As an adult,I had expected opportunities to run full speed at my friends while holding a gym ball to be fewer and further between.
Dopamine Land,an experience that could still be enhanced by a four-pack of Vodka Cruisers,even if you aren’t 16.Dopamine Land/Fever
But I was wrong. Immersive experiences are on the rise.
Think ofVan Gogh Alive,the multisensory art installation that toured Brisbane a few years back,flooding social media feeds with sunflower fields. Or audiovisual play experienceImaginaria, which took over the Queensland Maritime Museum in South Bank.
And,of course,immensely popular light and sound experience made its Queensland debut at Brisbane Festival last year. It attracted 160,000 visitors to the city’s Botanic Gardens and made $5.5 million.
Two new immersive experiences land in Brisbane this year,with the launch ofDopamine Land this week,andTitanic:The Human Story from July 19. Both will occupy vacant retail space in Uptown,the former Myer Centre building at the top end of the Queen Street Mall.
Titanic. The Human Story might be just what shoppers in Queen Street Mall want to visit.Fever
It’s a smart play by the centre’s management. For all the dopamine retail therapy is said to be responsible for,Brisbane’s central shopping strip has looked increasingly unhappy in recent years.
Some might suggest that started with the loss of Tops and,but the death knell surely came post-pandemic,when the centre lost its long-term tenant,the Myer Store.
That section of the mall has remained at the mercy of a retreating tide ever since,worsened by the uncertain fate of surrounding retailers.
Wintergarden has seen an exodus of tenants since redevelopment plans were lodged last year,the Treasury Building is yet to announce a successor after floating a potential retail precinct,and the T Galleria luxury shopping hub promised for.
Not exactly an ideal time to lock down new permanent tenants – which is where immersive experiences and exhibitions can come in.
But are they worth the cost of the ticket?
After burying myself in a ball pit,raining down blows on a colleague in a pillow-fighting ring,and distorting my figure in an illuminated room of fun house mirrors,I say yes.
In a time of rampant consumerism and real-world chaos,we could all use a bit of reckless abandon and a cheap dopamine hit.
“There is definitely appetite in the industry to have[these installations] as a driver of foot traffic and differentiators for the shopping mall,” Fever Asia-Pacific regional manager Phil Mallet explains.
Fever is the global live entertainment company behindDopamine Land,other installations like that came to QueensPlaza last year,and a series of Candlelight concerts.
“The market for immersive experiences really exploded before COVID,with people discovering it as a new way to enjoy culture and entertainment,” Mallet says.
“But post-COVID there has been a massive inflection point where everyone is coming out and wants to go to more experiences.”
Mallet describes Brisbane as a very strong market. “It has a decent population size,growing population and people who are hungry for culture,” he adds.
Phil Mallet says post-COVID there has been a rise of experiential experiences over material purchases.Courtney Kruk
“For us,that’s like the perfect breeding ground for bringing culture and entertainment experiences to a city.”
Last November,Uptown owners Vicinity Centres and ISPT announced they were exploring interim uses for the centre’s vacant stores while they “finalise interim plans”.
Mallet says Fever was approached for an installation after its success in centres interstate.
“They saw our ability to generate foot traffic. We[become] the destination,like cinemas were 10,20 years ago before Netflix happened,” he says.
“Uptown will have two experiences ... hitting very different demographic groups:Dopamine Land which is more targeted to family and young adults,andTitanicwhich is more of an adult and senior audience. It’s a great mix to have in that space.”
