Robert (Bob) Masterson will step down as president of Ripley Entertainment on December 31, 2007, and will assume the position of chairman of the board. Jim Pattison Jnr, who has been with the company since 1990, will take over the role of president.

Andreas Veilstrup Andersen (pictured) is to take up the role of executive director in Europe for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). Currently serving as chief operating officer of Tivoli in Copenhagen, he will leave the famous Danish park after working through a transition period.

If it only rains one day per week, that’s considered a good week for business at an amusement park. It’s also good for a trade show. That’s what the weather was like from November 13 to 18 in Atlanta when the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) held its annual Attractions Expo, its 88th convention and trade show. Paul Ruben and Owen Ralph report from the Georgia World Congress Center.

Food and beverage can be a valuable source of secondary income for parks and attractions. Alternatively they can help drive attendance – if (whisper this) you give it away for free. That’s what Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Indiana, USA, has been doing since 2000 with its beverages: Offering guests free unlimited soft drinks all day.

L&T Systems from Italy was due to complete a new family coaster at an island sea resort in Vietnam before Christmas. Then, in the new year, it will deliver a couple of junior coasters, to customers in France and Italy respectively.

Italian ride manufacturer IE Park has already sold at least three of the rides it acquired from the now defunct Japanese amusement park Portopialand.

For over 20 years, Advanced Animations has provided animatronic figures and characters to the theme park, casino, museum and retail industries but now it has added a new twist to its offering …digital animation.

A new space, science and technology theme park is planned for the city of Shenyang, North East China. The US$330 million, project has been given the green light following a market and feasibility study by KPMG.

NBGS International, the Texas-based waterpark design and manufacturing firm, has licensed WaterPark Experts Inc to market, sell and manufacture the well-known NBGS line of themed module slides and Aqua Toys, including Li’l Squirts and Floatables water elements.

Despite concentrating much of its efforts on 4D theatres in the past 12 months, UK supplier Simworx has actually enjoyed great success recently with its range of Morphis Simulators.

Tests were due to take place in December on a new ride at the factory of KMG in Holland. Named the Twistec, it a 'skateboard' type attraction and will be delivered soon to the Dutch showman Otten.

Bertazzon is to offer its range of sporty Adidas-branded ‘Predator’ bumper cars to a select range of parks following an agreement with Europa-Park and the German sportswear brand.

Discovering the origins of the outdoor amusement industry is fascinating. So on a crisp November day I visited Reading, Pennsylvania, to discover the site of the Mount Penn Gravity Railroad that operated from 1890 through to 1923. It is a predecessor to modern rollercoasters.

Following the sale of Mirabilandia to the Spanish Parques Reunidos group earlier this year, Italy’s “other” big amusement park has been sold to Merlin Entertainments.

The first Legoland Discovery Centre, a new slimmed-down half-day visit version of the park will open this coming Easter at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. Fitting a similar model to other Merlin brands such as Sea Life and Dungeons, it will include a Miniland recreation of Berlin, a 4D cinema, factory tour, retail and play areas.

The world’s largest indoor theme park is promised as part of a new mixed-use development in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Hollywood Adventures park will form part of the wider Emirates Spirit integrated community being developed by Hydra Properties of Dubai.

European holiday village operator Center Parcs is to open an “experimental” new venue one hour north east of Paris in 2007, according to creative director Michel Linot-Frion.

Palace Entertainment, the largest owner-operator of water parks in the U.S., has purchased the right to operate Waterworld USA in Sacramento, California, from Six Flags. Renamed Raging Waters Sacramento, it will open in May 2007. Palace will run the park until 2015, with an option to extend the contract to 2025. The waterpark sits on property owned by Cal Expo.

Noting that there currently no other manufacturers building portable flume rides, the Fabbri Group is to begin production of such a ride at its Italian premises – and here’s the log to prove it. The company has already secured orders from two travelling customers, and will also make a version suitable for parks.

Will Koch, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, USA:

We feel as if we’ve done much of what we can do to make our rides and operations as safe as possible. What remains is the rider behaviour.

