Unclassified

Sunday, August 21, 2011 Audiovisual installations: When "Urban Art" Just Doesn't Work    I find it, still, incredible, the number of ‘Urban Art’ high tech projects dotted around cities that do not work. Is it because there is no financial incentive?...View more

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 Update on LEGOLAND Florida: John Jakobsen sets out Merlin Entertainment’s strategy for LEGOLAND parks    Set to open October 15th, LEGOLAND Florida, Merlin Entertainment’s biggest project to date, is already surpassing expectations with sales of annual passes having “smashed” the 10,000 unit target.   John Jakobsen, MD LEGOLAND Parks, gave an update earlier this week at LEGOLAND Windsor, on progress so far and his overall strategy for the LEGOLAND Parks. ...View more

Friday, June 24, 2011 Treasuring the Unsung Heroes of the Attractions Industry    I was intrigued by an online posting by Jennifer Brown from Utah which I picked up recently. She asked the question: "What would be the key to success in the amusement industry during the current economic climate?"
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Monday, June 13, 2011 A theme park may be liable in negligence for allowing head-on collisions on a bumper car    When can an operator be negligent for allowing a bumper car to bump into another car? Possibly when it is a head-on collision says the Sixth Appellate District of the Court of Appeals for the State of California in the case of Nalwa v. Cedar Fair, L.P. The court reversed the district court that dismissed the lawsuit on summary judgment....View more

Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Euro Disney 2011 First Half Results: Revenues Up and Increased Capex    Euro Disney had some good news to report today: increased revenues, debt repayments to schedule and more capex allowed for 2011 and 2012....View more

Monday, April 18, 2011 Attractions Industry: An update on the UK’s corporate manslaughter laws    In 2010, Stefan examined the effect of new corporate manslaughter laws in the UK, noting that in spite of great improvments in safety standards at visitor attractions, the new legislation placed a greater degree of responsibility on attractions owners, directors and senior managers.
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Friday, April 08, 2011 “Kind of fun to do the impossible” – breaking ground at Shanghai Disneyland    After 10 years of negotiations with the Chinese Government, ground has finally been broken on the $3.7 billion first phase of Disneyland Shanghai. Disney CEO Bob Iger attended the April 8th ceremony which sees the beginnings of the sixth Disney theme park, the third in Asia. ...View more

Thursday, April 07, 2011 10 years to Orlando or not to Orlando - is that a question?    The topic is certainly not new, but it keeps on coming back in various media, most recently in the evaluation of the 2010 IAAPA Expo. In 2010, IAAPA signed a 10-year deal to hold the annual conference and tradeshow at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. It was a decision that sparked many comments, both in favour and against.
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Wednesday, April 06, 2011 New rides rules issued for the Canadian province of Alberta    Last week, the Canadian province of Alberta announced it was implementing new rules to further enhance amusement ride safety within the province presumably for both permanent and mobile rides. The new rules were developed as a result of the province’s investigation into a Scorpion ride accident on July 16, 2010, at the Calgary Stampede....View more

Thursday, February 24, 2011 California: Requesting Zip Code information from Amusement Park guests gets more complicated    Picture this familiar scene at an amusement park near you. A customer steps up to the entrance booth to purchase admission to the attraction and pulls out a credit card to pay.
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Friday, February 11, 2011 25 million people visit BIAZA zoos and aquariums every year    British zoos and aquariums are making a significant contribution to the UK’s economy, according to the recently published study - Economic Impact Assessment for the Zoo & Aquarium Sector- prepared for The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) by John Regan Associates. ...View more

Thursday, November 25, 2010 Cold-Blooded Fun at Orlando's Gatorland Theme Park    With a day to spare before the IAAPA Expo last week, I took a visit to Gatorland, which although not on every tourist’s hit list for Orlando, certainly should be, being not only one of the city’s oldest attractions (opened in 1949) but also one of its best, with Tripadvisor ranking it 7th out of the city’s 196 attractions listed....View more

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 Well Above Par: at IAAPA's Charity Golf Event    I don’t play much golf over here in England. Cricket’s my thing, with its dizzying combination of grace, power and elegance, each ball a challenge and a contest , each minute fizzing with excitement. Golf just never did it for me. I think of an English golf club and I don’t think of sporting endeavour or athleticism....View more

Friday, November 12, 2010 Theme Parks: Walt Disney Co’s 2010 results – Woody and Buzz do the business    The Walt Disney Company today reported earnings for the fiscal year and fourth quarter ended October 2, 2010: diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the year increased 15% to $2.03 from $1.76 in 2009 and for the quarter, diluted EPS was $0.43 compared to $0.47 in the prior-year....View more

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 Theme Parks: A look at EuroDisney's 2010 results    EuroDisney results for the fiscal year 2010 announced today show an 8% increase in EDITDA but the €2billion debt burden continues to weigh heavily as the company reaches its limit on deferrals.
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Friday, October 08, 2010 EuroDisney’s Strategy to 2030: Doubling Capacity and Eco Tourism    Euro Disney SCA’s* Amendment to the Main Agreement with the French Public Parties, signed September 14th, allows the pursuit of a strategy for the continued development of Euro Disneyland to 2030. Key elements of the strategy include doubling theme park capacity by adding a third park, and the creation of an eco tourism village. (Update 11/10 - 25% of debt to be paid back by 2013.)
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010 Take two rocks, twice a day after meals...    England’s Lyme Regis on the West Dorset coast is one of the world’s great fossil sites – it was on the town’s beach that 18th century paleontologist Mary Anning unearthed her plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs – and also a town steeped in history. Mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) and a great port some 700 years ago, the town played host to a dramatic 8 week siege during the English Civil war......View more

