FAQs

We have the team in place to handle as much of your project as you desire. We have some of the top experts in the business on our team: producers, designers, master planners, project managers, economists, marketing experts, etc. We are ready to handle your project from concept development through construction, opening and operation, or we will handle only those portions of your project where you would like assistance.

The best place to start is with Master Planning, preliminary Concept Development, and a Feasibility Study. This will create the framework for your planning and will provide you with the facts that will become the key elements ofyour business plan.

The feasibility study is really two studies. A market study that will analyze and report on your market conditions, both local and tourist, the competition, the fit for your concept in your market, attendance patterns, etc. The second part will contain the first meaningful projection of: (a) capital spending projections; (b) operating costs, and (c) the financial analysis of your project. All of these are critical elements in preparing your business plan, and both segments are essential in order to make realistic decisions regarding your project.

Attracting seed money, is a major stumbling block for many entrepreneurs. It is important to understand that virtually all themed projects will need funding from a financial institution. Venture capital firms, and even private investors, rarely will carry the complete financial burden. Banks and other major lenders will always insist on a business plan that includes, at least, the following:

• a feasibility study
• professionally prepared concept development
• a design program
• a preliminary master plan
• capital budget
• operating budget
• highly qualified management team

The good news is Apogee can create any or all of these items for you. Doing all the work required on these initial items will require some funding, generally referred to as seed money.

This really depends on the scope of your project. The larger the scope of your project, the more detail your financial institutions and investors will demand. Please call us at 818.280.8180 to discuss your project and seed money requirements (international callers +001.818.280.8180).

Raising capital for projects today is more challenging than ever. Banks, venture capital firms, and other investors are more cautious than ever in investing capital in new businesses or ventures. Apogee can assist you in pulling together the necessary documentation and providing answers to investors' questions, which will usually include:

• Do you have a proposition or business and attraction that is unique to the market place?
• Can you clearly identify your competition and explain how your business competes in the market place?
• Can you profile your customers and explain how your business can satisfy their needs?
• What is your current ownership structure and details of your company's legal structure?
• Do you have a business plan that will support your business vision, goals, costs and return on investment (ROI) that is credible?
• Do you have a management team that can successfully execute your business plan and that has the credentials to support the project?
• Do you have protected IP (Intellectual Property), and is it protected on a national and/or international basis?
• Have you acquired and managed the first round of funding (seed money or seed capital) , which would cover the earliest discovery phases of your project. In many cases, if major investors see that you have put money in your project, they tend to be more willing to seriously consider your opportunity for investment.
• Do you have a sound record of credit-worthiness as indicated by your credit report, work history, and letters of recommendation?
• What is your exit strategy? Are you looking to sell the company after a period of time, or are you considering making the company a publicly traded company? The investors will want to know that they can realize a fair ROI in a reasonable amount of time with minimal risk.

Architects are a critical part of the team, and the sooner they can become part of the process, the more the project will benefit. Actual architectural planning and facility architecture, however, can not begin until the Attraction Design Program is complete and the specific attraction concepts ride systems and shows are determined. If the building has been designed before the attraction has been determined, expensive redesign is often the result.

We prefer to supply you all the necessary information for your plan that you would, then, prepare. In limited circumstances, we will undertake the complete preparation of your plan.

We will do our best to provide you with the Apogee personnel you request. The timing of your project and needs is the primary determining factor in who is available to best meet your requirements.

We are more than pleased to have a preliminary meeting with you on your project, in many cases, at no cost to you other than out-of-pocket travel expense. It is usually best to meet close to or at your project site.

We will help you every step of the way in your efforts to raise funding, but we are not investors.

We are not able to work for free or on "spec." We are a consulting company that provides professional services to our clients. We sometimes join with clients at their request in various partnership arrangements, but this is not in lieu of payment. Do you have your investors in place yet? Have they provided you with the seed money to get started on your project?

Yes, our team is prepared to work, and has worked, in many countries around the world.

We sometimes join with clients, at their request, in various partnership arrangements, but this is not in lieu of payment.  We would be very pleased to assist you with your project, but we are not able to work on "spec," nor are we investors.   We are a consulting company that provides professional services to our clients.  Do you have your investors in place yet?  Have they provided you with the seed money to get started on your project?