KumbaK Coasters has received a contract from Port Aventura, Salou, Spain, to upgrade two wooden rollercoasters. The rides, Stampida, a twin track racing coaster, and Tomahawk, a junior coaster, originally opened in 1997.

Intamin will deliver nine new rollercoasters around the world in 2007. ZacSpin, the Swiss suplier’s first Ball Coaster installation, will go into operation to Linnanmäki, Helsinki, Finland, with a second for Terra Mitica, Benidorm, Spain.

Austrian film director Andreas Kornprobst of Explore 5D and KumbaK Coasters’ David Vatcher met in 2003 and have been working since 2004 developing new ride concepts.

Explore 5D, KumbaK Coasters and Bosch-Rexroth have teamed to further develop the Flyboard 5D new generation motion-base simulator.

Apologies to all at Aqualandia, Jesolo Lido near Venice, Italy. Last issue we featured a full page report on the waterpark’s new Funny Land children’s area designed by Ozlab Fun Lab, but incorrectly attributed it to Aqualandia in Benidorm, Spain.

A new spinning coaster from Mack Rides, combining the single axle of the German manufacturer’s Youngstar train with the spinning cars of its Euro Mir coaster, will be delivered to Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, for 2007.

Bosch Rexroth, of Holland, has been awarded the contract to supply the complete drive and control system for the world’s latest largest Ferris Wheel.

The first Suspended Family Coaster (SFC) from Vekoma Rides Manufacturing to feature the Dutch supplier’s improved seating will debut at Movie Park, Bottrop, Germany, on a ride with a 965ft layout. Vekoma has made the seats so that they can accommadate smaller children: Riders as short as 1.0-metre can safely ride.

According to Gary Goddard of Gary Goddard Entertainment, his company has contracted for a major project in Nanjing, China. It will be a destination resort with a theme park, three to five hotels, a conference centre, major retail outlets, and associated amenities.

Over a 10-year period, billions of dollars will be invested in this project. “We created the overall concept and masterplan,” explains Goddard, “and will follow through until the project is realised.”

Visitors to Australia’s Sea World throughout December and January will be able to enjoy previously unseen views of the local Broadwater surroundings thanks to a new observation wheel attraction.

It’s official: Leading UK park Blackpool Pleasure Beach is to open a Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC) as its major new attraction for 2007.

The Vekoma-built ride (pictured) features 2,200ft of twisting steel track and comprises five loops and rolls.

Europa-Park, near Freiburg, Germany, will introduce a Mack interactive dark ride in March 2007, in the Greek area of the park. A special challenge for Mack Rides was to provide high capacity for this popular park, also owned by the Mack family.

Roger Houben of 3DBA reckons he has found another concept that, like the 3D/4D theatre, can compete with a major rollercoaster for marketing potential.

Costume character and show production company Rainbow Productions, from London, recently joined forces with Mat Lawrence of prop maker Matfx, allowing it to offer an even more comprehensive package of services for live events.

Sally Corporation is busy designing and building a most unusual attraction for Astrid Lindgren Varld, Vimmerby, Sweden. Vi På Saltkråkan is a salute to the country’s favourite children’s author.

Though famous for the tales of Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren also devised a popular television series centring on a family of eccentric characters who spent their holidays on Såltkråkan (Sea Crow Island).

ETF Rides Systems will this coming season supply a trackless ride system to a new themed dark ride at Astrid Lindgreen Varld in Sweden, devised and themed by Sally. News of three more upcoming projects from ETF will be announced soon.

S&S Power has unveiled three new concepts for water rides. The first, Huckleberry Splash, is an affordable raft ride that lifts 12 riders up to 24ft in the air then drops them into a pool of water, sending geysers of water through the raft and onto the riders. One Huckleberry Splash has already been sold in North America, and other sales are pending.

People-moving specialist Severn-Lamb UK is currently working on a number of train projects – both on and off tracks. A Texan rail train, for example, is being built for a new park in China. The diesel hydraulic engine will run on 24” gauge track and pull four coaches, each seating 21 passengers. A custom colour scheme has been chosen by the client, Forest Park.

Falcon Entertainment, the Scottish stunt show specialist, is to bring a new production of its popular Sky Pirates high dive show to Hellendoorn in Holland for 2007.

