Detroiters are passionate about watching sports, but Cosm hopes to change the way they experience the action.
The immersive sports and entertainment company celebrated the opening of Cosm Detroit Wednesday night, Sept. 9, with an opening-night party that gave guests their first full taste of the new downtown venue — from its bars, cocktails, and food to the centerpiece of the experience: watching the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks across Cosm’s massive dome screen.
Located at 25 Cadillac Square next to Campus Martius Park, the 70,000-square-foot, three-level venue is Cosm’s fourth location, following Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta. At its center is an 87-foot-diameter, 12K-plus LED dome that powers what the company calls “Shared Reality,” technology designed to make viewers feel closer to a live event than a traditional screen can offer.
For Cosm President and CEO Jeb Terry, bringing that concept to Detroit was about more than finding another market for the company’s technology.
“When you think about this city, it’s a city of builders, innovators, entrepreneurs, risk-takers,” Terry said. “It’s a city that means something. It knows what it takes to work. It knows what it takes to fight.”
Terry also pointed to Detroit’s sports culture and civic pride as part of the draw.
“The fandom here is unmatched,” he said. “It’s a city that has an immense pride, an immense passion, and it cares about Detroit. Detroiters aren’t fake. They’re authentic.”
That makes Detroit a natural fit for a concept built around communal viewing. Rather than replacing the in-stadium experience, Cosm is creating another place for fans to gather around it — somewhere between watching from home and holding a ticket to the game.
The company plans to use the Detroit venue for NFL, NBA, UFC and Premier League events, along with University of Michigan and Detroit Lions games. Its Shared Reality platform will also feature cinematic experiences tied to films including “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “The Matrix” and “IT.”
Thursday, Sept. 10, marks the venue’s public grand opening, with Cosm scheduled to present the San Francisco 49ers-Los Angeles Rams game live from Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
Cosm is not simply selling a bigger screen. It is selling the feeling of being part of something — the game, the crowd, the moment.
In a city where sports fandom has always been communal, that may be the part Detroit understands best.