Port Aventura: From Theme Park to Resort

Since its inception as a theme park in 1992, and aiming to adjust to a seasonal adjusted demand, Port Aventura had invested heavily in new shows, rides, hotels, golf courses, a convention centre, and a shopping mall. Yet, such evolution from a theme park to a resort had posed new challenges for the executive team of Port Aventura. In particular, whereas as a resort the commercial activity had focused on aggregated statistical information from customers, as a resort they needed to know and target individual customers. However, this new one-to-one marketing focus was not supported by the existing information systems of the company. The case is situated in the mid-2009 when the CEO requests the CFO and the CIO to find a solution that addresses the commercial needs of the resort. The case discussion takes students to discuss and assess the business problems and relate them with the existing information systems. Students will also have to analyze different alternatives for the information systems proposed in the case and develop a deployment plan for the alternative they chose.