Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is raising its game in terms of children's entertainment at KL International Air-port (KLIA). It is collaborating with KidZania Kuala Lumpur to bring its interactive learning edutainment theme park to the Main Terminal, so children can role-play adult occupations.
According to MAHB corporate communications general manager Nik Anis Nik Zakaria, the group is targeting to open the facility in January next year and will name it KUL KidZania. "We are very excited. This is the first airport in the world to have this col-laboration with KidZania Kuala Lumpur," she says.
Nik Anis says KUL KidZania will not only serve as an edutainment facility in KLIA, it will also increase awareness of airport-related professions. Unlike KidZania Kuala Lumpur, she says, KUL KidZania will feature occupations related to aviation security, Airport Rescue and Fire Services (AFRS), duty-free shopping, hospitality as well as air traffic control.
"We have incorporated the aviation security function for children to understand the importance of ensuring the safety and security of the passen-gers at the airport. When the children have to go through security screening at the airport, they will no longer be nervous or scared because they have played the roles before.
"During security screening, we will also include baggage screening. The children will have mock-up luggage so they can see what happens when their luggage is screened," Nik Anis explains.
According to her, children will also be able to under-stand the AFRS role in fires and other emergencies. "They will put on the AFRS uniform and engage in activities including a mini obstacle course," she says.
"We also want to introduce the commercial aspect of the airport, which also involves duty-free shopping. So Eraman, our duty free brand will be represented at KUL KidZania. The children can learn about retail-ing — they can either be the retailer or the shopper, and they can explore the kinds of products that we carry. For this purpose, we are doing perfumes and cosmetics, as well as chocolates," she adds.
Nik Anis says for activities related to air traffic control by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), KUL KidZania will simulate the control tower system to enable children to check out the radar system and experience the landing and takeoff of an aircraft.
"So how did we do this? It required a lot of en-gagement with different stakeholders. We had to bring the KidZania Kuala Lumpur team into our or-ganisation to talk to the respective divisions so that they could understand what the roles are about and to simulate them into the role-playing environment. Similarly, we had to organise a session with CAAM to understand the things they would like to showcase. So, we are showcasing air-traffic control," says Nik Anis. The whole planning process, including feasibility and market survey, took six months to complete.
Nik Anis says MAHB, which is responsible for providing the venue and facilities for the three-year partnership, is setting up KUL KidZania at An-jung Tinjau. The entrance fee is RM30 per person whereby a portion of it will be returned in the form of a rebate voucher.
"We have a revenue-sharing model with them (KidZania Kuala Lumpur). For us, this is part of our CSR efforts. We are giving them the space and some investment that we put in for the structure. After that, KidZania Kuala Lumpur will come in and operate.
"KidZania Kuala Lumpur has done this for many years, and they have a very good standard operat-ing procedure and policies of handling the children, that's why we are leaving the operations entirely to them," she says.
"We are not counting on KUL KidZania to be a source of revenue. We are charging a nominal fee because Kidzania has to maintain its branding as well ... but most of it is subsidised," she adds.
Nik Anis says KUL KidZania is targeted to wel-come 54,000 children in its first year of operation, or 150 visitors a day. “At any one point, they can handle up to 30 children because the place is not that big. So based on the two-hour cycle for every 30 children, we expect to handle about 150 people a day,” she explains.
There are two benefits to working with KidZa-nia Kuala Lumpur, Nik Anis said. One is the airport experience for travellers and visitors and the oth-er is providing exposure to the children from an edutainment perspective, by introducing airport occupations to them at an early age.
"Many people go through the airport unaware of what it really does. I think it would be much more in-teresting because the children can gain an under-standing of the airport and its functions," she said.
Source: THE EDGE MARKETS