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Europa-Park plans Iceland expansion
After celebrating the best season in its 34-year history, Europa-Park near Freiburg in Germany is to expand its Iceland area for 2010.
What is 5D?
Is 5D just a marketing gag? That’s how some perceive it. Others argue that adding movement to 4D effects and 3D film does the trick. Here Dr Gerhard Frank attempts to settle the debate once and for all. Read on, then have your say here...
Vertical Bike
Action Innovators is a new Dutch company that aims to offer a range of challenge-based attractions. One of its first products is the Vertical Bike, in which riders pedal to reach the top of a 12-metre tower.
Alien Idol
TV talent shows such as X Factor and American Idol are well known for throwing up their fair share of crazy characters, but a new attraction from Germany’s Clostermann Design boasts a judging panel from another planet.
Flower Carousel
Built by ex-Mack Rides salesman Oliver Pierling, this attractive Blumen Karussell (Flower Carousel) offers garden-themed fun for park guests aged 3 and up.
Magic Tree
This interactive kids’ ride from Gosetto of Italy features a 7-metre diameter platform that rotates around a fixed tree in the centre. The 12 cars, themed as nutshells, seat two children or one adult each.
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters
When it comes to wooden coasters, the use of trains from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is pervasive. Although eight companies supply trains for wood coasters, nearly two-thirds are from PTC. Why? Since 1904 PTC has made the quality of its products top priority. Paul Ruben pays a factory visit.
Turbo Drachen
ABC Engineering recently unveiled its latest coaster concept at Potts Park in Germany. Turbo Drachen (Turbo Dragon) is the Swiss manufacturer’s first Dynamic Flyer, and the suspense has been building all season for Potts’ guests.
Mumbo Jumbo
Supplied by S&S Worldwide, Mumbo Jumbo is Flamingo Land’s new record-breaking rollercoaster, and the first of its kind in Europe. The original opened last year at Indiana Beach in America, but by tweaking the angle – from 120 to 121 degrees – the British park has been able to bag the bragging rights for world’s steepest drop. Here Flamingo Land CEO Gordon Gibb explains why Mumbo Jumbo makes sense.
Toy Story Mania!
Since last season, guests at both Disney resorts in the United States have been able to enjoy an attraction that blurs the boundaries between dark ride and midway game. Toy Story Mania! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim raises the bar for interactive rides. Park World talks exclusively to one of the Imagineers who helped create it.
Tjeko Fun Village
A new kind of amusement park in being planned in Uganda, to give children a much-needed break from their daily routine. Ferdi van den Bergh explains his vision for Africa’s first “social profit fun park.”
Will Morey elected IAAPA third vice-chair
Will Morey of Morey’s Piers in New Jersey (pictured) has been elected IAAPA’s new third vice-chairman. He will move through the positions of third, second and first vice-chairman before leading the association as its chairman in 2013.
Chip Cleary
James (Chip) Cleary, 58, is the incoming chairman of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). Born in New York City, he serves as senior vice-president of Palace Entertainment, a division of Parques Reunidos. Chip took time recently to talk to Park World about his vision for IAAPA.
Brand building and asset protection
Amusement venues and their suppliers provide a unique form of entertainment. As with many businesses, when aspects of the offering are lucrative, they may be worthy of protection so they cannot be duplicated and used by those with inferior products or services. Heather M Eichenbaum Esq and Timothy J Szuhaj Esq explain how amusement venues can protect their value assets.
Kernels - November 2009
Leading Russian ride manufacturer Pax Company is to install a new rollercoaster at its park in the grounds of the All Russia Exhibition Centre (VVTs) in Moscow. The looping Cobra ride will replace an earlier Astro Pax coaster and appear alongside the park’s Panoramic Wheel, also by Pax. “It’s a good venue for us,” says the company’s Anna Novikova.
Gosetto has built a double-deck suspended-car Ghost Train for Freij Entertainment in Dubai. The ride was due to be delivered at the end of October and follows a similar blueprint to an attraction already travelling in Holland, but with an additional section on the top floor where the cars travel outside. The effects inside the ride were also supplied by Gosetto.
