Page 48 - #181 May 2023

RLI EntERtaInmEnt & LEIsuRE OpERatOR

Of thE YEaR

BUILDING THE WORLD'S FIRST
IMMERSIVE
aL hOkaIR GROup

The Al Hokair Group name has been associated with tourism and
entertainment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world for almost ENTERTAINMENT
50 years and they have become pioneers of hospitality and entertainment. It
all began in 1975 when Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair started his career by
investing in the entertainment and hotel hospitality sectors. Over the past five
decades, the Group’s activity has expanded to today include 80 entertainment
centres, 35 hotels and three commercial centres in Saudi Arabia and the United PLATFORM
Arab Emirates. Al Hokair Group continues to develop its tourism investments
to provide the best of what major international companies offer by attracting
expertise and forming fruitful partnerships that develop investment returns
and make a difference in the fields of entertainment and hotel hospitality in
the Middle East. Since the beginning of its business in the Malaz theme park in
Riyadh, the entertainment sector of the group has expanded until it became
the largest in its field in the Middle East region.

GRavItY uk

Gravity has been taking active entertainment to new heights since 2014.
In that time, they have welcomed over 10 million visitors through their
doors – and created countless memories for their loyal customer base.
With 30 different activities across 23 sites worldwide (including Europe and
Saudi) by the end of 2023, they are now one of the world’s leading active
entertainment companies. But how did we get to this point? Well, they have
pushed boundaries in their sector every year since their inception. In 2021
they became the first UK company to launch a big box leisure venue when
they opened their Wandsworth site, featuring eight immersive activities and
driving a +30 per cent increase in footfall to the Southside shopping centre.
Gravity was the first UK company to open an electric go-karting track (along
with the highest-powered e-Karts on the market) and introduced the same
e-karting format to Europe at their Leipzig location. They were also the
first company to introduce Hologate VR: the world’s leading virtual reality
experience, which is also available at the Wandsworth location.

A WORLD OF Immersive Gamebox is a revolutionary product for a
ImmERsIvE GamEbOx completely new genre of group entertainment in which

interactive smart room designed for 2-6 players at a time
Immersive Gamebox began in 2018 when escape rooms, VR experiences, ADVENTURE shared experience is the priority. Each Gamebox is an
arcades and the like were all the rage… but immersive entertainment who play 30-60 minute minutes from our popular IP or IGB
wasn’t even a thing. Will Dean MBE and David Spindler understood that Original content library. Our scalable business model allows
how one spends their free time greatly affects happiness and mental AWAITS us to provide interactive entertainment experiences
health. They bonded over their frustration that there weren’t many
ways to connect with friends and family that were equally fun, active and anywhere in the world and open new locations quickly and
accessible to all. Immersive Gamebox has continued to inspire audiences efficiently. At the core of our company is a commitment to
around the world and allows them to escape to new worlds! Part of that IMMERSIVEgamebox.com using tech for good.
was the launch of Squid Game at Immersive Gamebox. In collaboration
with Netflix, at launch players entered their venues to find Pink Soldiers,
dressed in their pink suits with masks at the entrance to their venues and
the infamous doll from Red Light, Green Light staring ominously from
the corner. Players work together in teams to survive the six challenges
from the hit show. Making all this possible is a designated gaming area,
aka your “Gamebox”, powered by cutting-edge technologies.

48 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL MAY 2023