Let's go bowling, Major tells corporate clients
Major Cineplex Group has been challenging hotel and shopping-complex rivals in a proactive strategy to draw corporate customers into its cinemas and bowling alleys to host their marketing and internal staff events.
The move is one of the group’s key mechanisms to increase return on investment on its high-value assets.
Chate Mungkhalodom, chief media officer, said the group’s bowling-alley business had not seen any growth for three or four years as it is challenged by other entertainment alternatives and a lack of effective marketing communication and public relations.
“We closed our non-performing 30-lane bowling alley at Piyarom Sports Club at the end of last year. This month we will close another 26-lane alley at Central Plaza Rama 3,” he said.
Chate has been in charge of the group’s corporate sales event department since March last year and is aiming to make the seven-year-old business more profit-oriented. The department achieved Bt150 million in revenue from hosting corporate events at its cinemas and bowling alleys last year and targets Bt200 million this year.
Chate said the average price at its bowling alleys had dropped significantly from between Bt80 and Bt90 per game about three years ago to Bt60-Bt70 now.
He said the group’s revenue from its cinema business fluctuated quite a bit depending on the film line-up during particular periods. However, average occupancy at its cinemas is about 40 per cent for the full-year period.
“What we want to do strategically is to fill our vacant cinemas and bowling alleys with alternative content, such as corporate events, to boost the return on investment from those valuable assets.”
He said Major Cineplex Group had a strong number of cinemas and bowling alleys in many locations throughout Bangkok and major provinces.
The group has more than 400 cinemas in 54 locations as well as 380 bowling lanes in 26 locations.
“We have seen a tendency of increasing numbers of corporate events and activities being hosted outside their own organisations. We can be one of the pieces of the jigsaw to help them host their corporate events,” Chate said.
Chate, who is also responsible for sales of cinema advertising, both inside and outside its theatres, said revenue from that source increased from Bt152 million in the first quarter this year to Bt205 million in the second quarter.
