People would go to the marketplace, or the village, to walk, talk, shop and generally enjoy the company of family and friends, and perhaps meet new people as well. Traditionally, news and ‘new products’ would be found during these visits. Travelling entertainers could be found there as well, because of course, they would go where there were people to perform in front of.

It’s no different today and, with the cost of out of home entertainment rising (theme park tickets, concert tickets, sports tickets), the retail mall is the biggest bargain around: It’s free.

The smart developers have realised that to keep people coming back you have to create a place that offers a bit of everything: Shops, restaurants, drinks, entertainment and something new (in the form of celebrations, parties, festivals, art shows and so on). By doing this, they provide a place where people of all ages can enjoy themselves together.

I think the difference with retail malls and theme parks is this: For retail malls, the price remains low (“free”) while the quality of the experience is getting better. Parks on the other hand offer a higher and higher price, for experiences that seem worse and worse. Compare the Grove (an excellent destination entertainment mall in Los Angeles) with Disney’s California Adventure (a low quality theme park experience) and I think it is quite clear. There’s a reason, and its not just the price, that The Grove gets 20,000,000 people annually and California Adventure gets less than 5,000,000 even with the “free ticket to DCA with a Disneyland ticket purchase” promotion.

Theme parks might take a lesson from this, and open up main street again, lower the entry fee for main gate tickets, and get back to charging for the rides and shows on a separate basis.The new entertainment retail centres have taken the best of the mall experience, added some of the best theme park elements, and created a successful hybrid that works.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend