Photo: Kim Tunnicliffe (WBZ NewsRadio)
MARLBORO, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — It may not have the most creative name, but the Design-a-Mall club at the New England Innovation Academy has some creative ideas.
Students in the private middle and high school's club have partnered with the Solomon Pond Mall to brainstorm renovations that would help the dying mall attract new customers.
One of the ideas the group came up was an outdoor adventures facility.
"There would be popular nature-type events, so a rock climbing wall, ropes course, and manmade fishing pond," junior Aaron Zhang told WBZ NewsRadio Tuesday.
A virtual reality arcade was also brought up.
"In Japan, there’s a really popular type of mall going around right now which is bringing VR into a space where people can try different video games," Zhang said. "Very simple to implement, all you need is an open room and some headsets."
Before coming up with ideas, students conducted interviews with customers, store owners, and mall management to see what stakeholders wanted.
"Identify the needs of the user before anything, because ultimately that’s what matters," said Zhang.
Mall management plans to present the group's ideas to the board of directors.
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports.
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