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‘An exciting time for the industry’
During our chat with Phil Hettema, we inevitably got talking about the industry in general, and Phil offered this upbeat but measured assessment:
It’s a tremendously exciting time in our industry. We are seeing a lot of growth and innovation, and it feels like there is a lot of opportunity for everybody out there. Things are really changing rapidly. A lot of our work at the moment at The Hettema Group is in Asia. I believe the Shanghai Expo really
changed the game there a few years back, as it opened the eyes of a whole new demographic to our world within the Chinese market. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Shanghai Disneyland, when it opens in June, will cause ripples because it’s going to be state of the art in every way. There is a surfeit of substandard product at the moment, and I think some of the existing players are going to have to ratchet up their game pretty quickly as the population continues to have more leisure time, more disposable income and acquires a higher level of taste. Ultimately, the rising tide will be good for the industry in general. It is, however, a very difficult market to gain entry into because it’s so capital-intensive and now so IP
intensive. There’s only a handful of people who could jump into the race in an effective way and catch up with the big players. There will always be new technology and new designers, but as your readers know only too well, it’s a very specialised business and it’s not as easy as people from the outside world imagine. In fact, it’s one of the most complicated industries, certainly in the entertainment world, because it combines so many disciplines that have to work together. We regularly talk to potential developers that have a “dream” and a bit of money and want to get involved in the industry. Generally, my first response is to recommend a market study and an economic study so that they realise the scope of what we are talking about. We like to design projects that get built!
Shopping mall, themed attraction or both? Diagon Alley at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando
Phil Hettema founded The Hettema Group (THG) in 2002 after 14 years as senior vice-president of Universal Creative and managerial positions at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. THG has gone on to become one of the premier place-making and experience design studios in the industry, working with clients in theme parks, themed retail and dining, themed architecture, special effects, live shows, masterplanning and more. Flagship THG projects in recent years include One World Observatory in New York City, the High Roller observation wheel at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, and Beyond All Boundaries, a 4D theatre experience playing at the National World War II museum in New Orleans.
thehettemagroup.com
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Exhibit design ial design
Themed architecture
Themed r Theme parks
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Master planning Special effects M ia design
Live shows
67 Valley Street, Pasadena CA 91105 USA T:+1.626.683.9876
studio@hettemagroup.com www.thehettemagroup.com
MARCH 2016 31
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