Park News
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Management changes at Merlin Mark Fisher
Merlin Entertainments has announced a restructure of its senior management team. Moving from his previous position as managing director of resort theme parks, Mark Fisher will now serve as chief development officer, taking over the restructured property
and development group, which will now be known as Merlin Magic Making. Mark has been a senior director with Merlin since its foundation and has held marketing and operational roles across the group, making him uniquely qualified for this exciting new role. Supporting Merlin’s three operating divisions – resort theme parks, Legoland parks and “midway” attractions, the role of Merlin Magic Making will be
New chief exec for BALPPA
Jeremy Reed is to be the new chief executive of BALPPA, the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions.
Jeremy Reed
Due to start in September, he is currently serving as regional visitor operations director at English Heritage. This key
role within BALPPA has been vacant since the sudden departure over the summer of Martin Barratt. “Jeremy brings a wealth of experience in operations and commercial,” says the association’s chairman Adrian Mahon of Merlin Entertainments. “He has a strong background
to concentrate on new site searches; production, comprising wax figures, Lego models and theming; project development; and creative. A new group creative director will be appointed in relation to the latter. Taking over Fisher’s old role as managing director of resort theme parks, Nick MacKenzie will oversee the properties Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, Alton Towers Resort, Gardaland, Heide Park and Warwick Castle. Since 2007, Nick served as managing director for Merlin’s property and development group, and will retain responsibility for hotel development as the bulk of this activity is centred on the group’s resort theme parks.
Nick MacKenzie
in commercial catering, and his extensive experience in lobbying politicians – both at the national and local government level – will be valuable in BALPPA’s pursuit of its lobbying goals.” BALPPA continues to campaign on a number of issues. Recently the association wrote to British parliamentarians asking them to commit to supporting the country’s tourism industry by taking at least one UK break over the summer – and 98% agreed. “With tourism one of the key pillars of the Government’s economic recovery and growth policy, it is good to see members of both Houses [Parliament and Lords] supporting tourism on their own doorstep,” says Mahon. “We have so much choice and variety to offer holidaymakers here in beautiful Britain and there has been significant investment in our tourism infrastructure and facilities by operators over the last couple of years, in spite of the recession.”
European Commission visits Europa-Park The European Commission and its president José
Manuel Durão Barroso (pictured right) visited Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, on July 5. “As a family business you have created somewhere people can experience the cultural diversity of Europe in a short time,” Mr Barroso acknowledged in a letter to the Mack family, owners of the park. As a vice-chairman of IAAPA, the park’s managing director Roland Mack used the visit to raise various industry issues with the EC president, in particular the harmonisation of safety standards and subsidies. Barroso and his colleagues in turn were deeply impressed by the dynamic growth of the sector and the role theme parks play in the field of international tourism and as a driving force for regional development
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Kernels
The Santa Monica, California, Chamber of Commerce has honoured Mary Ann Powell, CEO and general manager of Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, with the Roy E Naylor Lifetime Achievement Award. Powell said the ingredients of a solid business plan and park success begin with safety and includes one-part model tenant, one-part family focus, and a big helping of community support.
Universal Orlando Resort will introduce an all-new, 36- hole (two course) miniature golf experience, Hollywood Drive-In Golf, at CityWalk by early 2012. The experience is being designed by Universal’s creative team and will feature an elaborately-themed environment based on vintage horror flicks and science fiction films of the 1950s.
Crealy Great Adventure Park in Devon, England, has been granted a zoo licence, allowing it to keep a variety of exotic animals on site. The park already keeps ponies, cows and other creatures as part of a farm attraction, but has now added a pair of breeding Meerkats in a purpose-built enclosure called Meerkat Manor. The second phase of the zoo development will see the arrival of a family of Marmoset monkeys.
Pecambaru Park on Sumatra Island, western Indonesia, has added four Zamperla rides – a Family Swinger, Sky Tower, Wave Blaster and Speedy Coaster.
The UK theming and design specialist Meticulous Ltd has completed several high profile commissions this season in Europe. At Drayton Manor Theme Park in England, Meticulous won the tender, against stiff competition, to carry out all queue line theming on the new Ben 10 – Ultimate Mission coaster. At the Natural History Museum in London, the firm completed work on a travelling dinosaur exhibition, Age of the Dinosaur, for which it created two immersive environments, one Jurassic and one Cretaceous. Then, over in Sweden, Meticulous continued a long-standing creative relationship with Liseberg in Gothenburg where it provides 3D signage for the park's reengineered AtmosFear drop ride (formerly an observation tower).
Wild Adventures, Valdosta, Georgia, has named Greg Charbeneau as its new vice-president and general manager. Charbeneau has been employed by Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE), the parent company of Wild Adventures, since 2008 and brings 24 years of experience in the theme park and attractions industry.
Pat Finnegan has joined WhiteWater as the vice- president of sales for the North Eastern United States. The 26-year waterpark industry veteran comes to WhiteWater from after senior positions at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
Hollyer Projects, a UK-based attraction project management company, recently completed the refit of the commercial area at Sea Life Birmingham in England. Originally opened in 1996, the aquarium’s shop, school room and play area were in need of a refresh to bring them in line with the contemporary Sea Life offering. The Birmingham outlet is the first Sea Life in the UK to feature "fun retail", with activities such as panning for gems, sand art and pottery painting.
Creative Works recently installed two attractions at Xtreme Play Zone in Sydney, Australia, including a 9-hole Cosmic Golf course and a Lazer Frenzy maze.
AUGUST 2011
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