Approach

A five-phase operating lifecycle, scoped before contract and reviewed every quarter.

The riskiest moment in a themed-resort engagement is not steady-state operations. It's the transitions: pre-opening, operator change-over, brand repositioning, and contract exit. Our approach is designed around those transitions.

See Services Talk to Operations

The Lifecycle

Five phases. One operator. One source of truth.

Every IEG engagement moves through the same five phases. The scope of each phase is sized to the property and the engagement model — full-operator, managed services, or technical operator.

Phase 0

Discovery & Assessment

Duration

4–8 weeks

Deliverable

Operating-Readiness Report

Before any contract is signed, IEG performs an on-site or document-based assessment of the property. We model staffing requirements, identify operational gaps, review systems readiness, and produce an Operating-Readiness Report that owners use to align their own teams and investors.

Activities

Property walk-through (or document review for pre-construction)
Operating concept and capacity review
Workforce and labor-market analysis
Show, ride, and IT systems readiness review
Operating-budget benchmark against comparable properties
Risk register and mitigation recommendations

Phase 1

Contract & Mobilization

Duration

6–18 months

Deliverable

Operating Plan, SOP library, hired staff

Contract terms are agreed, an operating leadership team is named, and IEG mobilizes. Recruiting starts, the SOP library is authored or migrated, training programs are stood up, and the OCC is provisioned to monitor the property.

Activities

Master operating contract executed
Operating leadership named and onboarded
Recruiting campaigns launched
SOP library authored (or migrated from prior operator)
Cast training and rehearsal block scheduled
OCC integration and telemetry pipelines stood up

Phase 2

Soft Opening & Commissioning

Duration

4–12 weeks

Deliverable

Cleared for ticketed operations

Controlled-population opens, with progressively larger guest groups validating ride throughput, F&B covers, queue management, and emergency procedures. Issues are tracked through a formal cutover board. Steady-state operations begin only when readiness criteria are met.

Activities

Cast and technical rehearsals
Controlled-population trial days
Issue tracking through formal cutover board
Owner walkthroughs and sign-off
Final safety and regulatory inspections
Go-live decision documented

Phase 3

Steady-State Operations

Duration

Term of contract

Deliverable

Monthly operating performance against KPIs

IEG operates the property under the agreed contract. Monthly operating reviews track KPIs against targets — attendance, RevPAR, attraction uptime, NPS, safety incidents, P&L performance. Quarterly reviews are held with ownership and annually with the board or investment committee.

Activities

Daily operations across all contracted service lines
24/7 OCC monitoring
Monthly operating reviews with ownership
Quarterly KPI scorecards and forward-look
Annual operating plan and budget cycle
Continuous-improvement initiatives tracked through change board

Phase 4

Renewal or Transition

Duration

Last 6–12 months of term

Deliverable

Renewed contract or clean handover

In the final year of contract, IEG and ownership review performance, renegotiate terms, and either renew or plan an orderly transition. If transition is chosen, IEG executes a documented handover to the owner or to a successor operator.

Activities

Performance review against contract terms
Market re-benchmarking and renegotiation
Renewal — or — transition planning
Knowledge transfer (SOPs, training materials, system credentials)
Staff retention or transition program
Final closeout audit

Operating Principles

What every IEG contract has in common.

Engagements vary by scope and term. The principles below are non-negotiable across every contract IEG signs.

Principle 01

Owner-aligned economics

Operating fees include a base fee and a performance fee tied to KPIs the owner cares about — attendance, NPS, EBITDA, safety. We do not earn a performance fee for delivering ordinary performance.

Principle 02

Transparent operating P&L

Owners see the full operating P&L line-by-line. There are no marked-up internal services, no hidden fees, no embedded vendor margin. IEG profits from the management fee, not from procurement spreads.

Principle 03

Open systems

All operating data — telemetry, sales, labor, guest feedback — is owned by the property and exportable at any time. No vendor lock-in. SOPs are licensed in-place at end of term.

Principle 04

Independent assurance

Safety, financial, and operating audits are conducted by third parties selected by the owner, not by IEG. We pay for them.

Common Questions

What ownership groups ask us first.

Is IEG only available for properties owned by Immersive Holdings?

No. IEG was launched as the operator for IHG-owned properties, but third-party operating contracts are a deliberate part of our business. Roughly half of our forward pipeline is third-party.

What size of property does IEG operate?

Our minimum economically viable contract is a property with $20M+ annual operating revenue or 500+ daily guest capacity. Below that, a managed-services or technical-operator engagement is usually the better fit.

Who employs the front-line cast members?

Under a full-operator contract, IEG. Under managed services, typically the property. Under technical operator, IEG employs the technical staff only.

How does IEG handle existing staff during a transition?

Wherever local labor law and the owner's prior contracts permit, IEG offers existing staff continued employment at no worse compensation. Mass terminations are not part of our operating model and are bad for the show.

Can IEG operate non-themed hospitality or attractions?

We can, but it's not our specialty. The operating premium we deliver is in environments where the show is the asset.

Does IEG bring its own technology stack?

IEG operates on the IMMERSE™ and TITAN™ platforms developed by our sister company Immersion Tech Group. Owners can choose to standardize on those, or IEG can operate on the owner's existing stack provided minimum operational and security requirements are met.

More questions specific to your property? Send them directly to the operations leadership team.