Bemusement - The Attractions Industry Blog

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 Theme Parks: Merlin Entertainments 2010 Results - Still Rocking Round the World    Despite difficult economic conditions in Europe and the US, Merlin Entertainments announced another set of impressive results today for 2010....View more

Wednesday, December 22, 2010 A Few of my Favourite Things: A day at the IAAPA Expo    Raindrops on roses and 5D cinema….attending the IAAPA show is of course, as I tell my friends and kids, REALLY, REALLY hard work but it does have the odd perk. In the interest of market research I felt obliged to try everything I could. Here are some of my favourites from the floor…....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

Monday, November 01, 2010 Katie gets Scared : Cedar Fair park's Windseekers    My background in science makes me a pretty analytical fact based person. In general, I am not afraid of any amusement park ride. It may cause a physical thrill due to speed but I don’t get scared by height at all. I know the rides are safe. Most parks will shut off a ride at the slightest chance of a problem and millions of people ride thousands of rides every day without incident....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

Thursday, January 14, 2010 Roller Coasters and the Science of Thrill Seeking    A fascinating look at the latest developments in coaster technology in the Times the other day in “How to embrace fear. Good news for thrill-seekers: Scientists are adapting roller coaster technology to bring us the ultimate ride"....View more

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 Theme Parks: Paultons Park gets approval for Cobra    A separate application to retain the Cobra steel rollercoaster at Paulton's Park was approved this morning at the NPA's headquarters.   The approval means the Gerstlauer customer coaster, complete with its control building, catering kiosk and photography booth, can stay in its current location and does not have to be scrapped or moved.
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009 Amusement Parks: Freestyle Hairloss.    The London Bridge Experience is looking for a zombie on £30k a year . Great PR/marketing stunt very similar to the recent “Best job in the world” PR campaign run by the Queensland Tourism Authority......View more

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Abandoned Waterparks , the World’s Best Roller Coasters and One Mighty Big Fish tank

This weekend’s Sunday Telegraph carried a neat piece about the roller coaster industry, journalist Rose George travelling to Alton Towers to experience the theme park's famed Nemesis coaster and over to Switzerland (the offices are in “…Monthey, a small, less than beautiful city on a plain between dramatic Alps and more dramatic Alps”) to meet Walter Bolliger of Bolliger & Mabillard ...

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Tuesday, June 03, 2008 Focusing on Families Hi. It’s Will again. I said I’d try to share the benefits of what I’ve learned through a life lived in and around a theme park, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari. I’d like to kick off with a lesson I learned nearly 20 years ago about focus. Twenty years ago (OK, 25 if you’re keeping track), we were a smaller family park called Santa Claus Land. ...View more

Thursday, March 20, 2008 Amusement parks: New Coaster set to Rumble at Universal Studios Orlando in '09 Universal Studios Orlando this week announced that its "Project Rumble" will in fact be a dazzling new hi-tech coaster which will sweep over the heads of the crowds in the Citywalk entertainment district and will wow riders with high tech wizardry, appealing to the "You Tube Culture."
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