SM Lifestyle rebrands SM Science Center to Exploreum

Say goodbye to your typical boring science field trips, kids.The SM Lifestyle Entertainment, hard at work since its debut last March, has opened the newly renovated SM Science Center rebranded as the Exploreum, now located at two SM malls; SM Mall of Asia in Manila and SM Lanang Premier in Davao.SM’s latest venture in edutainment will compete with the popular Mind Museum, a similar science museum launched in 2012 by the Bonifacio Art Foundation. And as expected, the country’s largest mall operator pulled out all the stops to attract both youngsters and adults.The two-floor complex houses 118 interactive exhibits and at its heart is the attention-grabbing Planetarium, the country’s only full dome theatre with 180-degree digital screen. 158-seater room offers various shows most of them about space exploration - and for creatives, a potential unique brand activation.Greeting visitors is the attention-grabbing “Science on a Sphere” or SOS, a six-foot digital globe developed by the US government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as an educational tool to help illustrate Earth science. SM touts that the Exploreum houses the first and only SOS in the country.“Science is fun and that’s what we want our guests to experience at The Exploreum,” said Nicole Deato, AVP for the educational and leisure centers of SMLEI.First known as The NidoFortified Science Discovery Center, the new name for the museum may indicate that its co-branding deal with Nestlé and its powdered drink brand was discontinued, though SM execs did not elaborate on the detail during the press conference.The Exploruem is one of the many premium brands managed SMLEI, which oversees a total of 12 major brands under SM Prime Holdings led by president Edgar Tejerero.Tucked under SMLEI’s belt are SM Cinema, IMAX, Director’s Club Cinema, WM Cinemas, Snack Time, SM Tickets, e-PLUS Tap to Pay, e-PLUS Digital, Mall of Asia Arena, SM Bowling and Leisure Center, and SM Skating Rink.