Strategy: Themed Finishes

As a Project Manager in themed entertainment design, I always approach new projects focusing on how to buy the job.

You need to answer the questions: “Who are the strategic partners we need?”, “How do we package the works?”, “What risks do we need to mitigate?”, “How to get the best pricing?”, and “Are there critical sequencing of works required?”

On a recent project in Asia, we interviewed potential General Contractors from both new and previous themed entertainment projects. We asked them about their approach to associated risks with respect to a significant expansion project with a leading theme park company. One reoccurring response we received was of the potential high risk of field art direction. I.E., changes leading to abortive works or multiple reworks, due to unclear design intent, or (a reputation of) art directors making arbitrary changes once in the field.

From this feedback, I worked with the Director of Themed Finishes, and we developed a strategy to provide an Owner Furnished Samples program.  With the creative director, architects, interior designers, and landscape teams, we selected over 60 varying elements of the project to demonstrate the range of themed finishes required.  A variety of exterior facades; interiors, rockwork, stamped/themed concrete; and area development samples.  The design team committed to advance the selected design elements (nominally a two-meter square area) to a 90% DD level of design (when we were only at 30% DD design).  We then contracted a local themed finishes contractor to provide labor and materials for an owner-directed sample program.

It cost the project roughly USD 1 million to develop this sample program.  We needed to have the sample program completed before we tendered the main construction contract for the land. In order to lower or eliminate the contractors’ risk on this work, our mitigation strategy was for the owner furnished control samples to have 100% creative buy-off and approval before tendering the primary construction contract, which would also lock the creative input at the time of tender.

Developing detailed shop drawings, master molds, and paint details forced our creative teams to make and finalize decisions that informed the land’s final overall design development. From this effort, we developed very detailed project specifications, with clear texture and paint matrixes, for the construction documentation for tender. During the tender briefings, we required all the contractors and their themed finishes subcontractors, to visit our sample yard and review the themed finishes specifications side by side with the owner furnished samples.

The resulting bid returns came back USD 8M under budget for the themed finishes scope of work. These stunning control samples and the resulting documentation and specifications became project references for other projects using the same IP in other parts of the world.

A good strategy upfront, mitigating risks, and excellent execution by a very talented and disciplined team yields dividends during the project’s implementation phase.