Page 63 - November 2020

he drive towards incorporating a strong In Canada, the leading cinema chain Cineplex has
MAPIC & LEISURUP INSIGHT entertainment anchor to the retail mix has been working hard on their interpretation of the Cinema
gained momentum in the face of a loss of retail Entertainment Center (CEC) concept, the movie theatre
Towners in what has been labelled by some the business decimated by a drop in ticket sales, have been dealt
AMERICAN DREAM ‘retail-apocalypse’. The question is what are the new offerings a second blow with the closure of their business under Covid
from the entertainment and attraction scene that can fill international measures. Cineplex is one of many cinema
the barge shoes of previous retail offering? How can new chains that have already started investing in developing a
thinking in the business drive an audience that is only now hybrid offering towards underpinning their cinema screens
emerging from lockdown? with an entertainment offering. The company has developed
The audience has matured with social entertainment and The REC ROOM concept which is based around a strong
media, so the entertainment offering had to evolve. This food & beverage offering, and an intense game floor with
is best illustrated by the current crop of what have been the latest amusement, eSports and immersive attractions.
labelled ‘mixed-use leisure entertainment’ (MULE) venues. Cineplex has defined this new operation as ‘Eats &
Attempting to carry the burden of entertainment, the Entertainment’, building off much of their experience with
audience has changed their retail engagement so significantly their previous Playdium entertainment sites. Unphased by
that entertainment has become a vital physical draw to Covid, they have used the time in lockdown to sharpen
help attract an audience to the retail environment in the their roll out plans, with the news that the Burnaby, Toronto
first place. Mall owners and developers have decided to fully facility will be opening at the end of the year. A 40,000sq ft
embrace an entertainment mix. facility – developed to accommodate some 1,300 patrons,
Examples of embracing a strong entertainment mix that this latest REC ROOM will add to the eight already existing
fits into the needs of retail, mall and leisure space can be venues; a clear illustration of the diversification needed to
illustrated by American Dream – defined by many as the ensure survival in the new market.
antisepsis of a ‘retailtainment’ destination. The idea of the Elements that are proving big audience draws still seem
mega mail (covering some three million square feet) was to stay the same, just needing to be refined to operate
not to depend so heavily on entertainment. The concept regarding local governmental restrictions. This has seen
Thirst for in March, and used this time to double down on embracing compelling nature. Along with immersive entertainment,
was forced to take on the Covid-19 lockdown, shuttering
numerous technologies step up to the plate to prove their
the entertainment mix within its operation. The operation
eSports has proven a new and attractive draw. The public
becoming familiar with the competitive video game sport
moved to a 70 per cent entertainment split, with 30 per cent
requisitioned to retail (this changing from a previous 55 per
from its substitution for live-sport during lockdown, the
Entertainment cent entertainment and 45 per cent retail mix). platform has gained momentum as an opportunity to be
The American Dream venue had originally comprised
added to the MULE cocktail.
Recently we have seen the announcement of new plans
the opening of an NHL ice skating rink and the pivotal
to open eSports and immersive entertainment venues
Nickelodeon theme park component. But after lockdown
and evaluation of the situation, a number of retail outlets
within the property were clearly not going to be reopened within prominent mall developments. Al Qana, developers
in Abu Dhabi revealed the signing of an agreement with
Immersive out-of-home entertainment specialist Kevin Williams, of KWP – ventures and so developer Tripe Five Group put additional investment Robocom VR to build PIXEL, a planned eSports, and VR
into increasing the entertainment offer to fill the shortfall gaming complex, to open in 2021 at the retail and leisure
beyond the home to chart the new trends that defines how retail and leisure operators are and boost the offering. Along with this the site is waiting resort. The ability to call upon the entertainment element
working towards the reintroduction of entertainment into their mix, looking at the issues on its planned DreamWorks Animation water park to open to drive the new generation of audience is fuelled using
(postponed from a November 2019 plan), as well as a new
social engineering through food and fun to create the
and opportunities that new investment is bringing. hotel development right atmosphere.
While the landscape is still relatively undefined, the one
The global health crisis has thrown up a number of
common elements amongst all of the hard decisions and constant is that the audience of the future is emerging from
difficult decisions the retail and facility operation businesses their enforced isolation with a strong hunger for social
have had to make. Retailtainment and the inclusion of a strong entertainment – and within the restrictions of the current
social entertainment element has been one of those elements. conditions it is essential to offer the best mix. Ensuring the
While the news seemed to be for a time constantly filled with safety of guests and employees, while offering an opportunity
news of closures of famous retail brands, as of late news has to shake off the “Cabin Fever” that many of us have been
started to pick up pace of new entertainment venue plans. suffering from, appears to be the way forward.

THE REC ROOM PIXEL