Funworld November 2009

What attractions can learn from Malaysian waterpark giant Sunway Lagoon
by Marion Hixon

As IAAPA prepares for Asian Attractions Expo 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, FUNWORLD took a deeper look at how one of the most successful attractions in the region, Sunway Lagoon, recently transformed its operations to great success.

Over the past four years, every decision at Malaysia’s Sunway Lagoon was strategic and intentional. So while the park’s success is celebrated, it’s been well planned. The park, which encompasses 88 acres of land, sits 170 feet belowground on former mining land and provides guests with a panoramic view of all Sunway has to offer. And while its vast spread would seem like an instant draw for customers, several years ago the attraction focus had become convoluted and was lagging in profits.

In 2005 the park started to turn things around, making a conscious decision to go back to basics and focus solely on its two major sources of revenue—operations and events. That year, Aaron Soo, current CEO of the park, was handpicked by Sunway Group’s founder and chairman, Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr Cheah, to create focused goals for the park and position Sunway Lagoon as a top attraction destination in Asia.

Soo had 22 years’ experience as a hotelier— he started in the hospitality industry, moved to positions at international hotels, and became general manager of Sunway Hotel Georgetown and Seberang Jaya in Penang, Malaysia, in 2002. From there, he moved to his current position as a full-time attractions industry provider at the Petaling Jaya-based resort. With tactical planning and the right strategies, he reports the park had record profits the past two years. In 2007, Sunway welcomed 1 million visitors, and then saw 1.3 million in 2008. Revenue has climbed steadily, as well. In 2005, the park brought in MYR33 million (US$9.59 million) and by 2008, the amount jumped to MYR60.4 million (US$17.56 million).

Strategize with Intention
Streamlining Sunway’s efforts in 2006 gave the team an opportunity to excel at its strengths; rather than taking control of all business ventures, the park outsourced amenities like food and beverage, retail stores, and souvenir photo booths.

“I have always believed the best fast food should be cooked and operated by those who have been flipping burgers and frying chips for years,” Soo says. “Likewise, the best coffee should be brewed by an experienced hand.”

Meanwhile, all aspects of park management moved to an internal level, and Sunway focused on visitor walk-in numbers, growing tour attendance, group functions, and events.

Build a Strong Staff
The people who execute these tasks are the ones to whom Soo attributes much of Sunway Lagoon’s success. Due to Malaysia’s almost year-round temperate climate, the park only requires seasonal workers during peak times such as school holidays. Most of the park’s staff—if not from Malaysia—hail from neighboring countries with similar food and cultures, so the transition works smoothly.

Because of their loyalty and familiarity with the park, staffers are trusted to multitask and hone their skills in a variety of areas to ensure smooth operations. “During major events, everyone from administration to those at the operations level has all hands on deck to ensure everything runs smoothly on that day,” Soo says.

Diversify Your Attractions
Soo says park planners realized guests want different things out of their experiences, and he wanted to deliver those desires through diverse, but wisely packaged, methods. This means constantly adding new attractions and events—a philosophy that quickly adds up to the park’s 70- plus rides and attractions.

“We just conducted a massive facelift on one of our favorite attractions and turned the ‘Surf Pool’ into one of the largest man-made sandy surf beaches,” Soo says in reference to his mantra of “keeping things fresh.” “We added sand, palm trees, and several water features to give it the look and feel of a real tropical island right in the middle of the city.”

At Sunway Lagoon, theming is a priority in personalizing attractions. “As the saying goes, ‘Different strokes for different folks,’” Soo recounts. “We came up with the idea of a five-park concept to offer something unique in all five themed parks.” The attraction currently features Waters of Africa waterpark, Wild Wild West amusement park, Wildlife Interactive Zoo, Extreme Park, and the horror-themed Scream Park to please all guest types and promote extended stays at the resort, which includes the five-star 1,234-room Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa Kuala Lumpur.

Do the Most with What You Have
In the spirit of exhausting every source of revenue, once the Sunway Lagoon team honed its guest service skills and expanded the attractions, operators made the most of the facilities available to them. Using its open-air 50,000-seat concert venue, the park hosts shows for the likes of the Backstreet Boys, “American Idol” finalist David Archuleta, rapper Akon, and musical group Black Eyed Peas, who performed in September to a crowd of 15,000.

“We are also well-equipped with a full in-house team ready to craft extraordinary weddings, themed dinners, and corporate launches,” Soo adds of the special event offerings. Realizing the potential for globally-based events at their facility, park operators have promoted youth and sports events heavily in the past few years. Among other shows and concerts, the three-hour “MTV World Stage” took place at Sunway in August, featured globally-recognized musicians, and was broadcast over 158 countries around the world on the MTV Network. Similarly, “X-Games Asia” was broadcast on ESPN throughout 2006 and exhibited the best in extreme sports—a market with a large youth audience.

“‘X-Games Asia’ proved to be a launch pad for our Extreme Park, which shifted the visitor demographics by attracting more teenagers and young adults looking for adrenaline-pumping activities,” Soo says.

Another asset pof Sunway Lagoon is its position as part of the Sunway Integrated Resort City, which includes not only the hotel, but a themed shopping mall and the city’s own central business district. These facilities help enable some of the park’s offerings, but Soo advises other waterparks in every country to put an emphasis on what their parks do uniquely. This is what will best draw guests, he says: “Keep the park fresh! Adding new attractions or even tweaking the existing ones does wonders for repeat guests.”