Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kingdom's Public Investment Fund (PIF), is to invest SAR50bn (US$13.3bn) to develop 21 integrated entertainment destinations across 14 cities in Saudi Arabia. Developed in partnership with a range of international brands, the destinations are set to feature more than 150 "innovative attractions". SEVEN has so far signed deals with Warner Bros., Discovery, Clip ‘n Climb and toy giants Mattel (for its

The final retail and dining offerings are due to open next month the vast American Dream leisure, entertainment and retail complex in the US state of New Jersey, which opened in October having broken ground in 2004. Developed by Triple Five Group and designed by Gensler, the destination covers 3,000,000 sq ft (280,000sq m), with over 450 stores and 15 attractions. According to Don Ghermezian, president of American Dream, this

HOK and ERRE have designed a €220m (US$243m, £188m) arena for Valencia that will be used for music, arts, culture and sporting events. Designed for the client Licampa 1617, the facility will house a 1,200sq m (12,900sq ft) multipurpose room, a 1,300-capacity underground and multistorey car park and the headquarters for the men and women’s Valencia Basket Club. The arena will seat up to 15,600 people or accommodate up to

Legacy Entertainment has designed a 27,500sq m (296,000sq ft) aquarium called The Sea Shell for Phu Quoc island, Vietnam. The building will open early in 2020. Habitats will provide animals with ample space to ensure their wellbeing, while the life support systems will be provided by Advanced Aquarium Technologies. The interior experience, created by designer James Hampton, will take guests on a journey through five galleries, each relating to different

Entertainment venues need to undergo technological and design upgrades to prepare them for the experience-seeking consumer of 2040, according to research by Euromonitor International. Commerce 2040 - Revolutionary Tech Will Boost Consumer Engagement outlines a vision for how consumers might live, work, shop and play in 20 years' time, exploring how technology could change the different consumer worlds of entertainment venues, home and retail. Consumers are already moving towards demanding

Ambitious plans to create a large sports and entertainment district in Calgary, Canada have been given the green light after a public funding package was agreed for the development. The City of Calgary has agreed to provide half of the funding for the CA$550m (US$416m, €371m, £344m), project, which is driven by Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) and the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Limited (Stampede). The masterplan for the

Cirque du Soleil, the world renowned acrobatic circus, is increasing its presence in the attractions industry by launching its own brand of family entertainment centre (FEC). Parent company Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group revealed that the iconic performance troupe inspired the design and concept of the FEC, which will offer immersive, creative and active experiences for young children and their families. Called Creactive, it will now be rolled out to

Saudi Arabia's government has revealed plans to invest SAR50bn (US$13.3bn, €11.2bn, £9.9bn) into entertainment, health, sports and education initiatives, as the country attempts to modernise and improve its citizens' quality of life. Announced yesterday (3 May) by the Kingdom's General Entertainment Authority (GEA), it is understood that the investment will generate upward of 300,000 jobs by 2020. “Government spending on the initiatives will total around 60 per cent of the

The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) has announced ambitious plans to bring a vast, spherical music and entertainment venue to London, and claims it will “change the nature of live events.” Making the announcement at a presentation in New York, MSG’s executive chair and CEO, James L. Dolan, confirmed the company intends to make the UK capital the home of its first international property, and has completed the purchase of

Canadian architects Lemay and US studio CannonDesign have created a striking, transformable arena in the city of Laval, Quebec, billed as “the most popular new sports destination in the region.” Place Bell is the new home of hockey team Laval Rocket – an American Hockey League (AHL) franchise – and features a 10,000-seat arena. It also boasts a 2,500-seat Olympic speed and figure-skating arena and a regular, 500-seat skating rink,

Dutch architects MVRDV are have announced a large-scale leisure project in Shanghai that will see the firm meld nature, culture and entertainment in a huge public park on an island in the Yangtze River. Zhangjiang Future Park will become a new focal point for the district of Pudong, with communal public facilities built into a series of green landscaped buildings surrounded by 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) of plazas converging towards

Architecture firm Gensler have released renderings of the entertainment block being designed for National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise the Milwaukee Bucks. The development is expected to be built adjacent to the new arena proposed for the Bucks, which is being designed by Populous. Working with local design firm Rinka Chung Architecture, Gensler has designed a complex that includes dining, entertainment and retail outlets. Hunzinger Construction will manage the building of

Global sports and arena architects HOK have been tasked with designing “the world’s largest next-generation music and entertainment venue” in Las Vegas. Located on Sands Avenue in the heart of Vegas, the arena will feature a scalable seating capacity, enabling it to present a wide variety of shows – “from the largest touring concerts to specially designed residencies and full-blown productions and events.” The project is being funded by the

Jiangnan Global Harbor, one of the world’s largest leisure-led retail schemes, has officially opened near Shanghai. The 500,000sq m (5.3 million sq ft), five-level project is located in the city of Changzhou, within the prosperous Jiangsu province. Designed by architects Chapman Taylor, the scheme has a vast Art Deco-inspired atrium with giant LED screens and musical fountains; 60,000sq m (645,800sq ft) of space dedicated to bars, restaurants and cafés; and

