What should change about the possible new Star Trek Experience?

[Biggshow]

another one (again dated yesterday):

"May 8 is the premiere date of the new Star Trek reboot movie through the eyes of J.J. Abrams.
That date was also anticipated as the reboot to The Star Trek Experience through Neonopolis owner Rohit Joshi.
While The Star Trek Experience will still be coming to downtown Las Vegas to give a boost to the mostly vacant Neonopolis, it won't be simultaneous with the movie premiere.
CBS, which owns the license to Star Trek and its incarnations, has put the kibosh on having the show even remotely taking away business from the movie.
When the show does open (possibly later in May or summer), it will be an enhanced version of the long-running show that ran at the Las Vegas Hilton. It will include an IMAX 4D movie, museum, bar, restaurant, and gift shop. And all for less than $25 per ticket."

From: http://www.lasvegasvegas.com/2009/04/star_trek_experience_postponed.php

I was just at the Neonopolis on Friday. There was no sign of ANY kind of work going on at all. No way this is opening anytime this summer. At the snail's pace of Vegas construction it'll be at least a year I would guess. Which would put it opening just in time to take advantage of...nothing at all.

The CBS thing sounds like a dodge. The Experience is, for all intents and purposes, a big old interactive advertisement for Trek. And all advertiseing is good advertising. Especially the kind that doesn't cost CBS any money. After all who's going to say "Instead of seeing the new movie let's just have some chicken wings at Quark's (Mark II). Then buy a keychain."

Here's where corporate America gets strange: back when ST was owned by Paramount (a division of Viacom) and STTE was run by Paramount Parks (a division of Viacom), STTE still had to pay a licensing fee to Paramount, even though both were divisions of Viacom. If STTE wanted to have a commercial on UPN (a division of Viacom), Paramount Parks would still have to buy airtime. It was so bad that for a long time, we couldn't build our own costumes on site; we had to commission them from either the wardrobe dept. at Paramount Parks or Paramount Studios so that those divisions of Viacom could make more money.

This news of CBS not wanting another ST product to take any of the limelight from the movie then makes (corporate) sense even if it makes no sense in what we all recognize as reality.

Plus, it is a good excuse for nothing having been done yet; blame it on the other guy (another useful corporate strategy).

 

[azebelys]

looks like the 8th of may opening passed without a peep lol. shame, as i'm going to be in vegas next month. i'll probably go and have a look and try and see if anything is happening (construction wise) and post if i see anything worth mentioning

 

[Biggshow]

The new current rumor is that construction will begin in Aug.

In another bit of Neonopolis news, the movie theatres at Neonopolis closed on Fri., the same day that the new ST movie opened. They were also with out air conditioning due to a dispute with the city.

YIKES!

 

[azebelys]

i've managed to find a couple on interesting articles about the experience that are dated over the last week or so. here they are:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/ka...ip-enterprise-holding-pattern-over-neonopoli/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30641310/

http://www.examiner.com/x-3283-Las-...-experience-for-Neonopolis-downtown-Las-Vegas

Biggshow, can i ask where this latest rumour has come from? i've been searching articles online and cant find any such information. though it would make sense that it might start in August. i think a lot of us jumped the gun a bit when we found out it was going to re-open. it was confirmed only a few months ago that it would happen, and i imagine that coming up with designs, concepts, and working out costs isnt an overnight proccess. i would honestly be surprised if this place were to open in less than 18 months.

one other thing concerns me, and that is the guy behind all this (rohit joshi). from a lot of what i have read, the guy would struggle to organise a piss up in a brewery and makes a lot of bold statements without delivering very much. i hope he has the right people in charge of making this happen, and that CBS are heavily involved as i'm sure they would only allow this to be done if is being done properly so as not to harm their reputation in any way

 

[Brian]

one other thing concerns me, and that is the guy behind all this (rohit joshi). from a lot of what i have read, the guy would struggle to organise a piss up in a brewery and makes a lot of bold statements without delivering very much.

I've had the same concern. Nothing I've seen about the man or his shopping center has instilled a bit of confidence in me that this is going to be done right or -- worse yet -- at all.

 

[azebelys]

i do believe it will happen, and that it should be setup right. i'm more concerned about how it's run after it opens. we he advertise it? will it be marketed right? will money be spent on upkeep in neonopolis, or is he hoping he can open this place and then just sit back and watch the money roll in?

the silver lining is that from what i have heard, neonopolis and the experience have recieved heavy financial backing from a number of different investors and i'm certain they will want joshi to live up to his bold promises and will be breathing down his neck for a return on their investment. he will have to be on the ball to make sure this happens.

 

[azebelys]

another neonopolis story:

http://www.lvrj.com/business/44516827.html

the management of this place really worries me!

 

[Biggshow]

The rumored Aug. construction start came from a former STTE employee who now works at The Fremont Street Experience. Even he was skeptical that this would actually happen.

This Rohit Joshi person needs to go. Every report about him leads me to believe that he may be some kind of scam artist. I admit, I may be unfair, but something is seriously wrong at Neonopolis and the only constant is Mr. Joshi.

Why can't I win the Lotto...

 

[LutherSloan]

So basically they still haven't STARTED on this??

