Journal · Case study · Saudi Arabia · 2018
Ice Age across Saudi Arabia: 1.1 million+ visitors with Al Othaim Malls
From Arar and Hail to Riyadh and Al Ahsa: how a two-city booking became a four-city tour and earned an honour award from the Saudi Ministry of Culture.
Executive summary
In 2018 Coco Agency took its Ice Age exhibition on a tour of Saudi Arabia with Al Othaim Malls, the largest mall holding in the Kingdom — today 11 malls welcoming more than 50 million visitors a year. What began as a booking for two cities in the north grew into a four-city tour that welcomed more than 1.1 million visitors in about twelve weeks.
The tour earned Coco Agency an honour award from the Saudi Ministry of Culture for bringing culture and education to remote areas of the Kingdom, and led to our next project: the largest dinosaur exhibition ever staged in Saudi Arabia.
Starting in the north: Arar and Hail
Al Othaim first booked Ice Age for Al Othaim Mall Arar and Al Othaim Mall Hail. In regions like these, cultural and educational exhibitions are rare, and families often travel hundreds of kilometres to see one.
The response went far beyond expectations. In Arar, a city of about 200,000 people, more than 90,000 visitors came in three weeks — the equivalent of almost half the population. In Hail, a city of about 500,000, more than 140,000 people visited in three weeks.
Extended to Riyadh and Al Ahsa
Seeing the success in the north, and the educational value the exhibition brought to remote areas, Al Othaim extended the agreement with two more malls. The Ministry of Education had also asked for more activities of this kind for students and families.
At Al Othaim Mall Al Rabwah in Riyadh, Ice Age brought more than 580,000 people together in three weeks. At Al Othaim Mall Al Ahsa, it welcomed more than 320,000 visitors.
The tour in numbers
| City | Venue | Population | Visitors in 3 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arar | Al Othaim Mall Arar | about 200,000 | 90,000+ |
| Hail | Al Othaim Mall Hail | about 500,000 | 140,000+ |
| Riyadh | Al Othaim Mall Al Rabwah, Riyadh | capital | 580,000+ |
| Al Ahsa | Al Othaim Mall Al Ahsa | — | 320,000+ |
| Total | 4 Al Othaim malls | 1,130,000+ |
Recognition from the Ministry of Culture
Because of the record attendance and the strong interest in the exhibition, the Saudi Ministry of Culture honoured Coco Agency in 2018 with an honour award for its work in bringing culture and education to remote areas of the Kingdom. It is one of the 19 awards our work has received in eight countries.
What the visitors experienced
Ice Age brings the giants of the last ice age back to life: life-size animatronic animals that move and make sounds, led by a 4-metre woolly mammoth. Visitors walk through a frozen landscape, meet the animals that lived alongside the first humans, and dig up a giant skeleton in an interactive archaeological field — turning a visit to the mall into a hands-on science lesson.
What came next
The success of the Ice Age tour led to Coco Agency being selected to create the largest dinosaur exhibition ever held in Saudi Arabia, which welcomed more than 1.7 million visitors in three weeks. We will tell that story in a separate case study.
Why it worked
The tour shows what a strong exhibition can do for a mall network: it brings new families through the doors, gives schools a reason to visit, and earns recognition far beyond retail. Our exhibitions travel with our own crew, transport and customs documents, so a mall group can add new cities quickly when demand grows — as Al Othaim did in 2018.
At a glance
Photos from Arar and Hail
Why the tour model works for a mall network
Touring one exhibition across several properties of the same network has clear advantages. The content is produced once and refreshed for each location; the marketing message stays consistent across cities; and every mall can promote its own dates to its own catchment area.
For Iulius, it meant that families in Cluj-Napoca, Suceava, Iași and Timișoara each received the same high-quality attraction in a setting adapted to their mall — from the gardens of Iulius Parc and Palas Gardens to the open spaces of Iulius Gardens in Timișoara.
How we adapted Giant Bugs to each property
No two malls are the same. For every stop we adapted the route to the available space — indoor halls, gardens or open plazas — and chose the order of the habitats so that families moved naturally from one scene to the next. Power, access for trucks and the build-up schedule were agreed with each mall’s technical team in advance.
What made it attractive to schools
The scientific content was designed for learning outside the classroom. Panels about insect anatomy, life cycles, ecosystems and biodiversity gave biology teachers a ready-made visit, and parents a reason to choose the mall for a weekend outing that was both fun and educational.
Lessons for venue owners
An exhibition is most effective when it combines spectacle with substance. The giant animatronic insects bring people in; the educational layer brings school groups and repeat visits; and a well-planned layout keeps visitors in the mall for longer, where they also eat, drink and shop.
If you manage several properties, a touring exhibition across your network can deliver the same impact in every city with one partner. Contact us with your locations and preferred dates, and we will propose a tour plan.
Working with Coco Agency
Coco Agency has produced and toured exhibitions and mass events since 2012, for shopping centres, museums, municipalities and global brands across Europe, the Middle East and North America. Our exhibitions and events have welcomed more than 17 million visitors.
Every project follows the same four steps. First you tell us about your venue, your dates and your goals. Then we send a tailored proposal with a layout for your floor plan, the list of figures or works, the timeline and the budget. Our crew delivers, installs and tests everything with your local team. Finally, we support the run with photos, videos and texts for your marketing, and dismantle and pack at the end.
Questions venues often ask
How much space is needed? Most of our exhibitions are adapted to spaces from about 200 to 900 m², indoors or outdoors, and we design the layout for your floor plan.
How long does the installation take? Usually a few days, depending on the exhibition and the venue. We agree the schedule with your technical team so that the venue can stay open.
Can the exhibition travel to my country? Yes. We have delivered exhibitions in Bulgaria, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, the UK, Canada and many other countries, and we organise the transport and customs documents.