MVRDV have revealed their design for Paradise City; a 9,800sq m (105,500sq ft) entertainment plaza in Seoul, South Korea. Located close to Incheon Airport, the complex will feature a boutique hotel, food-court, galleries, a spa, retail space and a nightclub. It will open in time for the 2018 Winter Olympic games, and will act as a tourist hotspot for visitors to the city – with a mono-rail link connecting it

A billion dollar entertainment district and hockey arena is rapidly taking shape in Detroit, US. The HOK-designed Little Caesars Arena is on schedule to open in Q3 2017. It will be the new home for the Detroit Red Wings National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, and will host a number of other sports, entertainment and community events. The proposed 20,000-seat arena will replace the current Joe Louis Arena, which has been

Australian hospitality operator The Star Entertainment Group has designed a masterplan for a multi-billion dollar “globally-competitive integrated resort” on the country’s Gold Coast. The group is working with the City of Gold Coast Council and Queensland State Government to significantly expand an existing hotel and casino property, called Jupiters, located on Broadbeach. At the heart of the proposal is a new 200m (656ft) tower, featuring luxury apartments and a 700-room

The Park, a brand new entertainment district in Nevada, offers visitors a new way to soak up the famous Las Vegas Strip, according to developer MGM Resorts International. The Park, which opened on 4 April and cost US$100m (€88m, £71m), is a dining and entertainment zone located in landscaped gardens beside the 20,000-seat T-Mobile arena. The pedestrianised area offers a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the busy Strip.

A new book devoted to the art of theme park design is to launch on 28 March 2016. Theme Park Design & The Art of Themed Entertainment, aimed at designers, students and theme park fans, brings together a wealth of tips and advice from design experts from Disney, Universal and Merlin’s creative studios, as well as many more. The book promises to be a comprehensive study of experience design in

Entertainment technology company, IMAX Corporation, which specialises in creating immersive, large-screen 3D and 4D cinematic experiences, is moving into the US health and fitness industry. The company has applied for a permit to open an indoor cycling studio in Brooklyn, New York, which will be fitted out with a giant screen. “The gym would consist of tiered rows of stationary bikes which would face the screen, which would play original

The Dallas Cowboys NFL franchise is set to open its new mixed-use event centre and global HQ in Frisco, Texas in August 2016. Described as the first of its kind for a professional sports team, the US$350m (€323m, £240m) Ford Center at The Star will include a multipurpose 12,000-capacity indoor stadium, new headquarters for all Cowboys operations, practice fields and pitches, a sports science and medicine centre, a 300-room luxury

Global theme park and attractions operator, Merlin Entertainments, which is number two in the world to Disney, has revealed plans to build a Legoland in Shanghai. The US$300m (£194m, €265m) Legoland Shanghai is a joint venture between Merlin and Chinese investment firm China Media Capital. The popular Lego-themed attraction has been making headway in the Asian market in recent years, with Legoland parks under construction in Japan and South Korea,

Ground has been broken on a US$45m (€40m, £29m) immersive arts facility in Meridian, Mississippi, designed by Gallagher & Associates and dedicated to film, literature, music, art, dance, theatre and visual arts. The 58,500sq ft (5,435sq m) Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience has been designed to be “totally immersive”, according to principal architect Cybelle Jones, who said the plans would incorporate media, hands-on experiences and interactive art. "What is so

The CA$370m (US$281m, £181m, €248m) Vidéotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada, has opened to the public after a three-year construction project. The 18,259-capacity indoor arena will become the primary venue for indoor events in the region and plans are also advancing for the centre to host a National Hockey League (NHL) franchise by the start of the 2017-18 hockey season. Designed by architects Populous and ABCP Architecture, the arena will

US-based National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise Milwaukee Bucks has revealed detailed plans for the development of a new sports and entertainment district in Milwaukee. The Bucks are hoping to establish a 60,000sq ft “live entertainment block” – anchored by a 17,000-seat indoor arena – to rejuvenate the city’s Park East corridor. The total cost of the project is expected to reach US$1bn (€942m, £682m). The design team for the project

Las Vegas, US-based Caesars Entertainment Corporation (CEC) has confirmed it is to make its first move into the Asia Pacific region with a new resort in Hainan, China. The Caesars Palace Longmu Bay development is the "first major venture"of Caesars Global Life, which is a new non-gaming division created to build and manage branded properties. CEC is aiming to build 25 hotels and resorts in China over the next five

Guildford Borough Council (GBC) has raised the curtain on a new entertainment venue for the Surrey town, which has been designed by UK-based architects Austin-Smith: Lord. G Live was built by Willmott Dixon Construction and will be run by HQ Theatres, with the building comprising an auditorium with a capacity of 1,000 seated or 1,700 standing. Hampshire-based consultancy Scott Wilson also worked on the delivery of the venue, which also