Magic Memories creates new experiences for guests & partners

MEDIA RELEASE FROM MAGIC MEMORIES, QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND
October 23, 2014

Magic Memories creates new experiences for guests and partners alike

Queenstown-based photographic solutions company, Magic Memories, is celebrating the success of two new guest experiences developed in partnership with international entertainment giant, Merlin Entertainments.

Magic Memories has worked alongside Merlin Entertainments in San Francisco to create two different but equally successful photography experiences that work alongside their two main attractions - The San Francisco Dungeon and Madame Tussauds San Francisco.

Magic Memories has long believed that capturing the experience of the guest should be built into any entertainment attraction, ideally at the planning stage of any new build or refurbishment. Providing guests with not just photos but a narrative of their experience is of huge benefit to entertainment attractions, and with a bit of foresight this can be achieved with great results for both guests and operators alike.

It was with this in mind that Magic Memories began work on both Merlin Entertainment projects, Magic Memories COO Steve Taitoko says.

“We’ve been an industry innovator for 20 years and our products at the latest Merlin Entertainments attractions are testament to the success of our all-encompassing approach. We’re always aiming to put smiles on the faces of guests and our business partners, and we’ve achieved both in these projects.”

The San Francisco Dungeon Experience gave Magic Memories the chance to blend both photography and merchandise retail opportunities. This was achieved through the creation of a drifting band of photography peddlers called the Smyle Family. Themed and scripted into the attraction, they are the first people that guests meet as they embark on their journey into The San Francisco Dungeon, and are the last people they see prior to exiting the retail store also operated by Magic Memories.

Taitoko says that this had a substantial impact on guest spend: “By bookending the tour with the Smyle family, we have seen very high levels of engagement in the photography experience, and photography spends that are significantly higher.”

At Madame Tussauds San Francisco, the Magic Memories team set themselves a challenge to create an experience that would resonate with the appeal of San Francisco as the technology capital of the world. With companies in the Bay area including the likes of Google, Twitter and Apple, it was not a challenge the designers took lightly.

The solution incorporated guest ID technology that allows for guest photos taken throughout their journey to be tagged, collated and printed, with a personalized storybook handed to them at the exit. This has been a huge success, with positive guest feedback and significantly higher photography spends.

Merlin Entertainments local General Manager Adrea Gibbs is very pleased with the results of both projects, she says, “Magic Memories have ensured the photo and storytelling part of our attraction has been designed as an experience in itself, this is a logical extension of the guest journey, and complementary to our experience on the whole. We are pleased with the financial performance, the creative process, and cooperative partnership that we have with Magic Memories.”

ENDS

About Magic Memories
Magic Memories was founded in Queenstown, New Zealand, in 1995 and partners with more than 100 major tourism attractions around the world to offer unique photographic memories of tourism experiences. Its aim is to make guests smile when they arrive, again when they leave and then every time they share or look back at their memory of the attraction that Magic Memories has created for them. By doing so they deliver higher yields and more revenue to their partners.

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