News
Legoland Windsor visit thrills Polk group all to pieces
Published: Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Legoland bodes well with excitement and ideas for Polk County's future
Photo by Barbara Heddon Visitors to Legoland Windsor in England take photos of a replica of London's Big Ben created from Lego bricks.
WINTER HAVEN - Local government and business officials recently returned from London, brimming with excitement and ideas for the future following a week-long visit to Legoland Windsor.
What they witnessed in Legoland Windsor bodes well for Polk County, they said, as the England-based Merlin Entertainments is slated to open its newest attraction, Legoland Florida, on the site of the former Cypress Gardens.
About 40 representatives from Polk County - including city and county elected officials, business owners and managers, and nonprofit staff members - made the trip, which was organized by the Central Florida Development Council. During the week, they met with Jon Jakobsen, Legoland chief executive officer, who presented an overview of Merlin Entertainments, and toured the Windsor Legoland park.
They also learned about what is in store for Polk County upon the projected late 2011 opening of Legoland Florida. John Ussher, vice president of park development for Legoland, presented an overview of plans for the park. Legoland Florida will be the fourth Legoland attraction.
Winter Haven Mayor Jeff Potter said the trip illustrated how much interest and enthusiasm Polk Countians have for the development of Legoland Florida.
"We just wanted to show that we are willing and capable of giving (Legoland) the support they need through the expertise we have locally," Potter said. "We are totally committed to Legoland Florida and the successful opening of the park."
Chris Nikdel, president of Clark/Nikdel/Powell in Winter Haven, works closely with the Central Florida Development Council and Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing in promoting local tourism.
"Since they are going to be a big player for the area, I wanted to see how they market themselves," Nikdel said of Legoland.
Nikdel said she was impressed with the marketing materials and how the company presents itself to the public.
"I'm looking forward to incorporating them into our visitors guide," she said.
Barbara Heddon, owner of Southern Investment Realty in Haines City, went to Legoland with three objectives. She wanted to determine the impact Legoland will have on the area and how she can prepare her business for the growth. She plans to increase the square footage of her office. A former Cypress Gardens skier, Heddon also was interested in seeing the gardens at Legoland Windsor. She enjoyed seeing the plans for the infrastructure and other changes. And as a member of the Haines City-Northeast Polk County Regional Chamber of Commerce, she gathered information to plan for the future.
"I wanted to know how it will affect our chamber and how we can help them ease into this transition," she said. "I feel we are going to be a roadway entrance to Legoland."
While she went into Legoland Windsor expecting a children's attraction, she found herself enthralled with the mechanics of how it was created and its educational aspect. And she was pleased to see the beauty of the gardens.
"The way they kept the garden area - I can see why they loved Cypress Gardens," Heddon said.
County Commissioner Bob English said the trip not only offered an opportunity to learn more about Merlin Entertainments and its facilities but laid groundwork for establishing partnerships between the local community and Legoland staff.
"Legoland and Merlin Entertainments are not going to be a slick corporation. They are a company that really reflects the values of Polk County. They look at themselves as an organization that is going to be part of this community," English said.
Jack Barnhart, executive director of the East Polk County Committee of 100, enjoyed having one-on-one discussions with the staff of Legoland Windsor.
"My objective was to get a better understanding of who Legoland is," he said. "It was eye opening to actually talk to staff members to get an idea of the Legoland operations."
Barnhart described the upcoming opening of Legoland as "beyond the shot in the arm."
"This is going to be the economic boon Polk County has been needing for a long time," he said. "There's already economic interest in business development. Everyone is going to benefit by having Legoland Florida in Polk County."
Barnhart has no doubt of Legoland stopping the revolving door of owners buying and selling the Cypress Gardens property in recent history. He said Merlin Entertainments has an impressive management staff, a proven business plan and a goal of bringing 2 million visitors to Legoland Florida.
"They have a business model that will be successful and that is what they need," Barnhart said.
Additional plans are expected to be announced by Legoland in July.
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