Wi-fi had been spotty in Dubai, so now that I’m back in the U.S., I'll start to post all the bits that I wrote while I was over there.
On sunday the twentieth I visited the DUBAI ENTERTAINMENT, ARTS & LEISURE EXPO (DEAL) at the Dubai World Trade Center. Sheikh Mohammed stopped by ever so briefly, as he is known to do all over Dubai without notice, shook some hands and left. His massive entourage (devoid of any explicitly visible security) passed right by me, though I can’t admit to being starstruck. The expo on the whole was something of a disappointment—there just weren’t as many representatives of the theming industry present as I had anticipated. Most vendors were manufactures of ride equipment, systems integration (ticketing, point-of-sale, etc), and waterpark attractions.
The few conversations I had, however, were very fruitful. I spoke with Brendon Poole, creative director at Cat Décor. A South African who has been living and working in Dubai for over five years, Brendon, like many thematic designers, got his start in the film industry. He began his career as a prop and set designer / fabricator, and then worked full time as a storyboard artist on such films as From Dusk 'till Dawn before starting his own company. Brendon re-affirmed my contention that the language of film—what Anna Klingmann calls “storyboard architecture”—is inexorably linked to theming. His comments were quite insightful.
I also met with Peter van Bilsen, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales for Vekoma Rides Manufacturing. The designer of most of the world’s premiere roller coaster and thrill rides (here is a comprehensive list), Vekoma is based in the Netherlands, and is known for its tight collaboration with Disney in producing many of the attraction ride systems for their theme park. Mr. van Bilsen was kind enough to elaborate on how the creative process operates between the two companies. The fact that they have worked together on so many different projects over the years—a relationship spanning over two decades—has lead to a very streamlined and tight collaboration.
As Peter put it, when a new ride is given the green light by management, the Disney folks “know exactly who to call” at Vekoma, and the production meetings are set almost automatically. In speaking with Mr. van Bilsen, it became even more clear to me how secondary the engineers and are to the overall thematic creative process. Only after the narrative has been developed, the concept art, storyboards and models built—are the “math people” called upon to make the rides actually work, and the structures actually stand.
Another interesting conversation I had was with the folks at Theme World, the Gulf representatives for U.S.-based Biscayne Aquaculture. Headed by Gordon Cruickshanks, who actually worked on the famed Lost City theme park in South Africa, Theme World specializes in “recreating natural and historical environments.” Their parent organization, biscayne, had worked for years to produce rockwork, water features, and landscape architecture in the states, for many notable projects, both private residential and large scale. I spoke with both Mark Bryan, who noted that the demand for themed projects in Dubai is “unprecedented” and Lynette Widmeyer, who offered some fascinating insights into her personal philosophy of placemaking.
“Not only does the theming of natural and historical environments take visitors away from the everyday,” she told me, “these spaces cause people to remember who they are…to return to where they should be.” Theming, in her view, is not about escapism, but rather about affirmation of identity. Water in landscaping, she felt, was especially key to this process. “Water is the most natural, tranquil, serene substance on our planet. It refreshes, revitalizes—and to see and hear it in motion is a spiritual experience.”
Along the lines of water, I also spoke with John Cussen of Amusement Whitewater, a firm that has perhaps the most thorough resume for themed water projects in the Middle East, in addition to a long list of stateside projects (including several at Walt Disney World). They completed partial design, fabrication and installation of the Egyptian section of Ibn Battuta Mall, Wild Wadi Water Park, Ski Dubai, and most recently Atlantis The Palm—a sister resort to Atlantis in the Bahamas—opening in September as the gateway to the Palm Jumeirah.
Even though I had hoped for a greater representation of the theming industry at DEAL 2008, the contacts I did make were valuable and I hope to follow up with most of the kind folks I talked with and perhaps interview them more formally in the future.