How the Danish firm’s model values present up in intelligent methods all through their latest park
The long-awaited Legoland New York resort opened as much as a lot fanfare final summer time after a yearlong delay because of the Covid pandemic. Since we hadn’t traveled a lot, my husband and I took our LEGO®-obsessed daughter there for an in a single day getaway. (Later, we returned within the low season when the park was largely closed, however the lodge had themed “sleepover events.”)
We have been blown away by the epic inventive brainpower that went into the design of the park and its companion lodge. The resort’s emphasis on creativity and creativeness is much more evident in its setup and actions, notably when evaluating it to Disney’s properties. I keep in mind being wowed by particulars just like the character topiaries at Disney World’s properties as a child. Nonetheless, Disney parks don’t give the guests a lot alternative to make use of their creativity and creativeness, which is the place Legoland stands out.
There are themed LEGO constructing stations all through the park, and children (or adults!) can cease and work on a fast venture at any time when the temper strikes. The lodge bar has a fort and pirate ship with hundreds of LEGO bricks to play with IN THE BAR so that you could drink your native Offended Orchard “No Meeting Required” cider whereas your child makes a butterfly or a tower and battles it out with different children with foam swords.
There’s a Artistic Workshop within the park the place you may take a category with a Legoland Grasp Builder. Subsequent door is a Construct & Take a look at area the place you may construct a automobile and race it or construct a bridge and stress-test it.
The firm’s model values shone via within the park and lodge. The three that stood out essentially the most to me have been: Creativeness, Creativity, and High quality.
The park’s design, sights, and rides present immense creativity and creativeness.
This was the runaway favourite for our household. We laughed nonstop as we watched the 13-minute film and obtained shaken up, spit on, and blown round. I’ve at all times liked 4D movies, however that is the perfect I’ve skilled and exemplifies LEGO’s model values of creativity, enjoyable, and high quality. Who would have thought that one thing I selected for the air-con on a scorching sizzling day would have been such successful for the leisure, too?
I had seen photos of Miniland, however nothing ready me for these LEGO cities’ measurement, high quality craftsmanship, and pure enjoyable. Some reveals are interactive and have movement and sound just like the Coney Island set the place guests can spin a wheel to energy the recent canine consuming contest (Nathan’s franks on a spinning wheel to imitate the contestants chowing down and an emcee narrating the motion). One other wheel powers a jackhammer and a few road dancers and their music.
Talking of music, park guests can energy LEGO instrument-shaped fountains and play a trumpet, harp, or xylophone by standing on the sq. in entrance of it. It’s proper in entrance of Smokey’s Brick-B-Que restaurant, so the children can bounce round in shouting distance after replenishing their vitality.
The Ninjago experience is a 3D online game expertise that you simply experience via, utilizing your fingers to shoot at villains all through the story. We had a literal and figurative blast, and though I couldn’t make a giant deal about it in entrance of my child, I completely received. Once we went again within the low season, we did this experience a number of instances as a result of there have been no traces.
Even the merchandising on the park is inventive. Every land (Pirates, Ninjago, LEGO Metropolis, Fortress) has a devoted store. Every store has themed toys and stations to create a set of three distinctive mini-figures from a wide range of sorted LEGO heads, our bodies, legs, hair, and equipment. Who knew you possibly can make a mini-figure with a showering swimsuit printed on it and add pink hair and a flamingo pool float? I’ll by no means purchase a mini-figure blind bag once more. (Besides the current Muppets ones, as a result of: Jim Henson.)
My daughter would let you know that the perfect a part of the journey was the (dear) lodge room, which is an efficient factor as we scheduled our journey across the availability of a LEGO Mates-themed room.
There are 4 room themes on the New York resort: Fortress, Ninjago, Pirate, and LEGO Mates. The themes begin within the hallways, and the partitions and carpets get in on the expertise. We walked via the oddly lifelike fort corridor to get to Heartlake Metropolis as a result of we’re all about Olivia, Emma, Mia, Stephanie, and Andrea.
The rooms have a personal bunk mattress nook for teenagers, with a TV and play space, together with free LEGOS and partitions with brick bases to construct on. There are elaborately themed brick sculptures all through the room and on the partitions with themed beds and bedding. It’s a bricktastic wonderland!
The room’s spotlight was a scavenger hunt that ended with 4 digits of a code for the lock of the room protected that holds a prize — a LEGO set to take dwelling.
Dwelling in a world the place capitalism is king, we’re all shifting ahead at a breakneck tempo. The power to play, think about and create was a beautiful break for my daughter, our household, and my consulting follow. This chance to see innovation in a enjoyable and easy method has inspired me to hunt play and pleasure in my work and convey it to the groups I coach.
As leaders, we must always at all times search for inventive methods to encourage our groups to play and innovate in ways in which work for them, whether or not geeking out over information or constructing with LEGOs. The muse should be there and should take time and expense. Nonetheless, the chances and constructive affect are priceless when you do the work and create area to encourage this development and innovation.