 

[Fat Valentino]

This is a great thread. Thanks for all the info. I was able to catch ST Experience in the spring of 2007, and enjoyed it very much, though I suspect that my waitress at Quark's Bar was either hopped up on something or very, very tired...

One fun activity that could generate LOTS of revenue might be to dust off the old '80's footage from the Universal Studios video attraction... or even hire Karl Urban and John Cho to film some new footage with the same basic gimmick. I would gladly pay 35 dollars for a six minute DVD...

 

[B.C.]

So basically they still haven't STARTED on this??

From what we've heard, no.

 

[Borg7of7]

I was recently in Vegas (May 18th) and here is some updated video footage from Neonopolis. Sadly, it doesn't look much different than the last time I was there 2.5 months ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5mZ5Mm_z28&feature=channel_page

 

[azebelys]

thanks for the upload borg7of7. really does look like very little is happening at the moment. while there has been a lot of speculation from areas of the media about the experience, there has been no word from Rohit Joshi for some time. it's a little disconcerting to say the least. i have sent him a couple of emails and heard nothing back which is frustrating but at the same time not surprising.

i will be in vegas next month for a week and will take a trip to neonopolis and see if there is anything happening. i will shoot a vid of the place like you did if there is anything happening and post it for people to see. in the mean time, has anyone heard anything more recently? given the silence, and a complete lack of building work curently going on, i would speculate that a 2010 opening is somewhat questionable...

 

[nacelle]

The experience is in Las Vegas Advisor's QOD again: http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/qod.cfm

On April 17, Las Vegas Sun reporter John Katsilometes reported in his "Kats File" that CBS/Paramount would not permit Joshi to reopen Star Trek: The Experience in conjunction with the release of the new film. On May 5, Katsilometes followed up with the news that ST:TE wouldn’t open in Neonopolis "until 2010 at the earliest." Joshi, whom Kats described as a "wily entrepreneur," told the reporter when ST:TE eventually does open, it will be as one integrated attraction. The previous plan was to phase ST:TE back in, piecemeal. CBS/Paramount added that plans for the reimagined ST:TE still hadn’t been finalized.
"Regardless," a dismayed Kats wrote, "what was to be a triumphant week at Neonopolis with the arrival of the Star Trek brand (in the form of a restaurant/tavern and gift shop) in tandem with the heavily attended premiere of the new Trek film is instead another dull weekend at the retail and entertainment complex. … Customarily, Joshi promises ‘great stuff’ from the Star Trek Experience, but can’t specify what the stuff will be or how it will be shaped."

 

[barnaclelapse]

So...2030...maybe?

 

[Biggshow]

So...2030...maybe?

I'd say be thinking that and then if it opens sooner, it will be a pleasant surprise.

 

[barnaclelapse]

So, it's like toast.

If we watch it, that fucker's never gonna pop up.

Ahhh...I get it now.

Empty your heads, everybody! We've only got one shot at this!

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

It's ok, guys. 3DRealms is helping develop the new Experience. It'll be the best experience ever and we'll get it within our lifetimes.

Oh sh-

 

[Kords21]

I was in downtown Vegas last week to check out the supposed future home of STTE-A. While I can see some potential there, they're going to have to do a massive overhaul and a massive ad campaign for it to be successful. The area around the Neonopolis including the building itself is like a ghost town. From what I gather, they're shooting for a may 2010 opening, they're going to really bust their butts to make that happen. The more I hear about delays, the shady owner of the Neonopolis and from what I saw of the general area, I'm starting to have doubts that this thing is going to happen without a miracle.

On the plus side, the star trek slot machines are starting to pop up in more places. I stopped off that LV hilton and won 200 from it, so take that LV Hilton! I'm just glad I'll always have my memories and the documentaries from Vernon's website. I hope the STTE-A becomes a reality, but I can't say I like the current "buzz" about it. I guess I'll believe it when I see it. With that being said, I'll be there on opening day whenever that's going to be.

 

[azebelys]

i've just got back from a holiday in vegas, and on that holiday i took a trip out to freemont and neonopolis to see if there was anything interesting happening. After seeing this place i have to say i would be surprised to see the experience open there. when i went, there was quite literally nothing open. the place was like a ghost town - completely deserted of people and busineses. all the escalators to the upper floors were cordended off and the lifts not working. there is no sign of any construction work taking place, and no advertisment for any new tenants. there are still posters on various windows advertising for films that were on 3 months ago!!!

what i've seen makes me seriously doubt that star trek: the experience is coming to neonopolis. furthermore, owner rohit joshi has stated that he expects the experience and other new attractions to be able to pull in 7 million people a year - if this was the plan, they it would need heavy marketing way before it opened (at least 6 months to a year, if not more!), and yet nothing has been said for at least 6 weeks (so far as i can tell). the owners should be doing everything possible to wet the appetite's of all trekkies to make us desperate to go, and spend our hard earned money on a new and improved experience. instead we get silence and rumor (started mostly by trekkies).

I have come to the conclusion that this whole situation is a farce and that losing the galaxy theatre inside has been the final nail in the coffin for the experience. if anyone out there has any fresh and "real" information to help restore my faith i welcome it, but for now i say to everyone out there that the experience is still in theory coming to neonopolis - but seriously... dont get your hopes up!