On January 19, Sphere Entertainment Co. announced a tentative agreement with state of Maryland, Prince George’s County, and Peterson Companies to develop a new Sphere venue adjacent to the 308-room MGM National Harbor, and one mile from the 2,000-room Gaylord National.
The Sphere National Harbor would be the second Sphere in the U.S. after Las Vegas, and the first to utilize a smaller-scale design model, with a seated capacity of 6,000.
Such smaller-scale Spheres will feature an Exosphere—the exterior LED display that showcases both artistic and branded content. The National Harbor venue would also feature a 16K-by-16K interior display plane, which would be the world’s highest-resolution LED screen. All of Sphere’s advanced technologies would be incorporated, including Sphere Immersive Sound, haptic seating and 4D environmental effects.
Situated on the Potomac River 15 minutes south of Washington, D.C., National Harbor is a major meetings and entertainment destination anchored by the Gaylord National and MGM National Harbor properties. The Gaylord has more than 546,000 square feet of meeting and event space, while the MGM has 27,000 square feet of meeting space.
As part of Sphere Entertainment’s vision for a global network of venues, which now includes Sphere in Las Vegas and the planned venue for Abu Dhabi, the company has designed plans for variously sized Spheres that deliver the fully immersive experiences that are the signature of Sphere in Las Vegas.
“Our focus has always been on creating a global network of Spheres across forward-looking cities,” said James L. Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment. “Sphere is a new experiential medium.”
Jon Peterson, CEO of development firm Peterson Companies, added: “This innovative project will further reinforce National Harbor as the national capital region’s premier destination for conventions, entertainment, retail and dining, and hospitality; deliver more economic activity and jobs; and elevate National Harbor as one of the country’s preeminent tourism and entertainment hubs.”
The National Harbor project would utilize a combination of public and private funding, including approximately $200 million in state, local, and private incentives. Sphere would support approximately 2,500 jobs during the construction phase, and 4,750 jobs once operational, in addition to generating millions in revenue for the county and state. Once open, the economic impact of Sphere National Harbor is expected to be greater than $1 billion annually.
Construction, development, financing and operation of a Sphere venue at National Harbor is contingent upon, among other things, negotiation and execution of definitive agreements, as well as receipt of certain governmental incentives and approvals from Prince George’s County and the State of Maryland.
