While sales in the Middle East and the USA slumped from €36 million to €16.5 million in the previous year, 2021 cracked the €40 million mark with projects such as Saks 5th Avenue or the Cartier flagship store in Manhattan. Other concepts included the Friedrichstadtpalast concert hall in Berlin, the International Finance Center in Dubai, the Istinie Park shopping center in Instanbul, and various installations in Shanghai and Hangzhou (China).
The public sector and growth drivers
The main area of success for MK Illumination was the public area. If the issue of vacancies in city centers received a special boost from a steady increase in online retail during the pandemic, there is even more effort to bring people back to city centers. This is achieved above all by creating analog experiences and the associated increase in the quality of stay.
For example: their “Licht im Pott” (Light in the Pot) project in Dortmund, the light installations in the various streets convey the city’s eventful history, in the Styrian capital Graz, the Herrengasse is the company’s first fully animated project in Austria with the ability to control light points individually and project messages, as well as effects like fireworks.
In Innsbruck, which has a very special significance as the hometown of MK and has been managed by them since 1994, the city government, the Innsbruck Center Association, the Tourist Association, and many patrons have begun to implement a new concept with the staging of some squares and streets, which focuses on the different facets of the Alpine city.
Lumagica light parks on the rise
MK Illumination has specialized in bringing places with little appeal to visitors during the darker months of the year to life with its event format Lumagica. It was launched in 2018 in Hückelhoven and six light parks have already opened their doors in Germany with more to follow in Slovakia, Poland, Japan, London and New York.
“With Lumagica, cities offer an additional attraction and can generate a special appeal for both locals and tourists. In the realization of our parks, we therefore work very well and in partnership with city marketing and tourism organizations,” says Klaus Mark.
25 years in the business
Despite the decline in sales of around 40 percent recorded in the shopping center sector, particularly in German-speaking countries, Kaus Mark is optimistic for next year when MK celebrates its 25th anniversary: “we are again hearing very positive signals for the coming year. Shopping centers are also challenged to bring people back to the centers by offering good experiences and creating an inspiring atmosphere away from sofa shopping.”
