Global parks industry remains buoyant WORLD
DESPITE the myriad challenges presented by reduced consumer spending and budgets in 2009, the world theme park industry managed to weather the storm at a level equal to or ahead of many other industries, according to the latest AECOM report. Published in conjunction with the Themed
Entertainment Association, AECOM’s annual Attraction Attendance Report acts as a bellwether for the theme park and amusements sector and has become a valuable business reference for the wider leisure industry. According to the recently released 2009
Riding high: World theme park industry
DEAL exhibitors celebrate
‘successful’ show
AFTER attracting its biggest ever international crowd, the 16th Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure (DEAL) expo, which took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre towards the end of last month, has won praise from several key exhibitors. Speaking to InterPark in the wake of the
Middle East event, Simon Foulkes, sales and marketing director of UK costume character specialist Rainbow Productions, said: “We found that the overriding demand this year from DEAL attendees was for quality. In contrast to some reports of a stagnating market, the level of interest in our character costumes appears to be increasing. “I’m delighted we are now providing cost-
efficient, entertaining content to an expanding client base in the region. Given the central importance of the family in the region’s culture, I think our product is becoming more widely recognised as one that not only commands photo opportunities but one that also adds significant value to the public’s entertainment experience.” Olaf Mordelt, managing director of Heimo,
the European theming group, added: “For us, the show was a stable success compared to the years before. The first day was surprisingly strong as existing business contacts headed directly to us.” While Mordelt said it was “more than
obvious” that the overall size of the show had shrunk, the event attracted a great number of operators, coming primarily from FECs and playgrounds, rather than from traditional theme parks.
4 When asked whether Heimo will attend DEAL
again in 2011, Mordelt stated: “Of course we will follow closely the economic development of the Arabian countries in the coming months, but it is very likely that we will be again having a stand at the fair. We have long-running business contacts with major shopping malls for seasonal decorations, so it is always great to keep up the personal contact.”
study, the US remains the epicentre of the global amusement business, housing 12 of the top-25 attended parks in the world. Although attendance was down for half of those parks, resorts including Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Epcot continued to perform well. “We expect next year to show stronger figures with continued economic recovery and
pent-up demand,” said John Robinett, a senior vice-president in AECOM’s economics practice. AECOM said 2009 was “another good
year” for Europe’s theme parks and that Asia continues to be the foremost emerging market which promises “strong future growth.” The group said that despite the shaky economies in some Middle Eastern regions, the market looks set to bounce back, while there were also “signs of growth” in Latin America. In his summary of the report, Ray
Braun, a senior vice-president at AECOM, stated: “Most parks felt the impact of the recession. The strategies parks employed to sustain numbers and make the best of a troubled situation underscore the basic fundamentals of good business in the visitor attractions industry - reinvestment in the guest experience, creative targeted marketing and building the relationship with the customer.”
Embed sees jump in orders
EMBED, the Australia-based supplier of debit card and point-of-sale systems for the amusement and family entertainment industry, has announced stronger-than-expected demand for Color-Glo HD, the company’s newest debit card reader. “The combination of our advanced hardware
design, wireless abilities and our competitive price point have triggered orders from both new and existing operators,” said Merrik Keller, sales manager for Embed’s US division. “First-quarter installations featuring Color-Glo
are stronger than expected, with installations underway in Washington, New York, Tennessee, Florida, Utah, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Alabama, just to name a few.” Color-Glo HD builds on the interactive colour
animation and effects delivered by Embed’s original colour-changing card reader. The latest version features a full colour, three-inch widescreen display, auto-orientation for variable mounting options, a dual-head mag reader and full customer support.
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