Categories: Concept Development, Design & Fabrication, Experience & Design, Experiences, Installation & Technical Direction, Production Design, Theme Parks
Challenge
Every year, thousands of families flock to Sesame Place to get up close and personal with the famous characters of Sesame Street. Guests love the live holiday themed events, but the park’s team knew they could do better from both a technical and business perspective. They sought a partner to develop a new model of event execution that would improve cost efficiencies without sacrificing creative quality.
Strategy
RWS came up with a plan to move Sesame Place away from a turn-key event provider to a collaborative installation model. Our crew would provide production management support and train park staff, who would then do the lion’s share of mounting the events.
We would also lend our creative expertise to raise the experience for guests where possible. For example, for the holiday show A Very Furry Christmas, we worked with the team to create engaging photo opportunities, a new holiday light show experience and an interactive “Merry Marketplace” where visitors could shop personalized gifts and listen to carolers.
Results
The plan worked like a charm for Count’s Halloween Spooktacular and A Very Furry Christmas. The “hybrid” installation model gave Sesame Place a more efficient approach to live events, keeping them on time and on budget. Our interactive training program has now defined the standard not only for Sesame Place events, but for the whole industry.
In addition, our team’s creative input on the Furry Christmas photo moments boosted guest engagement for Sesame Place and became an attraction all their own!
