UK firm models new Hollywood centre

London exhibition consultancy Brennan & Whalley is designing a Hollywood-themed visitor centre in Branson, Missouri, US, after beating two North American rivals in a proposals pitch. The ú1m attraction, provisionally titled Hollywood – World of Stars, will give visitors “close encounters” with movie stars, says consultancy director Dennis Brennan.

Financed by The Hollywood Wax Museum Group, the 1400m2 centre will include interactive sets. An Indiana Jones exhibit will recreate a scene where walking across stones may prove safe or provoke the floor into rocking.

“We are treating it as more of an experience than Madame Tussauds,” says Brennan. As well as film stars, the centre will focus on TV, music and sports celebrities. Country music, for which Branson is now a noted centre, will figure large.

The centre is due to open next spring. Brennan & Whalley is designing all aspects, including graphics, lighting and a feature on the external wall of the building which will house the centre.