Why Themed Entertainment Is The Magic Formula For Malls In The Middle East

Why Themed Entertainment Is The Magic Formula For Malls In The Middle East

Ski Dubai in Dubai's Mall of the Emirates Many companies give employees unusual job titles but few stick in the mind as much as Mohammad El Etri's. The Dubai-based executive is vice president of Global Snow for the entertainment division of Middle Eastern retail operator Majid Al Futtaim and the start to 2023 has been one of the busiest times of his career. Last month he swung open the doors to the largest indoor snow park in the Middle East and he reveals to us that he will soon be doing it all over again as the long-awaited Snow Abu Dhabi will debut in the next four months. Remarkably, the most astounding aspect of this expansion isn't that winter-themed entertainment is snowballing in popularity across one of the world's warmest regions. It's even more surprising that these snow parks are all found inside shopping malls. Fierce rivalry between malls is a thing of the past in many markets around the world. The advent of online shopping followed by the pandemic forced shops to shutter and led to a lot of malls closing their doors. Not in the Middle East. Across the region, malls are thriving and there is good reason