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Park Operations
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slope. It features an indoor waterpark and children’s science centre and
hotel, plus hundreds of thousands of square feet of shopping. The
Russian park was the first project for the Freestyle brand, but when they
were developing it, they had no inclination at all about purchasing the
park in Myrtle Beach. The flexibility of Freestyle makes us comfortable to
have many Freestyle parks around the world. Some will be very similar to
Myrtle Beach, but traditionally they will be indoor sports themed parks.
Overall, Freestyle parks will be an interactive, participatory evolution of
the theme park experience.
If we look at Myrtle Beach, I don’t think it is ever easy to establish a
new name. It’s a marketing challenge and it’s a communication
challenge. You need to have sound advice and a solid team to be sure
that awareness is at its highest and you must work very hard to establish
recognition. I don’t think Myrtle Beach is a harder market than any other
market. It’s a confined market. I think it would be harder to establish it
in New York City or even Orlando because there is so much clutter and
competition. Here it is easier to get your arms around. I like to say “fish
where the fish are” and we certainly know where the fish are in Myrtle
Beach. It’s a big challenge but one that we would have with any new
Steve Baker
name.
Smooth Transformation
Freestyle
Several changes have been made in the park since last season, the
largest being the re-theming of our major rides. The Time Machine is the
former Led Zeppelin coaster (by B&M), the Iron Horse is the former
Music Park
(Vekoma) Eagles Life In The Fast Lane and MonStars is the former Moody
Blues’ Nights In White Satin dark ride, now re-themed by ITEC
Entertainment. The majority of the shops, restaurants and other
attractions were also re-themed prior to this season.
Myrtle Beach is only part of the plan
We’ve also added three new shows: Flip 5 Live, a kid friendly singing,
dancing and tumbling experience; CSI Live, an interactive take on the hit
TV show; and Adrenaline Rush, an X-games stunt show that encourages
In February, FPI-MB Entertainment bought the former Hard Rock audience participation. The shows that are holdovers from 2008 include
Park, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for $25 million (Euro.18618m). Built the country ice skating show, which has an entirely new choreography
at a cost of $400 million (Euro.186285m), the park costs its original routine/soundtrack and the evening fireworks show, which now features a
investors dear after it went bankrupt last September. But now, FBI- new soundtrack.
MB president Steve Baker and a team of leisure professionals I think the transformation from Hard Rock to Freestyle went remarkably
think they can make a fresh start. In May they reopened the smoothly. The team did a monumental effort in accomplishing it. A lot of
facility with a fresh name, Freestyle Music Park, and eventually people in the industry said they didn’t think it was possible and thought
they hope to take the brand global. Together Baker and his team we should have waited until next season to open it smoother but I think if
have over 100 years’ experience in the management of theme we did it. We had a defined budget and we got it done within that
parks and attractions, in all disciplines, for the likes of Walt budget and on time. It was a tremendous amount of work, but here we
Disney, Busch Entertainment, Universal Parks & Resorts and Six are.
Flags. With several weeks’ opening under his belt, Steve Baker I’ve always said the middle management from last year’s park was
(pictured above) shares some of the challenges he faces at very competent, which is why we retained many staff members for
Freestyle Music Park, beginning with the renaming Freestyle Music Park. We augmented this with talent from companies
process we’ve worked in the past including Orlando’s The Imagination
The Roundabout:
House, to act as art directors, help produce shows
W
e considered many names for the park
Operational at last
and re-theme and re-name rides, shows
once it was determined we would not be and areas of the park. Ian McGillivray
moving forward with the Hard Rock name. acted as a project co-ordinators and project
We decided to go with the “Freestyle” name since manager on several areas of the park. We
Freestyle Park International is the parent company used local vendors such as Tyson Signs to
of FPI MB Entertainment LLC. There are several replace hundreds of notices inside and outside
Freestyle parks planned for development the park in a very short time. We couldn’t have
throughout the world and since we wanted to done it alone and brought in the best teams I
retain this park’s music theme, we agreed on know to get us to where we are today.
Freestyle Music Park. We have received a
positive response from guests about the name Family Appeal
and look forward to building the awareness Merchandise sales may not necessarily be as
and brand equity. strong without Hard Rock branded goods, but we
We have a Russian Freestyle Park very are doing everything we can to build and brand
similar to an indoor ski project in Dubai. It is our logo in Freestyle Music Park. One of the things
a shopping centre anchored by a major ski we heard early on was that we couldn’t rebrand and
38 AUGUST 2009
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