Friday, May 07, 2010 Branded Attractions and Theme Parks: At Ferrari World, Speed is the Thing    Of all the world’s iconic brands, perhaps none is so striking, so steeped in romance and so aesthetically pleasing as Ferrari’s. Manchester United’s is another another red sporting image familiar worldwide, yet its red devil can’t hold a candle to the Italian’s prancing stallion - such is Ferrari’s hold on the imagination. Set to open in October, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi will stand on its own merits as an international visitor destination and high-profile branded attraction......View more

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 Themed design: GKTW ‘s Serendipity sets sail…    While exhibitors remain on tenterhooks as to whether they might actually be able to make it to the DEAL show in Dubai later this week – frustratingly Iceland’s’ volcanoes haven't provided an itinerary, nor do they subscribe to the Marquess of Queensberry's rules - and British school kids test their teacher’s resolve with the novel excuse of volcanic ash, it seemed a good time to show some rather cheery pics of “Serendipity”, a vessel we first caught sight of last month…...View more

Monday, April 05, 2010 Report from the annual Halloween & Attractions Show    Descending into the dark depths of the 15th annual Halloween & Attractions show, held in March at the America's Center in St Louis, Missouri USA, Mark & Alessandra braved the sights, sounds, latex rubber masks and other creepy things to bring you this report for Blooloop....View more

Thursday, March 11, 2010 Theme parks: The Tivoli Gardens Flying Trunk Ride    In Hans Christian Anderson's “The Flying Trunk” a penniless lad is carried off to far away lands by means of (you guessed it) a magical flying trunk. On the Tivoli Gardens Flying Trunk Ride, guests are whisked off to 32 different animatronic vignettes of favorite H.C. Anderson's fairy tales. Tivoli director of design Mikkel Sonne is heading the project....View more

Tuesday, September 01, 2009 Amusement Parks: Marvelous News?    Today's announcement that Disney is to acquire Marvel may be giving Spider-Man pause for thought. With the Friendly neighbourhood webslinger's Amazing Adventures thoroughly ensconced at Universal's Islands of Adventure it should be interesting to see where this current development takes him...
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Thursday, February 05, 2009 Museums and Green Building: Look at the big picture to create a truly sustainable facility and establish a basis for meaningful decisions    The term “green building” is something of a misnomer because the heaviest environmental impact comes after construction, with the behavior and consumption of the building's occupants. When you look at the life cycle and total cost of a green building, the vast majority of the expenditures involved are connected to the people inside it ......View more

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Amusement Parks : Adding More Value at Gold Reef City Theme Park    Steve Cook, CEO of Gold Reef City Theme Park & Casino in Johannesburg, reports on a successful holiday season and end of year for the complex and is pleased when a visitor thinks a ride looks "old and rusty"...
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Saturday, January 03, 2009 The Fine Art of Science Exhibit Writing    Remember the last time you went to a science museum and actually read the exhibits? Perhaps not many think about who writes those words on the panels about biology and botany and astronomy and geology. That’s entirely appropriate because what’s really important is the message. The goal of a good exhibit writer is to convey it in language that engages interest and excites inquiry among the very diverse audiences that visit museums and science centers....View more

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Amusement parks : Devil in the White City

I bet you don’t know as much about amusement as you think you do. There is a really cool book out on the shelves, (or in your Kindle), called “Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson. The book has some rather insightful information into the development of the whole concept of a Midway: as a place to pay to visit and be entertained.

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Friday, May 16, 2008 “The Biggest Water Festival on Earth” Zaragoza Expo 08 opens June 14    Less than a month from now, the next world's fair will open its gates to the public for a three-month run, from 14 June to 14 September, 2008. The theme of the expo is “Water and Sustainable Development.” Commissioner General of Expo 08, on behalf of the government of Spain, is H.E. Mr. Emilio Fernandez-Castaño y Diaz Caneja....View more

Sunday, April 27, 2008 Amusement parks: Devon Sweets at Dubai's Amusement Expo    When Elizabeth Taylor bumped into Princess Margaret many years ago at a wedding, the royal was rather stunned by Taylor's ring - a great chunk of a diamond , and utterly vulgar in the opinion of the princess. "Why don't you try it on?" Taylor offered coyly. Margaret obliged, and the two stood for a moment, taking in the brilliant, sparkling rock. "Not so vulgar now, is it?" Taylor said....View more

Tuesday, April 08, 2008 Amusement parks: It's a Small World Rumours and Bristol's New Aquarium    In the news today, the science based attraction in Bristol, "@Bristol" is adding an aquarium and the weekend saw Disney's Imagineering quash various rumours flying around the revamping of its iconic and much loved "It's a Small World" ride.
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008 London Big Wheels and the New Eiffel Tower    London will be home to a second big wheel this Summer as the 55 metre high Greenwich Observation Wheel will open to the public providing panoramic views across the city.
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