The future of entertainment has arrived in Dallas – experience shared reality at Cosm.

The first thing you’ll notice when walking into Cosm Dallas is that it’s a haven for any and all fans. From the larger-than-life 150-foot by 15-foot LED screens beaming brightly in The Hall to the enchanting, all-encapsulating visual experience of the Dome, there’s not a bad seat in the house. Aside from this future-forward technology, the experience at Cosm is complete through a certain culture that highlights the human element at every touchpoint, ensuring the ultimate fan experience this March Madness and beyond.

Corey Breton, Head of Venues at Cosm, told TLM when we sat down Super Bowl weekend, “It’s all Cosm.” He pointed at the screens, proprietary technology designed in-house to Cosm’s specifications. So, whether you’re looking on from the turnbuckle at Royal Rumble, cage-side at UFC, or on the glass behind the Golden Knight’s goal, Cosm sets out to redefine the way we experience content. And as passing foot traffic peeked into the storefront’s tinted windows, Corey divulged more on Cosm’s promise to make memories through a shared reality that’s immersive, transformative, and most importantly, accessible.

For those who haven’t heard, what makes this place so special?

I would say Cosm is known as the world’s greatest fan experience. Our goal is to create accessibility for the most marquee events across the globe. Today, we had a futbol match — soccer — in the morning, and we transitioned into hockey. And then we move into UFC, which is being held in Australia of all places tonight. And then tomorrow, we host the biggest game in the United States, potentially across the globe, the Super Bowl. The fact that we can transport fans to all these events, regardless of their location, is real value. We’re really creating accessibility for these big marquee moments in time across sports, art, and entertainment. And even though we’re a tech company at our core with that immersive media experience, we’re mixing that with the human element and hospitality. That’s what keeps you coming back. We’re really focused on that here at Cosm.

The service is really memorable here at Cosm. It’s beyond exceptional. It’s expedient. They anticipate your needs. What kind of culture have you created here at Cosm?

That’s a beautiful part about building something from the ground up. We’re not beholden to anything else that’s been done. We didn’t have to shoehorn ourselves into any pre-existing culture. We built out LA and Dallas and all these different venues from the ground up. And so the pillars of our foundation are called “COSM”, of course. It’s about a Connected (“C”) experience. We want to build out that connection. You’ll hear us talk about a shared reality as a phrase. What brings people together for a common cause? It’s sports. It’s entertainment. Art. Food. We’re also trying to break down barriers with all those things, really leaning into that connected experience. We want you to celebrate with your fellow fans over a goal, a touchdown…whatever that might be.

“O,” optimism. Considering what we’re doing and where we’re at, it’s hard not to have a smile on your face when you walk through the front door. Then there’s “S,” service-oriented. Our staff exudes that they want to come into this environment. They want to be a part of it.

The last piece is “M” for memorable. We’re here to create memories. That is the ultimate goal: To make that one-to-one connection, to make you feel like you are a person rather than a number. We’re looking at our experience as a layered experience. It’s never going to compete with what’s in the venue, but at the same time, we’re after that share of time. We want to get you off the couch with an experience you can’t get anywhere else where you have to see it to believe it. And hopefully, each time you come and experience an event, it’s a different experience.

During the Royal Rumble event Cosm hosted, two wrestlers were present in-house as part of the experience: Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. How has Cosm redefined the fan experience?

We incorporate many human-led elements to balance out the technology. Every day is game day at Cosm. There is no normal Tuesday. We’re leveling it up every single time because we understand we’re after a share of that discretionary income. The fan is spending money to be with us. We take that seriously. We take that legitimately. Whether it’s our security, fan ambassadors, servers, runners, bussers, or entire staff from the front to the back of the house, we understand that we’re after that share of time. But they also know they can impact the fan experience and automatically make that one-to-one connection.

We want you to feel comfortable and confident spending time with us. That’s one of the reasons why the building is the way it is. You have The Dome, which has the best seats in the house, every single time. Then you have The Hall, the ultimate sportsbook experience. We watch five to six different sports. And then, on the second floor, we have more of an upscale gastro pub, an elevated sports book-style experience. Think about college football Saturday, NFL Sundays. NBA and March Madness. Then you go up to The Deck, which is what I call a palette cleanse because you get a little reprieve from the excitement and spend time enjoying some of the best views in this area.

