Tropicana Nov-Dec 2020 #133 The Festive Issue

THE EXPERIENCE
Poster Corridor at The Gardens Mall
Flatbread Pizza
The Mixologist
Sizzling Prawns
“When we reopened in July
after the Movement Control
Order (MCO), we noticed that
more movie-goers choose to watch
movies at Aurum because of its
exclusivity. In fact, during the
screening of Tenet and Mulan,
admissions at Aurum was 45%
higher than pre-coronavirus, the
only cinema which was performing
better after the lockdown.”
Although Aurum has its
regular clientele, Koh says it is
challenging as celluloid content is
scarce during this time. “However, Gintonica
because we have Jin Gastrobar,
there is an opportunity for us to hold non-movie events.
Additionally, we get many corporate and private bookings for
the dining experience.”
The New Normal Of Cinema
“From day one, our SOPs included cleaning measures that
were unique to Aurum, due to its use of luxury recliners,
pillows and other amenities that are not
available at our regular GSC cinemas,”
explains Koh. This includes the changing of
mattress sheets and pillow covers, as well as
the replacement of blankets and disposable
slippers after every show.
“We continue to do the same in the
new normal, giving our customers a fresh
experience every time they step into the
hall for a movie. More than that, we have
implemented other hygiene and cleaning
measures in line with government SOPs
including temperature checking, contact
tracing, enhanced cleaning and regular
sanitisation after every screening, wearing of
face masks as part of daily operations and
provision of alcohol rubs in common areas,” adds Koh.
On lessons learnt from the lockdown, Koh muses: “One
of the biggest lessons is that businesses must be agile and evolve
to stay alive. Survival requires us to adapt to stay ahead of the
new normal; diversifying to break new ground. We were lucky
to have started on this before the pandemic; embarking on
several initiatives to expand our revenue streams in view of
the fast-changing theatrical landscape.”
TM | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
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