BRC Imagination Arts Selected to Create New Visitor Experience for the Empire State Building

BRC Imagination Arts Selected to Create New Visitor Experience for the Empire State Building

BURBANK, Calif., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- BRC Imagination Arts, one of the world's leading creators of distinctive and compelling experience exhibits for museums, corporate visitor centers and heritage attractions, today announced that it has been selected by the management of the Empire State Building to re-vitalize the internationally-known landmark's visitor experience.

The transformation, which will begin this spring, will focus on creating a fascinating and memorable experience for visitors within the building as they make their way to the unique view from the well-known ESB Observatory -- an 86th floor, 360-degree view that, on a clear day, reveals all of New York City and parts of five surrounding states.

Using its signature "Showmanship Meets Scholarship"(TM) approach to experience design, BRC Imagination Arts (http://www.brcweb.com/) will employ state-of-the-art technology and special effects techniques to immerse visitors in the history and experience of the Empire State Building, which currently welcomes more than three million guests each year.

"Without a doubt, the Empire State Building is one of America's greatest icons, so much so that it has starred in over 80 feature films, from 'King Kong' through 'Sleepless in Seattle' to 'Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow'," said Jeff Rosen, Director, Project Development of BRC Imagination Arts. "However, the story behind the building itself, and the courageous financiers, skilled artisans, and workers who conceived and built it, is not presented to visitors. The Empire State Building's story is the manifestation of what is great about America. We plan to tell its story and give a proper mythic context to the building and observatory experience."

The wait to get to the observation deck can often be an hour or more and there is little reason to visit the building during inclement weather. BRC Imagination Arts is designing an experience that will divide this time with a series of "story galleries" that engagingly tell the story of the construction of the building and other aspects of its history. In addition, the attraction will provide an engaging tourist experience during all weather conditions. In 2006, the 80th and 86th floors will also undergo a transformation to complete the enhancement of the visitor experience.

"Ownership of the Empire State Building recognizes the value in connecting our visitors to the hopes and dreams associated with our building and its history," said Peter L. Malkin, General Partner of Empire State Building Company. "BRC's extensive experience in theme park, museum, and visitor attraction design directly aligns with our goal to bring to life the Empire State Building's amazing history and builds on the already incredibly popular observatory experience. We look forward to delivering an experience that amazes and engages our visitors for years to come."

Other projects currently underway by BRC Imagination Arts include the April 2005 opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (http://www.alplm.org/), the May 2005 opening of Sentosa Island Resort's Images of Singapore, and the U.S. Pavilion at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan, which also opens this spring.

About BRC Imagination Arts

Founded in 1981, BRC Imagination Arts is the leader in the design, creation and production of innovative and immersive experience-based attractions for museums, experiential marketing, theme parks and cultural heritage sites worldwide. With offices in California, Amsterdam and the United Kingdom, BRC has been honored with over 250 international awards for creative excellence including two Academy Award nominations and nine THEA Awards for Outstanding Achievement in themed entertainment. BRC projects have consistently exceeded the expectations of clients and visitors, and have a proven track record of economic sustainability and the industry's best record for on time, on budget performance. Clients include Ford Motor Company, General Motors, NASA, Disney, Warner Brothers and Universal Studios. The company is currently engaged in major projects in the U.S., China, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, the UK, and Sweden. More information about BRC can be found at http://www.brcweb.com/.


Source: BRC Imagination Arts

CONTACT: Scott Ault of BRC Imagination Arts, +1-818-841-8084,
sault@brcweb.com; Kristen Collins of KMC Partners, +1-617-758-4193; or Tony
Malkin of W&M Properties, +1-212-850-2770, both for BRC Imagination Arts

Web site: http://www.brcweb.com/
http://www.alplm.org/


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