When a North Hollywood company opened a $1.9 billion hotel and casino resort in China this month, it represented just how far themed entertainment companies have to travel for business. The Goddard Group designed Galaxy World Macau as an opulent palace that blends influences from several Asian countries. It was the company’s latest overseas project. Past projects span the Eastern Hemisphere –Tokyo, Cape Town, Jakarta, the Philippines, Sydney, and other areas of China. Firm founder Gary Goddard says six of eight projects the company has in the works will be built overseas. “No one in America is really building projects right now,” Goddard said. “The great thing (about working overseas) is each project is different. It fits in with where they are and Western elements are adapted to the culture.” U.S. firms have a lock on the talent to conceive and design mega-resorts, theme parks, museum exhibits, heritage centers, expo pavilions and other sprawling attractions. But the projects are largely being built in Asia and the Middle East, forcing companies like The Goddard Group to overcome language and cultural barriers to compete for opportunities. When entering foreign markets, American themed entertainment businesses need to fit within the local environment, said Gene Jeffers, executive director of the Themed Entertainment Association, a trade organization in Burbank. “It takes a lot of work to understand the culture of the guests and their expectations,” Jeffers said. Demand for themed resorts and attractions in the U.S. petered out after the late 1990s, and tourism nationwide took a hit following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Opportunity sprung up amid burgeoning populations comprised of households with growing disposable incomes. Much like the Goddard Group, other design companies based in the San Fernando Valley have found business overseas. BRC Imagination Arts in Burbank has offices in China, the Netherlands and England. The company designed two pavilions for Expo 2010 Shanghai and is currently planning Sharm El-Sheikh Entertainment City in Egypt, according to the company’s website. Thinkwell Group, also based in Burbank, did the sound design for House of Dancing Water exhibit in Macau and the snow park at Ski Dubai, according to the company’s website. It has on its drawing board the behind-the-scenes tour of the Harry Potter film sets at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England. Galaxy World 1) Develop patience. 2) Be knowledgeable about your craft. 3) Don’t give in to everything a developer tries to negotiate. 4) Know the customs of where you are working. 5) Enjoy the process, and find the bridge that allows you to work together. With Galaxy World, The Goddard Group wanted to create something that was unique and original to the Cotai Strip, which is Macaus’s version of the flashy resorts found along Las Vegas Boulevard. The company meshed Asian design influences, and incorporated lush landscaping and flowing water features to achieve that goal, Goddard said. “It is not any one style,” he said. “It is a fusion of design.” Goddard said the approach he took while designing Galaxy World was similar to how he planned stage and camera action as a former director of live shows. He imagined the project as though viewing it through a camera lens: There was the establishing wide-shot of the building’s grand silhouette. The medium shot of the vibrant landscaping visible from the parking lot, and the close-up of the hotel. “The architecture is the entertainment,” Goddard said. In Asia, one persistent challenge has been satisfying the demands of developers who generally want to replicate in their countries what has already been built in the U.S., while trying to innovate and build something brand new, Goddard said. In the Middle East, Godard said he once came up against developers who wanted to the company to quickly plan an area of Dubai with multiple theme parks and hotels. When the world economy soured, those plans were scrapped. He says it was a “mixed blessing” the project was canceled. Maybe now the desert city will take a more long-term approach with development and not move so fast, Goddard said. “You cannot create Orlando overnight,” he said. Despite his expertise, Goddard says he can still be surprised by what can happen while working on project in another country. Late last year, for example, a Chinese client abruptly cancelled a contract, wouldn’t pay for the work already done, and even tried to hire away some employees, Goddard said. Jeffers says the Themed Entertainment Association hosts education programs geared toward helping companies that work abroad to deal with challenging situations. The programs are run by industry professionals working in foreign countries, he said. “It is an amazing thing when competitors will share that kind of information,” Jeffers said.
Company Explores ‘Galaxy’ Abroad
