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MrPsychic

Star Trek: The Experience Returning to Vegas in May

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SCI FI Wire confirmed today that a contract has been signed with CBS/Paramount to reopen the Star Trek The Experience exhibit in Las Vegas on May 8 —starting with at least a new restaurant and retail shop—to coincide with the opening of J.J. Abram's Star Trek movie.

 

"It is a bit premature to talk about it, but I can confirm that a contract has been signed," Liz Kalodner, executive vice president and general manager of CBS consumer products in New York, told SCI FI Wire exclusively. "I do not have any further comment."

 

Las Vegas city public information officer Jace Radke confirmed to SCI FI Wire that Star Trek The Experience, which was to be closed at its home at the Las Vegas Hilton this year, will move downtown to the Neonopolis Center. "This is going to be a major part of the downtown redevelopment we have been working on, and the city department of business development has been trying to encourage attractions like this to the area," he said.

 

The Experience featured a restaurant and bar, shops and motion-simulator rides themed to Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Klingon Encounter") and Star Trek: Voyager ("Borg Invasion 4-D"). It's expected the new exhibit would feature similar rides at some point. For now, however, the plans envision just a new version of Quark's Restaurant and Bar, a Museum of the Future (perhaps incorporating elements and characters from the new movie) and a shop.

 

For his part, Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman said, "We are very excited about this for downtown."

 

The move would be part of the city's effort to redevelop the older part of downtown Las Vegas—situated at the end of the Strip of large casinos—into a more vibrant tourist and residential area. The Neonopolis project is one of the centerpieces of the area.

 

Radke added, "We are trying to secure other projects as well, but this Star Trek exhibit is happening, and we hope to have a portion of it ready by May 8. We're working on getting the Ts crossed and the Is dotted in the contract."

 

Journalist Mark Hansel, who writes for In Business Las Vegas, has seen the contracts signed by studio officials, Neonopolis owners and the city of Las Vegas. "I have seen the contract, and I know that the city redevelopment manager met with CBS officials in New York to seal the deal," said Hansel, who has covered the downtown redevelopment for years for In Business and the Las Vegas Sun. "They are hoping that there will be some sort of premiere event at the time of the movie opening that will be out here. Obviously, the big premiere will be in Hollywood, but they hope to have something out here, too."

 

The costumes, the historic timeline, models of the ships and other items at the Star Trek The Experience exhibit will be moved to a museum that is planned for the new location, but much of the exhibit probably won't be opened until the end of 2010.

 

"I wouldn't expect the cool stuff for about a year," Hansel said. "A lot of it also depends on the popularity of the movie and how well it does, but the trailer looks like it's going to be pretty great." He added: "The price is going to be cheaper, maybe $20 or $25, and there may be package deals or year-long memberships, that kind of thing."

 

Hansel said interest in the exhibit has waned in recent years. "I talked to people in the town about it, and they just weren't going or interested, but now there's a new buzz, especially since this is going back to the early years of the series," he added.

 

The new venue already has a 3-D-enabled movie theater, and there may be plans to have a 4-D "experiential" ride similar to the ones at the Hilton. Neonopolis manager Rohit Joshi projected that 7 million visitors could come to the exhibit a year, which Hansel said is "a reasonable estimate."

 

Neonopolis will also host the Southern Nevada Fine Arts Museum, a Barbizon School, the Spanish-language Telemundo station and an upscale nightclub. The biggest draw is expected to be Star Trek The Experience.

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Wow!!!! When I went to the 2006 con they said they where moving it out then when that convention was done and to some theme park which was an undisclosed location at the time or maybe Disneyland but no one could say for sure. Now i hear that it has been at the Hilton all along! Sheese!

I HATE RUMORS!!!!!!

Edited by Chataeya

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If I qualify to go to Vegas for the Domino's World Wide Rally, I'll definitely check it out, and report back to the group. <You might even get some pictures of crazy Domino's people.>

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I am flying from Seattle to Vegas for the opening of the Star Trek The Experience on May 8. I'll watch the movie at the Neonopolis Center and get drunk at Quarks Bar. Oh Yeah! :roflmao:

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OMG! I am so excited. I can't believe it! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! :P (I don't know how I missed this until now. I'm a delinquent.) :( But yaaaaaaaaaaay! :D

 

Diana

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From:

 

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-repo...over-neonopoli/

 

Starship Enterprise in holding pattern over Neonopolis

 

By John Katsilometes · May 5, 2009 · 5:59 PM

 

The once-optimistic plans to open phases of Star Trek Experience at Neonopolis in concert with the new “Star Trek” movie on a single date -- May 8 -- have been beamed to some far-off galaxy. The Experience won’t open until 2010 at the earliest, Rohit Joshi, head of the development company that owns Neonopolis, confirmed today. He added that the exhibit will not open in phases, but as a single entity. A few hours later, the wily entrepreneur also confirmed that Galaxy Neonopolis 11 movie theaters are closing as of Friday, and that he would reopen the cineplex, often as vacant as the sparsely inhabited planets favored by Captain Kirk, once it has been remodeled.

