A former aviation engineer (as indeed are many of senior members of RAAPA - the Russian Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions), Dmitri Vlasov decided to enter the amusement industry in 2002 following two years of research. Gerry Robinson met up with him at April's RAAPA Show in Moscow.

A third “experience conference” for attractions operators will be hosted by Vision XS in Oxford, England, at the beginning of July.

A new skateboard ride has hit the market, this time courtesy of Dutch manufacturer KMG.

Dollywood’s new steel coaster, Mystery Mine, is now thrilling guests at the Tennessee park following a mid-May opening.

Hong Kong’s Ocean Park has surpassed its previous attendance record of 4.38 million. On May 2, just 10 months and 2 days into its current fiscal year, the park welcomed its 4.5 millionth guest.

Historic Conneaut Lake Park in Western Pennsylvania won't open this season because it doesn't have money.

Jim Seay (pictured), president and owner of Premier Rides Inc, joined renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking recently in experiencing “weightlessness” in a plane flight operated by the Zero Gravity Corp in Florida.

USKOR & Associates, a Korean company, has signed an Exclusive Option Agreement (EOA) with Universal Parks & Resorts (UPR) to establish a Universal Studios theme park in South Korea.

The major exhibition of its kind for the Middle East, Dubai Entertainment, Amusement & Leisure – DEAL – took place from April 22 to 24. Owen Ralph reports from exhibition halls 1 and 2 of the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Industry professionals that have always found the TiLE conference a little too long to justify at this time of the year will be encouraged to learn that the 2007 event, in Northern Italy, has been condensed into just two and a half days. We’ll see you there!

American cowboy spirit is a richly ingrained tradition in Kansas, and now Thomas and Cheryl Etheredge, developers of new park Wild West World, want to bring the values of kindness, generosity, and bravery to a new generation of families. Paul Ruben saddles up and gets on down to Wichita.

When it lost is Warner Brother franchise in 2005, Movie Park in Germany was forced to find new intellectual property licences that resonate with its guests. Now it’s got some, and park management claim they are in a stronger position than ever without the shackles of being tied to a single brand. Nickland, a new children’s area themed around various Nickelodeon cartoon characters, is one of two rejuvenated areas of Movie Park that have opened for 2007. Park World meets SpongeBob and friends.

The Gulliver’s family theme park group from England has opened its fourth park, and thrown the rulebook out of the window …for recycling. Owen Ralph unearths a new entertainment concept in Milton Keynes.

Randal H (Randy) Drew has managed a variety of park portfolios across the United States. The creator of Alfa SmartParks is now back in the business with a passion as president and CEO of PARC Management, based in Jacksonville, Florida. Together with Michael A Jenkins, he recently completed the purchase of seven parks from Six Flags Inc including Darien Lake, New York; Elitch Gardens, Colorado; Frontier City & White Water Bay, Oklahoma; Splashtown, Houston, Texas; Waterworld, California; and Wild Waves & Enchanted Village, Washington. Here Randy takes time to talk to Park World.

The importance of intellectual property rights (IPR) in India is well established at all levels: Statutory, administrative and judicial.

We’ve profiled several successful and not so successful examples of merchandising in these columns over the past few months. Now I’d like to offer a more global and critical analysis some of the mechanisms used when it comes to retailing within venues.

In the Western United States during the late 1800s, cattle were driven to market along the old Chisholm Trail. The trail stretched from Southern Texas northward to Abilene, Wichita, and eventually to Newton, Kansas, where they were shipped eastward. The adventure-packed life of a cowboy always appealed to me, so just last month I decided to trace part of the Chisholm Trail.

Russian ride supplier Pax Design is to equip a complete park in Egypt. Located in coastal resort of Hurghada, the new medium sized facility will open 2008 or 2009 and is being developed by Russian owners. ”Lots of cities want a park,” notes Anna Novikova of Pax’s international department.

Following the success of two events in Europe, the World Waterpark Association (WWA) is to further reach out to its international membership by staging a symposium next year in Dubai. The exact timing has yet to be agreed upon, but WWA president Rick Root concedes dates immediately before or after the DEAL trade show may attract a better attendance.

Bombay Amusement Rides (BARPL) has been contracted to supply a 70-metre Ferris Wheel to the Khaled A Al-Rajhi group in Saudi Arabia. The Indian manufacturer, which has its own production facilities in Mumbai, is in talks with established manufacturers from Europe about a possible design.

NASA’s Visitor Complex at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, has introduced Shuttle Launch Experience. This authentic $60 million launch simulation was due to open May 25, taking visitors on their own Space Shuttle voyage to Earth’s orbit.

