Megabangna banks on entertainment push

The centre’s management yesterday announced the upcoming launch of what it calls “edutainment magnets” to back its marketing concept for the complex as the “great meeting place”.
The centre management said the new attractions would help to entice customers to stay at the complex for a whole day. These attractions include Harbor Land and the Movement Playground, and the newly revamped Mega Smart Kids zone backed by more than 17 educational institutes, along with the Mega Park green space.
Paphitchaya Suwandee, president of Megabangna Shopping Centre, said the new attractions would reinforce the “meeting place” concept for the centre as a shopping destination and social space for young and old, “providing generations of families with the opportunity to meet each other and enjoy activities together”, ranging from eating and shopping to leisure activities.
 “Megabangna is preparing to continuously launch edutainment magnets this year to ensure that visitors will spend a longer time immersing themselves in diverse activities beyond shopping, aiming to be a space where all aspects of life experience are fulfilled,” Paphitchaya said.
 “In the previous year, Megabangna boasted a 15 per cent increase in the number of visitors, which helped increase spending in a continuous and sustainable pattern in preparation for the development of Megacity, a mixed-use complex on 400 rai on Bangna-Trat Road.
“With the aim of becoming a large city with a complete range of |facilities, Megacity has an investment budget of over Bt67 billion, |which will allow it to cater to the economic growth in the Bangna area as well as the completion of phases II, III and IV of Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2021.” 
Paphitchaya said that this year Megabangna has recommitted itself to the marketing vision of ‘the great meeting place of eastern Bangkok”. 
“We are using this idea to drive the development of the centre and change perception of visitors,” said Paphitchaya.
“We see Megabangna as a place where people find new experiences and as a place accessible to everyone. We have divided the experiences we are looking to provide into three magnet groups.”
She said that Megabangna is also planning to strengthen its offerings of educational institutes and tutoring schools by expanding the Mega Smart Kids zone. It will bring in schools such as The Kick, Dance Space, Robot’s Child, I Can Read!, Chefu Town and Kid’s Act. These will bring the total number of tutoring schools in Megabangna to 17. 
 “The launches of new magnets in the first quarter will strengthen Megabangna’s position as a complete edutainment centre truly for every family member,” Paphitchaya said.
“It will also boost the visitation to Megabangna and help us reach new visitor groups, extend our customers’ dwell time, and increase customer spending.”
She said that Megabangna is in the initial phase of transitioning from a shopping centre into the mixed-use Megacity development. 
“The aim for Megacity is for it to become a large city with a complete range of facilities. At the moment, our main focus is to complete the construction and strengthen Megabangna as the great meeting place of eastern Bangkok,” said Paphitchaya, adding that Megacity is the long-term project for 14 years. 
“In the past two years, we proceeded with our plan to develop Megacity as a mixed-used project of over 400 rai. At the moment, we have already developed 250 rai and have received great responses from large numbers of customers, partners and investors. Paphitchaya said that in 2018, Megabangna achieved 46 million visits. 
“In 2019, we expected that after the completion of the edutainment zone, the visitation will increase by 10 per cent compared to last year,” she said. “Megabangna will be the meeting place as a shopping attraction and social space for every family member across the generations. Megabangna will be the centre of Megacity, with traffic from the project support each magnet.”
 “Megacity will eventually become a complete and large city capable of supporting all aspects of life, with Megabangna as its centre. Megacity will provide residential spaces, offices, shopping venues and many other facilities. The project has a high potential and will stand out in competition, as it is ready to cater to all needs.” 
She said that year Megabangna donated Bt95 million for the construction of a U-turn overpass on Bangna-Trat Road at Km.7 to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce traffic accidents.
“The bridge is part of the eastern highway network, which caters to the growing economy and purchasing power in Bangna. We are developing a strategic hub for the transportation of the future,” she said.
Paphitchaya said that major challenges of doing business today come in the form of digital disruption.
“This is a new trend that is impacting retail businesses, including e-payment, e-commerce, and customer digital lifestyles,” she said. “This may impact our business if customers don’t want to go to shopping malls anymore, because they can shop via mobile applications with delivery services to their home.”