New York City: NFL Experience Opens Today at Times Square
Today, the NFL Experience – a 30 million US Dollar (approx. 25 million Euro) project of the National Football League (NFL) and Canada’s Cirque du Soleil entertainment company – opens at Times Square in New York City, offering guests of all age groups an immersive sports experience with a mixture of classic and high-tech displays. “[…] We wanted to not just do an experience like anything else, but to have creativity and imagination and to really think about the things we would do […],” commented Dawn Hudson, Chief Marketing Officer of NFL. “Part of the trick is to make sure to appeal to kids who are eight and adults who are 80, to the hardcore fan and the novice, and the people from overseas,” added Hudson, noting that 20 percent of foot traffic in Times Square is from Europe.
In the NFL Experience, visitors can virtually wear the uniform of their favorite team or create a touchdown celebration dance, for example. The centerpiece of the attraction is a 4-D film created by NFL Films, covering every aspect of how a player prepares, feels and experiences during a football match. Guests experience the movie seated in motion seats (188 D-Box motion seats from D-Box Technologies are included in the concept among others). Artistically, the film shows a Cirque du Soleil footprint – the first experiential venture of the Canadian company. Guests should take between one and one and a half hours to discover the four-floor experience exhibition. Afterwards, they can taste the favorite meals of the NFL players in the related dining area. The National Football League association, which comprises 32 teams, has its headquarters just five blocks away from the new attraction.
In addition to the new NFL Experience, numerous other visitor attractions have opened in New York's Times Square during the course of this year, including the "National Geographic Encounter" virtual underwater experience, designed by Falcon’s Creative Group (c.f. EAP news from August 3rd, 2017). (eap)
