NewsParcs is an online trade publication dedicated to theme park industry professionals worldwide.
Since 1998, we work in direct contact with manufacturers, suppliers, consultants, owners and operators to publish only reliable and relevant information.
NewsParcs will do a full coverage of the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2013 in Orlando to have a look at the latest trends and developments of the global theme park industry.
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Our Theme Park Supplier's News of the Week is a round-up of the latest news relative to companies supplying the theme park industry around the world.
This weekly report covers topics such as corporate announcements, financial news, contracts won, new products or services available on the market, projects completed or important appointments. Read our previous issues for more news.
The round-up of this week looks at Bolliger & Mabillard's first roller coaster project in India, at ETF Ride Systems' recent dark ride projects completed, at Lo-Q's successful launch of Q-smart and accesso's increase in sales as well as at MAURER Ride's new dark ride solution developed with Raven Sun Creative.
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Bolliger & Mabillard
IAAPA Expo booth #4817
Bolliger & Mabillard has completed its very first roller coaster project in India 'Nitro' on behalf of Adlabs Imagica, the country's first theme park destination that opened in April not far from the capital Mumbai. The Swiss consulting engineering firm has custom-designed a Floorless Coaster model with 5 inversions including a looping, a zero-G-roll, a dive loop and interlocking corkscrews.
Commenting the project, the Creative Director at Adlabs Entertainment Limited Aarti Shetty said: “We have always strived to create experiences that one has never had in India before. The launch of Nitro is a big milestone for Adlabs Imagica as the park is now officially complete with all the rides fully operational. All our 21 attractions are now available for our guests to experience. Adlabs Imagica has been incorporated with a vision to set up India’s largest family entertainment theme park and we continue to get the best international experiences for our visitors.”
German manufacturer Maurer Söhne has partnered with New York-based design firm Raven Sun Creative to offer a new turnkey dark ride solution named 'Saturn V'. The installation features the company's popular spinning coaster model (S-Coaster) built indoor in a themed environment inspired by the outer space.
According to both companies, Saturn V has been developed especially for regional amusement parks looking for a cost-effective attraction easy to maintain and to operate. The ride experience (which includes a pre-show area) simulates a spatial trip to the rings of Saturn among planets, asteroids and other cosmic elements. Physical sets, projections, lighting and special effects are used to create the immersion.
Saturn V was introduced at the Asian Attractions Expo earlier this year with success and will be showcasing at the forthcoming IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando.
ETF Ride Systems has given an update about the projects they have completed since the beginning of the year.
The new Multi Mover vehicle with motion platform that the Dutch company has especially developed for a media based dark ride has been supplied in Norway to the amusement park Tusenfryd for their new $8.5 million motion-based 3D dark ride 'Thor’s Hammer' which was designed by P&P Projects. Instead of the wire-guided version that was introduced during last year's IAAPA Expo, the park opted for a track-based version, ordering a total of eleven six-seater vehicles for a capacity of approx 1,000 riders per hour.
ETF has also supplied its trackless ride system Multi Mover for two projects in Korea and in France, respectively at Lotte World (Dragons Wild Shooting) and at Vulcania (Volcans Sacrés). The first is an interactive dark ride designed by The Hettema Group with Aletrface's interactive shooting technology while the second was designed by Jora Vision and features vehicles decorated as volcanic rocks with a lighting system on board.
The company has also delivered four track-based ride systems (ETF Mystic Mover) for two dark rides at Vialand (Turkey's first theme park) as well as for two dark rides at the newly opened LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in both Vaughan (Canada) and New York (United States).
Finally, a new generation of the ETF's Panorama Pedal Plus was delivered to Liseberg in Sweden as part of the new themed area 'Kaninlandnet'. This dual-bench model is able to convey up to 4 adults and 2 children, the vehicles being driven by pedal force and an AC motor.
Lo-Q has reported a successful first season for its patented smartphone-based queuing system Q-smart. The product was installed in The Netherlands at Walibi Holland (a property of Compagnie des Alpes) at the end of 2012 and has subsequently been rolled out to other Lo-Q customers in Australia (Dreamworld) and in Great Britain (Blackpool Pleasure Beach). Lo-Q stated that user feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with 98% of guests surveyed indicating they would use the Q-smart solution on their next visit. Additionally, Q-smart will be soon installed in Vialand, Turkey.
Lo-Q has also delivered a successful and is driving significant increase in sales of the accesso Passport mobile ticketing solution as well as the accesso Passport mobile content platform. The system serves some of the largest theme park operators in North America including; Cedar Fair Entertainment and Palace Entertainment. With over 40 venues now leveraging accesso’s mobile solution the company has seen more than a 300% increase in the number of mobile tickets sold year over year, and now represents 4-5% of total online sales. The accesso Passport mobile app platform has also achieved an important milestone this year by exceeding 2.75 million downloads.
With general market penetration of smartphones approaching 50%, both mobile ticketing and queuing represents an exciting evolution of the Company’s combined technology and highlights the continued growth opportunity.
Commenting on the news, Tom Burnet, Chief Executive Officer of Lo-Q plc said: “We are delighted at the progress we’ve made with our mobile products over the past year. As people are becoming more and more technology literate, guests are visiting parks and expecting to use their smartphone to add to and enhance their experience. It is exactly this trend that Passport and Q-smart leverage and our success this year further highlights the confidence our customers have in the value and capability of our technology. By continuing to stay on pace with the rapid adoption of smartphones by consumers, we are well prepared to capture the next level of growth across our ticketing and queuing business.”
Companies willing to share their news with NewsParcs are invited to contact our editor François Mayné (contact@newsparcs.com) to submit information and press releases. Please note that our editorial staff will attend the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2013 in Orlando.
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Our Theme Park Supplier's News of the Week is a round-up of the latest news relative to companies supplying the theme park industry around the world. This weekly report covers topics such as corporate announcements, financial ...
The NewsParcs' Theme Park Supplier's News of the Week is a round-up of the latest news relative to companies supplying the theme park industry around the world. This weekly report covers topics such as corporate announcements, ...
Our Industry Roundup is a summary of the latest major news related to the theme park industry worldwide. We report news specifically on operators, owners, trade associations and related organizations, including trends, attendance...