The Las Vegas Strip is full of iconic images: A replica Eiffel Tower, a pyramid-shaped hotel, a 550-foot observation wheel, and more. Located at the heart of the strip is another famous landmark: the Bellagio fountains.
Spanning more than 1,000 feet, the thousand Bellagio fountains are among the largest and most complex ever built, with water spraying as high as 460 feet into the air. Added music and light enhance the show. Designed to evoke the romanticism of Paris, Rome, and other European cities, the fountains blend right in with the ambiance of the Bellagio resort.
The free show takes place multiple times a day, either every 15 or 30 minutes. Millions of visitors have been wowed by the display, and probably never stopped to wonder how it's possible — or who keeps it working, for that matter.
During NFMT Remix this fall, attendees will have the opportunity to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of this famous attraction and learn how the equipment works and, most importantly, how it is maintained.
The tour starts in the "Batcave" where all maintenance and equipment repairs are performed. This is also how engineers and divers can access the lake via boats and barges.
A team of 26 engineers, divers and managers help maintain the lake and its fountains. Due to the long-term submersion in water, mechanical failures are common.
"We do continued checks and weekly maintenance to ensure all equipment from falling apart," says Arnold Cabrera, lead engineer for the Fountains of Bellagio.
With the fountains performing daily, the lake can't be drained to access broken equipment. Divers will attempt to repair the equipment in the lake, but if the piece needs to come out, a modified barge can retrieve units up to 1,700 pounds, says Cabrera.
In addition to ensuring the fountains run smoothly, the team needs to clean the lake daily to keep it looking great. That includes a filtration system, but also using a barge to collect coins along the bottom thrown in by well-wishing passersby. (All collected money is donated to charity).
However, neither maintenance nor cleaning is the hardest part of the job. Like many facility managers, it's dealing with the current supply chain issues.
“Finding the right parts and getting them on time to repair our 24-year-old fountain equipment, especially after the Covid shutdown” has been our biggest challenge, says Cabrera.
The fountains are a staple of the Las Vegas Strip for more than two decades and will be for years to come. Thanks to the hard work from engineers like Cabrera, they operate seamlessly night after night.
The NFMT Remix tour takes place Nov. 2 and is available to Elite-level registrants. For more information, and to register, visit www.nfmt.com/vegas.
Dan Weltin is the editor-in-chief for the facility market. He has nearly 20 years of experience covering the facility management and commercial cleaning industries.
