16 - 17 April, 2019
The Meydan Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Meydan Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Conference Day One: Tuesday, 16th April 2019
8:00 am - 9:00 am Registration and networking
8:55 am - 9:10 am Chairperson’s opening remarks
9:05 am - 9:20 am Keynote Speech: Developing and sustaining a world-class destination through innovation
Creating cities of entertainment: Strategic investment opportunities for theme parks, water parks and entertainment development in the Middle Eastiddle East
9:20 am - 9:40 am REGIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER: UNVEILING EXPO 2020’s DESTINATION STRATEGY
Creating a lasting destination legacy with world-class attractions, mega event and 25 million visits by 2020
We have seen a new era for the UAE over the past few years with the opening of Warner Bros, IMG World, Dubai Parks and Resorts and other mega attractions joining the likes of Ferrari World, Aquaventure and Yas Waterworld. This keynote presentation will demonstrate how the UAE has a unique opportunity to position itself as a major leisure destination on a global scale and enjoy the success of in other markets such as Orlando, Tokyo and Singapore.
In this session, we will examine:
- Reviewing the first World Expo to be hosted in the MEASA (Mid East, Africa & South Asia) region in 165 years, the importance of the project to the UAE
- How theme park, waterpark and attraction development can contribute to the UAE economy and the vision to become a global tourism hub?
- Developing entertainment clusters containing theme parks and waterparks to make the UAE a top amusement destination
- Recognising the importance of entertainment destination positioning to take full advantage of benefits they can bring and ensure maximum ROI
Gillian Hamburger
Senior Vice President, CommercialExpo 2020
9:40 am - 10:00 am Regional Trailblazer: Saudi Arabia’s Strategic $Billion Entertainment Investment To Encourage Local Spending And Attract International Visitors
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to spend billions to diversify the Saudi economy from in slump in energy prices and establish the entertainment sector as a source of growth. Saudi is currently splurging billions on entertainment in neighboring countries such as Dubai and Bahrain. This session will demonstrate how their $billion investment in entertainment will drive the economy and contribute to the ‘don’t travel’ initiative.
In this session, we will examine:
- Examine how Saudi will strive to attract 20 million annual visitors by 2030
- Outlining strategic investment plans to capture the two-thirds of Saudi’s population of 32 million under the age of 35
- Driving entertainment development to recapture the $30 billion currently spent outside Saudi on tourism and entertainment
10:00 am - 10:30 am EXECUTIVE THINK TANK: DESTINATION EXPERIENCES: Moving away from stand alone attractions through the creation of all inclusive destinations to attract millions of visitors a year
Over 40 million annual guests go through the gates at Walt Disney Resort per year. Why? Because theme parks and waterparks are no longer a stand alone attraction, they are an experience and a destination in their own right. This exclusive panel discussion will discuss how to unite stand alone attractions under one brand that captures the mind of families all over the world.
Key Question: What are the key considerations to developing a world class mega entertainment resort in the Middle East
In this session, we will examine:
- Understanding why hotels are a key component of the World’s leading theme park complexes such as Walt Disney World
- Partnering with airlines, retail outlets and restaurants to create an all inclusive experience
- Uncovering how to drive visitor attraction by offering a diverse range of entertainment options that ensures they never want to leave the resort
- Unifying and aligning brands and experience to magical heights
Panellists:
Ali AlSuwaidi
Chief Operating OfficerGlobal Village Family, Leisure & Entertainment Destination
10:30 am - 11:00 am Active Entertainment: Think... think twice about the size
10:50 am - 11:30 am Speed networking and coffee break
Swap business-cards and break the ice with your fellow participants to start making those valuable connections
11:30 am - 12:00 pm Park Games: Ensuring your entertainmnet attraction stays top of the leader board in a fast changing industry
Abu Dhabi is spending billions of dollars on theme park and entertainment development demonstrating the UAE’s strategic development plans to achieve global leadership as a family entertainment and leisure destination.
In this session, we will examine:
- Why entertainment development is a ‘new chapter’ for Abu Dhabi’s journey and the emirates status as a leading global family entertainment destination
- Analysing Abu Dhabi’s strategy of creating entertainment clusters to attract people of all ages as well as international visitors from across the globe
- Highlighting how immersive theme parks and entertainment attractions in Abu Dhabi compliment each other and how they can capitalise from one and other
- Uncovering innovative immersive strategies that provide visitors with a unique and exciting leisure experience in Abu Dhabi
Becoming The Number One Entertainment Destination: How To Differentiate Your Attraction To Achieve Millions Of Visitors Per Year
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm INTERNATIONAL TRAILBLAZER: Universal Parks & Resorts, Orlando share key insights on how to revamp your engagement strategy to attract, engage and retain the new generation of consumer
Today we see a different kind of audience: people who grew up on video games, steaming content, the instant exchange of information from the Internet and social media.
The new generation doesn’t want to be told to sit back and passively receive something, but rather they are programmed to actively engage with their entertainment, making them not just observers, but members of an activated community. Keeping audience attention is more important and more difficult than grabbing audience attention.
Join Paul Osterhout for his exclusive insights and interactive session on audience engagement and what it really means to tell a story in a theme park environment.
