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XLIST Council Spotlight: Dan Pelson

In the surreal, hurried hyperreality of Las Vegas, AREA15 fits right in. To attempt to describe the experience inside is futile — though the website calls it “a wondrous mash-up of experiences, art and entertainment with axe throwing, art galleries, virtual reality and so much more.” However, according to AREA15’s COO, XP Land XLIST 2023 council member Dan Pelson, the only way to fully grasp its uniqueness is to experience it firsthand. Welcoming nearly four million visitors since opening its doors in 2020, AREA15 Las Vegas will soon expand across 20 acres to its north (including a repurposed Boeing 747). In addition, AREA15 announced its first licensed pop-up location as part of Riyadh’s Boulevard World and its second permanent location coming to Orlando in 2024. As COO, Pelson oversees all operations, events, entertainment, finance, new business development and market expansion. He works in tandem with Winston Fisher, chief executive officer of AREA15 and partner at Fisher Brothers.  The most successful businesses will be those that put creativity and experiences first. The most successful nations will be those that develop a culture that thrives on creativity.Dan Pelson Courtesy of AREA15 But, for Pelson, before it was all about experiential, it was...