VegasChatter

VegasChatter has learned the $5 million earmarked for the 31,000-square-foot building will be upgraded in sections. The first floor is ongoing. Next year, they'll start on floors two, three and four and, in 2014, they'll really fix up the fourth floor in earnest.

Preliminary intelligence suggests not a whole lot will be different, but almost everywhere will be a whole lot better. Displays and fancy overhead lighting fixes in particular. Think of it as a refresh. Their signage does look kind of static, so they will be adding more digital elements. Plus, there's also power, electrical and plumbing work within the building skelton you don't get to see. They have offices, meeting rooms and non-public what-not up on the fourth floor. Shhhh. Bet you thought that's where Red, Green and Yellow had bunkbeds, huh?

A noticeable upgrade will occur outside to the monster sign, the digital banners and the placement of two new statues on the street. Nope not an Aria Henry Moore or a Rodin. It'll be two pointing M&M guys. Maybe this time they'll go with Puce and Cerulean, those obscure characters you never get to see in the commercials.

This writer has only ever ventured inside the ground floor (it gets reealllllyyy crowded in there) and so we were surprised to learn that a focus of the "World" is something the company calls, a "character moment." We call it a photo opportunity. You can pose with the "Snack Pack" or various characters in various poses. Apparently, there's even an M&M showgirl up there. How decadent. The NASCAR display will remain, but the setting and ambiance will be revved up.

And the opportunity to grab M&M-themed merchandise and candy will certainly not vanish. In any way, shape or form. One of the visual oddities of walking The Strip is seeing burly gentlemen tourists carrying those dainty yellow M&M store bags. Think how many of those tiny candies it took to to earn a five mil construction budget.

(PHOTO: M&M's World via Wikipedia)