In this session, we will examine:
- Strategic tactics to attract and engage Millennials and Gen Z to increase loyalty and park footfall
- What does storytelling in a theme park actually entail? Uncovering success factors in storytelling to deliver the ultimate park experience
- How storytelling, attractions and technology need to work seamlessly together to elevate park experience
- Exclusive case study examples
Speaker:
12:30 pm - 12:45 pm KNAUF
12:45 pm - 1:15 pm TRAILBLAZER PANEL: Developing next gen attraction & entertainment resorts: Creating smart, seamless resorts that meet the demands of digital consumers
Moderator:
Shane Dallas Social Media Specialist, Keynote Speaker & Trainer, The Travel Camel
Speakers:
Jim Greene Director – Location Strategy Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Orlando, Florida
Lennard Francois Otto Chief Executive Officer IMG World Worlds of Adventure
Abdullah Barakat Senior Manager - Ticketing System/POS Dubai Parks and Resorts
Alaa AlShroogi Director Visitor Enhancement, Visitor Experience EXPO 2022
Shane Dallas Social Media Specialist, Keynote Speaker & Trainer, The Travel Camel
Speakers:
Jim Greene Director – Location Strategy Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Orlando, Florida
Lennard Francois Otto Chief Executive Officer IMG World Worlds of Adventure
Abdullah Barakat Senior Manager - Ticketing System/POS Dubai Parks and Resorts
Alaa AlShroogi Director Visitor Enhancement, Visitor Experience EXPO 2022
In the era of smart living, entertainment attractions must provide a seamless, frictionless experience. In the modern world consumers organise their lives in a digital, mobile manner and when they enter parks they expect the same. Key question: How can entertainment destinations create a single, integrated and unified experience across multiple parks, retail outlets, dining and attractions to increase ROI and visitor experience?
Senior leadership should therefore acknowledge:
- Visitor convenience: How do park operators provide a connected eco system from booking tickets to finding rides with lower waiting times and deciding the right cuisine?
- How to deliver a seamless and engaging visitor experience through mobile applications, wristbands, smart kiosks and digital signage
- Does the future of a successful convenient entertainment resorts look cashless and paperless?
Alaa AlShroogi
Director Visitor Enhancement, Visitor ExperienceEXPO 2022
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm Networking lunch break
Driving New Revenue Streams: Strategic Partnerships And Retail Strategy’s To Drive Secondary Revenue
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS: ‘The happiest place on Earth’ Discover how Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are making magic through an effective retail strategy to sky rocket your parks sales!
There is no doubt about it that Walt Disney Parks and Resorts have solidified themselves as the undisputed leader in theme park attendance and have mastered exceptional customer experience. Making billions of dollars annually from its parks and resorts around the globe and attracting over 150 million guests, it has become known as one of ‘happiest places on earth’ for entertainment lovers.
But Walt Disney is not just a theme park attraction; it’s a resort with a successful retail strategy where guests can shop for relevant products and services. So how does Walt Disney Parks and Resorts use its ‘magic’ to drive retail revenues? This exclusive presentation will discuss how to increase sales through an effective retail strategy
In this session, we will examine:
- How to improve the commercial viability of your theme park with the right retail strategy
- Uncover Disney’s effective retail location strategy to encourage patrons to keep shopping
- Identify how you can boost customer experience and revenue with right retail strategy
2:45 pm - 3:10 pm Combining Innovation and Technology to build a distinctive and attractive Theme Park
3:10 pm - 3:40 pm REGIONAL TRAILBLAZER: Differentiation is key: IMG’s competitive and intensive growth strategies to ensure leadership as a leading Middle East attraction
As the region’s first international mega-themed leisure and entertainment destination, the opening of IMG Worlds of Adventure as the world’s largest indoor theme park was a major milestone for the UAE’s tourism industry. Featuring adrenaline pumping rides and attractions based on global brands Cartoon Network and Marvel has attraction millions of visitors both regionally and internationally.
With Theme Parks and entertainment development on the rise, this session will discuss how IMG aim to differentiate their park to remain one of the Middle East tourism hotspots.
In this session, we will examine:
- IMG success stories and expansion plans for the future
- Discovering how IMG are using innovation and technology to drive international and regional visitor attendance
- How IMG Worlds offer unbeatable entertainment 365 days a year, appealing to audiences of all ages
- Beyond attractions: How IMG host live events and celebrate special occasions with in-house festivities to increase park footfall
3:40 pm - 4:00 pm Technology and trends in the Display Industry for Themed Entertainent
4:00 pm - 4:20 pm Regional Trailblazer DXB Entertainments model for success: The importance of acquisition and deployment of strategic partners for the success of any leisure and entertainment resort
Generation of revenue lines through the integration of regional and international partners for theme Parks along with conceptualisation and deployment of a successful commercial framework to create alternate revenue.
This exclusive presentation by DXB Entertainments demonstrates how they have developed a number of strategic partnership deals where partners such as First Abu Dhabi Bank, Etisalat, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Baskin Robbins etc. have invested millions of dirhams commercially and provided them with marketing support to promote and sale offerings.
- Determining how the right partners can successfully enhance the your entertainment attractions overall profits
- How partners can compliment the attractions markets and communications to deliver a worldwide audience
- The right match: Examining the factors that must be considered when choosing the right partners for your attraction
Manu Singh
Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships and Commercial ProjectsDXB Entertainments