After being closed for five years, Ghost Town In The Sky, one of the first family theme parks in North Carolina, celebrated its re-opening May 25.

Gary Goddard's reputation as an innovator of themed attractions and destinations began in 1981 when he created Monster Plantation, an elaborate dark ride at Six Flags Over Georgia.

Located on the Spanish island of Mallorca, The House of Katmandu is a new attraction in the heart of Magalluf, just yards from the beach.

Work has started on a second Terra Natura park in Spain.

If it’s hot outside, then it seems developers can’t wait to build a ski slope inside. Dubai already has one, Las Vegas is getting one and now Bearfire Resorts has announced plans to build a winter-themed entertainment destination in Texas, but unlike the other two this will also feature an outdoor component.

Penguins at SeaWorld Orlando are being encouraged to watch their weight. The black and white birds from the Florida marine park stood eagerly in line to get on the scales recently.

Bombay Amusement Rides (BARPL) has been appointed a service partner for Huss Park Attractions across the Indian subcontinent. BARPL is not, however, a sales agent for Huss.

This is a picture of the new Nautilus ride at Tivoli in Copenhagen. Similar to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish at Universal's Islands of Adventure and was supplied by Zierer, which has installed a number of rides over the years at Tivoli.

A selection of parks and other attractions will this season treat their guests to a condensed version of the new 3D feature film Fly Me To The Moon – ahead of the production’s full release in movie theatres this coming winter.

Universal Studios Hollywood has opened a new walk-through attraction called Universal’s House of Horrors, featuring many fearsome familiar faces from the Studios’ 80-year horror film legacy.

Guests at Linnanmäki in Finland are bracing themselves for foggy conditions this summer.

Dickens World, which was due to open May 25, is a brand new visitor complex themed around the life, times and printed works of one of Britain’s best loved authors, Charles Dickens.

Set inside a giant barn, Silver Dollar City’s new Giant Swing is a fully-themed attraction fitting in with the Branson, Missouri, park’s 1880s era setting. The ride was supplied by S&S Power.

Explore 5D of Austria and KumbaK Coasters from the Netherlands have revealed that a second new generation motion simulator will open in 2008, with a third planned for 2009.

One of Blackpool’s classic rides is up and running one again and looking better than ever following a reported £750,000 renovation.

Italian bumper car specialist C&S has been enjoying recent success with its new Brio bumper car and had already secured some orders for 2008.

Mike Chance, Chance Morgan: It can be. It has both advantages and disadvantages. It can cut down on our selling expenses, having fewer customers to deal with and relationships to maintain. The disadvantage is that their increased buying power gives them a better negotiating position. More importantly, when a big corporation’s capital budget gets cut, as it occasionally does, it has a more dramatic effect on our business.

Now in its ninth year, the RAAPA Show in Moscow continues as one of Europe's most successful industry trade shows, recording a 7% attendance leap to around 6,500 visitors over the three days (April 12 to 14). Gerry Robinson reports.

Kennywood Entertainment of Pennsylvania is purchasing Story Land in Glen, New Hampshire, from the family-owned Morrell Corporation. The sale is expected to be completed in June.

The Gulliver’s family theme park group from England has opened a new park in Milton Keynes. Eco-Park is a second gate to the city’s existing Gulliver’s park, but a totally new concept.

Movie Park, Bottrop, Germany, has opened the second of two new areas for 2007. Santa Monica Pier replaces the park’s old Cop Car Chase rollercoaster with five fresh attractions in a relaxed new setting.

Mexico’s first triple-loop rollercoaster has opened at La Feria de Chapultpec Magico in Mexico City.

Two European trade shows organisers have decided to work together to make the exhibition landscape a little clearer for amusement industry professionals.

The global TV cartoon franchise The Simpsons will be immortalised in the theme park form for the first time next season when Universal Studios in both Hollywood and Orlando adds a new ride featuring the characters Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson.

British amusement parks have been criticised for offering poor value by the Consumer’s Association in the latest issue of its Holiday Which? Magazine.

While some of you might still wonder what the hell Web 2.0 is, others may think it is a passing fad, or that it belongs to a distant digital world, something for the kids to worry about. But of course, the kids are often your customers, so it shouldn’t be ignored. In fact, warns Limor Schafman, Web 2.0 is having an impact on real world locations like theme parks, FECs and museums and it’s developing all the time. Here she explains how to use the technology to your advantage.

The Middle East’s largest proposed theme park development has secured the involvement of one of the world’s leading themed entertainment brands in a move that signals to the outside world the ambitions of this multi-billion development.