JoshC.
Strata Poster
I didn't want to make a new thread for this, nor does it feel appropriate to put it in the WTF/YAY Merlin threads, so here will do:
Merlin released their preliminary 2018 results today: https://merlinentertainments.biz/results-and-presentations
I listened in onto the podcast and viewed the slideshow too (something which I think is worth doing if you're really interested; nothing can quite fully describe / capture the way the open Q&A session goes sometimes..). There's some interesting points which came up:
-Visitor numbers, revenue, spend per capita, etc all have improved compared to 2017
-Merlin see it as more or less the end of the 'recovery period' following Smiler incident, terror attacks in big locations, etc, so they can now look at starting to 'grow again'
-Merlin are keeping a close eye on 'pop up' style attractions, such as escape rooms, weird museums, esport events*, etc. They're looking at putting these types of things within their attractions, but feel that as a stand alone activity, they are ultimately not profitable enough
Some more attraction-specific stuff:
-Lego Movie World (opening at Legoland Florida this year) is spreading across several Legoland parks over the next couple of years, with it coming to Windsor in 2021
-Discussions about opening a Legoland in China are still ongoing
-The Peppa Pig World of Play play centre attraction that opened in Shanghai last year is being cloned across 10 new locations this year (largely China and America)
-Changheng Ocean World (also known as Sea Life Shanghai), had a huge show centred on two beluga whales. Merlin are moving these whales to a sanctuary in Iceland this year, after many years of planning. They'll probably start advertising more within the Sea Life brand once that move happens (it's not actually mentioned on the Sea Life website at all, and it's hard to find it mentioned on the Merlin website unless it's talking about moving the whales!)
-When speaking of the refurbishment of Colossos at Heide, Nick Varney noted it was very similar to Wicker Man and said "we never pass on an opportunity to copy a great idea unless we have to"
*interestingly, when speaking about epsorts, Varney mentioned the event at Thorpe Park. He said he very much didn't 'get it' (and in my personal opinion whilst listening, he sounded less-than-convinced by it all), and said it was something noted by younger people within the industry as a thing to explore.
So yes, very much by the numbers they're getting, and the front they're putting on, all is very positive and good for Merlin. Then again, you would hope they would since it's just a recovery after a very bad period. Obviously, the situations more locally (especially at some of the parks) aren't quite so good, so it'd be very interesting to know what they thoughts are behind the scenes.
Merlin released their preliminary 2018 results today: https://merlinentertainments.biz/results-and-presentations
I listened in onto the podcast and viewed the slideshow too (something which I think is worth doing if you're really interested; nothing can quite fully describe / capture the way the open Q&A session goes sometimes..). There's some interesting points which came up:
-Visitor numbers, revenue, spend per capita, etc all have improved compared to 2017
-Merlin see it as more or less the end of the 'recovery period' following Smiler incident, terror attacks in big locations, etc, so they can now look at starting to 'grow again'
-Merlin are keeping a close eye on 'pop up' style attractions, such as escape rooms, weird museums, esport events*, etc. They're looking at putting these types of things within their attractions, but feel that as a stand alone activity, they are ultimately not profitable enough
Some more attraction-specific stuff:
-Lego Movie World (opening at Legoland Florida this year) is spreading across several Legoland parks over the next couple of years, with it coming to Windsor in 2021
-Discussions about opening a Legoland in China are still ongoing
-The Peppa Pig World of Play play centre attraction that opened in Shanghai last year is being cloned across 10 new locations this year (largely China and America)
-Changheng Ocean World (also known as Sea Life Shanghai), had a huge show centred on two beluga whales. Merlin are moving these whales to a sanctuary in Iceland this year, after many years of planning. They'll probably start advertising more within the Sea Life brand once that move happens (it's not actually mentioned on the Sea Life website at all, and it's hard to find it mentioned on the Merlin website unless it's talking about moving the whales!)
-When speaking of the refurbishment of Colossos at Heide, Nick Varney noted it was very similar to Wicker Man and said "we never pass on an opportunity to copy a great idea unless we have to"
*interestingly, when speaking about epsorts, Varney mentioned the event at Thorpe Park. He said he very much didn't 'get it' (and in my personal opinion whilst listening, he sounded less-than-convinced by it all), and said it was something noted by younger people within the industry as a thing to explore.
So yes, very much by the numbers they're getting, and the front they're putting on, all is very positive and good for Merlin. Then again, you would hope they would since it's just a recovery after a very bad period. Obviously, the situations more locally (especially at some of the parks) aren't quite so good, so it'd be very interesting to know what they thoughts are behind the scenes.
