Foster receives inaugural BALPPA award
boost attractions Live webcams
UK-based online live video streaming specialist fiNETra is helping a variety of visitor attractions to increase interest in their venue and boost visitor numbers with the installation of high quality, live action webcams which are bringing live content to clients’ websites - and into thousands of homes. With leisure sector clients ranging from theme
parks and zoos, farm parks and steam railways, to hotels and areas of special interest, among others, installations have included two webcams at Paignton Zoo in Devon, where live action of Sumatran tigers can be viewed. The ‘tiger-cam’ gives visitors to the venue’s
website the chance to see live video streaming of the tiger enclosure, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Early last year, the birth of four rare Sumatran Tiger cubs was captured live on camera, which many members of the public were able to enjoy. “The tiger webcam has proved an excellent way
of getting potential visitors interested in what is happening at Paignton Zoo,” said Paignton Zoo’s marketing director Pippa Craddock. “They love the close proximity it gives them to the animals, with live, close-up footage that they would otherwise never have access to, while it also allows them to see behind the scenes, with this footage streamed to LCD plasma screens.”
DON Foster, the Liberal Democrat shadow secretary of state for the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, was the recipient of the inaugural BALPPA Parliamentary Champion award at the association’s annual dinner on January 25. The event, held at the Sealife London
Aquarium, was attended by 125 BALPPA members and guests. The association’s chief executive, Colin Dawson, introduced the award and explained the reasons for selecting Don Foster as the first recipient: “Currently, Don is the longest serving member of parliament in his position and as such has a considerable understanding of our industry and tourism in general,” he said. “He has always been prepared to give us time to present our issues, has never refused us an appointment and unusually for an MP answers all his emails personally.” In accepting the award, Foster thanked the members of BALPPA and expressed his
appreciation of the efforts the association makes in ensuring MPs are kept up to date on the issues of importance to the industry. He stated: “When it comes to lobbying, BALPPA punches well above its weight and that is very much it to its credit.”
Don Foster, left, with Colin Dawson
UK conference goes from strength to strength
A CAPACITY audience attended presentations on business opportunities for the world amusements sector at the fifth annual TiLEzone conference, which was held on February 25 in the UK. Taking place at the London Transport Museum
in Covent Garden, TiLEzone addressed a number of important issues, including feasibility planning, audience development, scientific methods and data analysis to help attraction operators provide the best experience possible for their visitors.
Madame Tussauds to open in Vienna
HOT on the heels of the Merlin Entertainments’ announcement that a new Madame Tussauds museum will open in Bangkok, Thailand, later this year, the group said its 11th wax attraction is scheduled for a 2011 opening in Vienna, Austria. “A £10m investment - in line with each of
the Madame Tussauds attractions - Madame Tussauds Vienna will reflect the rich culture of the city in which it is situated,” Merlin said. “Its planned location in the historic Prater public
park also puts it in perhaps the most central and best known area of Vienna.” Madame Tussuads Vienna will house around
70 wax figures. Vienna is the home of Freud, Einstein, Mozart, Hayden and Strauss, and these historic Austrian figures, together with contemporary icons like California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, racing driver Niki Lauda and pop sensation Falco, will be featured alongside other international stars as diverse as President Obama and Brad Pitt.
Key speakers included Todd Lauchlan of
the Tourism Development and Investment Company, who spoke about upcoming projects in Abu Dhabi; Ayesha Haider from the British Embassy, who discussed opportunities in Saudi
Arabia; and Professor Folga-Januszewska, who provided a report on museums in Poland. TiLEzone also pulled focus on several other Asian attractions markets, including China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Commenting on the event, Richard Curtis, spokesman for organiser UK Trade and Investment, said: “Many of the delegates spoke about the buzz of the day and how UKTI’s international business networking reception at Tate Modern the previous evening had helped this.”
The new Riesenradplatz, which was designed and built by 5D International, will become home to a Madame Tussauds in 2011.
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Tiger Cam
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