10 Minutes With … Falcon’s Beyond on LBE Licensing Trends

Daryl White has always worked in the location-based experience space. No one could have predicted that his first job selling plush at Magic Mountain would launch a career leading him to his current position as executive vice president, global licensing and business development at Falcon’s Beyond. White directed the development of Falcon’s proprietary attraction systems and technologies, like the launch of Katmandu Park | Punta Cana earlier this year, a new theme park based on Falcon’s Beyond’s original Katmandu franchise. He also recently completed his term as an IAAPA Global Manufacturers & Suppliers committee member and currently serves on the ASTM F24 committee, which helps enhance the safety of the amusement industry for both owner/operators and patrons. 

White spoke with License Global about his upcoming participation at the Brand and Licensing Innovation Summit (B&LIS) in New York City Nov. 2-3, plus the inspiration of Falcon’s Big Experience/Small Footprint concept and more.  

License Global: Can you speak to the leading challenges the industry is facing right now? 

Daryl White: Coming out of the pandemic, the interest in physical experiences is back up, which is great to see, but there has been a fundamental change in the desire for a more connected experience among the various forms of entertainment, hospitality and tourism. People have become very attached to their favorite IPs and want to experience them cohesively among various platforms, including online and streaming content, video games, location-based entertainment, themed destinations and consumer products. The industry’s challenge is ensuring we meet this demand to activate these various touchpoints effectively and cohesively. At Falcon’s, this 360-degree approach is exactly what we aim for with the work we do every day – we are expanding IPs across entertainment content, consumer products and physical destinations.  

What trends do you see coming down the pipeline?  

The attractions industry has long been dominated by traditional “mega parks” – attractions scattered across massive footprints – but Falcon’s is reimagining the park experience through a revolutionary Big Experience/Small Footprint concept, delivering unforgettable experiences in a compact area. We see this idea only gaining traction as the experience economy explodes, and the same can be said for the merging of entertainment and resort experiences. For example, through a joint venture with Meliá Hotels International, there exists an adjacent Falcon’s Resort by Meliá just steps away from Katmandu Park in Punta Cana, not only creating a game-changing paradigm but a new category altogether: resortainment. It’s an idea we built our JV with Meliá around because it’s a trend that we only see growing – and we believe Falcon’s is at the forefront of that.  

From a branding and licensing perspective, I think we will continue evolving into a licensing industry where players on both sides want multi-dimensional relationships. A single line-item license might be OK for some companies, but having a trusted partner who can help expand your brand across multiple channels at once, providing those consumer touchpoints with minimal effort from the IP owner, will be key. Such an approach can keep the brand message and quality consistent. At the same time, product-development efficiency and market speed will increase top-line revenues for the licensors and net margins for licensees.

What drew you to speak at B&LIS this year?   

I work with a lot of great partners and people across the industry for my role with Falcon’s and any time you can go to a noteworthy event like B&LIS, it’s a win for us. Plus, with a location-based entertainment (LBE) panel on the agenda for this year, it made this event even more of a fit for us.  

What excites you about engaging in person and learning from your community at B&LIS?   

I’m always most eager to bridge the themed entertainment and licensing industries – LBEs and licensing can often be looked at as separate efforts, but there is such an opportunity for the industry to think of them as a more cohesive pairing. The marriage between licensing and themed entertainment is where Falcon’s Beyond continues to innovate, so I’m excited to discuss that more at B&LIS. Plus, there will be no shortage of experts at the show, so I am sure I will learn a great deal from others along the way.