Operational management and strategic direction of the new Suzanne Mubarak Family Park in Cairo is to be handled by the ProFun Management Group. The California-based company has formed a local operation, ProFun Egypt Ltd, to work with the Heliopolis Association to open and manage the new park.
The park takes its name from Egypt’s First Lady and is currently under construction in an area of the city designated as “new Cairo” where it will be surrounded by a massive new residential and business community. Located 20 minutes north of Cairo International Airport, it is described as the first attraction of its kind to fully combines museum-quality educational experiences with family entertainment in a 28-hecatre “theme park garden setting.”
As well as rides and live shows, other attractions at the Suzanne Mubarak Family Park will include Egypt’s largest open air aviary and a spacious state of the art 3D Theatre, plus a variety of casual, themed and fine dining experiences. The park is due to open in mid-2010 and will be used year around.
“The new park, or edutainment centre as it is currently referred to, is being overseen by Her Excellency Suzanne Mubarak and she is very active in all phases of the project activities,” reveals ProFun president and CEO, David H Schmitt. “Within just two weeks from our selection we had our initial operations and management team on the ground in Cairo to work on the final phases of the park’s construction and organize pre-opening activities.”
The Heliopolis Association of Egypt chose ProFun after a worldwide search for a management and operations group for this very high profile project. The group’s other current projects include the upcoming Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi.
Experienced attractions industry executive Mike Patrick will serve as ProFun Egypt’s executive project director and manage the park’s on-site day-to-day pre-opening tasks as well as staffing and operations requirements. Patrick’s background includes executive and operating experience with Busch Entertainment and the Orlando Science Center, as well as running his own leisure management consulting group working on projects worldwide.
