Panasonic to boost hospitality industry at UNLV innovation hub

Panasonic Systems Solutions of North America has partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and Caesars Entertainment to create an incubator for the advancement of academia-industry collaborations in the hospitality and entertainment sector. 

The collaboration involved the delivery of Black Fire Innovation, a research and technology hub by UNLV and Caesars Entertainment to drive innovation in the hospitality, gaming and entertainment industries in Las Vegas. 

Panasonic deployed its leading laser projection, professional display and professional video technology to be used by the hub where students, entrepreneurs, and private industry partners will have the opportunity to advance their research and test concepts to boost and enhance solutions for Las Vegas’s hospitality and entertainment sectors. 

“By installing our professional imaging & visual technologies within Black Fire Innovation, Panasonic, along with Caesars Entertainment and UNLV, will serve the purpose of educating students, researchers and industry partners on exciting new use cases, while serving as a test and research facility to drive new and innovative hospitality and entertainment solutions forward,” said Panasonic Systems Solutions Company of North America Senior Vice President of Professional Imaging and Visual Systems John Baisley.

Strategically located outside the Las Vegas Strip, Black Fire Innovation will be a site to simulate elements of a fully integrated resort and function as a research and training facility for UNLV students, researchers, and Caesars Entertainment employees. 

Panasonic’s visual technology will be used throughout the hub to create a range of hospitality and entertainment scenarios for the purpose of educating and shaping the future of the entertainment industry.  

This simulated environment will give researchers and students unique real-life learning opportunities and provide access to on-demand testing of new ideas and products across Black Fire Innovation’s various amenities such as a mock casino floor, replica hotel rooms, and an esports studio with arena-style seating featuring virtual reality facilities. 

“Our hospitality program is at the forefront of training and education, and by collaborating with Panasonic, we’re continuing to give students the tools needed to learn and thrive in a competitive industry,” said UNLV Associate Vice President for Economic Development and UNLV Research Foundation President Zach Miles. 

“Black Fire Innovation is placing our students in real-world situations and preparing them more than ever before.”

Black Fire Innovation encompasses a 43,000 square-foot innovation space located in UNLV’s Harry Reid Research and Technology Park in Las Vegas. The innovative research and technology hub was officially opened on January 23 2020.