Major new attractions may require years of planning and significant capital investment, but creating a fresh reason to visit does not always require something new to be built.
Kathleen LaClair shares industry insights Expert view
LDP recent project mix
24% Resorts, clusters and mixed use
21% FECs, indoor parks & play
19% Theme parks
6% Museum & gallery, science centre
5% Sports entertainment
5% Viewing attractions
• Attendance: Does the event generate incremental visits or simply shift visits that would otherwise occur at another time? • Repeat visitation: Does a changing program give local and regional audiences a reason to return? • Seasonality: Can the event strengthen historically softer operating periods? • Length of stay: Can evening or extended programming keep guests on site longer? • Secondary spend: Can themed food, beverage and merchandise create additional spending opportunities? • Capacity: Can programming activate underutilized spaces or different parts of the operating day? • Market diversification: Can the same attraction appeal to families during the day and a different audience in the evening? • Capital efficiency: Can temporary programming create a meaningful new guest proposition without the investment required for a major permanent attraction? A particularly interesting example is Gaylord Resorts’ signature holiday attraction, ICE! (featured on the cover of this edition). Each participating resort receives more than two million pounds of ice that is
transformed into elaborate, IP-driven environments for the November and December holiday period. By rotating the intellectual property and story used at individual resorts, Gaylord can refresh the guest proposition while retaining the established ICE! format. Guests move through colorful, floor-to-ceiling scenes featuring recognizable characters and stories, tunnels, large-scale sculptures, photo opportunities and ice slides, creating an experience that is markedly different from the resorts’ normal offer. ICE! draws up to 1.4 million visitors annually across multiple locations and runs for approximately 45 days at each property. Seasonal attractions can generate incremental leisure demand during periods when group demand may soften and can contribute to stronger transient occupancy and room rates.
A reason to return: How special events are reshaping attractions Major new attractions may require years of planning and significant capital investment, but creating a fresh reason to visit does not always require something new to be built. Seasonal and special- event programming allows operators to transform the guest experience around existing rides, exhibits, shows and physical assets, giving familiar attractions a different identity at different points in the year. Halloween has developed into a major attendance period for many theme parks, while holiday light festivals have transformed zoos, botanical gardens and other seasonal attractions into compelling nighttime destinations. Spring festivals, food events and summer entertainment are extending the strategy across the calendar. The result is an important shift in how attractions can be viewed: not simply as fixed physical products, but as flexible platforms that can be reprogrammed for different seasons, audiences and occasions. From a business perspective, the opportunity goes well beyond simply adding another event to the calendar. Operators and developers should consider several fundamental questions:
4% Immersive
4% Waterparks
4% Heritage
3% Wildlife, nature and botanic
3% Event venue or show
2% Workplace brand centre or hall of fame
69%
23%
5% 3%
Feasibility
Enhancement Strategy/other Due Diligence
18 THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMIST: AMERICAS EDITION 2026 | © LDP
THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMIST: AMERICAS EDITION 2026 | © LDP 19
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