Deals worth millions are to be finalised in Dubai this week as the leisure industry exploits growing demand for family entertainment communities and retail-linked amusement.
Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure Show (Deal) is in its 20th year and will be the largest to date, organisers told GN Focus in a recent interview. Key players and visitors in the amusement industry are attending from Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa, and Mediterranean and Asian countries.
“Deal 2014 has ushered in close to 300 firms across 33 countries and is expecting more than 6,000 quality trade visitors. There are 32 new exhibitors at this year’s show and the bar has been raised to a new high altogether with three new countries,” says Sharif Rahman, CEO, International Expo-Consults, organisers of Deal.
New exhibitors come from countries as diverse as Belgium, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the UK, France, Turkey and the US, while new countries include Denmark, Singapore and Qatar.
Exhibitors at last year’s show signed contracts worth several million dollars and Deal grew by 19 per cent over the previous year. These contracts were for all the equipment, rides and other innovative products and projects rolled out during the course of the year.
The global industry’s growth is serious business and the world market for these theme parks is expected to reach $31.8 billion (about Dh116 billion) by 2017, according to a report by Global Industry Analysts. Several new projects are coming up in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman and the region is set to witness a remarkable growth in the entertainment sector in the near future, says Rahman.
Visitors to Deal 2014 will be looking for new developments in the sector, with some of the world’s largest family entertainment centres (FECs) being created in the region. Opportunities are available from North Africa to East Asia and everywhere in between. The UAE industry is also seeing renewed energy on the back of its Expo 2020 bid win.
There will be significant traction as the industry makes a paradigm shift towards complementary entertainment and retail facilities for families. “Malls are using entertainment to clearly demarcate themselves from the competition. There is ample proof to show how entertainment and retail are being fused to garner maximum results as the majority of the malls in the UAE and GCC countries are adopting this spiral formula,” says Rahman.
He also says some malls with FECs have recorded a 35-40 per cent increase in earnings attributed to these new facilities, which, on an average, pull in between 8 and 12 per cent visitors.
“Indoor entertainment has been the best performing segment in the amusement parks market over the years. Indoor theme parks are here to stay,” says Rahman.
FECs are now aiming to widen their target audience band and pull in more members of the family, he adds. While the current audience profile is children aged from four to 12 years, operators are broadening their offering to appeal to more members of the family, particularly between 14 and 21 years. New attractions include 5D cinemas, 7D game stimulators and advanced dark ride technologies, several of which are on show at the exhibition.
Pan Amusements from the UK is exhibiting at Deal for the fourth time and will be exhibiting its popular single-play shooting gallery Sideshow, which has proven to be a massive hit all over Europe and North America. Another exhibitor from Belgium, Syx Automations, is a leading supplier of operations management software across various business sectors including museums, zoos, theatres, theme parks and leisure centres.
Meanwhile, Switch Middle East is showcasing the best bowling equipment at the show. It has been participating in the exhibition since 1998 and is showcasing its VIP bowling concept this year. The products are designed by the legendary Italian car design firm Pininfarina.
“The latest in family entertainment centre equipment, video games, redemption games, kiddie rides, prize machines and many other innovative offerings are being unveiled,” says Rahman.
“Exhibitors get the chance to debut their new games, meet existing and new customers and discuss new opportunities. Deal is the only platform in the Middle East for exhibitors in these industries to connect with the buyers,” he adds.
