I am truly honoured to have been asked to present a webinar later this summer for the Asia Pacific region of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. My presentation is called ’The Importance of Storytelling for Smaller Parks’.
The mantra we hear in the theme park industry is STORY, STORY, STORY. This will never go out of fashion or become untrue. It has become a popular trend for the larger theme parks to build their newest, biggest and best attractions using well known Intellectual Properties (IPs). The budgets for these projects, including the cost of the IP’s, are incredibly immense. These parks deservedly grab headlines and draw large crowds.
The question is, where does this leave the little parks — the small regional attractions who couldn’t possibly make sense of opening their wallets that wide? Uber-popular IPs and custom designed, mega rides are simply out of the question for smaller operators. The notion of investing in a second or third rate IP is not an appealing or sensible answer either. Many so called ‘mom and pop’ operations are inevitably bumped down to the status of flat, boring, ‘parking lots with rides’. The truth is that this style of park does not offer a whole lot of appeal. Theme parks at their hearts should be storytelling experiences. Thankfully, regional theme parks can have similar magic as their larger cousins… they just have to be creative to it!
One powerful solution is for the owners of these parks (or more often, the designers) to write their own stories and develop their own IP’s, custom tailored to the park’s needs and budget. Even though these projects (and their budgets) are smaller — quantity, not quality, is the only thing that needs to be cut.
Like the big guys with their mega budgets and super popular IP’s, it is critical that the little parks write a carefully crafted, original and timeless story. These stories needs to be well written, believable and rich with detail. Once the story has been crafted we, as designers and builders, have to stick to the story faithfully and flawlessly as we design build each attraction in the park.
Design is the first key to success. Every part of the park has to help the guest understand and enjoy the story. No matter the size of the project, it is critical that the story unfolds visually. We as designers need to capture the imagination of the guest and take them to a magical place far from the everyday world. This is story telling at it’s very best!
Some things absolutely are a must - no matter the size of the park nor the budget we are working with. First of all, we need to build a sense of anticipation as our guests approach the park. There should be an entrance portal, a physical doorway to the magical places we create. Inside the park, there should be a series of visual icons, ‘wienies’ as Walt Disney called them, to draw guests through park and into each area or attraction. Each guest should be able to feel and immerse themselves in the story — without reading it or being told verbally. There should be far more to look at than guests can possibly soak in during a single visit or even a single season. Most importantly, we should provide our guests with memories they will fondly carry for the rest of their lives.
My talk, along with accompanying photos of recent projects, will show how all of this is achievable for the smaller parks.
