THEME PARKS
Ferrari Land at PortAventura will be home to the world’s first Ferrari- themed five-star luxury hotel
To develop the international market, one strategy is to build up partnerships with top brands, Aldecoa says. Ferrari is one of these brands, and Cirque du Soleil is another
still drive marketing campaigns and retail offerings. (Today, US investment fund KKR holds a 49.9 per cent stake in PortAventura, while Italian private equity firm Investindustrial, who came on board in 2009, owns 51.1 per cent.) In 2008, the park teamed up with
Sesame Street – one of the most widely watched children’s shows on the planet, with 8 million US viewers each week, and localised versions of the programme broadcast in 120 different nations. Characters like Elmo, Bert, Ernie, and the Cookie Monster were introduced at PortAventura. In 2011, the IP got a whole area to itself when SésamoAventura opened, and became the park’s most popular attraction, Aldecoa says. The future will bring Ferrari Land, a
75,000sqm (807,000sq ft) addition, which is currently under construction and due to open in 2016. It’s no coincidence that Ferrari has been declared the most powerful brand in the world for two consecutive years by the Brand Finance Global 500 report. “Our priority is developing the international market,” Aldecoa says. “There are different strat- egies that we follow to achieve this, but one of them is to build up partnerships with top brands. Ferrari is one of these brands, and Cirque du Soleil is another.”
NEW EXPERIMENT Despite its alignments with other partners, bringing Kooza to Salou was a new kind of experience and a new way of working for both PortAventura and Cirque du Soleil.
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Both sides took a relaxed view, deciding to see how well the eight-week run of shows was received before making any further commitments. “Of course, the first time was an experiment for us and for them. It was the first time we’d collaborated with an external company on a thing like this. Our plan was that if it worked we’d keep collaborating and they’d have a permanent base in summer at the resort. We could even extend the season,” says Aldecoa. Working side by side was key to the
partnership. While PortAventura led the marketing campaigns, they were agreed with Cirque du Soleil first. Ticketing was primarily through the Canadian company’s website, while PortAventura sold tickets from the resort, Salou and surrounding areas. “We expected Kooza to be a big success not only with the international market but with the local market,” Aldecoa says. “It was possible for local people to buy a ticket and spend the day in the park and then go to the show.” Reilly, whose 65-trailer operation
travels from city to city carrying the entire infrastructure of the Kooza show, agrees that it’s about maximising potential audience members. “As well as PortAventura’s guests there’s a permanent population base,” she says. “We’ve got Reus, we’ve got Tarragona. We’ve got a big fan base in Barcelona. From our point of view, they come for the show, and from PortAventura’s point of view, they stay and go to the park, so it’s a win-win.” The joint venture involved up-front investment in the site – including
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improving the terrain – from PortAventura, who provided the land for the big top rent-free. For Cirque du Soleil, the initial investment was getting the tent, stage, equipment and staff to Salou. That undertaking in itself is a logistical behemoth, but the well-oiled operation runs like clockwork. “Our regular transfer takes us 10 days,”
she says. “It’s two days to tear everything down, pack it on the trucks and get it on the road. It’s about seven days to put it all together. It’s very well organised. Everything has its place and its timing.” That professionalism was important.
“One of the reasons we chose them and no other circus or show is because they are perfect. We don’t have to worry about logistics because they are the best in the world at logistics,” Aldecoa says. Both he and Reilly used the fledgling
season to figure out the best ways to reach their diverse audience, be it international or local, on-park or far- flung. Moreover, they wanted to persuade people that this theatrical, acrobatic extravaganza at PortAventura was a fantastic reason to come back next year – and it looks like they succeeded. “We can be pretty sure that the show
was a key factor that contributed to the rise in the number of visits this summer,” says Aldecoa. “And, if I’m asked to describe the audiences’ reaction to Kooza, they were completely astonished. The families with small kids were absolutely surprised. Everybody described the show as ‘incredible’ and ‘breathtaking’.” l
AM 4 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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