Experiential licensing is not limited to theme parks. Touring exhibitions and other location-based attractions can provide both revenue and ongoing exposure to build or maintain relationships with fans. For example, Feld Entertainment, producer of Disney on Ice, reportedly expects to sell more than three million tickets for the full run of its Frozen version of the ice show, making it the most successful Disney on Ice ever. The Frozen factor aside, Feld now also offers multiple Disney shows off the ice, including arena show Marvel Universe Live and interactive touring theatre production Disney Live!
Other new licensed touring shows and location-based attractions include:
- The Art of the Brick: DC Comics: A contemporary art exhibit created by artist Nathan Sawaya with largescale sculptures of DC superheroes and supervillains made out of millions of LEGO bricks. The show was announced at Comic-Con International in San Diego earlier this month and will open in November at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum before touring major venues worldwide.
- Britain’s JCB Construction Equipment, which already has a presence in four Diggerland theme parks around the U.K., will launch a range of JCB Kids experiential activities at venues as diverse as Northern Ireland’s Junction One International Shopping Outlet and England’s The Ice Cream Farm.
- Minecraft is the centerpiece of Super League Gaming, an interactive video game league that gathers gamers in movie theaters to play against one another on the big screen in 28 cities throughout the summer. New games will be featured on the tour in the fall.
- Interactive exhibit Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience opens at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Canada, next May, the first stop on a North American tour. The exhibit will use the classic sci-fi property to teach about science and technology. EMS Entertainment produces under license from CBS Consumer Products.
- Sanrio’s signature property is the star of the Hello Kitty Friendship Festival, the brand’s first North American touring show. The live entertainment show will stage more than 100 performances in at least 18 North American markets through October. The Festival includes a multi-stage show, interactive exhibits, cosplay fashion parade and, of course, lots and lots of Hello Kitty tour merchandise.