Company Profile
www.parkworld-online.com
the guest experience, particularly when it comes to having them come back for more.
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size, local culture, and target groups. During the early feasibility and concept phase we advise clients about limitations and opportunities for achieving the best possible experience and ROI.
CW: What are some unique challenges when it comes to designing snow and ice parks? KA: When operating at low temperatures, unique challenges include insulation and damp proofing avoiding any condensation and structural issues. Nowadays, ‘going green’ is also an important factor. Energy efficiency has significantly improved over the years and combinations with solar power and water recycling are more common. Below freezing, the snow does not pack, making it impossible to create snowmen and the like. All of this has led us to focus on operations at normal air-conditioned temperatures, thereby saving energy and structural costs and - among other things - making it a lot easier for existing buildings such as shopping malls to incorporate an indoor snow park.
CW: How does Unlimited Snow work to ensure it meets client expectations? KA: With our one-stop-shop approach, we aim to provide peace of mind for our customers, without them having to worry about the complexity of working with numerous consultants and suppliers. Most important of all is making sure we deliver the right, successful project for any given location.
CW: Where are your key client markets? KA: China and the Middle East have been particularly important markets for us, with mixed use buildings and shopping malls creating desirable destinations. We’re also seeing a growing demand from the Americas, where indoor snow parks are still scarce.
CW: Tell us about your new IP, Miko’s World. What is it and what makes it special? KA: With closing in on 30 years of experience, we have taken a major new step. Rather than creating something new each time, and accelerated by the COVID-19 period, we are now building on past experiences by establishing a new company called Miko’s Studio. Miko’s Studio is the IP company behind Miko’s World and it introduces the first truly story-based indoor snow park concept. Fun Alps-based animal characters, such as a family of Alpine marmots and their friends, are featured in exciting adventures in the snow park attractions, including edutainment,
Storytelling is such an important part of
apps, gamification, AR/VR, interactive projection, and extensive merchandising. A first 3D animation film, Miko and the Spell of the Stone, has been produced by partner RedRaion, and is to be followed by a seasonal series for streaming media as well as computer games. So, media and location-based attractions are supporting each other and initiated simultaneously. These will be operated by Miko’s Management and are also offered on licence and franchise basis. Clients are now able to get a complete and well-supported turnkey solution
rather than having to develop something new or reinvent the wheel. The first flagship project will be opening in a mixed sports and leisure complex in the Netherlands, with the aim of opening 10 worldwide locations by 2030. The experience starts at home with a fun, interactive website and app. Sister company TheExperienceTicket provides a reservations system for gate as well as individual attractions, and visitors returning home can enjoy a compilation of photos and videos of their stay as provided by our other sister company, TapeMyDay. It is all about exceeding expectations!
CW: How important are stories and immersion for snow and ice parks? KA: The first and many indoor snow domes had been more like industrial buildings, and there are still very few indoor snow projects that provide a fully immersive guest experience. As such, indoor snow domes are slowly following a comparable route to that of indoor water parks where industrial sports facilities have converted to tropical themed indoor water parks. Practically none of the 100+ existing snow facilities offer any story, and that is what we are now changing with
www.mikosworld.com as storytelling is such an important part of the guest experience, particularly when it comes to having them come back for more.
CW: Do visitor expectations differ across different markets globally? KA: Visitor expectations are surely different across markets. The first point of consideration, of course, is whether there is an existing winter sports history like in Europe, or whether winter sports participation is greatly encouraged, as is the case in China. There are a number of countries where people go skiing and snowboarding to prepare themselves for their winter sports holidays, and many millions of people have actually learned to ski and snowboard indoors. In countries where snow is an exotic commodity, just the cold and snow experience may be enough to get them through the gates, as is often the case with Middle Eastern tourists. However, several clients have asked us in the past why people only come once. Mostly, the answer is that just snow is not enough to generate repeat visitors. It takes a sufficiently large variety of rides and attractions, as well as a story, to keep visitors engaged.
CW: What is next for Unlimited Snow? KA: As stated, Miko’s World is the next big thing, but we will keep innovations coming as we will never be finished!
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MARCH 2024
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