Construction Magazine May 2017 | Page 107

MIDDLE EAST

Subsequent success

DPR may have been officially opened in December , but LEGOLAND was the first part of the parks to be opened in late October , followed by Bollywood in November and Motiongate in December . This staggered opening approach granted DPR a sense of breathing space , as each section of the park is made up of various different vendors and multiple themes . With the gradual opening , this made the management element of each park that little bit easier .
“ Looking at it we thought , it ’ s better to open 100 percent of 80 percent , rather than 80 percent of 100 percent ,” says Priddy .
Through subsequent opening , Priddy and Machamer were able to ensure that the necessary pieces were in place , both technically and on an operational aspect . This created a mentality where they could strive to get everything right on the first attempt , and then follow on that success with the subsequent and ultimately seamless opening of the other areas of the park .
There is also a third benefit of this approach , marketing . Subsequent opening results in subsequent marketing “ hits ”.
“ Now you can go back into the market and say , we have even more stuff online . It provides us with that multiple marketing hit which of course will bring more footfall ,” says Priddy .
One such example of this will be the completion of the Lionsgate Zone , a new area of the park within Motiongate as part of the aforementioned Hunger Games franchise . A huge international draw , this will of course attract a new range of tourists , both first time visitors and previous visitors to the park .
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