Layoffs are Latest Immersive Experience at AREA15 in Vegas

AREA15 has confirmed that it is in the midst of a “restructuring to address evolving marketplace conditions,” as it said in a statement. The number of employees to be laid off wasn’t disclosed, and no layoff notice was filed with the state of Nevada as of Friday.

When it opened in September 2020, it in a string of warehouses 2.5 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip, AREA15 was an early adopter in what had been a neglected industrial neighborhood. (Image: travelnevada.com)

Officials with the entertainment and art complex stated they intend to focus on the “most in-demand” aspects of its business. AREA15 houses several popular entertainment and art residencies, most notably Omega Mart from the New Mexican art collective Meow Wolf.

“With next year’s launch of the expanded AREA15 District and the upcoming opening of multiple brand-new attractions, this decision supports AREA15’s vision and core strengths,” the statement read.

In addition to the layoffs, Dan Pelson, hired as its New York-based chief operating officer in 2019, has left the Las Vegas-based company.

Big Expectations

In August, the Las Vegas City Council voted to designate that neighborhood the world’s first immersive tourism district. The area is expected to include multifamily housing units, office space, and retail and dining when it reaches full capacity in 2037.

“I really see it as a spark that’s going to bring that area of Ward 3 to life, and further revitalize it,” said councilmember Olivia Diaz, who represents the ward.

If that’s true, then this spot of holiday bad cheer can be chalked off to growing pains.

This rendering shows what the City of Las Vegas hopes its Immersive District will look like by 2037. (City of Las Vegas)

For now, the focus is on new entertainment attractions. They include a 12,000 square-foot attraction that Lionsgate Entertainment is building inside AREA15 that’s starring Keanu Reeves, as well as Universal Horror Unleashed, a 100,000 square-foot, year-round take on the movie studio’s Halloween Horror Nights that’s next to AREA15,

AREA15 is a joint venture between the Fisher Brothers (Winston, Ken, and Steven) and New York City-based Beneville Studios, headed by Michael Beneville, who also serves as AREA15’s chief creative officer.