Theming
www.parkworld-online.com
Been there, done that!
Utilising theming opportunities to create the perfect park, Gary Goddard talks us through the recipe to success
seem to lack something. The whole idea of a theme park is creating a unique world that is different and that immerses one in a world of its own. The goal of theming is to create an emotional connection with the guests that allows them to find spontaneous delight harmonised with the circumstances of their visit. Why do so many of the new parks leave people feeling cold? Why are so many of these parks unsuccessful?
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They must be confused as they went through the boxes: Theming. Check. Shows. Check. Retail. Check.
Rides. Check. F&B. Check.
Branding. Check.
And yet, hundreds of millions of dollars later, these parks are not working. The parks, as they currently exist, can’t even meet their original conservative estimates for attendance. As a result, they are making up for this shortfall by creating half-price tickets, special giveaways, local resident special rates, and spending a lot of money on events just to try and get people to the park.
What is the solution? Let’s take a step backward and learn from the master. When Walt Disney decided to move forward with his amusement park idea he hired the well-regarded architectural firm of Pereira &
Luckman.The early drawings were a disappointment. Frustrated, Disney turned to Welton Becket, a friend, neighbour, and important Los Angeles architect. Becket listened
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s the theme park industry explodes internationally, many of the new facilities in China, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and elsewhere,
intently to Walt’s vision and immediately determined that no architect was going to understand what Walt was trying to accomplish. It was not the nature of their training. So, Disney turned to show business people; set designers and art directors. Many of them had worked at 20th Century Fox where the back lot was four times the size of Disneyland. There was a river town, a main street, a frontier town, a replica of a stern-wheeler steamboat, and so much more. Instead of designing the park based on their architectural training of “form follows function” they trusted their entertainment instincts and created a timeless place based on “function follows form.” Theming alone does not a theme park make. And buying off the shelf rides and slapping an IP on them is certainly not the way to create anything lasting. A successful themed environment must go beyond being just a collection of buildings. Success comes from tying together theming, rides, shows, retail, dining and the overall experience together in a way that forms a pleasing, memorable and entertaining whole. There is an art and science to creating a successful theme park, and to creating successful “lands” and “attractions” within those theme parks. The whole of a successful theme park is greater than the sum of its parts. And theming in the typical ways is simply not interesting anymore. Been there. Done that. Owners and operators would do well to remember that theming today is simply one part of a multi-faceted equation. Content over theming, experience over content, engagement over experience. How to bring them all together in the RIGHT way, that’s our goal on every project we do.
JULY 2017
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