Mark Woodbury, CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, has shared new details on the planned Universal Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida.
Due to open in 2025, Epic Universe is the “most technologically advanced park we’ve ever done”, Woodbury said at a Bank of America media conference on 14 September.
The fourth gate at Universal Orlando Resort will use “facial recognition, photo validation technology” to provide a “frictionless experience”.
“It’s the most technologically advanced park we’ve ever done,” Woodbury said. “And that speaks to both the attractions themselves, the next generation of robotics drone technology, all the way through to the guest experience. The full guest journey is really being taken to a whole new level.”
Woodbury said the new park will have four themed lands based on “powerful, trip-driving intellectual property”, including the largest Super Nintendo World at a Universal destination.
Epic Universe is also tipped to feature rides and attractions based on Harry Potter and Universal’s classic monsters. Situated on 750 acres, it includes hotels, retail and F&B.
The four lands will be located around a central hub with attractions and F&B, he said. Also, Epic Universe will have 2,000 hotel rooms, and a fleet of electric buses will take visitors to the site.
Woodbury added, “We have the benefit of new technology that we’re deploying in terms of managing ticketing, revenue and revenue management across each of those platforms.”
Epic Universe to have four themed lands
Universal’s biggest theme park in the US will join Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and the Volcano Bay water park at Universal Orlando.
The new park, Woodbury said, is an opportunity to “expand visitation to the Orlando market that would garner us a full-week vacation”.
He also discussed Universal’s upcoming family-friendly theme park in Frisco, Texas. “One of the things that became clear is that we had an opportunity to segment our audience,” Woodbury said.
Images courtesy of NBCUniversal
