Stratosphere seeking sponsor for thrill ride

Monday, April 12, 2004 | 10:30 a.m.

Stratosphere hotel-casino officials hope to sign a long-term, multimillion-dollar contract with a company to sponsor the newest thrill ride to be built next year on the tower's observation deck.

Mike Gilmartin, a spokesman for the Stratosphere, said the company learned by experience with the development of its X Scream ride that opened on the tower on the Las Vegas Strip last year that there are companies willing to pay for the exposure generated by thrill rides.

Gilmartin said it was only after the X Scream opened that the resort realized it had missed an opportunity and it still has not secured a sponsor for that ride.

The as yet unnamed new ride, to be located on the northeast side of the observation deck of the tower, was approved without opposition by the Las Vegas Planning Commission last week.

"With the opening of the X Scream, we were able to prove that our rides are a viable sponsorship opportunity," Gilmartin said. "We wanted to wait until all the approvals were made before looking to get a corporate sponsor to brand the ride."

Corporate sponsorships on theme-park rides are not unusual in the industry, with several companies putting their names on major theme park attractions.

"We're looking for a multiyear deal," Gilmartin said, "but with the opening of the ride next year, it would be a great tie-in for the Las Vegas centennial celebration."

Val Potter, director of sales and marketing for Logan, Utah-based Interactive Rides Inc., which is developing the ride, said the attraction that is being labeled as the Stratosphere's last thrill ride is expected to be installed by next spring or summer.

Potter said the ride would dangle and twirl passengers 866 feet above the Las Vegas Strip.

Up to 10 riders would be loaded on the ride on the observation deck. Five arms of a centrifuge with two riders per arm would be extended over the edge of the deck and when the centrifuge is activated, it would move riders in a circular pattern. Potter said the ride has a maximum speed of 40 mph, which would exert enough force to enable riders to look straight down to the ground below.

Stratosphere and Interactive Rides representatives did not disclose the ride's cost.