Casino Design 2015 | Page 59

GODDARD GROUP
COMPANY PROFILES

Unforgettable Experiences

GODDARD GROUP

T he Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas … Hershey ’ s Chocolate World in Times Square … the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios ’ Islands of Adventure in Orlando ... the Georgia Aquarium … the Terminator 2 3-D show at Universal Studios . These are just some of the extraordinary attractions conceived and produced by Gary Goddard and his team at the North Hollywood-based Goddard Group .

Recently , Goddard has been involved in world-building — creating mega-resorts that are among the best on the planet . With the recent opening of the $ 3.2 billion Studio City in Macau , which attracted Leonardo DiCaprio , Robert DeNiro , Brad Pitt and Martin Scorcese to its grand opening gala , Goddard and his company have outdone themselves .
Inspired by the world of motion pictures , this integrated resort features a double Ferris wheel , a massive figure-8 designed into the architecture of the building itself and rising 460 feet above the ground . The resort has become Macau ’ s most iconic destination , earning worldwide media attention .
Studio City is Goddard ’ s second epic creation in Macau , following the hugely successful opening of the Galaxy Macau in 2011 , which raised the bar for Macau resort casinos .
Other epic and unforgettable Goddard creations include :
• The Ring of Life monument , designed to be the symbol of an entirely new city that Goddard helped plan and design in Shenfu , China . Rising nearly 600 feet into the sky , this perfect steel circle is a breathtaking statement which the Huffington Post called simply “ stunning .”
• Universal Studios Florida and Universal ’ s Islands of Adventure , which both used Goddard and his team ’ s talents for overall planning and defining key attractions .
• Sanrio ’ s two major theme parks in Japan , Sanrio Puroland in Tokyo and Sanrio Harmonyland in Kyushu , both designed by Goddard . Shintaro Tsuji , founder and chairman of Sanrio , personally selected Goddard to oversee the creation of his first theme parks .
• The design of Electric Daisy Carnival , Insomniac Events ’ transformative 2013 three-day musical event that attracted more than 350,000 people to the world ’ s largest EDM live event .
• The Venetian in Las Vegas , the result of Sheldon Adelson ’ s desire to find “ the billion-dollar idea .” Goddard delivered a concept that now is valued at more than 20 times Adelson ’ s goal .
• Caesars Palace expansion , including the Forum Casino , Caesars ’ Magical Empire with Milt Larsen of the Magic Castle , the Collesseum and the new Towers , all created at the direct request of Henry Gluck , former chairman and chief executive officer of Caesars World .
As the youngest show designer ever hired as an Imagineer at Walt Disney Imagineering , Goddard worked with the Disney legends who originally worked with Walt Disney to create Disneyland and Walt Disney World . With these men as his mentors , Goddard helped to develop concepts for Walt Disney World , EPCOT and World Showcase , the expansion of River Country at WDW and early concepts for Tokyo Disneyland .
Currently , Goddard is involved with new projects around the world : a new Marvel Superhero Park in Jakarta ; several major new theme parks and resorts in China , including Polar Ocean World in Shanghai and World of Poseidon in Harbin ; and several massive new projects in Southern China .
Most recently , Goddard and Goddard Group announced a joint venture with the Cirque du Soleil with the goal of creating an entirely new kind of “ experience park ” for the global market .
This new attraction will be the next step in the evolution of out-of-home entertainment . Part theme park , part theater , part social-media related , these new Cirque immersive parks will reset the standard for theme parks and outdoor experiences by offering truly unique destinations geared toward today ’ s social-media based audiences .
For more information , visit thegoddardgroup . com .
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