16 - 17 April, 2019
The Meydan Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Meydan Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Conference Day Two: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
8:30 am - 9:20 am Registration And Networking
9:20 am - 9:30 am Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Keeping Content Relevant: Developing New Forms Of Content Delivery To Engage Visitors And Triple Ticket Sales
9:30 am - 10:00 am TRAILBLAZER PANEL: Cultural inspiration vs. appropriation: Creating local content to ensure Middle East Parks top annual attendance charts
Innovative, fresh theme park attractions with powerful storytelling and engaging theming keep visitors longing to come back and drive word of mouth marketing.
From Harry Potter World to Legoland and Disney’s Star Wars it is essential that your park has a theme to connect with the audience. Operators spend millions on their content investment with the hope that their attractions will last decades.
But in a region of diverse cultures and ages how do you decide which theme is appropriate for your park to drive footfall and increase sales?
This panel session will discuss:
- Meeting consumer demand for immersive story experiences through partnership with popular entertainment franchises
- Analysing themes that engage with the Middle East audience but also respect their culture and heritage
- Debating whether park operators need to work with IPs and franchises to create memorable experiences and attract international audiences?
- How do theme park designers create content that ensures longevity and connects to the future generations?
Panellists:
10:15 am - 10:45 am INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY: If we brand it, will they come? Uncover the magic behind LEGOLAND® Dubai theme parks and how their branding strategy delivers a worldwide audience
One of the key ways in which park operators look to differentiate and compete is to work with IP brands to drive visitor attendance and leverage their international status.
However we all know branded attractions worth multi-million dollars that have been scrapped. So what can we learn from this?
In this exclusive presentation you will hear from one of the worlds most powerful brands on the key strategies to ensure your theme park meets brand expectations and avoids expensive failures.
This exclusive project case study insight will demonstrate:
- Key learning’s from opening a Middle East theme park featuring one of the world’s most powerful brand’s
- Uncovering how to communicate your brand across a variety of cultures
- Identifying how to deliver a consistent brand from what is being promised on the brochure and website to what’s being delivered in the park
Speaker:
10:45 am - 11:15 am Exclusive talk by Vivaticket
11:15 am - 11:45 am Networking coffee break
Creating Innovative Indoor Entertainment Options To Compete With Home Entertainment And Attract The Millennial Generation
11:45 am - 12:15 pm REGIONAL TRAILBLAZER: Esports: How gaming is reshaping the entertainment industry and why your indoor entertainment attraction cannot afford to ignore!
Gaming is now the world’s favourite form of entertainment, it has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry over a few decades, becoming the largest entertainment vertical in the world. Given the surge in access to smartphones, computers and the internet, video games are now a staple in the lives of over 1.6 billion people.
So how does this effect theme parks and entertainment development?
This interactive session will discuss:
- How is gaming disrupting the entertainment sector and why is it essential park operators and entertainment developers take note
- How attractions can partner with gaming companies to deliver an increasingly compelling experience for consumers
- How innovations such as AR and VR will increase the demand for gaming options
- Case study examples of attractions already partnering with gaming such as Universal Parks and Nintendo
Speaker:
John Lacey
Founder and Managing DirectorPower League Gaming
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm SMARTWIDE = EATON = THE EASY WAY TO CONNECT
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm EXCLUSIVE CASE STUDY: Bringing snow to the desert: How innovative indoor concepts like Snow City drives visitors 365 days a year in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is pushing to provide more entertainment options for its residents, many of whom turn to neighbouring countries such as Bahrain and Dubai. When Snow city opened it received enthusiastic all round support and an excited customer audience who had ‘never experienced snow before’. 2 years after is has opened it is still remaining a hotspot attraction in Saudi Arabia. This exclusive project case study will demonstrate innovative strategies and customer loyalty programmes that keep people coming back for more.
- Uncovering strategic investment plans and programmes that drive visitor attractions 36 days a year
- How Snow City has adopted innovative technologies and indoor activities to enhance customer experience
- How its loyal customer base attracts leisure and retail business increasing overall revenue for the indoor park
- Snow City’s expansion plans into
1:00 pm - 1:20 pm Reserved For Walltopia
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm TRAILBLAZER PANEL: Thinking outside the (X)box: Driving indoor entertainment centre growth in a convenient home entertainment world
In an era where it is possible to have almost any form of entertainment in your living room whether its through home gaming options such as X box live or web streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, it has left family entertainment centres wondering what this new found convenience means for them?
This strategic panel discussion will demonstrate innovative entertainment concepts that they cannot find at home to engage all ages and drive footfall to indoor entertainment centres
Senior Leadership should therefore acknowledge:
- Why creating meaningful social interactions are a key ingredient to the success of FEC operations
- How to create value for customers by offering unique, diverse entertainment options they cannot find at home to encourage return visits
- How to tap into the non traditional FEC millennial demographic looking for dynamic and socially engaging experiences
- Learning how to balance active entertainment with the thirst of virtual needs
Panellists:
John Lacey
Founder and Managing DirectorPower League Gaming