 

Joshi has not yet said why the theaters need to be renovated starting on the very day the “Star Trek” film is set to open, or who would manage the remodeled theater complex when (or maybe, if) it reopens. One published report indicated that Galaxy was pulling out of Neonopolis because bills for the complex’s centralized air conditioning system went unpaid, and Galaxy was unwilling to continue reimbursing customers’ parking fees by validating tickets from the Neonopolis garage. But Joshi’s account is that the theaters are to be remodeled as part of Neonopolis’ grand renovation project, which could be finished in a matter of months or maybe eons, when “Star Trek XXX: Grandson of Spock” hits theaters.

 

Regardless, 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. For the foreseeable future, Neonopolis will be absent a movie theater and without any semblance of its Star Trek attraction. 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. It will be huge, he says. There will be a new concept, he claims.

 

A spokesman for CBS, which owns the Star Trek title licensing rights, today said in an e-mail that no solid opening date has been set because the exhibit is still in development. Sort of like Neonopolis itself, where progress is not quite measured at warp speed.

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From:

 

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-repo...over-neonopoli/

 

Starship Enterprise in holding pattern over Neonopolis

 

By John Katsilometes · May 5, 2009 · 5:59 PM

 

The once-optimistic plans to open phases of Star Trek Experience at Neonopolis in concert with the new “Star Trek” movie on a single date -- May 8 -- have been beamed to some far-off galaxy. The Experience won’t open until 2010 at the earliest, Rohit Joshi, head of the development company that owns Neonopolis, confirmed today. He added that the exhibit will not open in phases, but as a single entity. A few hours later, the wily entrepreneur also confirmed that Galaxy Neonopolis 11 movie theaters are closing as of Friday, and that he would reopen the cineplex, often as vacant as the sparsely inhabited planets favored by Captain Kirk, once it has been remodeled.

 

Joshi has not yet said why the theaters need to be renovated starting on the very day the “Star Trek” film is set to open, or who would manage the remodeled theater complex when (or maybe, if) it reopens. One published report indicated that Galaxy was pulling out of Neonopolis because bills for the complex’s centralized air conditioning system went unpaid, and Galaxy was unwilling to continue reimbursing customers’ parking fees by validating tickets from the Neonopolis garage. But Joshi’s account is that the theaters are to be remodeled as part of Neonopolis’ grand renovation project, which could be finished in a matter of months or maybe eons, when “Star Trek XXX: Grandson of Spock” hits theaters.

 

Regardless, 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. For the foreseeable future, Neonopolis will be absent a movie theater and without any semblance of its Star Trek attraction. 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. It will be huge, he says. There will be a new concept, he claims.

 

A spokesman for CBS, which owns the Star Trek title licensing rights, today said in an e-mail that no solid opening date has been set because the exhibit is still in development. Sort of like Neonopolis itself, where progress is not quite measured at warp speed.

 

That sucks, I was thinking about making a trip out there again this year to see the new one.

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I've returned from Vegas (the downtown location). It was a very interesting experience to say the least. Being a die hard Star Trek fan, I decided to watch the movie and see the "Star Trek: The Experience" at the same time. Both the movie theater and the experience were to be located in the Neonopolis shopping complex. I stayed at the Golden Gate Casino Hotel, one of the first hotels ever built in Vegas (very cool from a historical prospective). For such a old establishment it was very well kept and the price was right. I was just down the street from the Neonopolis and was very excited to see it. When I got there, it was dead quiet and I was shocked at the absence of people. From what I could tell, there were only a few establishments open for business there. For example: an Art Museum, a jewlery shop of some sort, a coffee shop on the bottom floor. All 3 businesses had fans blowing to keep them cool from the heat (approx 85 degrees). At this point my suspicions were comfirmed, there was no evidence of the Star Trek: The Experience to be found. So I proceeded to the top floor where the movie theater was located (I purchased my tickets online). There were 2 people in the theatre shuffling through papers, so I proceeded into the theater and chat with the gentleman. He told me the theatre closed yesterday (May 7) and gave me his business card. One thing that confused him was why I was the third person from Seattle that came to that theater to see Star Trek. I went back to the main fremont casino strip and asked a security guard (of one of the casinos) where I could find a movie theatre in this area. He told me the closest theater, if you drive, is about 20 minutes from here. I later found out, that a large sum of money for the airconditioning hasn't been paid for. Once they get things organized and the Star Trek The Experience opens, I plan on going back.

Edited by voyager15

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My attempt to get a refund for tickets purchased at the Galaxy theater in the Neonopolis was a success. I emailed the corporate office and they mailed me a refund check promptly. Impressive!

