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Since 1998, we work in direct contact with manufacturers, suppliers, consultants, owners and operators to publish only reliable and relevant information.
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Theme Park Industry News Roundup – Issue #3
Update : 01/09/13 - 13h44Published by François Mayné the 11 August 2013, New.
NewsParcs' Theme Park Industry News Roundup is a summary of the latest major news related to the theme park industry worldwide.
This Industry Roundup reports news specifically on operators, owners, trade associations and related organizations revolving around the amusement park industry. It also provides from time to time information on some parks (attendance levels, appointment, etc.) as well as trends and industry's figures. Check out our previous issues (along with our Theme Park Supplier's News of the Week)
Our third issue today takes a look at some European park's attendance levels in July, IAAPA's new responsibilities for key staffers, Looping Group's acquisition completed of Isla Mágica, Merlin Entertainments' new LEGOLAND Discovery Center announced in Boston and Themed Entertainment Association's call for a new COO.
Attendance report
While the second half of the summer season is now underway, several European amusement parks have announced their attendance figures for the month of July.
Gröna Lund in Sweden (Parks and Resorts Scandinavia) is experiencing a great anniversary season (130 years) with a 20% increase of visitors for the period from April until June. The park is benefiting from the opening of Eclypse, Europe's tallest Star Flyer as well as from a comprehensive programme of concerts and summer events. On August 2, the park welcomed its millionth guest of the season, confirming the current trend of increase in attendance.
Thanks to particularly favorable weather (hot and dry), two of the properties of the Plopsa Group in Belgium have notably welcomed more visitors compared to last year. Plopsaland De Panne, which also took advantage of the opening of its new themed area Wickieland, indeed reported a 4% increase (239,000 visitors) while Plopsa Coo reported 5% more visitors to total 100,000 admissions in July.
Also in Belgium, Bellewaerde Park (Compagnie des Alpes) had a particularly good month in July with an attendance up 15% compared to 2012 (a consequence of the opening of the indoor family roller coaster Huracan during the Spring) while Mini Europe -whose lease with the city of Brussels has been extended- had the best start of summer season in 20 years with 16% more visitors.
The Looping Group has confirmed that it has completed the acquisition of Isla Mágica theme park (Sevilla, Spain) with the Caixa bank. The French operator, property of the investment fund H.I.G. Capital France, now manages 9 regional amusement parks in Europe, including 7 former properties of Compagnie des Alpes.
Laurent Bruloy, President of Looping Group, said: "This is a new start for Isla Mágica. We wish to operate its potential so it could become a major park in Europe. This theme park has indeed everything to succeed: the quality of its facilities, its location and its catchment area as well as the weather. Furthermore, we intend to support investments through new rides and attractions that will enrich the offer and attract a wider customer base".
Located on the site of the World Fair Seville Expo'92, Isla Mágica offers a wide range of rides, attractions and entertainment around the theme of great discoveries.
Global attractions operator Merlin Entertainments has announced plans to open a LEGOLAND Discovery Center at Assembly Row, a new neighbourhood under construction located within Greater Boston’s top attractions ring in the USA. The attraction will open in late Spring 2014, and will be the first-ever in Massachusetts and the only one in the New England region.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center attractions offer two to three-hour indoor experience specifically designed for families with children 3-10 years old. Based on the popular LEGO® brick, they provide several LEGO rides, a 4D cinema, an insight into how LEGO bricks are made in an interactive LEGO Factory Tour experience, building workshops, plus a range of themed play areas; special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations, as well as the popular LEGO MINILAND exhibit – found in every LEGOLAND Park and Discovery Center.
Commenting Glenn Earlam, Managing Director of Merlin’s Midway Attractions Operating Group, said: “The LEGOLAND Discovery Center concept is already successful in both Europe and elsewhere in the USA. We are absolutely delighted to be opening in this exciting new development. Based on its location, Assembly Row is destined to become a regional and international ‘destination’ as much as it is ‘the place’ for the local community. Research shows us that Assembly Row is exactly the right location for us and for a LEGOLAND Discovery Center, being in a catchment area with a high proportion of families with young children.”
“More than that, our experience has shown that bringing together an exciting mix of retail, dining and quality leisure attractions like the LEGOLAND Discovery Center creates a whole new element to a family shopping day, delivering significant incremental business to both the center – and to the area as a whole. Such projects play an important part in Merlin’s future growth strategy for our ‘midway’ or indoor City Center attractions.” he concluded.
The Themed Entertainment Association is looking for a new Chief Operating Officer to support the needs of its 900+ member companies, the large volunteer contingent that make up the International and Divisional boards, the various committees as well as those responsible for planning and executing events such as the Thea Awards, the TEA Summit and the SATE experience design conference.
“Reporting to the TEA President and International Board of Directors, this key staff member will lead the organization forward in its next evolution – running this non-profit with for profit thinking and optimizing the enthusiasm of our membership with the future in mind. We are looking for an entrepreneurial executive who will help the association grow membership and build value by delivering programming and content that grows revenue streams,” commented Gene Geffers, current TEA Executive Director who will retire at the end of the year.
“The successful candidate will be a generalist, with experience across a wide range of management categories – finance and administration, marketing and communications, events, education and operations. Some experience in fund-raising, sponsorship development and revenue generation will be an asset," he said. All detailed information regarding the job position is available on TEA's official blog.
Other current key initiatives for TEA include international expansion (with a current focus on Asia Pacific) and working with students, recent graduates and academic institutions on NextGen activities.
Does your company or organization works within the amusement park industry? If your are interested by sharing news with NewsParcs, please contact our editor François Mayné via contact@newsparcs.com
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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...