India – Interactive indoor theme park chain KidZania has announced the appointment of Hasmukh M. Gorava as its new marketing head in India.

In his new role, Gorava will lead KidZania India’s marketing efforts, including building campaigns and communication strategies in interactive media and direct marketing programs.

His remit also covers developing pricing strategies to maximise KidZania’s profit and monitoring trends to identify new offers and services to boost visitor attendance.

Gorava will leverage his more than 13 years of experience in consumer marketing, brand promotions, and 360° media planning to achieve KidZania’s goals for brand expansion and enhanced engagement.

Prior to his new appointment, he played several key roles, including serving as DGM of marketing at themed entertainment destination Imagicaa, where he was pivotal in planning the go-to-market strategy. His strategic efforts aided the company in achieving 70 percent market share within three years.

Gorava’s track record spans developing and growing companies with an emphasis on defining and executing brand-building strategies, leading cross-functional teams, and driving revenue through effective marketing activities.

Rahul Dhamdhere, chief marketing officer of KidZania India, said, “We are excited to welcome Hasmukh M. Gorava as the Marketing Head. His extensive experience and strategic approach will undoubtedly enhance our marketing initiatives. Hasmukh’s commitment to driving brand visibility and consumer awareness resonates with KidZania’s mission to provide enriching experiences for children.”

Meanwhile, in his appointment, Gorava shared, “I am truly honoured to be a part of KidZania, an esteemed organisation that has consistently led the industry. I look forward to utilising my expertise to contribute to KidZania’s success, both in India and on the international stage.”

Mumbai, India – Ferrero’s confectionary brand Kinder has partnered with interactive family entertainment destination KidZania is all set to enter the world of Metaverse with Natoons Metaverse Safari, this World Animal Day on October 4, with the aim to drive learning around animals in a unique way.

The companies are introducing an immersive metaverse experience for children to celebrate World Animal Day and understand its importance. To experience the metaverse zone, visitors can put on VR headsets and go on a Natoons Safari in the Metaverse and learn about animals in a unique way. 

The Metaverse Safari will showcase animals such as porcupine, whale, blue macaw, otter, tortoise and many more in their natural habitat. Kids will also have an opportunity to take photos in the experience.

Additionally, the phygital experience through the AR feature on the free Applaydu app, will further amplify the fun experience. The first Metaverse journey of Kinder Joy will be inaugurated in Delhi and Mumbai on 1st October and will continue till 9 October in Delhi up until 17 October in Mumbai.

Amedeo Aragona, regional marketing manager for Indian subcontinent for Kinder Brands at Ferrero said, “With our entry into the world of Metaverse, we wanted to engage children into learning more about animals while having fun. It is our constant endeavour to consistently find new and innovative ways to nurture the imagination and creativity of children through novel content, based on new technology platforms. Metaverse is one such initiative that drives children to learn, build, and explore exciting themes”.

Meanwhile, Prerna Uppal, chief partnership officer at KidZania India commented, “At KidZania we are always looking forward to the future. We did that by creating a one of its kind multi-sensory Kinder Joy Treat Factory experience that brings alive the joy of manufacturing everyone’s favourite treat. We are extremely excited for adding another innovative dimension to our partnership with Kinder Joy by creating a truly unique environment – “The Natoons Metaverse Safari”. Through this hybrid experience not just kids but even young parents will have fun, learn about animals and values of respecting nature & all its creatures – a truly inventive celebration for World Animals Day”.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Malaysia branch of indoor edutainment center KidZania has appointed Hong Kong-based travel and services booking platform Klook as its exclusive online travel agent (OTA) partner. This will be KidZania Kuala Lumpur’s very first appointment of an OTA partner.

The parties will be co-investing in initiatives to enhance and refresh visitors’ overall experience at the theme park as well as curate marketing and promotional activities. The collaboration also aims to reignite visitation demand following the country’s lockdown amid COVID-19.

In support of KidZania Kuala Lumpur’s mission to provide interactive and inspirational role-playing experiences for kids, Klook will be developing an interactive experience zone that would encourage kids to explore and be inspired by the journey of building a tech start-up. 

“Malaysians’ purchase behavior have shifted to booking their tickets online, especially with a leading OTA such as Klook, which provides a plethora of options for families looking for fun weekend activities. With this shift, we are confident that our partnership with Klook will result in a better customer experience overall by speeding up the entry process, especially with additional safety measures that we are taking such as temperature checking, ” said Shahrul Nizar Ahmad, Mayor of KidZania Kuala Lumpur.

Commenting on the partnership, Klook General Manager Chuan Sheng Soong for SEA said, “We are honored to be appointed as KidZania Kuala Lumpur’s first exclusive OTA partner, which signifies the trust in Klook’s ability to help drive visitorship to the center as well as enhance guests’ overall experience through Klook’s suite of merchant solutions. Our mission has always been to be an enabler for our merchants to reach new target audiences, increase their digital marketing capabilities and equip them with technology-enabled solutions.”

Meanwhile, Dato’ Dr. Ammar A. Ghapar, tourism Malaysia director of domestic & events division said that the government supports partnerships as such that help boost tourism.

“Tourism Malaysia encourages such strategic partnerships in the tourism industry which is in line with our post-COVID-19 domestic tourism initiative, and will further spur growth for the industry. We are honored to have witnessed this momentous event and look forward to more partnerships of this scale. Tourism Malaysia will lend our support to further promote this partnership via our marketing channels,” said Ghapar.

In celebration of the exclusive partnership, KidZania Kuala Lumpur and Klook will be offering a Buy One Free One promotional offer. The offer will be limited to the first 100 bookings on the Klook website or mobile app, which has already started in 17 September and onwards.