Samuels & Company 2020 Year in Review
/
Samuels & Company Made the Most of a Challenging Year!
2020 was the year the physical world shut down and became digital for everyone. Samuels & Company took the opportunity to expand its global presence and leadership in location-based entertainment and participated in a variety of virtual events worldwide.
Merlin Entertainments
Samuels & Company continued as the exclusive Advisor/Broker to Merlin Entertainments; and assisted with their Asset Management work in their North America portfolio of their Midway indoor attractions.
During 2020 we successfully assisted senior executives in negotiation for lease amendments and financial restructuring during the pandemic for appropriate abatement/deferral of rent due to COVID-19 closures and reduced customer capacity.
RSG Group
Samuels & Company completed RSG Group’s lease agreement for the first John Reed Fitness in North America, located in Downtown Los Angeles.
New Clients
Samuels & Company is excited to be working with Meow Wolf, Titanic Museum Attractions, Butterfly Wonderland and Kitchen United.
Global Survey and Report
Howard Samuels and Hong Kong based Scallywag Entertainments conducted a survey between late April and Mid May 2020 about the impact of the pandemic on location-based entertainment attractions and landlords. They prepared a report of the survey results entitled “Global Survey of Attractions and COVID-19: Disconnect Between Operators and Landlords.”
RLI Leisure Insight
Howard Samuels participated in an article published by Retail Leisure International in its Leisure Insight Section entitled “Global Survey of Attractions and COVID-19: Disconnect Between Operators and Landlords Q&A” which discusses the findings of the survey and related report conducted by Samuels & Company, Inc. and Hong Kong based Scallywag Entertainments.
RLI Connect Meetup
Howard Samuels participated in a RLI Webinar on May 5, 2020 entitled “RLI Connect Meet Up” to discuss the future of location-based entertainment indoor attractions. Topics discussed at the Webinar included 1) Why Covid-19 does not have to mean the end of Retail, 2) The Future of Retail and Shopping Centers, and 3) The Future of Entertainment, Leisure and Hospitality.
Blooloop V-Expo 2020
In October 2020, Howard Samuels participated in the three-day worldwide webinar for the Blooloop V-Expo 2020 hosted by Merlin Entertainments. Mr. Samuels was a speaker on the “Retailtainment Trends” panel examining trends of the pandemic, especially customer behavior at attractions in North America.
MAPIC & LEISURUP Digital 2020 Conference
Howard Samuels participated on the panel entitled “Reinventing Retail with Entertainment” at the MAPIC & LEISUREUP DIGITAL Conference held in November 2020. MAPIC Digital live brought together over 2300 international decision-makers registered from the commercial real estate, retail and leisure sectors worldwide.
Calilfornia Retail Reboot Webinar
In May 2020, Shopping Center Business, Western Real Estate Business and California Centers magazines hosted a webinar: “California Retail Reboot: How Will California’s Retail and Restaurant Sector Recover Post-Coronavirus?” Howard Samuels and other experts from California’s retail sector participated on a panel to discuss the future of California retail and how to ensure the success of tenants and their properties.
Shopping Center Business Interview
In February 2020 Shopping Center Business interviewed Howard Samuels to get his take on what new concepts need to make a deal, and the disconnect between landlords and this new breed of tenant. As retail owners seek to find new concepts that create experiences and draw customers, Samuels gave some valuable insight on working with this new generation of tenants to successfully expand and incorporate these uses.