CIO Pulse & Perspectives: Miral on disrupting UAE’s leisure & entertainment landscape

For over a decade, Miral – a creator of immersive destinations and experiences – has been transforming the entertainment and leisure sector in Abu Dhabi aligned with the UAE capital’s aspiration to become an innovative and world-class destination.

So, what is Miral doing differently?

Well, back in 2022, Miral that’s behind the development of Yas Island Abu Dhabi decided to hire a CIO – not Chief Information Officer, but a Chief Island Officer. Miral instantly became the world’s first entity to do so. Over the past couple of years, the Chief Island Officer role has been held by the likes of Kevin Hart, Jason Momoa and Ryan Reynolds.

Miral also announced that Yas Island attracted over 34 million visits in 2023, a growth of 38% versus 2022. Again, one might wonder about factors contributing to such growth. Some factors worth noting include iconic attractions such as Formula Rossa, one of the world’s fastest roller coasters in Ferrari World Abu Dhabi that continues to attract adrenaline seekers. While unique collaborations such as the one between Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways – launching the world’s first Warner Bros. World™ branded aircraft, a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner – enhance visitor experience. Add to that, constant innovation as Warner Bros. World is getting ready to welcome a Harry Potter theme park, while Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi is set for a 16,900 sqm expansion. That’s not all, Yas Island has hosted several world-class business and consumer events, which had a significantly positive impact on footfall. Moreover, its one of

Built to disrupt

Yet, creating unique roles and building world-class attractions aren’t enough, especially at a time when innovations happen at the speed of light. That’s where technology came into play to support Miral’s ability to remain innovative and disrupt a dynamic landscape like leisure and entertainment.

“In an industry like leisure and entertainment industry, in-person interactions are crucial to create immersive experiences. But we also recognise the transformative power of technology to facilitate and enhance the human touch while eliminating mundane operational tasks and focusing on customers experience and satisfaction,” observed Raed Kuhail, Executive Director of Digital & Technology, Miral. “By seamlessly integrating technology into our services, we’re providing our guests with easier access to information, attractions and other amenities, making their experiences more enjoyable and memorable,” he added.

For example, Miral has implemented several innovative and cutting-edge solutions such as FacePass, which uses facial recognition technology to offer a completely contactless experience, and MyPass, its centralised authentication service. In addition, Miral has partnered with Microsoft to use ChatGPT for personalised customer service at Yas Island’s theme parks, thereby pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tourism experiences.

“Our digital initiatives include data-driven analytics, facial recognition technology and the pioneering use of ChatGPT in the UAE for tourism customer service, which has completed 52,000 operations to date. Additionally, MyPass has garnered over 2.4 million total registrations, while FacePass accumulated more than 1.2 million total registrations and over 9,000 annual pass tickets have been mapped to FaceID, our facial recognition technology that allows visitors to enter Yas Theme Parks without physical tickets or passes,” Kuhail shared.

Recently, Miral launched Yas Island on Google Street View, redefining virtual exploration and trip planning for visitors. What comes as yet another disruptive development is that Yas Island is now available as a virtual world in Roblox, allowing users from across the globe to explore its leisure and entertainment experiences.

“In addition, the Noor Initiative – launched in 2022 to enhance our investment in predictive data analytics and integrate innovation across our operations – continues to be our mega-data transformation programme with ambitious plans for 2025. Noor will provide a significant uplift to our data culture as we continue to develop the required data technology stack, mature internal skill sets and find opportunities through data science and machine learning to strengthen our competitive edge across the industry,” Kuhail elaborated.

Further, Miral is also leveraging AI and machine learning tools to optimise and automate its supply chain decisions to minimise cost and drive return on investment (ROI) across the business.

Navigating roadblocks

One of the things that’s guaranteed to accompany any form of change are roadblocks, even more so in case of tech-based transformations that require understanding, awareness, a mindset to accept change and ROI. It’s no different in case of Miral.

In this context, Kuhail said, “One of the notable barriers is staying abreast of the latest advancements while also effectively managing the expectations of both internal and external stakeholders. The rapid pace of technological advancements makes it difficult to remain current and ensure the ongoing security and relevance of our systems. In addition, budget constraints are another significant challenge when introducing new technologies. Staying in one’s comfort zone due to a resistance-to-change mindset or lack of understanding presents a challenge to new tech adoption. In our case, even visitors may exhibit reluctance to adopt innovative digital solutions such as facial recognition technology due to privacy and security concerns.”

But Miral is successfully navigating every such roadblock viewing “challenges as opportunities” with a razor-sharp focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences supported by technology and by balancing innovation with stakeholder expectations.

Tomorrow’s tech agenda

In summation, asked if digital transformation was yesterday, what is tomorrow’s tech agenda, here’s what Kuhail said, “With a growing economy and booming travel sector, the UAE has become the hub for retailers, who need to stay agile and adaptive towards emerging tech trends. Utilising data driven analytics, facial recognition technology and exploring opportunities in the metaverse, are just few examples of how the sector is using AI-driven solutions and harnessing the benefits of first-party data, machine learning and digital exploration to their advantage.”

This story is part of our ‘CIO Pulse & Perspectives’ series. Pick up the August edition of IMAGES RetailME Magazine to access our exclusive report featuring opinions and insights from 20+ regional retail technology leads.