A new amusement ride manufacturers’ collective has been formed in Italy, uniting 10 suppliers from the Veneto region. Marco Polo Amusements Specialists aims to promote and gain state support for its members for participation in trade shows and other activities. There are also plans to open a showroom for member companies’ products in China.

Italian manufacturing group SBF/Visa has plenty of new rides and ideas planned for the winter. The Tower Swing is the company’s answer to the popular wave swinger/tower ride concept pioneered in Austria. Featuring a more modest tower height, SBF/Visa’s ride is available both as a park and travelling model. The first unit, a trailer-mounted version 18-metres high, has been sold to a European showman.

Colourful character Stuart Keane is back at Elton Games, the company he founded over 30 years ago as Kentucky Derby, as a non executive chairman.

Industry veteran Tony Rossi, of Wildwood, New Jersey, has purchased International Rides Management (IRM) and Performance Rides International (PRI) from owner Steve Elliot.

Bear Rides of Switzerland is supplying what the company’s Peter Ziegler reckons is “probably the longest flume ride in the world” to a new park in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.

Huss Park Attractions has announced the sale of a Giant Frisbee to the Chimelong Paradise park in Guangzhou, China. The ride will open in 2007.

Zierer fis currently readying several projects worldwide. Nautilus, a reconfigured version of the popular One Fish Two Fish at Islands of Adventure, is being built for Tivoli in Copenhagen.

Gerstlauer of Germany has revealed new layouts for a compact Eurofighter coaster and a launched family coaster.

Pax Design of Moscow is tofinally realise its dream of completing a Panoramic Wheel with restaurant gondolas. The hubless ride will be built to a unique design and tower 45-metres tall in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The new Hydro Lift from Zamperla is being offered as the next generation of family water rides. A channel and a raft from the ride, as well as a model, were shown at IAAPA in Atlanta.

The Pirates’ Hideaway is a new family attraction from Wisdom Industries now appearing at New Jersey’s Casino Pier. According to Wisdom’s Steve Cohen, it is a recreation of a Mack coaster built over 50 years ago, combining elements of a rollercoaster and dark ride.

Technical Park is to start production of compact coasters. The Italian company announced plans last year for a ‘Baby Aviator’ kiddie/family coaster and now intends also to build a family ride called the Rock ‘n’ Roll Coaster.

Riders experience a greater acceleration of heart rate before they sample a thrill ride than when they actually ride it. That was one of the facts uncovered when amusement rides and the science of thrill came under scrutiny recently at the Science Museum in London.

Wild West World, opening April in Park City, Kansas, has purchased a CP Huntington Train and a 26ft carousel from Chance Morgan, one of several that will be delivered in 2007. At the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Atlanta, an unidentified buyer purchased a 50-ft custom carousel, while HQ Entertainment will take five 36ft double-decker carousels destined for various shopping centres, and five 28ft carousels were sold to Grupo Acoste in Mexico, also for shopping centres.

At the Rides-4-U booth recently in Atlanta, one of the largest at the IAAPA Attractions Expo, Len Soled was smiling as the show concluded. “We sold our entire display". ”Among the sales finalised, Dallas Jones of Beech Bend Park, Bowling Green, Kentucky, bought the Moser Rides’ 12-metre Spring Ride with water effects. Cliff’s Amusement Park of Albuquerque, New Mexico, purchased the SBF Dog Ride, with a second purchased by Fantasy Island, Long Beach, New Jersey.

Pandeep Sharma has been in business in India for 25 years, both as an operator and a supplier to the amusement industry. Originally from Delhi, he is now based near the Indian capital where he heads up the company Bombay Amusement Rides Private Limited (BARPL).

A fresh idea, Airballs is a fun new attraction from Dutch company Skytrack that lets ‘players’ ride an oversized game of pinball.

Using a unique transport system, riders glide through the attraction seated on pockets of air.

People moving specialist Dotto Trains has launched a new electric-powered version of its popular Muson River land train. Developed principally for city centre applications, where engine noise can sometimes be an issue, the train is pollution free.

