Honor Hunter at Blue Sky Disney has just posted an article about LBE's, UEC's (Urban entertainment Complexes) and the Disney-MGM Studios name change--or the fact that it has to happen eventually.
Honor refers us to a great article by Kevin Yee at MiceAge. The biggest change that Kevin describes is not only a hotel and a theater--but the possibility of a major E-Ticket attraction as well. A reason for families to visit and stay at the Disney branded hotel. Most of Kevin's post is dreaming, but it does lead down some interesting paths.
Dig if you will the picture of a small River Country, Splash Mountain or minor Fantasyland park inside a major hotel complex in downtown Greensboro. Or why not a sports theme to coincide with the ACC Hall of Fame that is being planned? I can see an ESPN Zone hitting the mark--along with virtual sports games and attractions themed towards small town sports. Once section deals with the major sports in the area: baseball, football and basketball. What about a water park themed after the sports?
But what really gets this Disney Geek going is the thought of a Soarin' based attraction in Greensboro. Imagine having your choice of three different films: the original one in the parks now, one that showcases the best of Disney around the world and one that flies you into the greatest ACC games of all time. Imagine watching Michael Jordan during the 1982-1982 Chapel Hill season. Flying through historic games. And historic stadiums. Smells, sounds and motion.
What a night! Dinner at a fabulous Disney themed restaurant. A ride on Soarin' Over Disney world-wide and then a dessert at the ESPN Zone. Why not throw in a stroll through the highly interactive ACC museum? Or dance at the Disney night club? Then cap it off with a stay in the hotel. They could include some of the newer properties, like Turtle Talk with Crush or the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. Something that could be changed and updated fairly easily. And don't forget about virtual Space Mountain. But I digress. Disney would need to build something that would capture a family for a day or weekend. Business travelers could take advantage of it, but it would need to be geared for the family adventure. The Greensboro area has the International Furniture Market twice a year. Although this doesn't bring in familes, it fills up every hotel to capacity within a 75 mile radius. The ESPN Zone would be full for that week
Even if Disney does involve itself with the ACC Hall of Fame, it doesn't need to be married to it. The ACC Hall of Fame is such a hot property for Greensboro that sponsors would fall over each other to be involved.
Now we come back down to earth and look at some of the nitty-gritty:
When we examine the possibility of an attraction that would be appropriate for everyone and would fit the constraints of an LBE, we scanned the parks for an idea that would fit. The best attraction we came up with was Soarin'. It has a smaller footprint than a traditional roller coaster ride and the ability to customize/update with a new movie makes the idea fitting. Let's leave it up to the Imagineers to come up with a new and exciting variation that would fit the theme being offered. In scanning the internet for dissenters to Soarin', we were hard pressed to find anyone that did not love the ride (or at least find it appealing). We still have trouble believing that a piece of the magic could end up in our own backyard, even though the concept seems so intuitive:
- half way between New York and Orlando
- the heart of ACC country
- a downtown that is in the infancy stages of revitalization. Real estate prices are still growing at a developer's pace, as opposed to being valued by the already revitalized area.
- the proximity to major transportation (I-40/I-85 meet in Greensboro) and three international airports
- the ability to promote the brand with a small weekend getaway type feel
What else could be in store for us?
Bring it on!
3 comments:
As nice as it would be to have an actual Disney themed concept outside the already designated areas, is it possible that Disney may be thinking of doing something associated with one of their many other properties?
I know the Disney Geek already mentioned ESPNZone, but they do own alot more.
What about a Tipton Hotel (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) or something related to one of their many ABC holdings or hit shows?
If I remember correctly Disney attempted a foray into hotels resorts in Vegas that didn't do to well.
Maybe, they are thinking of firing up that path again but this time shooting for a locale that isn't so synonymous with sin and depravity :)
And going with something a little more family friendy...
They would probably go with something a little better branded--but it is the opportunity to try out themes and different ideas. The Suite Life seems like such a dated show (like, wehre will it be in 10 years?). Just like attempting something from the Hillary Duff show.
It would need to be a long lasting property or something that can be easily changed.
We are really excited about this idea and we want to push it as much as
The danger here is that how many people can they count on to spend that much time and money in a specific, non-resort location? Even DisneyQuest (not WDW), as clever and creative as it is, soon became "kind of boring" to the locals and not the kind of place that garnered the kind of repeat business that a Disney property needs to thrive. Heck, look at the problems that have cropped up at Downtown Disney since they lost the turnstiles...local riff raff is happy to hang out when it's free.
No offense against anyone's hometown! I just don't see folks spending that kind of money and time if they're already on their way to a vacation resort or unless they can count on a huge convention business.
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