Australia’s largest theme park operator, Village Roadshow Limited (VRL), has shelved plans to transform Aussie World in Queensland. "VRL considers that when compared with other opportunities available, the potential returns do not justify the level of investment for the world-class waterpark which would be required to deliver a significant destination site," a company spokesperson said. A conditional agreement was signed last year giving VRL option to purchase the land and business from Aussie World. (www.themeparknewsdirect.com)
Visibile Management
There are many things that contribute to the success of a leisure attraction – design, marketing, maintenance, safety, finance, food, beverage and retail. However, the most important factor in making sure all of these items function at peak is visible management.
Just Horsin' Around
This was to be my big Park Hoppin' adventure of the year, eight days visiting parks and attractions in middle America. It was a glorious part of my 52-week summer vacation, which is what this job feels like.
29th WWA Symposium
Despite a difficult season, in which many operators faced one of the coolest summers on record, the 29th Annual World Waterpark Association Symposium & Trade Show was deemed a success according to organisers.
Middle East Attractions Forum
Taking place this coming February at the Dubai Marine Hotel, the Middle East Attractions Forum (MEAF) is a new conference-based event from Trade Shows International (TSI).
Lulu talks back at Sea Life
Guests at Sea Life in Brighton, England, can now talk to resident turtle Lulu – and watch her talk back – in an interactive new attraction courtesy of Animalive.
‘6D’ arrives in Romania
After months of research and development, Kraftwerk’s first Moovid6D mobile theatre has finally opened it doors. The grand opening took place this summer as the attraction debuted inside the Liberty Center in Bucharest, Romania.
Record order for Severn Lamb UK
Severn Lamb recently secured the largest order in its 61-year history. The UK-based supplier of people-moving products is getting ready to ship the first of five ‘Lincoln’ rail trains (pictured) to an eco-resort in South Korea.
Simworx goes to Drievliet
Guests have been queuing up to see Curse of Skullrock at Drievliet in Holland. The film plays inside a 4D effects theatre from Simworx, housed inside an old Cine 180 dome rethemed by Jora Vision.
Demon Drop moves west
Knotts Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, will be replacing its S&S Screamin’ Swing ride next season with the former Demon Drop from Cedar Point in Ohio.
Zamperla starts Water Fight
Zamperla is the latest manufacturer to offer its customers an interactive water ride. The new Water Fight is available in a variety of themes and configurations with either an underwater pump or cable drive system.
KumbaK makes comeback!
KumbaK appeared at its first trade show in several years when it exhibited at the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) in Amsterdam from September 30 to October 2. There on its prominent stand were three coaster trains, each of which should keep the Dutch amusement engineers busy in the months to come.
Ocean Express serves Ocean Park guests
Guests at Ocean Park in Hong Kong no longer have to take a daredevil cable car ride to get from one side of the park to the other. The new Ocean Express funicular transportation system has opened as part of the park’s ongoing HK$5.55 billion Master Redevelopment Project (MRP), linking the Waterfront and Summit areas in just three minutes.
Technical Park's interactive jet set
Aqua Show family park in Portugal will next season unveil a Baby Aviator ride (as pictured above) courtesy of Technical Park. The attraction will be a park version of a suspended coaster already travelling in Italy, but feature a new twist: water guns in the planes and on the ground.
Solid order book for KMG
Capacity is booked through until September 2010 for the innovative Dutch ride manufacturer KMG. This winter it will build two new XXL rides (as pictured below) for showmen in Switzerland and Belgium.
Chance get busy
Chance Rides team has been busy in 2009 with many international and domestic projects. For example, Innovative Film City in India, and E-Da World, Taiwan, both installed 36ft Double Decker Carousels and Israel’s Tel Aviv Luna Park purchased a CP Huntington Train.
New rides from Amusement Technical
The British ride manufacturer Amusement Technical is working on a number of new products including a mid-size panoramic observation tower, available up to 40-metres in height, a 20-metre Ferris Wheel, monorail and dark ride transportation system.
Vekoma SLC for La Ronde
La Ronde, Montreal, Canada, will add a new Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC) for the 2010 season. Half of the twisting 2,261ft course will be over water.
