What advantages are there for leisure outlets located within malls?
JH: The key advantage is that you have ready customers—shoppers who can be easily converted. The leisure attractions at The Dubai Mall also benefit from the mall’s ample free parking, lively ambience and wide selection of food and beverage options.
BJ: Malls are a bit of a modern day oasis. They are safe, secure, and easily accessible. These are all valuable commercial aspects.
Malls are in themselves a destination, and carry brands that have a lot of power. You’ve also got bookend tenants for necessities, such as supermarkets, which guarantee footfall.
How can a mall developer create a diversified and unique leisure offering?
JH: This naturally falls into place once the unique challenges and advantages of operating in a mall have been addressed. In addition, The Dubai Mall has enhanced its leisure offering by partnering with strong brands, such as Sega and KidZania, to bring original new entertainment concepts to the Middle East for the first time.
BJ: You need to look at the demographics of the area you’re in. Don’t just cater for today – you need to be adaptable.
If you truly understand your demographic, you will be able to plan ahead and include leisure facilities that will appeal to those people in the future.
At Ibn Battuta Mall we’re also including elements of corporate social responsibility. We’re using the facilities within the mall to help push through the sustainability message and encourage people to be more ‘green’.
Leisure facilities can also provide a cultural element. During Ramadan, we’ll be showing a movie about the life and journeys of Ibn Battuta. It’s an opportunity to help people experience something of the Hajj even if they are unable to make the journey themselves.
Education is also important. You can see kids travelling around the mall, learning about Ibn Battuta. This is also supported by our website as well.
What’s important though is making sure your leisure facilities stick in the minds of your visitors. If your visitors found it easily and it was reasonably priced, that will happen. More than anything, your visitors will be attracted by word of mouth.
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ABOUT THE EXPERTS
John Hudacek, vice president, operations, Emaar Malls
John Hudacek joined Emaar Malls Group in 2008. He is responsible for the operational aspects of all Emaar Retail leisure and entertainment venues including Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, Dubai Ice Rink, KidZania, Sega Republic, and Reel Cinemas in The Dubai Mall.
Prior to joining Emaar, John served as a consultant to the leisure and entertainment industry for many years in several international markets. He started his career in this industry with Busch Entertainment Corp, the owners and operators of the Bush Gardens and Sea World family entertainment themed parks. John has also served on the Board of the International Association of Amusement Parks.
Brett Judd, head of leisure and entertainment, Nakheel Retailcorp
Brett Judd joined Nakheel Retailcorp, in July 2008 and is responsible for a diverse range of business activities from Nakheel’s partnership with Cirque du Soleil through to Nakheel’s movie cinema complex, Grand Cinema.
Brett has worked on numerous major events including the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the FINA World Swimming Championships and other international sporting events as well as major concerts and theatre productions in Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Over the past 15 years, Brett has held senior management positions with some Asia Pacific’s leading entertainment services companies including Ticketek, Village Roadshow Corporation and the BMS Group of Companies.
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