Monopoly Leeds Takeover: Huge immersive board game experience proves smash hit as 100,000 take part

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An immersive Monopoly experience that transformed Leeds into a giant board game has proved a smash hit - with more than 100,000 people thought to have taken part.

The Monopoly Leeds Takeover, which launched earlier this summer, reimagined city centre streets as real-life versions of the colourful spaces on the famous game.

Legions of players picked up free maps at landmarks across the city, where hugely inflated game tokens had been installed.

Martin Dickson, Director of Brand and Innovation at LeedsBID, has described how the team brought the Monopoly Leeds Takeover to life.Martin Dickson, Director of Brand and Innovation at LeedsBID, has described how the team brought the Monopoly Leeds Takeover to life.
Martin Dickson, Director of Brand and Innovation at LeedsBID, has described how the team brought the Monopoly Leeds Takeover to life. | Tony Johnson

Their aim was to fill out blank spaces on the maps by solving tricky puzzles, ultimately buying back the city from legendary property tycoon Mr Monopoly.

The immersive experience had been in the works since 2021, when the idea for the project was first conceived, one of its creators told the YEP.

Martin Dickson, Director of Brand and Innovation at LeedsBID, described how it involved a crucial pitch to board game execs in Los Angeles.

“They'd not had anyone come to them with an idea like this before,” explained Martin, recalling a meeting with Hasbro two years earlier.

Giant Monopoly tokens were installed across Leeds city centre.Giant Monopoly tokens were installed across Leeds city centre.
Giant Monopoly tokens were installed across Leeds city centre. | Steve Riding

The idea was well-received, particularly as LeedsBID could demonstrate the scale of their ambition having recently put on the city's epic Jurassic Trail, a hugely popular scavenger hunt with giant animatronic reptiles. It ignited the imagination of children, with families comparing it to a “free theme park”.

Martin said: “We fill the gaps in the city with things that don’t currently exist. We'd just done the dinosaurs and we wanted to move on, keeping it fresh, so we looked into the history of Monopoly.”

The infamous board game has its roots firmly in Leeds, having been licensed for the first time in the UK in 1935 to city firm Waddingtons. The creators reimagined a game they had come across in New York, called The Landlord’s Game.

Norman Victor Watson, managing director and later chairman of Hunslet-based John Waddington Ltd, was the first person to play the game at his home in Horsforth. The firm was sold to Hasbro in 1994, by which time Monopoly had become a hugely successful global enterprise.

Monopoly symbols were unmissable over the summer holidays.Monopoly symbols were unmissable over the summer holidays.
Monopoly symbols were unmissable over the summer holidays. | Steve Riding

Martin continued: “Effectively, Mr Monopoly has bought Leeds city centre - and the public have to complete a series of challenges at eight giant tokens to buy it back.

“This is do-able in a day, but it will take most of the day - depending on how quickly you walk. We’ve stretched it out so that people move around the city centre and discover new areas.”

He added: “LeedsBID aims to bring people into the city centre to spend money. We can evaluate the effect it has directly, with face-to-face researchers doing hundreds of interviews in the first week of a project.

“For the dinosaurs, just short of half a million people came into the city over five weeks, spending £3.3m. It’s that measurable, which is the beauty.

“We want people to enjoy the game and spend money in the shops, car parks and cafes in a way that they wouldn’t necessarily if this wasn’t happening.”

Legions of players solved puzzles at various landmarks, including the Victoria Gate shopping centre.Legions of players solved puzzles at various landmarks, including the Victoria Gate shopping centre.
Legions of players solved puzzles at various landmarks, including the Victoria Gate shopping centre. | Steve Riding

The props for the Monopoly Leeds Takeover were made in Keighley and north Bradford, with Leeds-based printers also used as part of the project.

Martin said: “At Trinity and Victoria, you will also find digital versions of the community chest and chance cards that you can play live and win instantly redeemable prizes for the shopping centre. It’s an example of how we can build mechanics to bring an immediate business benefit.”

There were classic Instagram moments too, with props like a huge light bulb in the Electric Press and a huge tap at Granary Wharf designed for selfies.

“At the Corn Exchange, there’s a jail cell - which has been purposefully designed not to be lockable. We don't want any mischief!,” joked Martin.

“To be honest, we couldn’t work out how to give anybody £200 when they passed go - we're generous, but we're not that generous!”

The aim was to buy back the city from famous property tycoon Mr Monopoly.The aim was to buy back the city from famous property tycoon Mr Monopoly.
The aim was to buy back the city from famous property tycoon Mr Monopoly. | Tony Johnson

The total spend has made the Monopoly Leeds Takeover one of LeedsBID's biggest ever projects.

Martin explained: “The reason this needed significant investment from a business point of view is because people go on holiday at this time of year and there are fewer people in the city centre. Trade for shops and the businesses drops. But the potential here is another £3m.

“During the dinosaur trail, Trinity Kitchen saw a 40 per cent increase on the previous summer. That's what we're paid to do.”

There are still two huge events to come this year from LeedsBID - the annual Leeds International Festival of Ideas and the second ever Christmas projection at the Queen's Hotel, which proved a winner at its first outing last December.

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