As the International Associations of Amusement Park Operators (IAPPA) prepares for the return of its U.S. trade show next week (Nov. 16-19), licensed experiences are increasingly being woven into fabric of the business.

The concept of licensed experiences is a staple of the business, and brand owners beyond the entertainment sector are delving into them in a bid to create “Instagram-able moments” that can raise a brand’s profile. And attractions are increasingly being designed with social media in mind, say industry executives.

The Southern European resort PortAventura World, Salou and Vila seca, Spain,  is building a new small LaLiga-branded theme park dedicated to soccer. The $178 million “The Beat Challenge” project is part of a 15-year licensing agreement that gives PortAventura exclusivity in Europe and Russia. It will be built in three phases, the first of which (digital experience, restaurant and store) is expected to be completed for the 2021-2022 season and be capped by a full theme park in the third phase. And Ferrari, which already has an 800,000-sq.-ft. Ferrariworld in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, recently opened a Junior Coaster there (delayed from 2020) and this week announced an agreement with Lego to create a “Build and Race“ attraction at Legoland California Resort, Carlsbad, CA that will open in April 2022.  It also has a Ferrari Land at PortAventura. And, as we’ve reported, Crayola is set to begin licensing out its Crayola Experience activity centers.

The interactive rides, escape rooms, family entertainment centers and theme parks are being designed to “meet the expectations of younger audiences,” says Jenefer Brown, EVP and Head of Global Live, Interactive and Location-Based Entertainment at Lionsgate, which operates Lionsgate Entertainment World in Hengqin Island, China that opened in 2019. Lionsgate also licensed Egan Escape Productions for Saw and Blair Witch Project escape rooms in Las Vegas and Thinkwell for the Hunger Games: The Exhibition, which has had a two-year run at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Consumers born after 2010 (Generation Alpha) are “the most technologically savvy generation ever and social media and devices have always been part of their lives. The way this generation engages with content must be considered as we design projects for the future,” says Brown.

Among new developments:

•  Seaworld Entertainment will open 17-acre Sesame Place theme/water park San Diego in March in Chula Vista, CA., after earlier postponing it. The new section, which features seven-themed rides, 11 water attractions (including a 500,000-gallon wave pool) and live character shows, replaces  Seaworld’s Aquatica San Diego, which ended a seven-year run last year.  There’s also a Sesame Street Bay of Play at the park that opened in 2008. Meanwhile, Seaworld also is readying a new red double-deck “Big Bird Tour” bus ride for Sesame Place Philadelphia, Langhorne, PA,  that starts April 2022.
  At the same time, Licensee Miral expects to complete by late 2022 construction of the first international Seaworld park in Abu Dhabi.
• DXB Entertainment, the struggling owner of Dubai Parks and Resorts and the Motiongate theme park is being sold to majority shareholder Merass, capping years of losses and a falling stock price. Among other things, plans for a new theme park as part of World Expo 2020 were scrapped due to the pandemic as were those for a $454-million licensed Six Flags Entertainment facility after funds dried up. Dubai Parks and Resorts includes Bollywood- and movie-themed parks (DreamWorks, Lionsgate, Columbia Pictures and The Smurfs) and Legoland. Merass, a firm backed by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, currently holds a 52% controlling stake in DXB Entertainments.
• Virtual Reality experience operator The Void, whose backers included Disney and Comcast, is trying to make a comeback.  The Void, which closed in March 2020 and offered licensed VR titles such as “Avengers Damage Control, “Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire” and Ghostbusters Dimension,” was purchased by Hyper Reality Partners.  It has since rehired several former Void executives including Chief Creative Officer Curtis Hickman and VPs of content Jason Howard and Steve Shaiken. At its peak, The Void had 16 locations and had planned to have up to 25 in the U.S. and Europe by next year.
• Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan,  is expanding its licensed Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba VR rollercoaster attraction, which opened in September, to include food.  Among the items on the menu: A hot dog bun inspired by the character Tanjiro Kamado and a hamburger platter based on the character Kyojuro Rengoku. Funimation owns the rights to Demon Slayer.