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Theme Park Industry News Roundup – Issue #6
Update : 22/10/13 - 11h51Published by François Mayné the 13 October 2013, New.
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 figures, appointment of new staff members or corporate announcements. Read our previous issues.
We take a look this week at Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation's acquisition of Harlem Globetrotters International, at IAAPA's new employees at both its global and European headquarters, at Liseberg's summer season wrap-up as well as at Universal Parks & Resorts' new President of International Operations.
Liseberg has reported higher sales through the summer season despite a small decrease in attendance. The Swedish amusement park achieved a turnover of 703 million SEK (approx €80M/ $108M), up 3% compared to the same period last year. About 2,125 million guests have visited the park, which is a decrease of 2% compared to the 2012 summer season.
"The sales increase is encouraging, especially since we have limited price increases over the past two years," said Andreas Andersen, CEO of Liseberg. "But we will not reach our financial goals this year. The fact that we had fewer guests than in 2012 may be due to a combination of several factors. We shall be self-critical because we have not quite managed to fend off competition and fluctuations in the market."
The new themed family zone 'Kaninlandnet' - proved to be highly popular among the visitors. "We have never received so many positive feedback on a new project in the past," added Andreas Andersen. "Overall, guest satisfaction continues to increase. That's a key point for Liseberg's long-term success." The park is currently closed and will reopen in Mid-November for the Christmas season.
NBCUniversal has appointed Page Thompson to the position of President International Operations for Universal Parks & Resorts. He will oversee existing licensed relationships with Universal theme parks in Singapore and Japan and play a leadership role in the planning and operation of future Universal parks around the world, including for the indoor Universal Studios theme park to be developed as part of the 'Galactica Park' project in Moscow, Russia.
Page Thompson will begin his new role in January and will report to Tom Williams, Chairman of Universal Parks & Resorts. He is currently serving NBCUniversal as Executive Vice President – Strategic Integration. Previously, he was president of The Golf Channel and as senior vice president and general manager of Video Services for Comcast Cable.
The European headquarters of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) based in Brussels, Belgium, has recently welcomed two new staff members to its office team led by Vice-President of European Operations Karen Staley.
Brian Kirkland is the new IAAPA’s director of education programs and services. He is responsible for the development and evaluation of IAAPA’s educational offerings and assists with the management of IAAPA’s awards program. Nico Reynders also joins the IAAPA Europe team as junior program manager. He will be in charge of recruiting new members in Europe, provides customer service for IAAPA members in the region, and handles all online marketing for the office.
At the global headquarters in Alexandria, USA, IAAPA has appointed Leslie Hutcheson as manager of family entertainment center (FEC) programs. In this role, she serves as the primary contact for IAAPA’s FEC members and develops programs, products, and services for the FEC segment of IAAPA’s membership. More specifically, Hutcheson’s responsibilities include serving as the staff liaison to the FEC Committee, coordinating the content for the FEC online community, producing the FunExtra newsletter, engaging in FEC-focused social media, coordinating education programs for FEC operators, serving as the direct contact for FEC members and prospective members, and more.
Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE), the largest family-owned themed attractions corporation in the United States (26 properties), has acquired Harlem Globetrotters International, Inc. (HGI) from Shamrock Capital Advisors for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition marks an expansion for the company into new media, audiences and markets. HGI is a popular brand that has seen a resurgence in the past five years, growing from a live event touring company into a full-fledged global entertainment brand. The Globetrotters perform over 400 live events worldwide annually, reaching over three million fans in more than 30 countries. Last year, the company produced all-time highs in live-event revenue, sponsorship partnerships, merchandise sales and media impressions.
“This acquisition helps HFE diversify into a new but complementary business," said Joel Manby, HFE's president and CEO. "Becoming the new owners of this legendary team is a natural step as HFE continues to develop wholesome, immersive entertainment that parents can trust, entertainment that brings families closer together."
"We see opportunities to cross-market between the Harlem Globetrotters' popular tour and players and HFE's family attractions, allowing both companies to reach even more fans,” commented Kurt Schneider, HGI's CEO.
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 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...