- The Dream - Vision for the Idea
- The Site Location
- Theme, Story, And Entertainment Value
- Visitor Friendly Operating Standards
- Compatible Financial Partners
- Planning and Execution Discipline
- Experienced Management
The seven key elements noted here are simple and effective reminders
of what it takes to beat the odds and create a project that truly
is rewarding not just for you but for each and every single visitor.
Achieving Destination Status
To achieve Maximum Potential within the leisure and entertainment
industry, the three most critical development factors are Content,
Configuration, Comforts.
Content - story is everything. A good story adds
to the sense of adventure, fantasy and imagination for the visitor.
But it must also be presented properly. There must be a logical
order to the sequences. Each scene must be in context to the next.
People want to be prepared for what to expect. But unlike movies
or books, visitors do not want “surprise endings”
to their leisure activities.
The appeal of any leisure activity is also heightened by creating
strong entertainment value, it is a three dimensional presentation.
It is sights, sounds, tastes, colors and textures. This requires
a focused attention to detail. All of these elements must work
together in a harmonious relationship, with no contradictions
and none of the elements competing with each other.
Configuration - an efficient layout. It means
creating an invisible itinerary for the visitors to enable them
to discover, explore and enjoy all the elements and features of
the attraction effortlessly. It provides the optimum exposure
of all elements and for quality control of the visitor experience
by creating moods, atmosphere and visual icons that draw visitors
to the next element. As a result, visitors feel that they have
received their money’s worth . . .that they have received
good value for their time and money.
Comforts - a "people friendly" atmosphere.
This atmosphere is created through operating standards and amenities
that reflect a respect for people. Visitor services, policies,
practices and procedures, as well as a high level of personal
service all contribute to creating a comfortable, positive environment
that leads to extending the length of stay and, therefore, visitor
spending, positive “word of mouth” advertising and
repeat visitation.
To achieve the status as a “tourist destination”,
the destination’s components must be bundled into a multi-dimensional
experience package. It must be presented as a unique, must see/must
do attraction with a strong story and character and an appealing,
diverse program. By carefully integrating all the components into
the experience and, thereby creating an invisible itinerary and
people friendly environment for the visitor, the destination achieves
a strong “critical mass”, so that the visitor perceives
a high return for the money and time spent.
The benefit of “Destination status” is that it allows
the attraction to perform above the market segment norms. It also
creates a synergistic market model that penetrates deeper into
each market segment and extends the market reach of the attraction.
The LEDO International Inc. team has been developing
successful leisure destinations for over 30 years. Call us to
help you with yours.
Next Generation of Educational Attractions
How will educational attractions continue to successfully capture
the public’s imagination in today’s information age
and the coming of the Experience Economy?
The successful, new generation educational attractions will bring
together the educational core of a museum, the hands-on visitor
interaction of today’s state-of-the-art science centers, the
immersion aspects and service focus of a theme park, the emotional
engagement of theater and the commercial aspects of retail to create
a new, unique form of educational entertainment.
Educational Attractions must find ways to successfully compete with
themed attractions for paying customers, donors and investors. At
the same time, they must uphold their mission, integrity and reputation
for accuracy and educational value. This new, market driven model
has the following characteristics:
- It is organized around a central, unifying theme, in contrast to a collection of similar exhibits.
- It is an "immersion experience" that places the visitor in an environment - a special time and place - rather than an exhibit gallery.
- It becomes an adventure that tells the truth.
- It places history, science or the arts in a relevant and meaningful context rather than abstract categories.
- It takes advantage of peoples' need for social interaction, using role playing and adventures to reinforce and personalize the educational experience.
- It utilizes proven entertainment concepts to convey the educational story.
- It is managed as a "for profit" business
Current Projects
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