Veronica Russu, the manager of ADVENTICA MOLDOVA park, discussed with Pavel Zingan in an interview about the entertainment center for the whole family - ADVENTICA MOLDOVA
Veronica, hello! I'll start with the beginning: what is ADVENTICA MOLDOVA?
It is a family entertainment center. Visitors who come to ADVENTICA with their children forget what's happening outside and become even happier. As a team, we focus on providing the best possible service for young visitors and their parents.
As far as I understand, ADVENTICA MOLDOVA is part of the international Adventica project launched in Lithuania in 2020. How did you come up with the idea of expanding it to Moldova and opening a center in Chișinău?
The idea of ADVENTICA came up in 2018-2019 in Lithuania. For many years, the founders of ADVENTICA worked in the outdoor entertainment industry. Unlike Moldova, Lithuania has a much shorter warm and dry season, so moving to an indoor space became necessary. In 2019, the project's founders saw an open space in one of the shopping malls in Vilnius, Lithuania, and thus, the first and largest ADVENTICA (4,300 sq.m.) was opened. From that day on, the co-founders planned to open one ADVENTICA area annually, but COVID-19 changed those plans. Our management visits dozens of shopping centres, exhibitions, conferences, and business tours annualy. In 2022, we met with Moldovan business people at one of the biggest exhibitions in the world - MAPIC. From that moment, the formation of the ADVENTICA MOLDOVA project began. In Lithuania, it was decided that the new ADVENTICA would be opened in the modern shopping center PORT MALL. Less than a year after that, the project started its activity in Chișinău.
When did the project in Chișinău start, and what are its main objectives?
ADVENTICA Moldova was launched on October 21, 2023. It took us 9 months for this project to become a reality, just as long as it takes to give birth to a child (laughs). The main objective was to bring Europe's best quality, safety and customer experience to Moldova. For the convenience of our visitors, we also created a website www.adventica.md.
What kind of activities are available at Adventica?
ADVENTICA is a family entertainment center, not a children's playground. It's a place where the whole family will find something interesting to spend their time. Parents can use the park's fun spots to play with their children. We have a spacious toddler area, a huge small ballroom, ninja obstacles, interactive games, and traditional and inflatable trampolines. ADVENTICA has an electric car track with real road signs and traffic lights, suspended nets, 7 themed rooms for organising birthdays, etc.
Celebrating birthdays is one of the activities. Why should children celebrate their birthdays in your center?
Modesty aside, it will create an unforgettable experience for the child. All possible restrictions are removed. You get one of 7 themed rooms for the birthday party for 2.5 hours. The price includes the participation of all children and their parents. You can bring your food, or it can be ordered at the food court at PORT MALL. You can invite your favourite entertainer and decorate the hall as you wish. Also, all but a few fun tokens are provided in the park. We've noticed that people love celebrating their birthdays with us so much that they book two consecutive timeslots to stay longer. And, of course, we offer an impressive discount on the second one.
Safety is one of the essential requirements for any entertainment center. What rules do you have in place, and what is the focus?
At ADVENTICA, cleanliness and safety are non-negotiable. They are aligned to the highest standards. It all starts with the design - ergonomics, access and movement paths, flows, sharp corners, etc. We usually install stronger ventilation systems and more exhaust doors than necessary in every country. We run our evacuation courses not just for each new employee but periodically for the whole team. Of course, all of this costs extra money, but there is no better compliment from any mother who says they can walk around the amusement park in white socks and they will stay white after their visit.
How would you rate your collaboration with maib? How easy can a foreign company start a business banking relationship in a new country?
Of course, when entering a new market, any foreign company feels uncomfortable. You have no history, no experience, no partner. And for us, an understanding financial partner is one of the key success factors. From the first contact with maib, we realised - it is our bank. The professionalism, the exceptional people and the desire to understand the customer in depth made this project a success. Many personal savings have been invested in ADVENTICA MOLDOVA, but co-financing is always critical. We managed to get a loan from maib, which we used to carry out the construction work and purchase entertainment equipment, but there are more. There is the management of transactions, accounts, POS systems, and participation in various events with maib junior and other cards.
The customer manager, Andrei, has often gone beyond the usual customer service approach. Such care and attention contributed to ADVENTICA's success in the Moldovan market.
