A Vancouver-based engineering company is banking on thrill rides having a wider application beyond amusement parks.
Dynamic Attractions has been creating theme park rides since the 1990s and is responsible for the world-famous Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
The company has also built numerous rides for amusement parks all over the world, including China, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
One of its most famous products is the Flying Theatre, which plays a movie while the theatre’s seats move to simulate flight and match the movement of the video.The company has built several Flying Theatres, including seven for Disney (NYSE:DIS).
But Dynamic is now venturing into another sector of the global tourism industry by building Flying Theatres at high-traffic tourist destinations around the world.
“We’ve been approached more and more to produce smaller [flying] theatres that aren’t the same size that a theme park needs,” said Dynamic president Guy Nelson.
The company recently opened a smaller version of its Flying Theatre on Seattle’s Pier 57. The historic site and tourist destination is home to a number of other attractions. Dynamic’s Wings Over Washington ride gives visitors avideo tour of the state.
“In the case of Seattle it’s a showcase of Washington state,” said Nelson. “It’s an opportunity for the tourism industry to focus on the story of that particular location.”
Wings Over Washington is the third thrill attraction the company has created for a tourist destination customer. The first was installed at the Studio City Casino in Macau, China.
“There’s probably 100 places in the U.S. and an equal number in China,” said Nelson. “So with those two markets alone we see huge opportunity there.”
Although it could be lucrative new market for the company, Nelson doesn’t think sales to tourist destination customers will eclipse sales to amusement parks anytime soon.
High-traffic tourist destinations create an opportunity for Dynamic to go after a broader market. While attractions there might not be as large or expensive as Dynamic’s other products, tourist destinations potentially offer greater opportunity by adding more potential customers than solely selling to theme parks.
Nelson said tourist destinations are interested in Dynamic’s Flying Theatre because they’re looking for a unique way to showcase their destination. He estimated that the tourist destination segment of his business could make up anywhere from 10% to 30% of the company’s income.
Annual company revenue has grown to $103 million from $18.8 million in 2010. •
