Fernando Eiroa was appointed as CEO of Dubai Holding Entertainment at the close of 2021, to bolster business and drive growth. Dubai Holding, a diversified global investment company with operations in 13 countries, has developed some of Dubai’s world-renowned landmarks and thriving entertainment destinations, becoming one of the largest diversified entertainment groups in the MENA region.
Fernando Eiroa brings nearly 20 years of experience in the experiential entertainment industry to his role, having worked in the US, Europe and other international markets. Most recently, he was CEO of CircusTrix, the world’s largest developer, operator, and franchisor of indoor active recreation centres, with a network of more than 320 facilities worldwide.
Eiroa has also served as CEO of Palace Entertainment, a major leisure park operator in the United States, and Parques Reunidos, leading the IPO of one of the largest global groups, operating more than 60 parks in 14 countries across all segments and regions.
At Dubai Holding Entertainment, Eiroa is tasked with leading the company’s innovation strategy and overseeing operations at attractions including Global Village, Ain Dubai and Dubai Parks and Resorts, as he spearheads innovation strategy for the business, as well as ensuring the delivery of operational excellence. Purpose-driven talent development is a priority for Eiroa, with the objective of surpassing the highest levels of customer satisfaction throughout the company’s leading entertainment venues and attractions, as the company ushers in an exciting new era.
Successful attractions
Eiroa brings his experience of building world-class experiences and driving innovation in the sector to Dubai Holdings Entertainment, having worked with some of the world’s leading attractions and park operators.
“Dubai Holding Entertainment is the largest entertainment group in the region. We are a very diversified group of different businesses.
“In October last year, for example, we opened one of the most iconic assets in the country, Ain Dubai, the world’s tallest and largest observation wheel, which, at 250 metres, is almost twice the height of the London Eye, and has 48 air-conditioned cabins offering 360-degree views of Dubai’s skyline. It’s a fantastic attraction.”
“Then we have Global Village, one of the most successful and amazing attractions I have ever seen in my life. It is, effectively, a theme park with a retail component, rather like Central Park in New York. On top of that, you have the best street food in the world: food carts, restaurants and kiosks from all over the world.
“We only open this park for six months of the year, and we closed at the end of last season on a record attendance of almost 8 million visitors in six months.”
Dubai Holdings Entertainment also owns the largest radio network in the region, Arabian Radio Network (ARN), which has ten radio stations, including Dubai Eye, Virgin Radio, Al Arabiya and Hit – reaching over 200 nationalities and 3.4 million listeners each week in seven languages.
The Dubai Holding portfolio
The Dubai Holding Entertainment portfolio offers a diverse range of attractions and event venues.
In addition to the iconic Ain Dubai, there is the Coca-Cola Arena, the Middle East’s largest multipurpose indoor arena located at City Walk; The Green Planet, a fully immersive indoor tropical forest with animal encounters – and Roxy Cinemas, an ultimate boutique cinema experience, situated at Dubai Hills Mall, which recently unveiled a giant 423sq m screen twice the size of a tennis court for a spectacular, unprecedented cinematic experience, Roxy Xtreme.
Opening on August 31st, the Roxy Xtreme auditorium boasts 382 premium reclining seats across three tiers: Standard, Premium and Director’s Boxes.
One of the most popular eco-friendly adventure destinations in the UAE is Hatta Wadi Hub. The experience at Hatta is designed to allow visitors to take a break from city life and indulge in nature and outdoor adventure as they enjoy an exciting array of activities and opportunities, ranging from glamping, hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking to exploring the heritage of Hatta and indulging in authentic Emirati culture. Thrill seekers, nature enthusiasts, families, and holidaymakers alike are all catered for.
Global Village, one of Dubai’s longest-established tourist attractions, having opened in 1997, offers world-class cultural and family entertainment, featuring more than 26 international pavilions and representing more than 75 countries.
Dubai Parks and Resorts
Dubai Parks and Resorts, the Middle East’s largest multi-themed leisure and entertainment destination, comprising four separate theme parks, is the newest addition to the Dubai Holding Entertainment portfolio.
The parks include MOTIONGATE Dubai, the region’s largest Hollywood-inspired theme park that features immersive rides and attractions based on famous Hollywood hits; BOLLYWOOD PARKS Dubai, a first-of-its-kind theme park that showcases rides, attractions and live entertainment shows based on some of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters; LEGOLAND Dubai, a unique and interactive theme park for families; and LEGOLAND Water Park, the region’s first water park catering to families with children aged 2-12 years old.
Wild Wadi Waterpark by Jumeirah opened in 1999, becoming the first themed waterpark in the region, and setting the standard for others to follow. It has received international awards for the quality of its 30 rides, its safety record and also for its innovation. It welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, with thousands of thrill-seekers every day.
The success of Wild Wadi Waterpark attracted an impressive range of other waterparks to open its doors for residents and visitors in Dubai, including our Laguna Waterpark nestled at the heart of Dubai’s coolest beachfront destination of La Mer.
