DOUG SMITH VP Business Development, Prime Play
Prime Play’s Family Adventure Park at SeaWorld Gold Coast, Australia
What are the current trends? The current trend is to add more family attractions, rides and active areas. Theme parks are researching ways to
enlarge the demographic range that are visiting parks. Creating interactive and physically active areas create new experi- ences, which draw in new visitors.
What are the challenges? Attracting both repeat and new visitors. This is a mature industry that’s been innovating new rides and attractions for many years. Visitors are always looking for the next new attraction. In this challenging economic environment, it’s even more diffi cult to attract new visitors. This is overcome by focusing on the end client and working with park operators to create new and innovative interactive rides and zones that draw new and regular
SIMON FOULKES Sales and
marketing director Rainbow
Productions
visitors in, giving them reasons to return to the park multiple times.
What’s new and exciting? The redevelopment of the FEC market, where the FECs are larger and higher quality. There’s an increasing inclusion of FECs in amusement and theme parks as new fun zones for very hot, wet or cold weather days, allowing the seasonal parks to extend the length of their season. Interactive wet and dry experience zones
one park may specialise in pre-school attractions and entertainment, another may target thrill-seeking teenagers. Another trend which seems to be on the
increase is the emergence of more themed and licensed attractions and zones within parks. We recently worked with Twentieth Century Fox to deliver Ice Age character costumes to Merlin Entertainments’ Alton Towers Resort and Gardaland in Italy.
What are the current trends? Theme parks are tailoring their offer towards a much more targeted audience, rather than a one park suits all approach. This trend is enabling multiple attractions with the same owners to operate parks in similar catchment areas, as they’re not in direct competition for guests. For example,
Costumes created for Edinburgh Zoo to celebrate the arrival of two pandas from China
What are you showing at EAS? We’ll be displaying projects we created, including a branded character costume for Legoland Discovery Centre Duisburg, Germany. We’ll also be showcasing the licensed children’s characters that opera- tors can book through us.
are an exciting active family experience. Families interact together, climbing and zip lining, in partially wet adventure zones, while in street clothes.
What are you showing at EAS? We’ll be highlighting the continued development of our Family Adventure Park concept and line of products. We’ll also be showcasing AquaCourseTM
the world’s only aquatic ropes course, and a new top secret ride.
CASE STUDY
SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment, US San Diego Zoo
,
S
imEx-Iwerks Entertainment’s immersive attraction Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs
– The 4D Experience launched in the US this summer. Visitors to EAS will be able to fi nd out more about the fi lm that SimEx-Iwerks created with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products. The attraction was recently installed at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and San Diego Zoo, following its success in Merlin Entertainments’ Alton Towers in the UK and Gardaland in Italy. In the 14-minute, 4D experience,
3D footage from the third fi lm in the Ice Age series is combined with synchronised physical effects.
AM 3 2012 ©cybertrek 2012 Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital 71
Photo ©2012 SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment
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