LEADS THE ENTERTAINMENT’S TRANSFORMATION

The Al Hokair Group’s Family Entertainment Centres (FECs) are undergoing a significant transformation. As the dominant industry leader in creating excitement for families and young people across the GCC and specifically Saudi Arabia, Al Hokair Group Family Entertainment has no rivals. The adoption of a fresh, contemporary logo has also recently arrived.

One of the most seasoned campaigners for novel ideas in FECs in the Middle East is Mohamed Attia, General Manager of Al Hokair Entertainment Division.

The most senior members of the Al Hokair family, Sami Al Hokair and brother, Majid Al Hokair, who are both equally well-known in the international amusement sector, supported Mohamed Attia’s drive for “something new” to present to Saudi Arabia’s youth-dominated population.

Their vision for the future of FECs within the multi-faceted, hospitality-focused Al Hokair business, is fixed firmly on innovation under their supervision. Mohamed Attia and his team have been released to bring in all that is best in international brands.

In the single year that Mohamed has been the General Manager of the Entertainment Division, Al Hokair has signed contracts with big names such as CoComelon Playdate, Playocity by Hasbro, Monopoly Lifesized, Brass Monkey, Smurfs and Dave & Buster’s.

It has been a dizzying ride for Mohamed Attia and his team. Meetings and negotiations have taken place all over the world, culminating in what the hierarchy at Al Hokair wants to see most…..‘something really, really new.’

Sami Al Hokair, Managing Director of the group says: “The Kingdom has a vision….it has been entitled Vision 2030, in which the government wants to see the Saudi people enjoying something different.

“There are a number of pillars to Vision 2030 and leisure is very much one of them. The pillars are sport, culture, entertainment and tourism. This entertainment area is very much our concern and will figure strongly in what we do.”

His brother, Majid Al Hokair, Chairman of the Group, went further: “We have our own vision that fits neatly with that is under 25 years old and they demand the most updated entertainment available anywhere in the world. We have to bring that to them.”

It is a fast-paced group, responding to the breathless charge of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the entertainment field. Al Hokair is leading the pace, said Mohamed Attia. “We picked up no fewer than 10 awards at the big MECS+R event, the Retail Congress MENA Shopping Centre & Retailer Awards, last December. Those awards covered Retail Professional of the Year, Entertainment Excellence, Best Retail Brands in the MENA region and even one for the new Brand ‘Playocity by Hasbro’ as Best Retail Store Design.”

Mohamed Attia is the ideal conduit for this policy. He knows the market, the infrastructure and the essential contacts within the branding industry. Under the direction of the Al Hokair board, Attia has been free to negotiate and to bring to the Kingdom some of the world’s most widelyrecognised brands….notably those most widely-recognised among young people.

While it is immediately important to Al Hokair’s domestic expansion campaign, it is strongly factored into the group’s quest for international presence.

Mohamed Attia made the point that most of those brands licensed by Al Hokair are available not just in KSA, but also in the whole of the Middle East.

He would not reveal where the company intends to employ them but said that several would open this year in different Middle Eastern countries, almost all within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) including KSA, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.

The brands represent a cross-section of all age groups. It was noticeable that the lower and higher age sectors are particularly catered for with these recently acquired brands. Dave & Buster’s, for example, is distinctly targeting adults in its profile, as is Brass Monkey, while others such as Cocomelon Playdate and Smurfs might be considered applicable more to the 3-8 age group.

“There are gaps in the market,” he said. “These sectors are not as well catered for as they might be. We aim to appeal to families with licenses such as Monopoly and Playocity by Hasbro.”

The award-winning locally sourced brands have been rejuvenated. While new brands are emerging, Al Hokair is revitalizing Sparky’s and bringing it back to the forefront as a market leader.

The iconic winged character Sparky’s is getting a major makeover. We have added forms of entertainment that are fresh to the brand.

The new Sparky’s is coming with laser tag and bowling for the first time, positioned in tandem with the successful Snowy’s Forest to bring balance – attractions for every age group.

These introductions will come alongside a more futuristic design to the venues with an exclusive fit-out and upgraded and trendy cafes and food kiosks.

“We have already opened the first new generation of Sparky’s, at the Al Rashid Mall in Jizan, KSA. It has completely new fit-out designs and a new look and general ‘feel’, but it also has new attractions. The laser tag and bowling are added to an updated Snowy’s Forest.”

He added that the company had still not finished with the reworking of Sparky’s into its ‘new generation’. During April, the company is planning to bring in another phase, with added games and new rides.

With numerous Sparky’s Family Entertainment Centres among the 88 locations currently owned by the company throughout the Middle East, the busy concepts team has a lot of work to do just with that brand. Despite this, the arrival of new and incoming brands is creating a buzz of excitement among the various departments at Al Hokair’s offices in Riyadh and the other regional office in the UAE.

With dozens of Sparky’s FECs among the 88 venues currently held by the company across the Middle East, there is much for the busy concepts team to do with that brand on its own. The new and incoming brands are providing a wealth of excitement among the various departments at Al Hokair’s offices in Riyadh and the other regional office in UAE.

Al Hokair has not pledged this considerable investment just for the UAE, or Qatar, Oman, or any of the other GCC countries that are the driving force of the Middle East’s amusement industry. The great prize is Al Hokair’s home territory, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on which all attention is currently focused.

“The potential for growth in Saudi Arabia is tremendous,” stated Mohamed Attia. “Al Hokair has always been the leader in the Middle East as the largest operator of family entertainment centres in the region. We have no intention of losing this title. With these new and thrilling initiatives, combined with the licenses we have already obtained with more to come, we are setting a new standard and raising the bar even higher!”