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Universal, Sea Life and Merlin executives to speak alongside Australian experts at AALARA Conference
T
he Australian, Amusement, Leisure and Recreation Association (AALARA) has announced details of its upcoming
Conference and Trade Exhibition this May – and some big name speakers are promised from both the domestic and wider Pacific market, as well as the US. Keynote presentations will come courtesy of Dreamworld’s Todd Coates, Universal Studios Singapore’s John Hallenbeck, Sea World Parks & Entertainment’s Doug Stagner, Merlin Entertainments’ Edward Fuller, author/consultant John Lees and IAAPA vice-
chairman Mario Mamon from Enchanted Kingdom in the Philippines.
Held annually on the Gold Coast, the AALARA Conference is bolstered every other year by a selection of trade show exhibits, where attendees can view the latest in products, technology and services to help them boost business or the smooth running of their park or attraction. According to the association, this year’s exhibition will be the biggest and best yet.
In addition to the conference sessions, a number of training forums and site tours to
Farmers return to Drayton Manor
The UK’s National Farm Attractions Network met again this February at Drayton Manor theme park in central England for its annual conference and trade show.
The event kicked off on 5 February with visits to two of the approximately 200 farm parks now operating across the country. The venues chosen this year for NFAN’ members scrutiny were the National Forest Adventure Farm in Burton-upon-Trent and Hatton Farm Village in Warwick.
The conference programme then took place the following day at the Drayton Manor Hotel. Overseen by NFAN chairman Matt Heast, it included a keynote address from Deidre Wells, head of tourism at the Department of Culture and Media Studies. Further sessions addressed the potential of educational visits to attractions, catering, staff recruitment, Halloween events and a global insight into countryside tourism. Various awards were presented on the day, including the Farm Attraction of the Year, the winner of being Odds Farm in Buckinghamshire, which began life over 20 years ago as a rare breeds centre. Almost 50 companies took part in the mini trade show adjacent to the hotel, exhibiting such products and services as children’s play equipment, costume characters, climbing walls, high ropes courses, ticketing, ecommerce, insurance, toys and other retail items.
The Odd Farm Park team celebrate winning Farm Attraction of the Year
farmattractions.net
There’s just weeks to go until the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) presents its 19th annual Thea Awards outside Los Angeles on 7 April. Accompanying the Gala event will be a full two-day educational
summit. Held at the Disneyland Hote, the TEA Summit kicks off on Thursday 5 April with an intimate programme of masterclasses aimed at owners and executives from TEA member companies. Confirmed as keynote speaker is Cedar Fair president and CEO Matt Ouimet. Additional contributions will come from Disney legend and TEA honorary life member Marty Sklar, Ray Braun, Matt Earnest and Ed Shaw of ECA, Dave Cobb from Thinkwell and others. Open to a wider audience, Friday 5 April has been declared as Case Studies Day, examining Thea Award recipients including Efteling’s Aquanura multimedia fountain spectacular, Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and The Making of Harry Potter at Warner Bros Studio Tour near London. There will also be a keynote presentation from Buzz Price Lifetime Achievement award winner Frank Stanek (ex-Disney/Universal). The TEA’s weekend of events takes place at the Disneyland Hotel, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California. For more information, full speaker programme, tickets etc, see
theaawards2013.blogspot.co.uk
18 MARCH 2013
Gold Coast attractions are promised, together with the presentation of the AALARA Gold Service Award. And let’s not forget those multiple networking opportunities that will be provided over the event.
The 19th annual AALARA Conference &
Trade Exhibition takes place at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Queensland from May 7 to 9. More information, including the full conference programme, at
aalara.com.au/2013-aalara- conference.
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