TAN Sri Lim Kim Hong’s goal is to make i-City an “ultrapolis” with all the conveniences and connectivity for ease of travelling. This, he believes, will attract many to live there.
Today, i-City is a RM9 billion ultrapolis complete with a theme park, ICT-related businesses and good connectivity.
When completed, part of i-City, with its world-class infrastructure, will be home to 50,000 knowledge-based workers.
“I remember the work of Jon A. Jerde, the US architect who developed the initial i-City master plan. Jerde had created the “Freemont Street lights” in Las Vegas as a way to redevelop the downtown area. I visited this attraction and saw how it had become a night tourist attraction. I then figured that if I could create a light attraction using digital light technology (LED) at i-City, it would not only be something unique in Malaysia, it would also be in line with i-City’s digital city concept,” Lim said.
He said when he first discussed the idea with his management team, the consensus was that the money he had set aside for the LED venture could be better spent elsewhere.
However, from an entrepreneurial perspective, Lim figured that human nature is the same all over the world, and if it could fascinate tourists in Las Vegas, it may also work in Malaysia.
From an investment perspective, Lim reasoned that the RM10 million spent may be a form of advertising and promotion initiative.
“Thus, when the City of Digital Lights with its million LED lightscapes was first unveiled to the public in December 2009, not many could foresee that it would help place i-City on the map of the digital world. Needless to say, the lights became an instant success, with visitors posting pictures of their visits on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube,” Lim said.
For Lim, this achievement was not merely another feather in his entrepreneurial cap, but it also gave him confidence to further invest in other rides and attractions for Malaysians.
Fast forward, i-City currently boasts a 10ha theme park divided into four precincts — the City of Digital Lights, SnowWalk with its 50,000 sq ft of Arctic environment of below five degrees Celsius, WaterWorld with its first tornado ride in the region, Fun World with its Trick Art Museum, Space Mission, House of Horror and Red Carpet@i-City, Malaysia’s first interactive wax museum.
“The MSC and the tourism components are building blocks in the development of i-City. I see them as part of the process of adding value for our buyers. Together with the architectural designs, infrastructure and development concept, I want the buyers to feel proud that they own a piece of i-City,” Lim said.