As the crowd gathers, a thrill of anticipation fills the air. The gates beckon with the promise of magic. The entertainment landscape has transformed, and so have the guests’ expectations. A 2022 report by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) found that 70% of visitors to theme parks said they were looking for experiences that were “more than just rides.”
Shifting demand for “immersive, interactive, personalized experiences” has prompted many to revisit their loyalty strategies while exploring interactive tech that enhances engagement. The key seems to lie in engaging guests at every point and giving them a reason to become advocates. Media-based attractions have an advantage regarding shareability, as few others can be so easily refreshed to sustain novelty. But are they really enough to draw people back?
To get insight on this question, I asked executives from two well-known design firms I’ve worked with as part of Panasonic Connect’s co-creative technology partner program, who are highly acquainted with the pros and cons of media-based entertainment, to share their expertise.
Creating experiences that build loyalty
Craig Smith is head of production, operations & technology at Grande Experiences, an immersive arts and culture company that has created over 250 displays in over 180 cities for over 23 million visitors (including Van Gogh Alive, the world’s most visited immersive experience). He says that turning visitors into regulars begins with the content.
“Providing quality content of a subject matter that appeals is the starting point, but ensuring a new method to engage the visitor is critical,” he says. “This comes from the visual narrative, display methods, visitor flow, and thematics. This works with the core experience and allows for a new experience even if the infrastructure remains the same.”
Smith’s colleague Gary Moynihan, head of creative experiences at Grande Experiences, agrees, underscoring the importance of originality.
“Yes, content can do much of the heavy lifting, so create something no one else can! That can be a unique subject matter, developed in partnership with experts of that genre, or original artwork in collaboration with an artist.
“Regular resets of content and periodic physical refits can help redefine the visitor experience, drive return visitation, and ultimately nurture a sense of community among stakeholders and audiences.”
David Willrich is the founder of DJW, an internationally recognised experiential design firm based in the UK with a large portfolio that includes the THEA award-winning Indigenous Peoples Experience at Fort Edmonton, Canada. He has a similar view. Technology must serve a purpose, he says, rather than being the sole focus.
“How to make attractions more repeatable is a burning question,” says Willrich. “Many are turning to technology, hoping it will provide the answer, forgetting that it’s only as good as the ideas and stories behind it.”
Where technology meets creativity
The interplay between technology and storytelling forms the cornerstone of entertainment today. As Smith puts it, “Authenticity is one of the keys to success in this space.”
“Narrative is always the most significant driver when looking at our experiences and attractions,” he says. “This is also how we approach visitor flow and experience. We want our visitors to explore and interact with the space in their own way. However, we ensure elements of the reveal and the story are conveyed to provide context.
“This approach also allows our clients to work with us to bring other elements to the experience, be it additional photo opportunities such as a sunflower infinity room or thematics like our walk-through Monet Bridge. Then working together, we can ensure a seamless experience across the site and other visitor touchpoints.” This holistic approach drives a positive visitor experience and builds loyalty, he adds.
“For us, it’s about more than having the latest and greatest for the sake of it or to follow a trend, but rather what the visitor experience requires. Of course, new technology can drive creativity, but it’s more about having the tools at your disposal. Once we have pinpointed what we want for the visitor, we can look at the tools to deliver it. This comes in many forms, but quality, stability, and reliability are paramount.”
Willrich agrees, saying that technology is a means to an end. That end is creating sociable, stress-free experiences for families.
“IP-based attractions offering multiple choices can provide a more dynamic experience. However, unless they are in a high footfall location, do they have the income to cycle the media to keep the attraction fresh? The next question is, how personal do you want the experience to be? If we want one-on-one interaction and a virtual experience, we can have that at home with a VR headset. We are still social animals who like a group experience with friends and family.”
Crafting better experiences through co-creation
In an era where content is king, all the stakeholders in the design process must create partnerships that allow all the elements to coalesce.
“Narrative is always the most significant driver when looking at our experiences and attractions,” Willrich says. “We want our visitors to explore and interact with the space in their own way. However, we ensure elements of the reveal and the story is conveyed to provide a context within their experience.”
He also stresses the importance of involving engineering teams early in the concept discussions. This is an issue Panasonic Connect is addressing through its co-creative technology partner initiative. Here, we collaborate with our customers throughout the ideation, design, and construction phases on the ground or at purpose-built facilities such as XR Lab in Tokyo.
“Unfortunately, engineering teams are frequently kept away from early concept discussions,” says Willrich. “When consulting on projects and taking care of system design, I like to be in the early blue-sky meetings where you can be part of the creative process and start looking for the perfect marriage between story and technology. Projects approached in this way invariably make better use of the technology and cost less.”
Take the story beyond the turnstiles
The entertainment landscape is not confined to physical spaces alone. It has integrated with the digital realm and become woven into people’s daily lives.
With the rise of social media, data-driven marketing, and rewards systems, the story doesn’t have to end when visitors leave the site. It can continue off-site through live streaming, apps, cross-channel media, hybrid experiences, and social media. This bridges the gap between on-site and off-site engagement with experiences and encourages loyalty.
“We are in an exciting period of rapid innovation and, by definition, the tools we will have in 10 years have yet to be considered,” says Smith. He envisions a future where AI and AR become integrated into the experience. “But AI is only a tool to deliver that bigger picture,” he adds.
“Over the past few years, we have seen mass adoption of BYO devices to support attractions with additional information, audio guides, standalone apps, and so on. One could easily see AR become integrated to a higher degree and fill those BYOD needs.”
“AI is on track to open up possibilities of hyper-localized experiences where the visitor can engage in natural interactions with virtual assistants and collate supporting information generated in concert with the primary experience. As we move to a VR/AR/AI world, shared immersive experiences have become more important. A digital experience ‘in real life’ in a shared environment will remain relevant and essential.”
Building loyalty by keeping experiences fresh & interactive
“It could be argued that we are already getting overloaded with immersive projected media attractions,” Willrich warns. “Sure, the content can change, but the actual experience is still basically the same.”
How can we revitalise the traditional media-based experience without compromising the inherent sustainability of the attraction? Willrich’s answer is to make it interactive.
“Collaborative games such as escape rooms have been around for a few years,” he says. “We are now seeing the development of multi-room games, depending heavily on interactive projection, for group experiences. This offers a better opportunity for both pop-up and permanent IP-based attractions.
“It is unlikely that guests will exhaust one game in one visit. However, they will reach a point where they have had enough of a game. That is where developing multiple sites comes in. With a higher revenue stream, more games can be developed and rotated around the venues.”
Looking to the future, Willrich reminds us that the goal should be to craft sociable moments. He says that we might see a convergence of classic elements with technology that captivates every age.
“It’s nice to see ideas that combine something old with something, creating a more interactive and challenging group experience,” he says. “To me, the most successful attractions are those I can visit as a multi-generational group.”
The quest for guest loyalty in media-based experiences is about the balance between technology and artistry, innovation and tradition, and the tangible and the virtual. The heart of this lies in crafting stories that resonate, engage, and also leave an indelible mark on each visitor to keep drawing them back.
If you’d like to discuss the ideas in this article, please click here or email Chad Kunimoto, global business development manager for immersive entertainment at Panasonic Connect.
Top image: Monet in Paris, Brisbane, Australia, courtesy Grande Experiences
