Park People
www.parkworld-online.com “
Whether
the kids are putting out a fire or trying to investigate who the
criminal is as part of their police investigation, they are definitely
getting thrills, just not with rides
Cammie Dunaway
whether it’s a parent or a marketer, believes the time is right. We really need to empower and equip our kids and KidZania teaches them so many good skills. For us there are some markets that really make sense, as many as 16. We are looking at starting in somewhere like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. We also think it is going to very attractive for our sponsor partners. As someone who has worked in kids marketing for many years at Nintendo I know there are not that many opportunities to create authentic experiences where kids can touch, taste and feel the brand.
Have you encountered much resistance from parents who object to brands marketing at children? XLA – We have been in eight cities and never had a bad reaction. I think really it depends how you do it, and we have very strict rules on how our partners can get involved. Kids know their brands because when they walk down the street it doesn’t say “gas station” or “bank” it says Exxon or Bank of America. Having local brands make our attractions more representative of real life. Of course we shy away from alcohol or cigarette brands, even coffee. We prefer activities involving health and nutrition, all these things to get kids ready for real life.
How do you develop individual activities and attractions for each KidZania? XLA – Once we have decided on the activity we team up with the largest university in Latin America, and we work lot of education professional to make sure the content is well developed. Because one third of our business comes from schools, we work for up to a year-and-a-half before we open to adapt the educational content to the needs of that facility.We then take the concept to our architects and then we do all theming and take it all the way through to the operational stage. Most of this is done in-house.
Would you ever consider adding rides? XLA – No, I think our entertainment is different, we are interactive, we are participative, and we want children to be in the driving seat. Not having rides also make it much easier to change our content. CD – Whether the kids are putting out a fire or trying to investigate who the criminal is as part of their police investigation, they are definitely getting thrills, just not with rides.
How can children continue the experience at home? CD – One of the things we are going to be doing soon is creating an online experience, which will be very much based on role-play and the idea of kids being able to try out different professions. This should give kids who maybe can’t get to a KidZania
30
a chance to get involved. We also think that having our own currency, kidZos, is very powerful and something that can work online as well offline.
What’s the next step for KidZania? XLA – We are building the next generation of KidZanias in Mexico City, which will open later this year. Instead of a child walking in and asking for a job, it’s going to be outdoors and they can go by car, we will have oversized electric go-karts they can drive. We will also be addressing topics like inner city driving, accident prevention, health, sports, nutrition and awareness of people with different abilities. We want kids to see the effort that is put into building a city and to take care of it, because it’s theirs. This concept will work well in Mexico and, because it’s outdoors, maybe we will look do it in places like LA or Orlando where there is also good weather.
Wannado one too!
KidZania is not the world’s only role-playing attraction. Founded by another Mexican operator (Grupo CIE), Wannado City opened at Sawgrass Mills in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2004. Like Kidzania, it was located in a shopping mall and engaged children in role- playing activities across a
Ideal Kingdom in China
range of professions and experiences realised in co- operation commercial partners. Instead of ‘kidZos’ children used a currency called ‘Wongas’ to set up bank accounts. Citing financial difficulties, the attraction closed earlier this year, paving the way for KidZania’s planned push into the USA. Over in China, Ideal Kingdom at Dinoland in Dalian offers children role-playing fun in themed sets including a farm, police station, theatre and more. “I wanna be a kid again!” is the cry from thousands of adults as they take their kids to this special three-day event to mark International Children’s Day each June.
The ill-fated Wannado City in Florida APRIL 2011
“
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44