Christmas welcomes 3D technology
Published: 01 March, 2010
Although Christmas trends evolve year on year, some things have to remain the same. Stars and bells will always embody the festive season, just as red and gold conjure images of glowing hearths and mulled wine. But one area that needs constant upgrading is technology, and last year’s shift into high definition and 3D inspired some true festive innovation.
Melanie Hurley, director of Melbry Events, has been a live events organiser for the past 16 years. Her work ranges across several types of Christmas activity, from grottos to skating rinks, putting her in prime position to keep watch over changes in the industry.
“Back when I started Christmas grotto management, the big shopping centres would expect to see 8,000 to 10,000 kids aged between two and ten. Now, you’d be lucky to see three to seven-year-olds. Things have completely changed – there’s been a huge reduction in children seeing Santa."
And the reason behind all this, according to Hurley, is technology. For children growing up with Nintendo Wii, iPods and the internet, simple pleasures like visiting Santa have to some extent become outdated and dull. “Kids expect far more, so you’ve got to be clever,” she adds.
Far from giving up on the tradition of Santa and his grotto, Hurley has spent the last few years thinking up ways to tie shopping centre festivities in with technological innovation. In 2006, Melbry Events pioneered an online booking system allowing parents to pre-buy tickets to Santa’s grotto at an allotted time.
“I went into big shopping centres and saw queues more than two hours long. Why would centres spend so much on a grotto, just for people to queue when they could be in the shops?”
If such a huge portion of their budget – typically the biggest spend of the year – goes on Christmas, Hurley reasoned that centres need to make the most of it by keeping things fresh and up-to-date. This formed the basis of Hurley’s next big project in 2008, incorporating one of the fastest growing phenomena in recent months: 3D. Starting with a basic application featuring an animation called The Wishfairy, Melbry Events launched its 3D shows in Westfield London, Liverpool One and Meadowhall, Sheffield.
“I wanted to bring the technology to shopping centres rather than just big cinemas,” begins Hurley. “The first step for us was The Wishfairy. Children went in to see Santa with 3D glasses on, and made a wish to the animated 3D fairy.”
An interactive 3D adaptation of ‘The Night Before Christmas’ followed at Meadowhall. “The children had to reach out and try to catch sugar plums and snowflakes all in 3D. I watched their reaction and thought, ‘I’ve really got something here.’ I knew I had to take it further and do something really fantastic with it.”
With the wheels set in motion, Hurley used the technology to deliver a 3D underwater show at the centre:mk last summer. And her latest idea – the3D story, ‘Rocket the Reindeer’ – launched in Christmas 2009. The interactive tale, which has attracted interest from major and independent TV studios, features Rocket the Reindeer searching for his missing antler alongside The Naughty Snowman and The Wishfairy in starring roles. Children participate in the search, with familiar exclamations of ‘Oh no she didn’t!’ and ‘He’s behind you!’
“It was very important for us to keep up tradition,” Hurley observes. “We wanted to create something that has longevity – something that wasn’t just a one-off but had a hook.” After eight months in development with writers and 3D renderers, two versions of Rocket the Reindeer were launched. One keeps to the format of The Wishfairy, with a narrator leading the children through a 3D story. The second version is a simple plug-and-play.
“Centres with an empty unit can create a cinema just by putting up a screen and playing the film,” says Hurley, emphasizing the commercial aspect of the event. And as the number of voids remains high, managers are constantly looking for a quick and easy set up to substitute money lost from rental income.
“Centres can charge for the film to make it a commercial event. But they also get six to eight weeks’ rate relief if they put the cinema into a vacant unit.”
Westfield London, Meadowhall and Liverpool One successfully hosted 3D shows over Christmas 2009, with reports of footfall figures more than doubling and online tickets selling out weeks in advance.
Meadowhall, the first centre to introduce Melbry’s 3D show, used Rocket as the focal point in its Santa’s Wonderland. For £3, children could walk through Santa’s workshop, where animated elves were busy finishing toys for Christmas, and through to the 15-minute feature show starring Rocket and The Naughty Snowman. The children’s journey then continues through the elves’ workshop, to find Santa in his grotto.
The number of visitors shot up by 64 per cent on last year, which impressed Meadowhall’s head of marketing, Richard Pinfold. “The customers were all delighted with the experience, as were the retailers with the increase of footfall through their doors. The enchantment and happiness on the children’s faces was very rewarding.”
Pinfold adds that the extra effort and cost was worth it, considering the potential value of grottos at Christmas time. The technology and quality involved in the show itself means that parents and older children can have a genuinely fun afternoon – perhaps not always the case with traditional Santa’s grottos.
“For many families, a trip to see Santa really marks the start of the festive season,” says Pinfold. “This year, we have worked very hard to provide a true Christmas experience that can be enjoyed by the entire family.
“The visitor figures certainly speak for themselves and are proof to us that all of the hard work has been worth it – the faces of the children when they come out of the Wonderland are truly magical.”
Soaring visitor numbers are a dream come true for an industry still recovering from economic crisis. But there is still a question of cost. Meadowhall, Westfield and Liverpool One can afford magical wonderlands with castle-like grottos, inside which children can enjoy the 3D show as part of this wider experience.
For smaller centres, however, the capital to host such an event simply doesn’t exist. In recognition of this, Hurley has provided a range of options to help small centres take advantage of the 3D craze. “Not everyone has Meadowhall or Westfield budgets, which is why we offer a whole library of films and 3D photography that centres can quickly put up in a unit. People walk in with 3D glasses and it’s a whole new experience for them.”
Experience is the buzzword of today’s retail and leisure industry. As shoppers become less frivolous with their money, they in turn become far more discerning. As Hurley puts it, simply plonking a Santa Claus inside a Christmas grotto doesn’t cut it anymore. “Footfall won’t increase – it will hit saturation point and stop. Centres need to reach a wider audience. You don’t even need a lot going on inside the grotto, as long as the experience you’ve provided is great.”
In other words, as long as everything is carefully planned and money is focussed on the right things, there’s no need to go over budget on Christmas activities. For Hurley, the focus is always on technology, where investment can go towards developing and evolving new experiences. By integrating the 3D shows with Melbry’s own online ticketing system, centres can benefit from detailed and accurate data collection.
“We are in a fortunate position because we do not licence our software, we own it. So we’re able to code in any data that marketing managers want to access via our online ticketing system during the event,” adds Hurley.
The 3D experience is certainly one to hold on to, especially while it remains a novelty. Hurley struck gold by spotting the beginnings of a new craze in amongst countless new innovations in technology and design. None of this was easy, or cheap. Hurley had to learn the ins and outs of 3D rendering – “The dimensions, measurements, projections, positioning of the screens and the audience” – and acquiring the technology cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“It was a risk,” she admits. “I had no investors; no back up. I even borrowed money on my mortgage. But I followed my senses on this one. It has everything: family appeal; experience; and it’s in everyone’s reach because the tickets are so affordable.”
So what’s next? Hurley immediately replies: “4D. Rocket the Reindeer will become a sensory experience, with snow coming out at the children as they go on a sleigh ride.” And next Christmas will see the launch of joint projects, as Melbry Events work alongside market leader LDJ.
“They think along the same lines as I do,” says Hurley of LDJ. “Their focus is on innovation and new ideas. They create top quality products, but make sure that everything they produce is reachable.”
So it’s fair to expect some exciting new developments as the traditions of Christmas time are introduced to the fast-paced world of technological innovation.
