ENTERTAINMENT TODAY
by Lim Lay Ying
Property Times, New Straits Times
16th April 2005

The oracle at Delphi – just across the Gulf of Corinth from Olympia where the original Olympic Games were staged some 3,000 years ago, made a prophecy for the 2004 Games in Athens, the city in which the first modern Olympics were held in 1896.

Finished first, finished last,
Willing hands and heads turned fast.

This is characteristically ambiguous and particularly difficult to interpret. It may suggest that all those taking part, whether they come first or last, will be regarded as noble contestants who will turn the heads of the millions of people watching.

That will be very much in the tradition of the original Greek games, which were part of a religious festival and organized primarily for the competitors, not the public. The first recorded champion, Coroebus of Elis, who won the sprint in 776 BC, was a cook.

Over the years, this amateurism began to give way, and the rewards of victory were such that by the 5th century BC, the typical champion was likely to be an athlete who had undergone months of intensive training.

Entertainment : the name of the game

By the time the Romans were running Greece, in the second century BC, the games had utterly changed in character, with the accent firmly on entertainment. Chariot-racing and gladiatorial contests were particularly popular, as were boxing and wrestling (especially pancratium – in which only biting, eye-gouging, and fingers up the nostrils were forbidden in the contest).

Entertainment was, of course, and still is the name of the games these days, and indeed the name of the game in the business world.

Today’s version of entertainment however, goes beyond watching and cheering contestants as they tear at each other with all their might. It has progressed from arenas and stadium, and even first generation entertainment facilities of the stand-alone types such as cinemas, sports centres, museums, amusement parks, and themed amusements, to include new formats.

Entertainment today depends much less on specific entertainment attractions and more so on environments which provide a multiplicity of experiences that appeal to the lifestyles of busy, affluent, and worldly consumers. Consumers who have the money to indulge themselves and the inclination to look for something exciting to do in energized urban environments. They love the cosmopolitan buzz of the city, crave exhilarating new experiences and technologies, and want integrated environments for living and shopping that are convenient, fun, and diverse.

The successful destinations are noticeably those that have been able to introduce and integrate the entertainment component as an essential feature within mixed-use developments and transform urban areas into lifestyle retail environments. Some of the more outstanding ones include :

· Las Vegas Boulevard (the Strip), Las Vegas, United States of America

Stretching along the two-lane highway leading from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, the Strip is lined up with multiple entertainment offerings other than gambling. Full-scale destinations with unique choreographed events ranging from volcanoes to fighting pirates lure passersby from the high-end spenders to the cost-conscious working class.

The Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace which pioneered themed retail malls on the Strip, is currently the number one mall in the US, grossing sales per square foot of US$1,432 (RM5,442). The latest addition to its list of upscale tenants is a luxury car dealership and emporium which have on display, more than 50 rare motorcars, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Bentleys. Exotic Cars at Caesar’s Palace occupies 2,416 square meters (26,000 square feet) of showroom space spread over two floors.

The grandest of grand gestures on the Strip must surely be the Venetian and its Canal Shoppes which have been designed to resemble the closely packed buildings in Venice. The Venetian ambience includes gondola rides on the canal which weaves and winds its way through a series of arches and ends in a replica of St. Mark’s Square. Actors play the roles of street vendors and performers to entertain visitors while they wait to ride the gondolas. With a heavy emphasis on upscale clothiers, the Canal Shoppes averaged US$1,000 (RM3,800) per square foot during its inaugural year in 2000.

For a city that has made entertainment a 24-hour priority and living an afterthought, Las Vegas attracts over 34 million visitors a year and grosses US$29 billion (RM110.2 billion) in tourist receipts. Tourist spending is growing at 11 per cent per year, and it’s not in the casinos alone. In 1999, nongaming tourism (i.e. other avenues of entertainment) generated US$22.5 billion (RM85.5 billion) – an amount that’s larger than revenues of New York City and San Francisco combined.

· Promenaden Hauptbahnhof Leipzig in Leipzig, Germany

The concept of “shopping in a station” laid the foundation for the restoration, renovation, and modernization of Leipzig’s central railway station – Europe’s oldest as well as largest terminal station built between 1909 and 1915.

The revitalization of the station produced a three-level modern, urban shopping centre featuring a blend of international, national, and regional chains, besides many local retailers. The historic main waiting hall now features a wide range of facilities and services that allow travelers and city folks to work, relax, or entertain themselves and their children. A book corner contains reading material on the history of the station, while fountains and other water features provide the backdrop for a pleasant environment.

The Promenaden with 140 shops covering approximately 30,000 square meters (322,917 square feet) of gross lettable space, and12,000 square meters (129,167 square feet) of office space, is now a significant centre of attraction for shoppers and travelers, and has boosted the retail drawing power of Leipzig’s city centre.

Website : www.ece.de/en/shopping/center/phl/phl.jsp

· Brindleyplace in Birmingham, United Kingdom

With a gross built-up area of 148,640 square meters (almost 1.6 million square feet) and a nett lettable space of 106,835 square meters (almost 1.2 million square feet), Brindleyplace offers an eclectic mix of retail and entertainment attractions blended amongst ten office buildings, a 240-room hotel, 143 apartments and townhouses, and a multistorey parking garage.

Locals and tourists are drawn to this 6.9 hectare – (17-acre) site in the Birmingham city centre which now houses England’s largest acquarium – the National Sea Life Centre, an art gallery, a 340-seat theatre, and a health club, in addition to shops, restaurants, cafés, and bars.

Website : www.brindleyplace.com

It is clear that entertainment, in all its manifestations, has infiltrated mainstream development forms and practices to such an extent that it has inspired unprecedented development and redevelopment concepts. The bottom line is that when successfully introduced and integrated into retail, it will be able to offer the excitement, variety, and convenience to satisfy a wide range of market demands.