Attractions and Themed Spaces

Chapter 13

Attraction Perspectives

Descriptive - SIC codes; WTO classifications

Organizational - space, capacity, and visit duration

Cognitive - safety; curiosity based

Attraction Measures

Historical - monitor places over time to determine trends

Location - comparison across categories

Valuation - numeric measures from surveys, attendance, usage rates

Disney Hong Kong visitors

Museum Types

HistoricHistoric siteArtGeneralNatural history or nature centerSpecializedArboretum/botanical gardenScience and learning

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Museum Strategies

1. Involve staff members in research efforts2. Use comment cards to generate feedback3. Promote memberships4. Establish speaker’s bureau5. Maximize hotel concierge services6. Affiliate with business databases7. Conduct regular tours8. Make the museum a movie star9. Hold special receptions for new exhibits10. Lease space to corporations for events11. Take museum brand show on the road

Shopping Attractions

Positioning - differentiates venuesWindow shopping - displaysLoyalty programs

Mall credit card Drawing Parking premiums Wheels Education rebates Points program Frequent spender lounges

Casinos and Gaming Attractions

Research determines which incentives work with each player category

Player ranks Buy-in amount to game Average bet Largest bet Duration of play

Staging Reality

Characteristics of themed environments Being set apart Predictable environment Safe and protected from harm Focus on single motif Enables licensing

Themed Restaurant

Themed Spaces

1. Restaurants Reliquary (relics & artifacts); Hard Rock Cafe Parodic (mimics reality); Rainforest Café Ethnic (art, décor, music of nation) Reflexive (themed brand); KFC

2. Shopping Malls

Theming Religion

More Themed Spaces

3. Theme parks - visitor days (attendance) and average per-capita spending.

4. Branded theme retail venues5. Religious theming - TBN, Crystal

Cathedral6. Las Vegas

Theming Las Vegas

Venetian Hotel, a themed space

Fabrication for Marketers

Package shared experiencesCreate mythologyImmerse consumer in serviceUse planning and efficiencyShowcase the brandUse show-biz jargonCreate a destination meccaAttract visitors with free ‘stuff’

Questions

Why has theming become so pervasive for marketing location-based entertainment? Which themes are most effective for repeat customers? Why?

When marketing casinos, what ethical issues should promoters consider when developing repeat-based incentives? How pervasive is gambling addiction?