of distinguished filmmakers and animators, sound designers, composers, AV integrators and technology firms. Within the themed entertainment industry, each is a recognized specialist and leader in their field with a portfolio of acclaimed projects and numerous awards. Leading the external creative team is Rick Rothschild, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of FAR Out! Creative Direction, who has served as Creative Director on all the FlyOver attractions to date. During his time as a Disney Imagineer, Rothschild was Creative Director on “Soarin’ Over California,” the 2001 attraction that gave rise to the flying theater genre (the one that started it all!). He continues to consult on a number of highprofile media-based attractions worldwide. On Pursuit’s internal team, Rothschild interfaces with Eric Sambell, FlyOver’s Global Director of Construction and Entertainment Technology, who has overseen the technical side of FlyOver projects since the initial Vancouver location. Core to any flying experience is a motion theater designed and engineered to uplift and exhilarate a broad, multi-generational audience. Taiwan-based Brogent Technologies Inc. has provided motion bases for all four. Its next generation i-Ride flying theater technology provides a full six axes of movement to turn guests into delighted passengers gliding, swooping and soaring over and through the projected environment.
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