Making attractions memorable

A world-class photography attraction company from New Zealand is helping make many of Australia's most popular attractions more memorable.

When Stuart Norris and John Wikstrom started taking photos of guests travelling up the gondola at Queenstown, they never expected their model would eventually become a draw card at attractions around the world.

That was back in 1995, and their company Magic Memories now has over 400 staff members in 100 attractions around the world including 15 key sites in Australia.

Throughout this growth, Norris believes Magic Memories' point of difference has remained the same.

He explains "what made us stand out from day one was our commitment to the guest journey.

"We tell the story from a customer point of view and create a personalised products that is easily shared and lives long after the guest leaves not just a photo on a piece of paper.

"Back in Queenstown in 1995 we would literally run to the chemist to develop photos, trying to get the guests' story and images back to them before they came back down the mountain.

"We'd even deliver reprints to their hotel room at night if they wanted! 'We Make People Smile' is our motto, and the benchmark for how we behave, think, and operate, both internally and externally."

This hard work helped the business grow organically throughout New Zealand, and after a few years the duo decided to expand to the rest of the world. Magic Memories is now found in iconic Australian venues such as the Sydney Opera House, The Sydney Tower EYE, Melbourne, Sydney SEALIFE Aquariums and Sea World.

Magic Memories' ongoing success comes from the company not only providing a great experience for visitors, but from also helping to grow the business of the attractions they partner with.

As Norris adds "we commit to year on year growth of financial returns for all our attractions. By focussing on 'why' we do things, continual innovation just happens naturally, so we're always changing and growing."

This means keeping up to date with the latest in technology and adding new incentives such as sticker sheets and educational information to their products, "we've taken our personalised products to the digital world, providing access to photos, videos, and content for all our customers to consume and share online easily."

Sydney Opera House General Manager of Tourism Simon Spellicy says this flexibility and passion for customer service is what has made the iconic attraction secure a long-term partnership with Magic Memories.

He explains "we have been impressed by their commitment to designing world-class personal solutions. We continue to work closely with them to fine-tune the offering to all our visitors."

Magic Memories now hopes to continue its growth in Australia and in turn help promote Australian attractions to overseas visitors and enhance their experience when they're there.

As Stuart Norris concludes "there are subtle differences between our company in New Zealand and Australia we've taken a successful model and adapted it to fit the Australian market, but never ever lost sight that the value lies in the eyes of our customer."

For more information contact Stuart Norris of Magic Memories on 02 9518 5888, E: stuart.norris@magicmemories.com, www.magicmemories.com

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