‘Family Entertainment Centres’ to thrive along with theme parks in UAE: IEC

Although theme parks have a pull-factor for their leisure attractions owing to their creativity quotient, Family Entertainment Centres (FECs) will co-exist and flourish along the same lines as per International Expo Consults, the organisers of the DEAL 2017 show. With tourism contributing to almost 8.5% of its GDP by the end of 2016, the UAE is tremendously investing on infrastructure projects to welcome a higher number of visitors as per reports. Also the Dubai Expo 2020, for example, is expected to bring 25 million visitors, 70% of whom will come from abroad. This is expected to further boost visits to theme parks and retail malls encouraging the growth of FECs in UAE.

 “The GCC retail sector and particularly UAE stands at a unique threshold with a combination of factors set to drive growth into the future. New retail space and entertainment centres are being developed across the region as families and increasing tourist traffic prefer to spend time in malls and indoor theme parks. These sentiments are echoed throughout the entertainment and amusement industry. Growing population and evolving lifestyles as well as rising disposable incomes will have a positive impact on family entertainment zones,” Prakash Vivekanand, Managing Director, Amusement Services International LLC.

International Expo Consults (IEC), part of Falak Holding is the driving force behind the 22-year old ‘DEAL show’, which the most anticipated event of the year in the region for exhibitors and visitors in the amusement and leisure industries. The show has created a rich platform for players in both the indoor and outdoor entertainment space for over two decades.

“The experience within a FEC is markedly different from that of a theme park as the entertainment matrix are positioned differently. Theme parks are typically planned for a day-long visit. However, FECs can be both a destination and an impulse visit targeting a typical dwell time of two hours and supported by visits to the surrounding retail and F&B offerings. Their pay-as-you-go concept is geared towards repeat visits across the year. They are thus designed and positioned to be very dynamic and yet morphable. The entertainment mix within them are subject to periodic changes and vital to keep up the desired interest levels of consumers. And such changes are definitely easier to incorporate in an FEC than at large theme parks that house specific attractions,” said Prakash.

Dubai has redefined the concept by opening one of the world’s largest indoor theme parks and is definitely gearing towards being the ‘Orlando’ of this region. Theme parks will drive tourism, and yet visitors will also be frequenting the many malls in the city. This will automatically drive footfall towards the in-mall entertainment zones.

FECs contain multiple anchor attractions such as rides, soft-play equipment such as the plastic maze of tubes, slides and ball pits, kid’s play areas, video arcades, redemption and carnival games. More than ever, they are seamlessly integrated with the retail sector and are a must-have component for any mall. Today, given the increasing popularity of online shopping, FECs and other leisure concepts are what drive the retail sector to a large extent.

“UAE will surely lead the space. Innovation will remain a key component for both FECs and theme parks. And both can operate seamlessly in the environment that Dubai offers.  We have witnessed a giant leap in the industry since we started this show 22 years ago. FECs are mostly within the heart of the city and that is a definite plus in supporting the mall garner higher footfalls. So the formula for succeeding in both the indoor and outdoor entertainment concepts is the same and largely governed by innovative ideas. The Dubai Entertainment Amusement and Leisure (DEAL) show has shaped the region’s entertainment industry for the past two decades and it has brought together great minds and their world class concepts all under one umbrella,” stated Sharif Rahman, CEO, International Expo Consults, the organisers of the DEAL show.

DEAL has led the amusement and entertainment space during this period and the testimony to this is the fact that exhibitors at DEAL 2016 have signed multi-million dollar contracts in just 3 days. Foraying into the 23rd edition, DEAL 2017 expects to witness an even larger gathering of key players and visitors in the amusement industry from Middle East, Africa, US, Mediterranean and Asian countries. The show is slated to be held from 27th - 29th March 2017 at Halls 1, 2, 3 & 4 at the iconic Dubai World Trade Centre.