Interesting opportunities
Dubai Holding has, Eiroa says, a huge and diverse portfolio
“It is a very interesting opportunity,” he adds. “I came here because they offered me the opportunity to integrate all these attractions, first, and to really move the needle in terms of attendance and revenue making the whole portfolio an even bigger destination for tourists, and for locals. We are the number one destination already, but we want to continue to build on that. The breadth and diversity of entertainment experiences in Dubai is an inspiration.”
He outlines how he plans to steer the business towards greater growth:
“The first thing to be said is that I believe, Dubai as a country has done a fantastic job handling and managing the pandemic, and has become a safe destination in the minds of tourists all over the world.
This is in addition to the fact we are engaged in enhancing and improving the attractions and the experiences that we are offering in our parks. At Motiongate, for instance, with our partners at Lionsgate, we added two world record-breaking coasters.”
New rides and attractions
The brand new, world-first, record-breaking thrill rides, inspired by two of Lionsgate’s global hits – John Wick and Now You See Me, opened in January.
Eiroa comments:
“The feedback we have received is incredibly good.”
Additionally:
“Dubai Holding opened the LEGOLAND Hotel as a destination in the region. Lots of tourists and local residents come to Dubai Parks and Resorts to vacation with their families, so, more generally, one of the things we are planning to do is bundle our attractions, offering a one-stop-shop. We offer a sufficiently rich, wide and diverse range of attractions and experiences to ensure a family staying for 10 days has different things to do every single day.”
The bundles will be customisable according to the guests’ particular preferences.
“If you’re visiting Dubai with children, you can come to the LEGOLAND Hotel, then go to LEGOLAND Water Park and the LEGOLAND park,” he says. If you like animals, you can go to Green Planet, and spend time on animal encounters, taking photos, and learning about conservation, then enjoy Laguna Water Park, or have a ride in Ain Dubai.”
Food & drink are key for Dubai Holding
Catering for the domestic market is, Eiroa says, important:
“Obviously the international tourist market is very important, but we want to offer the best possible experience to residents here in the country as well.”
Part of his role involves keeping his finger on the pulse of global trends.
“I’m a creative person, and I spend a great deal of time thinking about how to improve the business, and which experiences to add to the portfolio. We are in conversations with many different IPS, many different technology providers, shows, and experience providers, in terms of the content that we will be adding to the parks and to the other attractions.”
“I believe that the success of a theme park or an attraction, in general, is not rooted only in the biggest, fastest most exciting roller coaster, or whatever attraction it is, but occurs when you offer the right blend of attractions and other experiences, like, for instance, food and beverage. Food and beverage in this country is one of the most important components, of a good experience, especially when you come as a family, with children.”
A multicultural destination
Accordingly, he explains:
“We think about that constantly and are opening new food and beverage concepts targeting and catering for different demographics. One of the beauties of the United Arab Emirates, and Dubai in particular, is the diversity. There are people here from all over the world. There is a big Indian community, a Filipino community, a European community, there are Americans here, and Africans: people from all over the world.”
“It’s a huge opportunity. The experience that you can offer at the parks is very different from the things you can do in Europe because, in Europe, people are not used to this range and variety of food and different cultures.”
Potential for more growth at Dubai Holding
The potential, he feels, is infinitely dynamic and exciting.
Eiroa is currently engaged, along with the team and with shareholders, in structuring a strategy for the next few years:
“We want to add new concepts, new attractions, and new experiences to the portfolio,” he says. “The most important thing, to me, is to put the talent we have in the company to the right uses, in designing the plan for the future of the company. Integration comes in how we market and bundle our attractions.”
“To me, one of the key components, when you talk about integration or working together with other attractions, is that you can benchmark and share best practices. One of the most important things that we need to do, not only in Dubai or in the Emirates, but all over the world, is to deeply understand our customers. That is the only way we’ll be able to offer them the product they want.”
He adds:
“Often, the managers in companies assume that adding a rollercoaster is what people want. Sometimes, what people would really like is to have more restrooms or changing rooms, more trees in the park, or more food and beverage options. I’m a firm believer in customer analytics and customer research. We are spending a lot of time on this.”
Listening to guests
One of the things that Eiroa believes is key is understanding what it is that people really want:
“We do a lot of internal research, and we also spend a lot of time just talking to people, and asking what they want. I spend most weekends going to different attractions, spending time talking to employees and to customers.”
“We also have a fantastic marketing department and team where we do a lot of research, working closely with different entities in the country, sharing information about the origin of tourists, demographics, and so on. Also, we do have more sophisticated systems, too, that use cell phones; we have systems that count the number of people coming into the park through a gate or the waiting time for a roller coaster or an attraction.
“We use that information in order to offer the best possible visitor journey or experience at the parks and attractions, eliminating friction, and maximizing enjoyment.”