The first location was LA, and now this is the second location. How instrumental was choosing DFW, and where is Cosm going next?

Jeb Terry, our President, was born and raised right here in Dallas. So we are woven into the DNA of Dallas. We understand what it means to be authentic and genuine to Dallas. Our head chef is from Dallas. If you walk into our LA venue, it represents LA. It has to. We’re building one in Detroit. I’m actually from Michigan, about an hour outside of Detroit. We’re working with the architect and the design firm to feel authentic Detroit. Our food and beverage menu will carry some core signature items, but we’ll also lean into some of the nuance and the creativity of what happens on the food and beverage program there. The same thing for our upcoming Atlanta site. That venue will feel authentically Atlanta. And as we continue to scale, each of the venues will have its own identity and personality, even though they’re under the ethos of Cosm. And as long as we focus on that fan experience, our true north, you can change aesthetics, the furniture, and the exterior of the building to fit within that environment and community; the way you feel once you’re inside what Cosm is all about.

UFC at Cosm.

Can you tell us about your other shows and events?

We discussed sports and entertainment, but I haven’t yet told you about what we’re doing with Cirque de Soleil. And this summer, we have a lot going on with art, entertainment, and potentially even music. There’s a never-ending calendar of programming we can build out because we’re 365, seven days a week, three shows a day, and thousands of events a year. Our real value is the utility of the venue. We’re just learning now what we’re capable of.

And when you think about the studios or anyone who has a catalog of content, whether it’s movies, art, Broadway shows, or concerts, this is the best showroom. If you’ve ever been to our Pop Art Show, it’s a documentary short film that takes you through the history of pop art. Orbital, a homage to our planetarium background, transfers you into space. It just won an award. Not to mention, we have Cosm Studios, which works with artists and curators to build out content specifically for The Dome. That really feeds into the art program here, which is a huge opportunity for us. Eventually, we’d like to start these residences, where you’d see a new show at Cosm every six to eight months.

Can you tell us about the food here and why it’s so important to Cosm.

We’re really hyper-focused on what I’ll call maintaining a region, maintaining a location. Here, we got to be infused by Dallas, which has its own personality. Even Grandscape has a little bit of its own personality as well. And so, you infuse your menu with those things but then allow yourself the freedom and the flexibility to adjust and adapt based on feedback. More importantly, it is based on the type of event. So for leaning into a Kentucky Derby, you better believe we’re going to have mint juleps. If we’re leaning into Super Bowl, Philadelphia Eagles versus Kansas City Chiefs, we’re going to lean into some KC BBQ. There’s going to be a carving station with ribs. We’re going to have some Philly Cheesesteak. We’re also leaning into New Orleans with Gumbo. We’re creating a shared reality, transporting you to the event.

Visual experience at The Dome in Cosm. Photo Martin Ramirez.

What’s the future look like for this location? Has there been any community involvement?

We have to lean into community involvement. That creates your future for the locations. We’re hyper-focused right now on youth, schools, and summer camp. My favorite moment of the day is when we see a bus pulling up here at noon, and 300 kids come in to see Orbital for the first time. They all explode with excitement. Or when a group hosts an event for a corporate retreat. We want to be woven into the DNA of the community. We want people to feel like this is your clubhouse. If you’re walking through Grandscape, we want you to drop by and see what game’s playing. This goes back to our history as a tech company. Throughout our 75-year history, we have operated 700+ planetariums across the globe. A planetarium was the first immersive experience because it transported you to space — to a place where you feel like there is a bigger world out there. All we’re doing is expanding on that, expanding people’s reach, and democratizing access to these marquee events. That’s where the real value is.

Join Cosm this March Madness and book your tickets now. Follow on socials to stay current on the shared reality experience.

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Cover photo courtesy Cosm

Martin Ramirez is a brisket-eating, Shiner-loving, road-tripping enthusiast of all things Texas. This Dallas-born writer / adventurer is ready to take his ‘78 El Camino to find the best in food, fun, and fitness throughout the Lone Star State.