Kingsmen Creatives (Kingsmen), a global design and production group, unveiled the world’s first NAX (Nerf Action Xperience) arena, located within the Marina Square shopping mall in Singapore last Friday.
Spanning more than 1,600m2, this attraction was created in partnership with Hasbro, a globally-known play and entertainment company. The four activity zones (Compete, Conquer, Challenge, and Create) in the NAX arena are themed after extreme natural environments to challenge players of all ages. Each zone was designed to enhance skill sets, identify personal strengths, encourage teamwork, and build confidence. The NAX arena also features four rooms – collapsible and able to accommodate 120 pax in total – for event bookings.
Andrew Cheng, group CEO, Kingsmen Creatives called the opening of NAX “an extension of our capabilities”, and is “part of our transformation from a traditional business to a creator of new and unparalleled experiences”.
Kingsmen Creatives first started out as a design company in 1976, where it provided corporate marketing services, project management and exhibition interior production. Today, the group has a network of 21 offices and full-service facilities serving clients globally in aspects ranging from corporate interiors to themed attractions.
He told TTGmice: “As the market continues to evolve, we have to evolve as well. We’ve been designing and building for clients for 43 years. Now, instead of building for clients, we’re building for ourselves. We manage and operate it, and are the master license holder. NAX was two years in the making.”
When asked if the company was moving away from exhibit and event conceptualisation into brick-and-mortar attractions, Anthony Chong, group managing director, Kingsmen Exhibits, shared: “Exhibitions is still our core business, and we’ll still focus by expanding in core markets, while entering new ones. NAX is basically a new revenue channel.”
Both Cheng and Chong are extremely confident in their company’s product, having signed a partnership with Vision High earlier in July to enter the China market – despite just opening in Singapore last week. A NAX arena in Chongqing is in the pipeline, to be located in a mall.
“All of our NAX centres will be in malls,” Chong said, and added that it is the first of many to be rolled out within the next few years. The company is eyeing South Korea and Japan at the moment, which Chong mentioned there was “a lot of interest from”.
“Our new business will have three core areas moving forward – edutainment, such as the Animal Planet travelling exhibition; live events such as pop-up carnivals and festivals; and active play such as NAX,” Cheng concluded.