Italian manufacturer IE Park is now marketing a motorcyle-themed bumper car in its Soli range. Operators have been trying out small fleets of the vehicle on their tracks alongside standard bumper cars, and this has been proving popular with guests.

Spider Web is a new and challenging interactive climbing device for children. Four feet in diameter and available in custom heights from 12 to 33ft, it accommodates up to 35 children at any one time, who climb through a series of webbing.

The Cannonball is the centrepiece to an exciting kinetic challenge where a ball track takes hundreds of balls to many different interactive stations in which participants pull levers, yank ropes and crank wheels to direct the balls into an assortment of tracks causing a variety of water effects.

Bob’s Space Racers has introduced Water Blast, a new redemption game employing the BSR Prize Lift System. Designed for easy operation and service, it is rust resistant with a low maintenance water system and a coin-operated ticket payout.

Bob Rogers founded BRC Imagination Arts in 1981. Based in the creative hotbed of Burbank, California, the company is a leader in the design, creation and production of experience-based attractions. Its projects can be found in venues worldwide – everywhere from Disney and Universal Studios to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Empire State Building. The TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) has just announced that Bob Rogers will be the recipient of its THEA Lifetime Achievement Award for 2007. Although BRC has picked up 11 THEA awards before, this is the first time Bob has been recognised as an individual, as usually the TEA awards projects not people. With the latest honour, he joins an elite group that includes “Buzz” Price, Marty Sklar, John Hench and Yves Pépin. Here the CEO of BRC Imagination Arts talks to Park World and explains how good story-telling can take audiences to another place – including Mars.

Konge Parken (King Park), Stavanger, Norway, first opened on May 3, 1986. We say “first opened” because it has opened and closed a number of times in its 20-year history. But at last its present owners, the Lund family, are making a go of it. David Wallis visits the home of the bear.

Dutch ride builder Mondial is known for its range of solid, well-engineered flat rides and Ferris wheels. An established player in the world of travelling fairs and carnivals, the company also has a loyal following from a select group of parks. Park World visits Mondial’s premises to discover why there’s more to this manufacturer than many may realise.

Water leisure and development professionals gathered for the 26th Annual Symposium and Trade Show of the World Waterpark Association (WWA) from October 18 to 22 at the Coronado Springs Resort in Walt Disney World, Florida. A rich education programme plus access to world-class suppliers and industry experts attracted 1,949 registrants – a whopping 22 per cent rise from last year. Paul Ruben reports.

One of the liveliest sessions at this year’s WWA Symposium was the Large Park Debate, where one of the topics discussed was how to get guests to conform to the requirement that they must wear a bathing suit in the waterpark.

One of the big award winners at this year’s WWA Symposium was Sandcastle Waterworld in Blackpool, England (pictured right). The indoor waterpark picked up the Executive Board Award for special accomplishment in recognition of its recent redevelopment.

Last year it was all about making a statement, this year it had to prove its worth as a viable trade show. The second edition of Technofolies, the Italian exhibition supported by many of the region’s ride manufacturers, returned to the Fiera di Genova exhibition centre in Genoa from October 26 to 28. Visitor numbers were up by over eight per cent (3,800 Vs 3,500), but what was the show like inside? Owen Ralph reports.

ANCASVI president/chairman Michele Bertazzon explains why Technoflies is still important to the Italian manufacturers.

For a second year, Genoa hosted a gala evening for the amusement industry as the fourth Golden Pony Awards were presented during an enjoyable Friday night fixture for more than 230 attendees at the Technofolies trade show.

Those grumbling about Atlanta as a choice of venue in 2005/6 will no doubt be relieved to see the IAAPA Attractions Expo return to Orlando next year, but looking further ahead there is an equally exciting prospect on the cards for 2009: Las Vegas.

The Euro Attractions Show (EAS) moves to Southern Europe for the first time at the end of January, visiting the attractive Spanish city of Seville. Park World looks ahead to three important days for the amusement industry in Andalucia.

Here’s just a few highlights:

What I called “leisurised retailing” in the early 1980s and Disney called “merchantainment” is alive and well inside Downtown Disney at Florida’s Walt Disney World as part of a new Pirates of the Caribbean themed merchandising display.