Up to 50 per cent of MAPIC’s exhibition area will host a wide range of international leisure operators looking to set up in commercial spaces, whether in city centres or shopping centres.
MAPIC 2021 is the only event where leisure operators and retail real estate professionals can meet to initiate new development opportunities.
The event will be held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes from Tuesday 30 November to Thursday 2 December. It will feature an exhibition area, high-level conference sessions and numerous networking opportunities.
Today, many concepts are being created or developed to meet consumer expectations. The leisure offer is whetting the appetite of the entire retail real estate sector: developers, investors, retailers and cities.
This is the case, for example, of Hall U Need and La Boite Aux Enfants, two operators which will be present at MAPIC 2021, and which have opened their capital to Bpifrance, the French public investment bank.
Hall U Need, inaugurated in June 2021, is a new French concept of indoor multi-leisure site inspired by the American Eats and Entertainment complexes. In the Lille metropolitan area, it combines in one place a restaurant-bar, activities to entertain all ages (hyper virtual reality, car circuit, karaoke, bowling, arcade games, etc.) and spaces to relax and work. La Boite Aux Enfants, a specialist in the management of indoor leisure parks for children under 12 years old, has also opened its capital in order to begin a new phase of growth.
The big-box leisure concept is booming in the United States and the craze for it is already crossing the Atlantic. It is also an opportunity for landlords and city centres, providing an alternative to traditional retail by occupying commercial premises that have remained vacant since the health crisis.
The British operator Gravity is the perfect incarnation of this trend. Its London flagship is set up in the former premises of the famous Debenhams chain and is a joint venture between Landsec and Invesco Real Estate, also present at MAPIC. This leisure player operates 22 multi-activity sites in the UK, Germany and Saudi Arabia and plans to open 14 new sites in the coming months (Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and the Middle East).
A very wide range of leisure and F&B operators will attend MAPIC, including:
50+ leisure operators
- Large and small amusement parks & family leisure centres: Puy du Fou, Kidzania, Dreamland Margate, Port Aventura, Mall Aventura, TFOU Parc, My Dreamland, Merlin Entertainments
- Sports leisure: easyGym, Arkose, Groupe Climb Up, Citywave, Dynamo, Xtrem Aventures, Valcke
- Immersive experiences: Superdough, Zero Latency, Neo Xperiences
- Arts & Culture: Cité des Sciences
- Wellbeing: Awelys Spa
- Events, cinema: Cinémas Pathé Gaumont, Oma Cinema, PVR Cinemas
Service and leisure providers
- Designers, leisure consultants, architects: KCC Entertainment Design, Mycotoo, theleisureway, Raven Sun Creative, Rouge Cobalt
- Equipment manufacturers: Dutch Wheels, Concept 1900, Aerodium Technologies, Drone Interactive, C2J Loisirs, QubicaAMF, Walltopia, Wavesurfer, Triotech, Pro Urba
Brands
- Brand licensees: FC Porto, Olympique Lyonnais, The Smurfs, Planeta Junior, Licensing.org
The MAPIC conference programme will focus on leisure, with sessions by many key players of the sector, as well as numerous networking opportunities. Nicolas de Villiers, President of Puy du Fou, will study the synergies between leisure and retail to (re)create real destinations and improve the visitor experience (Tuesday 30 November, 2pm-2.30pm). The Leisure Workshop (Wednesday 1 December, 10.30am-12.30pm, by invitation only) will be a unique opportunity for owners/managers of retail spaces to meet with new leisure operators.
“Retail and leisure are above all places where we meet and it is thanks to the synergies between the two that shopping will find its future economic model. MAPIC 2021 will be at the crossroads of all trends, as it has always been since its creation”, concludes Nathalie Depetro, MAPIC Director.
More information on mapic.com