FECs

Thursday, November 17, 2011 Chic, Contemporary Christmas - The Champs-Élysées' Christmas illuminations    Possibly the most famous street in the world, Champs-Élysées in Paris, will be looking extra chic and contemporary this Christmas as they reveal their brand new Christmas illuminations....View more

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 What are you main objectives for the IAAPA Expo?    We asked the 3000+ members of Blooloop's LinkedIn group, “Are you planning on attending the IAAPA Expo? If so, what are your main objectives?”...View more

Sunday, November 13, 2011 What's the Big Idea? Looking at the Legacy of the Millennium Commission    If you visit the Millennium Commission website you might be forgiven for thinking that every visitor attraction project they were involved in was an unqualified success. ...View more

Friday, October 07, 2011 The Wax Museum After Dark    Have you noticed how the classic wax museum seems to be booming these years? The grand dame of waxworks, Madame Tussauds, is constantly opening new attractions, currently operating 13 attractions and counting.
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Wednesday, September 07, 2011 Themed Design: The Attraction of Scent    When my bottle of cologne hit the bathroom floor this morning it wasn’t the sight of broken glass that occupied my senses. It was the scent. It was powerful. It took me right back to the shop where I tried it on for the first time. I have always been interested in scents, and the use of scent is starting to blossom in some sectors....View more

Thursday, July 28, 2011 Reflecting on One Kind of Reality for Fulldome    This month I and my Loch Ness Productions colleague Mark C. Petersen had the opportunity to see the last shuttle launch of Atlantis from the Press Site at the Kennedy Space Center. We were accredited newsies, covering the event for Sky & Telescope online, and I also wrote a story for Yahoo News. Of course, being fulldome producers, we took advantage of that proximity to take immersive imagery, all in the spirit of capturing the moment for domed posterity. ...View more

Tuesday, July 05, 2011 Themed Entertainment: We make the magic at SATE 2011 in Amsterdam    The SATE (Storytelling/Architecture/Technology/Experience) conference 2011 in Amsterdam was like a rollercoaster ride of ideas, sage advice, discussion and inspiration. 78 year old Marty ‘We make the magic’ Sklar was the keynote speaker at the conference - with his wealth of experience he remains an inspiration for many people in the business. ...View more

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments Group sets out his six point growth driver plan    Marketing Week featured an exclusive interview with Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments Group, where he gives an insight into Merlin’s phenomenal growth.
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Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Are Farm Animal Attractions and Petting Zoos too dangerous for children? Part 2    So just over a year on from my original blog on this topic, the Petting Farm at the centre of the outbreak of E.coli 0157 has admitted liability for the incident¹ ....View more

Friday, December 31, 2010 Anticipated Legal Issues in the Amusement Industry for 2011    As we close out of the calendar year of 2010, it is a good time to look forward into the New Year that is upon us. I have listed some things I think are worth following in the amusement industry in 2011 and hope to keep you updated on them as we experience the New Year. Here’s wishing you a prosperous and Happy New Year....View more

Thursday, December 23, 2010 What is more important, recruitment or training?    In terms of time and money spent I guess most people would say training. After all most organisations have training budgets, but only the recruitment of top line managers is treated as an investment. And of course we train the trainers, while those who recruit tend to learn on the job, especially if they’re ‘only’ recruiting seasonal staff....View more

Wednesday, December 08, 2010 Optimism with a Frosty Reception : The IAAPA Expo 2010    The annual IAAPA Expo was back to its spiritual home of Orlando in November after last year’s visit to Las Vegas. Many felt a sense of relief to be back in Florida and there was a palpable sense of excitement and optimism in the air as the show began. So what did I learn during my week at the show, other than that I can’t play golf, The Adirondacks are a mountain range and I still don’t like grits?...View more

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 Holograms and “Gamification” Raising the Bar for Theme Parks    On every gamer’s Christmas list, the eagerly awaited Xbox Kinetic is due to be launched later this year. Set to be the next step up from the hugely successful Wii platform, Kinetic does not require a hand held controller and incorporates software that allows players to use voice, gesture and even facial expression to interact with the on screen action.   How will theme parks and attractions compete with home based wizardry?
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Saturday, March 27, 2010 Amusement parks: IAAPI Trade show, Mumbai - Photos.    The Indian Association of Amusement Parks and Industries (IAAPI) had its annual trade show at the Bombay Exhibition Centre 18th to 20th March. Judged a great success by most in attendance a show report will follow. Here are some photos from the busy trade floor...
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Sunday, March 07, 2010 Family Entertainments: Brushboarding Taking Off!    As a father of pre-teens I am naturally considered desperately, wincingly uncool. I am not “butter”, certainly not “all that and a bag of chips” and hopelessly at sea with today’s rappity-pop stars and their portfolio of perplexing hand gesticulations. However…...View more

