Today we’d like to introduce you to Enrique Mena.
Hi Enrique, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I joined KidZania’s global headquarters in Mexico City back in 2005. Throughout all these years, I’ve held many positions and roles in the company. Mainly in the business development and marketing areas. I belonged to the team that was responsible for taking KidZania to many countries and cities around the world, supervising projects in Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Busan, Cairo, Dallas, Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Guadalajara, Istanbul, Jakarta, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Koshien, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Lisbon, London, Monterrey, Moscow, Mumbai, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Seoul, and Tokyo. In 2017, I joined KidZania USA to help bring the KidZania concept and brand to 20+ cities in the US, starting with KidZania Dallas, which opened in November 2019.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While role-playing is a universal form of play, cultural challenges appeared everywhere. When we started developing the concept in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, women were not allowed to drive a car. Theaters didn’t exist and live music was prohibited. KidZania was the first place in the entire country of Saudi Arabia to have a theater, to play music, and to allow women to drive (our ambulance and fire truck). It was actually the most sought out job: to drive one of the trucks.
We also had to do other cultural adaptations, like food and regionally-related environmental topics… Sushi in Japan, noodles in Korea, dabbawala service in India… to earthquakes in Mexico City and tornados in North Texas.
With all these differences, we had to find a way to adapt the concept locally.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do everything that no one else wants to do and specialize in making things happen. I’m a doer and problem solver. I’m known for being part of the team that took KidZania all around the world. I’m most proud of all the people I have been able to meet and the relationships I’ve been able to develop and nourish with them.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Getting back from kindergarten to my grandma’s house in Mexico City and finding Maria making tortillas. She taught me to how to do them, I would make a tiny tortilla and eat it with a pinch of salt and salsa. That’s how I got interested in cooking and have been doing it ever since.
Pricing:
- Babies (0-3): Free
- Toddlers (4 & 5): $14.95
- Children (6 to 14): $42.95
- Adults (15+): $14.95
Contact Info:
- Email: enrique.mena@kidzaniausa.com
- Website: https://dallas.kidzaniausa.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidzaniausa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KidZaniaUSA
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KidZaniaUSA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvopUVastXtqMWGkSYKRtSA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kidzania-frisco?osq=kidzania
