Attraction Profile
www.parkworld-online.com
Dream
attraction?
Legoland Discovery Centre is not the first family attraction to appear at the Trafford Centre, or indeed the first to feature an interactive dark ride. In 2002, childrens author Miranda Rijks opened an attraction called The Adventures of Dreamieland. Comprising a dark ride and gift shop, it closed after just a few years' operation. Located on an upper level of the mall away from the shops, it suffered from poor visibility, but perhaps the reason it failed and Legoland Discovery Centre looks more likely to succeed is the power of the brand. Rijks had plans to develop spin off TV shows and other franchises featuring the Dreamieland characters, but was essentially creating a brand from scratch. With Lego's universal recognition and Merlin's “Midway” attraction knowhow, Legoland Discovery Centre has a much bigger headstart.
own course. “The danger with that,” says Lockitt, “is that everyone rushes straight off to do the ride or 4D cinema. It’s not to say you can’t go back, but doing it this way provides us with an element of control.”
Mini Manchester
In Miniland, guests will find Lego replicas of local landmarks such as the Coronation Street soap opera set, Manchester’s giant Ferris Wheel and a soccer stadium uniting the city’s two football teams. Surrounding towns and cities represented include Blackpool, Liverpool and Chester, plus some shameless product placement for local Merlin attractions including Alton Towers and Birmingham Sea Life! Based around Lego’s medieval product range, Kingdom Quest is already one of the centre’s most popular attractions, and was chosen instead of the family coasters at other LDC outlets because of its interactivity. “One of the key things for the brand is repeatability, and that was one of the reasons for selecting the dark ride,” confirms Earlam. “It’s perfect for the
Midway concept. There’s nothing better for our guests than having their own personal score, which they can come back and beat another time.”
The attraction is the first interactive dark ride to be realised by 3DBA and partners including Alterface. Passengers board themed trackless ride vehicles by ETF, and take a three-minute journey to free a medieval princess. The ride features six scenes, four using computer-generated screen animation, and two with live props and animatronics. Lego Studios is the name of the LDC’s 4D cinema, a
The Adventures of Dreamieland
108-seat installation by Wiegand (Entertainment Resource) showing the films Spellbreaker and Bob the Builder 4D. Fire Academy, meanwhile, is a giant play structure commissioned from Play Revolution, and another popular feature with young guests. The cafe provides a great spot for parents to sit while their children play nearby, and many will be heartened to see a relatively healthy menu on offer. “We have had one or two people asking why there are no chips,” says Lockitt, “but really it doesn’t make sense when there are so many other food & beverage opportunities at the Trafford Centre itself.”
As you’d expect, Legoland Discovery Centre offers multiple Lego building opportunities, with different experiences pitched at different groups. Duplo Village, for example is aimed at younger kids, while Lego Racers: Build & Test is primarily for boys, just as Princess Palace is for girls. Hints and tips are available from the centre’s resident “Master Model Builder” in regular workshop sessions. According to Lockitt, recruiting the model builder was one of the most effective pieces of PR in the run up to the centre’s opening. “We got great coverage,” she says. “Here was a job that involved playing with Lego all day, and it really caught people’s imagination. It also helped us communicate a bit more about the content of the attraction.” To date, each Legoland Discovery Centre is located in a country where there is already a full size Legoland park. This helps with brand recognition, but also presents a marketing challenge. “We didn’t want people to think this was a ‘Legoland of the north’,” explains Lockitt (Legoland Windsor is in the south
east). “That meant looking at everything, starting with the logo, which is a different colour, through to our visuals, where we focus much more on Lego bricks than any rides or attractions. In Berlin they focused on the ride, and that made people think it was a theme park.”
There will, however, be scope for another ride in Manchester when, rather than if, LDC is expanded. So far only about half the available upstairs floor space has been used. Clearly it’s too early to know what exactly what might be added, but Earlam says he’s a big fan of the interactive Technicycle at LDC in Chicago, and wouldn’t mind expanding the play area too. It appears Legoland Discovery Centres will eventually outnumber Legoland parks in quantity. The next LDC, for example, will open spring 2011 at the Grapevine Mills shopping mall near Dallas, Texas, and there are plans for a third American outlet at the Xanada complex in New Jersey. More UK openings are a possibility too. “We’re looking at all sorts of sites worldwide,” confirms Earlam.
Like those little plastic bricks, Merlin keeps building.
www.legolanddiscoverycentre.co.uk
RIGHT: Manchester and Alton Towers, as seen in Miniland
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