Monday, February 15, 2010 Are Farm Animal Attractions and Petting Zoos too dangerous for young children?    Following a serious outbreak of E.coli 0157 in the UK, during the latter part of 2009 which saw a number of children hospitalised and several farm attractions closed, Professor Hugh Pennington, Emeritus professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that parents should "think hard" before letting children, particularly those under the age of 5, touch animals at petting farms....View more

Monday, December 14, 2009 Theme Parks: IAAPA Expo photos.    From 17th to 20th November 2009, and for the first time in its 91 year history, the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) Attractions Expo took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, USA. For the first time ever, the world's biggest event in this sector was held in the capital of gambling and entertainment...
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Thursday, November 12, 2009 Attractions Business: Meet me in Las Vegas (IAAPA booth 4524)    We at Blooloop want to meet you in Las Vegas during the IAAPA Attractions Expo Nov 17-20. Please stop by our booth for a chat (# 4524). Blooloop will be podcasting and blogging live from the show, so bring along some witty remarks and observations, too, and you might get interviewed or otherwise included in our coverage! We will also have our signature giveaways: some Blooloop pens (soon to be in much demand on eBay) and our genuine clotted-cream Devon fudge......View more

Saturday, September 26, 2009 Themed Entertainment: Blue Sky Adventure at TEA's SATE Conference    After a briefing and introduction from George Wiktor, Karen Armitage, Larry Tuch, Jeff Mayer, Chick Russell and Linda Smith, attendees of the 3rd annual SATE Conference (Storytelling-Architecture-Technology-Entertainment) in Orlando split up into five groups to conduct two-hour mini-charrettes......View more

Saturday, September 19, 2009 Themed Attractions: Talking Pirates Today    Why are pirates so fascinating? They just arrrrr! An old joke of course but appropriate as today is National Talk Like a Pirate Day* in the US. My little boy did all the Orlando parks and attractions last Autumn, saw Spider-man, Shamu, Mickey and a host of other magical characters......View more

Wednesday, December 31, 2008 A Happy New Year to all our Readers!    Further to our seasonal E cards feature (I know a tree frog isn’t exactly festive but red eyes will be much in evidence come tomorrow morning), I am adding a couple of further messages......View more

Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Amusement Law: Legal Learning at WWA and IAAPA    For those interested in legal and regulatory issues, fall is a useful time as it’s the season when some of the industry’s largest associations hold their annual conventions.
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Saturday, September 27, 2008 FECs: Looking Forward to IAAPA in Orlando this November    FEC's can expect a lively and informative session about Social Media at this year's conference. This November will be my third time at IAAPA and I am really looking forward to meeting new people, connecting with clients I work with across the country but never see, and hearing the lectures at the education sessions....View more

Tuesday, September 09, 2008 Halloween Risk Management for Amusement Parks: Curbing the Scary Specter of Legal Liability    Now that Labor Day has passed, many parks are gearing down for the close of this year’s season. However, a growing trend within the industry has been to keep certain operations going through the Halloween-time....View more

Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Step Up to the Plate    Hit one out of the park for some peace of mind. Now I am not a particular fan of baseball, and those who know me would never describe me as “athletic”, but I love the batting cages......View more

Wednesday, August 06, 2008 Amusement Law: As the Summer Season Winds Down…    Here in the States, August means that the peak summer amusement park season is beginning to wind down since many states now start their school years well ahead of the Labor Day weekend (though efforts continue to reverse that trend and return school starts to their traditional post-Labor Day spot). With amusement park facilities hopefully wrapping up a successful season, this week’s Update focuses on a series of quick legal and business notes facing the industry these days....View more

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Amusement Law: How the Airline and Amusement Industries are Tied Together    With the recent high-profile failures of major U.S. banks and lenders like IndyMac, the troubled domestic airline industry has been given a respite from harrowing headlines. However, that doesn’t mean the threat to their business model has gone away. Indeed, with oil surpassing $145 per barrel (and going higher at a brisk clip), most U.S. commercial airlines are facing bleak prospects in both the short and long terms. So, why does this matter to the amusement park and recreation industry?...View more

Wednesday, July 09, 2008 Amusement Law: Gun Laws and the Amusement Industry Take Center Stage    Welcome to the first Blooloop Legal and Regulatory Update. I’ll be writing this on-line column most Wednesdays.
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Butterflies and the Law    An interesting morning. Had a chat with Clive Farrell, the man behind the ambitious £25 million Butterfly World project here in the UK about the economic and environmental impact it is set to make upon the local area. The centre piece of the project is an enormous biome, a vast greenhouse, set to include the third largest collection of tropical plants in the UK but also to boast a staggering variety of butterflies from across the world....View more

Monday, May 12, 2008 FECs: The Wild FEC Owner

What do you want to be when you grow up? Do you even want to grow up? FEC owners eh?