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Lienholder: Live long and pay up

 

By BENJAMIN SPILLMAN

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

If only "Star Trek: The Experience" had been created in a holodeck, the Las Vegas Hilton might have avoided a construction lien.

 

Unfortunately the attraction was made from wood, plastic and other materials that cost money to remove, unlike the lifelike scenes generated by computer in the holodeck on the Enterprise, the spaceship in the science fiction television series, that appeared and disappeared instantly and on command.

The Las Vegas construction company that removed hardware from "Star Trek: The Experience" and restored the space has placed a lien against the Hilton over claims it wasn't paid for the work.

 

According to documents in district court in Clark County, Quality Choice Construction says it is owed nearly $523,000.

 

In two separate filings the company says Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., former operators of the attraction, and Rohit Joshi, the Neonopolis developer who intends to install the exhibit downtown, were supposed to pay for the project.

 

A lawyer for Quality Choice says the liens were placed against the Hilton because the property benefited from the work.

 

"We did the work, we didn't get paid, we have a lien against the property until we get paid," attorney Bruce Willoughby said.

 

A representative for Cedar Fair wasn't available for comment late Monday.

 

Joshi says the lawsuit is a billing dispute that will be resolved and won't stop or slow his plans to install "Star Trek: The Experience" at Neonopolis.

 

The Experience had an 11-year run at the Hilton that ended Sept. 1. Later that year, Joshi revealed an agreement to revive the attraction at Neonopolis. Joshi says a new version of the attraction could open in 2010.

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By Sam Skolnik

 

Plans to give ‘Star Trek’ attraction a home in Vegas still alive.

 

The dream of bringing acquisitive Ferengi, scheming Romulans and combative Klingons to downtown Las Vegas — as if downtown weren’t colorful enough — is still alive.

 

According to the two primary players in the effort to import the “Star Trek: The Experience” attraction to the 250,000-square-foot mall called Neonopolis, the effort is still on track despite the dampened economy.

 

This is good news for both the city and Star Trek fans dismayed by the previous delay of the opening. The attraction had been slated to coincide with the May 8 premiere of the “Star Trek” movie, but was called off.

 

Rohit Joshi, the Neonopolis owner’s representative, said that was because CBS, which owns the rights to the Star Trek brand, didn’t think the plans were fully in place.

 

Joshi said he’s been working with several consultants to design the multi-tiered attraction, which could include more than one ride, a restaurant and bar, a Star Trek museum and possibly a Trek-themed nightclub.

 

Trek fans are unlike any other potential customers Joshi has dealt with, he said. It’s vital that all the details of a Star Trek attraction be as faithful to Trek history and lore as possible, he said.

 

“You have to be extremely knowledgeable to do this correctly,” Joshi said. “You don’t want to do something to upset the Trekkies.”

 

Though he’s optimistic about its prospects, Joshi declined to give a possible opening date, saying that fans planning trips to visit the attraction had been let down before and that he needed to respect them.

 

Neonopolis has a tough act to follow. The Star Trek attraction ended its 11-year run at the Las Vegas Hilton in September of last year. According to Joshi, it attracted more than 3.5 million visitors during its run.

 

Joshi didn’t say how much the attraction would cost to build at Neonopolis. But the attraction cost $100 million to build at the Hilton, he said: $80 million initially, and another $20 million for the Experience’s second phase.

 

Leslie Ryan, vice president of communications for CBS Television Distribution in Los Angeles, said the Neonopolis project “is still in development,” and that CBS did license the rights to the attraction to Joshi’s group.

 

It’s unclear how long that agreement with CBS will last before Joshi must move forward or lose the rights to the project. Ryan declined to comment on any other aspect of the deal. Joshi said the agreement was for the “long term,” but would not give specifics.

 

•••

 

In efforts to finance a new city hall, city officials have bandied about several funding mechanisms, including general obligation bonds and special certificates of participation, which are similar to bonds.

 

Now it appears the city is looking at using so-called “Build America Bonds” to finance the project, which could cost the city as much as $267 million.

 

At a recent news conference, Mayor Oscar Goodman said the project had been “looking bleak,” because the interest rates on the certificates were as high as 7.5 to 8 percent — too high.

 

But prospects have improved with the these Build America bonds, Goodman said.

 

According the Internal Revenue Service’s Web site, the recently implemented program — part of President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — “allows state and local governments to issue taxable bonds for capital projects and to receive a new direct federal subsidy payment from the Treasury Department for a portion of their borrowing costs.”

 

Top city officials Scott Adams and Mark Vincent are set to address the City Council on the new developments at the council’s Oct. 7 meeting. But no decisions will be made then.

 

According to city spokesman David Riggleman, the council likely won’t vote on whether to move forward on the city hall plan until November or December.

 

Vincent said the benefits of the Build America bonds are clear. The subsidy payments would save the city $82 million over 30 years, by current estimates. That would allow the interest rates to effectively be lowered to a much more affordable rate, he said.

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