AREA 15 Brings EDM Talent To Immersive Wonderland (Las Vegas Market Focus)

The Las Vegas Strip was once a predictable mix of neon-accented casinos, mega‑resorts, roaming tourists and traditional performers. Now, however, with top-notch food, arts and culture tossed into the mix, what visitors come to Vegas to experience has changed.

This article is part of the monthly Pollstar Magazine Market Focus feature, which includes additional content, charts and other information.

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AREA15, a 40-acre kaleidoscope of attractions billed as an immersive entertainment and arts complex, has helped flip that script, with attractions including Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart, the Museum of Ice Cream, Universal’s horror-driven experiences, VR worlds and art installations — as well as live music.

“There’s still this narrative around the country and world that Vegas is just hotels and gambling,” says Kelly Smolen, AREA15’s vice president of corporate sales/event strategy and event venues. “I don’t think people realize that we’re a cultural and foodie destination now, too.”

“Our narrative has been, ‘How do we keep communicating to our variety of demographics that we are, essentially, this theme park that’s sitting in Las Vegas?’ We’re creating our own ‘Strip’ parallel to The Strip.”

At 3215 S. Rancho Drive, 10 minutes from The Strip and Downtown Las Vegas, AREA15 opened during the COVID-19 pandemic as a 200,000-square-foot black box, Collective, with The Wall, The Portal and A-Lot. Now AREA15 boasts 40 acres of intellectual property-driven partners (including the John Wick Experience and the year-round Universal Horror Unleashed), the Museum of Ice Cream, and high-end spaces like Altair, and multiple event centers. Admission to AREA15 is complimentary, so guests can choose their paid adventure for a day or more.

At AREA15, EDM has been the backbone of programming, while carving out space for metal, indie, pop and, in the offing, country. The center partners with brands such as Ravehouse Entertainment, Unity and RVLTN Events for shows, including sold-out gigs by female rapper KenTheMan, Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco and surf rockers The Growlers. The 1970s-influenced Parcels is set to perform at AREA15’s A-Lot on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

“We like to diversify our offerings,” says Smolen, who spent eight years with Live Nation before heading to AREA15 in 2022.
“We’re finding a niche with indie and indie pop. I’m excited to see how Parcels does here. But we’re also looking to expand into country.”

The campus’ multiple venues make that possible. The Wall’s capacity is 250, while The Portal — a projection-mapped room that envelops guests in a digital kaleidoscope — accommodates 950. The outdoor A-Lot swells to 3,000. Odyssey tops out at 4,600. The varying capacities and types of spaces allow AREA15 to nurture artists as they grow.

“We love doing underplays,” Smolen says. “We try to find those artists who are about to break.”

Halloween and New Year’s Eve have become tentpole occasions, complete with cinematic themes, in-house performers and custom-built worlds. Multiplatinum music producer and DJ Valentino Khan — whom Smolen called “a dynamic, engaged performer” — will headline this year’s Halloween series.

“We lean into a strange, circus feel, with Universal here on property,” Smolen says. “They lean into the scare, and then we activate the weird and the strange on top of that.”

Kevin Leos, who handles artist relations for AREA15, will soon introduce his passion project — a local band showcase. A former AEG Presents production assistant, Leos grew up in Orange County’s hardcore scene, seeing bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Atreyu at the legendary Chain Reaction and the Glass House venues. He hopes fans feel the same way about shows at AREA15.

“The Wall has that energy,” he says. “It reminds me of those days. I want locals to have a place they can come regularly, where they know they’re with other locals and can just have a really good time.

“There were a couple of hardcore shows in The Wall that made it feel like those old days. It was like, man, this would be cool to have again.”

Kelly agrees. “Vegas has such an opportunity to provide people with up‑and‑coming talent. Think about The Killers, Panic! at the Disco and Imagine Dragons. We want to be part of that journey.”

The entertainment center’s CEO, music- and culture-lover, Winston Fisher, “has the creativity and vision to build Las Vegas in a new way,” Smolen explains. Fisher scouts artists by traveling, experiencing and following cultural trends.

“He’ll come back inspired by what he’s seen,” Smolen says. “He’ll say, ‘What do you think of this artist?’ And then we will research that. We’re not afraid to take risks.”

A Maryland native, Smolen said Fisher’s ethos, as well as that of newly named president Bonnie Weber, “inspires us, challenges us, pushes the narrative for us to do our best.

“They’re not complacent.”

Knowing that “talent can be such a rough industry,” the AREA15 team treats everyone like a “top-tier client,” she adds.

“Everyone’s a Bruno Mars, if you will,” she says. “We take care of the people coming through the property because we want them to come back. We’ve been able to instill that in the culture here at AREA15, which I don’t think you get everywhere.”
Leos sees the impact firsthand. He stresses to artists that 70% of AREA15’s fanbase is locals.

“The one phrase you’ll always hear is that locals don’t go to the Strip,” says Leos, who brought his artist relations and tour management skills to AREA15 in February.

“It’s true. After a few months of living here, you realize you don’t need to go [to the Strip] anymore. But [artists] are always afraid to tour here because they’re worried about ticket sales. They come here, though, because they don’t have to worry about that. They see a local presence here they haven’t seen before. They see the energy. We really want to push that more.”
The activities don’t hurt, either. Artists are gifted experience passes, and “they’ll leave in a great mood, loving Vegas;” some have shown interest in returning.

“We’re making people a lot less nervous about coming to Vegas,” Leos adds.

AREA15 is still expanding with more attractions, venues and experiences that will be found on its additional 40 acres. But its identity is already clear: a place where art, music, technology, and culture collide.

“We’re flexible. We’re adaptable. We’re constantly growing. We’re adaptable, we’re constantly growing,” says Smolen. “And we’re not afraid to take risks. We intend to keep growing that footprint. I think you’re going to keep seeing our name.”