EnterTRAINment Junction – one year on
The first 12 months of business have been positive for EnterTRAINment Junction in West Chester, Ohio. The world’s only train-themed family entertainment centre (FEC) was built at a cost of $10 million (€6.8m) and covers 80,000 sq ft, including one of the world’s largest indoor model train displays, a children’s interactive play area, American Railroading Museum, event centre and seasonal themed maze.
New Disneyland president in California
George Kalogridis (pictured), a 38-year Disney veteran, has been named president of Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California. For the past three years he served as the chief operating officer for Disneyland Paris.
Season Snapshot 2009
How was business this season at your park or attraction? Let us know, then read on for reports from venues on three continents, starting with Tivoli in Copenhagen.
How's business been this season?
Alain Trouvé, Compagnie des Alpes (pictured): It was a good season, attendance was up across our parks, and so were per caps. The French stayed in France, the Dutch stayed in Holland, the Belgians in Belgium, and so on. This was good for our local parks. If we look at Disney though, they had problems because their guests have to travel much further. For Compagnie des Alpes as a whole, it was a double success. The ski resorts did well because they got a lot of snow, and then it was good for the leisure parks too. So we can invest!
Ring°Werk
After a soft launch this summer during the German Grand Prix, Ring°Werk is now up and running in Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Germany. This motorsport-themed facility is located inside a purpose built 15,000 square-metre building next to the Nürburgring racetrack.
Legoland Discovery Centre Texas
Merlin Entertainments is to continue its aggressive growth plan with the opening in March 2011 of a Legoland Discovery Centre (LDC) at the Grapevine Mills shopping mall in Grapevine, Texas.
Tivoli plans Petzi World
After opening a teen-friendly interactive ride in 2009 (Insane), Tivoli is to extend an olive branch to families when it unveils a new children’s area in 2010. Petzi’s World will open next summer and be based around the Danish cartoon character of the same name.
Castle of Chaos
Haunted attractions are big business in the United States but this Halloween visitors to Branson, Missouri, were able to experience the next generation of haunted house. Park World peeks inside Castle of Chaos, the world's first "5D" haunted attraction.
Knoebels Flying Turns - ready when it's done
The million-dollar question at Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pennsylvania, is "When is the Flying Turns going to open?" The answer, according to Dick Knoebel, is "When it's done.” Park World gets a progress report.
Bitter victory for Paultons
Paultons Park in Hampshire, England, has been officially recognised as an amusement park after submitting planning application to change its status from a county park. However a separate, retrospective planning application for two rides has been turned down by the New Forest National Park Authority.
Swiss Ride for Swiss Pavilion
Swiss Rides has landed a prestigious contract to supply a chair ride for the Swiss Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The ride will start inside the building, then travel outside across a grass-covered roof and back down via a spiral. Hourly capacity if predicted at 1,500 using pairs of six-seater ride vehicles like the one pictured here.
EAS Amsterdam
After the bizarre situation in 2008, when Euro Attractions Show took place twice, the event settled into its new fall (autumn) schedule as it appeared inside the Europa Hall of Amsterdam RAI exhibition centre from September 30 to October 2. Owen Ralph reports from IAAPA’s biggest and busiest yet exhibition for the European attractions industry.
IALEI-IAAPA deal complete
The International Association for the Leisure and Entertainment Industry (IALEI) is about to become history. Officials from the family entertainment centre (FEC) trade body have confirmed that all the required approvals are in place as they prepare to dissolve IALEI and merge its membership into IAAPA (the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions).
Blackstone buys Busch Entertainment
As strongly predicted, Belgium’s Anheuser-Busch InBev has agreed to sell Busch Entertainment to Blackstone Capital Partners.
Cypress Gardens closes (for the third time)
Cypress Gardens and Splash Island Water Park, Winter Haven, Florida, abruptly closed on September 23, leaving in doubt the future of an attraction that has lured visitors since 1936.
Six Flags Over Georgia – and under water
The flooding in the state of Georgia during late September has made for many remarkable photos. Digital Globe, a satellite imaging company, has released this photo of the flooding around the Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park in Atlanta.
