Over 7 years, I contributed to 7 major projects in Las Vegas, collaborating on about $70M of creating experiences.
Migrating from technical to conceptual work over time, I've served as engineer, project manager, designer, developer, consultant, creator, and business builder.
I began as an employee with systems integrator Signal Perfection, Ltd., worked as an independent contractor, and founded my design & consulting company, Imagination Integration Group, LLC.
The core lessons I’ve learned from this amazing deck of cards are:
1. The winning horses finish the race. Projects with a clear vision and continuity of leadership from concept through creation and operations flourish. See Steve Wynn and Cirque du Soleil projects for examples. Projects where the executive leadership is either insincere or inconsistent flounder. The Aladdin went through at least 3 presidents pre-construction and never succeeded.
2. Intent and creativity trump glitz and glamour. While the best shows and spaces in town innovate with design and technology, bells and whistles alone aren’t enough. EFX at the MGM was never a good show, though it was a great spectacle. Blue Man Group is extraordinarily entertaining with expert and subtle use of technology.
3. Bling is overrated. As a designer, I’ve been guilty of what I now see as an epidemic of overdesign. Too many features, too many toys, too much energy spent on potential uses that won’t be realized. Las Vegas plays a very expensive game of one-upsmanship and Keeping Up with the Jones’. This race results in a lot of doing less with more design and engineering. Las Vegas now inspires me to practice Bucky Fuller’s principle of ephemeralization: doing more with less.
4. Know when to fold’em. Too much of a good thing is too much. Breathing room, spaces to pause and consider, quiet areas, exquisite spas – these are the elements of design and architecture that make great spaces. The Bellagio fountains is an oasis in more ways than one. The Aladdin missed this entirely. Paris’ Mon Ami Gabi is a perfect spot to sit and relax. Expand and contract. Go big. Then go take a nap. Design for this.
My 7 major Las Vegas projects are:
Bellagio
Fountains
Cirque du Soleil’s “O”
Race & Sports Book
Executive Offices
Wedding Chapels
Training Rooms
Fashion Show
Live In-Mall Fashion Show Venue
Las Vegas Strip Plaza
The Venetian
Themed Frontscape
Casino & Lounges
Convention Center
Emeril’s Delmonico Steakhouse
Paris Las Vegas
Showroom
Convention Center
Casino & Lounges
Eiffel Tower & Mon Ami Gabi Restaurants
Aladdin
Casino, Lounge, & Restaurants
Performing Arts Theatre
London Club Premiere Casino
Convention Center
Ballys
Conference Center Remodels
Race & Sports Book
Jubilee Showroom
Sahara
NASCAR Café
Showroom
