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top team


(Above) Dumbledore’s office; (right) Some of the models in the Creatures Effects Workshop


Laura Watson Visitor experience director


How do you train staff? We’ve taken the team to a new level of standard using vocal training and con- fidence building. Staff are also trained intensively in Harry Potter. All of the heads of department from the films have been in and given talks to everyone. We have about 100 full time staff and in


excess of 200 when we’re fully staffed at high season. We’ve worked hard to create a cool culture and a great place to work. We want our staff to look forward to com- ing in as much as the visitors do.


How do you manage visitors? It’s time ticketed, so visitors are pulsed through the tour every 30 minutes. We estimate a dwell time of three hours, but there’s no time limit. We’ve planned the attraction so visitors


have a lovely experience of space and don’t feel as though they’re crowded in. The most visitors we anticipate having in


a day is 5,000 when tours run from 10am til 6pm during school holidays. The rest of the year tours run til 4pm.


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“EaCH stonE is Laid doWn in ExaCtLy tHE samE Way as it Was in tHE fiLms. Visitors WaLk oVEr tHE samE fLoor as tHE Cast – tHat’s tHE magiC of tHE ExpEriEnCE”


How is the content protected? The Great Hall is already weathered and we want that to continue, as it adds to the character, so visitors can touch the walls and the stone floor. Each stone is numbered underneath so that when it was moved to this site it could be laid down in exactly the same way as it was in the films. Visitors walk over the same floor as Daniel Radcliffe and the rest of the cast did – that’s the magic of the experience. Other areas though are very fragile. We


have alarms, barriers, cameras and RFID so visitors can’t touch anything. The host asks visitors for their help in protecting the assets and keeping them there for future generations. We use that approach rather than “don’t touch”.


Read Attractions Management online attractionsmanagement.com/digital


Craig Hanna


Chief creative officer, Thinkwell


What’s the design? We’ve created a permanent attraction around the sets, props and costumes, as they were used in the making of the films. In most cases, the sets are dressed and


lit just as though you were lucky enough to go to Leavesden when the films were being made and step right onto the set. People will be astonished by the attention to detail. Key elements, such as the principle


wands, are in display cases where visitors can get their noses right up to them and appreciate the incredible attention to detail of the work of the props team. Some of the props are stacked in the middle of the floor with a cage around them, as they would be on an actual sound stage.


What were the challenges? The film sets and sizes couldn’t be altered. There were drawings for every set, but what


AM 2 2012 ©cybertrek 2012


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