Sports fans will soon have another venue to enjoy a variety of events.
The previously announced Cosm Cleveland took a significant step forward Feb. 23 when the city’s planning commission approved final designs for the three-story, shared-reality entertainment experience announced last year as part of a three-acre development.
What is Cosm?
Cosm is a unique viewing experience for sports and entertainment fans featuring the company’s “shared reality” technology, which, according to press materials, differs from other technologies in a key way. It’s in a domed environment.
“Shared Reality stands apart from other reality technologies in two significant ways,” he said. “First, it captures the raw emotion and energy of the performance on the screen as the immersive nature of the venue acts as a conduit for that collective energy to be shared and enjoyed by the entire audience.”
The experience is immersive and doesn’t involve the use of special personal equipment.
The planning commission decision allows approximately 16 months of construction to move forward soon with an anticipated opening date of July 2027.
What kind of programming will Cosm have for that shared reality?
Cosm has programming rights from all the major sports leagues – NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL – along with the NCAA for football, basketball, baseball and a host of other sports including UFC, WWE, NASCAR and Premier League.
But it’s not limited to just sports events. A recent look at another location included screenings of “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” and “The Matrix.” There were also performances of Cirque du Soleil.
What will make Cosm Cleveland unique?
The Cleveland location, though smaller than venues in Los Angeles and Dallas will have the largest Cosm screen to date, according to reports, at approximately 100-feet.
It is part of a plan by Bedrock, the development company that is part of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s group of corporations, to develop the areas in the Gateway District.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.