Page 49 - December 2020 January 2021

Artisans of

Uniqueness

ECA2 create and produce the world’s most renowned

spectacular multimedia shows with a team of skilled experts who
oversee each project to its perfect conclusion. Here, RLI speaks with CEO

Jean-Christophe Canizarès to discuss how the company has succeeded in producing
more than sixty emblematic shows in seventeen countries and what the future holds.

or almost 30 years, ECA2 has been the guarantee of “Looking forward, we consider the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an
outstanding quality for shows worldwide, devising unique emerging market in terms of retail, leisure and cultural destinations
creations for such special events as World Expos and Olympic development. Vietnam is also keeping us very busy as it has for many years
F Ceremonies along with permanent shows for theme parks now and will continue to do so. We also remain excited about upcoming
and tourism destinations. projects in Mexico,” says Canizarès.
Their recognised flexibility and bold vision for their shows has When developing a new show, the company immerses themselves into
not been altered due to the Covid-19 pandemic, instead it has been the local culture. They discover the surroundings, the nature, the landscapes,
adapted. “We are diversifying our offers and services; this does not the architecture and traditions. Searching, listening and discovering is all
mean we are dispersing ourselves. We are more than ever remaining part of the ECA2 process before they translate all that they learn into
the same, keeping our strengths and values as strong as before,” a multimedia show. “Thanks to our daring and highly skilled and talented
explains CEO Jean-Christophe Canizarès. “We have taken advantage people who have mastered the art of storytelling, technology and stage
of the time we have had this year to think, to focus on our values and design, we have developed our own recipe to cook with special ingredients
strengths to adapt our long-term business strategy according to the to offer unforgettable experiences,” explains Canizarès.
global situation.” The sets of the shows they put on reflect the unique sense of a place
In the last decade, ECA2 has implemented eight large-scale resident and enhance the story that is being told through the artistry of combining
shows in Asia that are still running today. These include The Big-O technologies that are hidden inside the décor. They want their audience
Show, which opened in 2012 for the Yeosu International Expo that to forget about the technology and to instead open their senses and let
has recently been transformed into a mixed-use area, Wings of Time themselves be transported into the fantasy.
on Sentosa island in Singapore, Lake of Illusions which is set amidst “It is this combination of technologies that always make it more
one of the most famous theme parks of Chinese OCT group Happy interesting and exciting for the audience, but only if you know how
Valley in Shanghai and Eastern Sunrise, which was the flagship project to balance the technologies to emphasise specific moments in your
of Rizhao’s Olympic Park in China. storytelling. Combination is the key and we are used to integrating water
Their tenth resident show is to be open and operational by the effects combined with fire, light, laser, video, sound, interactivity and drones
beginning of 2021 in Futuroscope Park in France, and their 11th is on and we will continue to do this and more as we move forward with our
course to open to the public by the end of 2022 in Vietnam. new shows in 2021 and beyond,” Canizarès comments.