06 Apr 2021
BRC founder Bob Rogers: '2021 will see a surge in our industry'
BY Tom Walker
Bob Rogers, the founder of BRC Imagination Arts, has predicted that the visitor attraction industry will see a "surge in interest" during 2021, as the global tourism industry begins its slow journey to recovery.
Speaking exclusively to Attractions Management, Rogers said there remains a huge appetite to create new experiences – and that spending on projects remained bottled up and ready to go.
“I do think that there’s a pent up demand that’s going to surge in our industry in 2021," Rodgers said, in an interview published in Attractions Management Issue 1/2021.
"When the pandemic eases, people who have money will come out and start spending like crazy and that will lift everyone – we’re looking forward to that good fortune, not just for us but for everyone else.”
Reflecting on the past 12 months, during which the pandemic has had a severe impact on the visitor attractions and tourism industries, Rogers said BRC – an experience design and production agency – had weathered the storm well.
“We feel a little guilty that things are going so well for us when others are hurting, but it was actually a pretty good year – we did very well," Rogers said, adding that the company's success was down to its international profile.
"We’re in our 40th year and for 38 of those years we’ve been working internationally, so we’re used to working remotely. We get calls every week for viable projects."
New BRC projects for 2021 include a “technically astonishing” stadium tour for National Football League (NFL) franchise Las Vegas Raiders.
According to Rogers, the NFL team were keen to offer a technologically sophisticated stadium tour to connect visitors with the team and its history.
“Together with the Raiders, we have created a tour that lets hosts control sound and media throughout the stadium via a small device on their wrist, with immersive shows starring some of the Raiders’ most important icons in behind-the-scenes spaces guests would normally never see,” Rogers explains.
“Without giving away any secrets, it’s the only stadium tour that we know of that often ends with fans crying as they step out onto the field. It’s emotional, it’s theatrical, and the Raiders believe that it’s going to be a “must do” on any visit to Vegas.”
Rogers set up BRC Imagination Arts 40 years, after beginning his career in attractions with the Walt Disney Company as a magician in the Magic Shop at Disneyland, California.
• To read the full interview, click here for Attractions Management Issue 1/2021.
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