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ParkWord July 2014
One of the fun parts of last month’s IAAPA Spring Forum at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden (see page 22- 23), was the triathlon we were all asked to compete in ahead of dinner. When I saw this listed in the programme I must admit I was a bit worried at first. Although I’m no stranger to a swimming pool, the thought of doing any serious sport struck me as Scandinavian good living taken too far. Wasn’t the vegetarian lunch at the park’s new Green Room restaurant enough? Actually Liseberg’s ‘triathlon’ involves its midway games. I was in. Unfortunately despite some tips and ‘cheats’ from Lotta, a project manager at the park, I failed to master either the egg-throwing game, the water jug game or spin-a-winner. And so I missed out on one of the humungous-sized chocolate bars offered as prizes. Comprising an oversized box branded like the real thing, they are stuffed with regular size chocolate bars inside. Maybe the Swedes aren’t all as healthy as we might like to think. These eye-catching prizes (Gröna Lund in Stockholm gives them away too) made a refreshing change to the usual soft toys/plush, and provided a great advert for Liseberg’s many games as guests walked around the park proudly clutching theirs. Why not try something similar at your park? And consider implementing a midway game triathlon too – offered as a team-building activity, it has great corporate potential.
Speaking of games, I was interested but I must say a little saddened to learn that Tivoli in Copenhagen has obtained a Maltese licence to run an online casino. The park’s CEO, Lars Liebst, explains the decision as part of “Tivoli’s on-going strategy to develop from a seasonal, regional amusement park into a year-round, international experience brand. Our brand is already widely respected, and we feel that the time is now right to capitalise on this internationally.” Whilst Tivoli does feature several ‘grown-up’ activities, such as some of its concerts and high end restaurants, its respect is surely derived from the fact that it is first and foremost a family brand, one that has been enjoyed by many generations of Danish families. Some other parks around the world are already bankrolled by casinos, such as Gold Reef City in Johannesburg and Universal Studios Singapore, but the lonely pursuit of online gambling seems like even less of a family-friendly activity to me. I’m sure Tivoli will handle its duties responsibly, but I don’t believe this virtual casino is in keeping with this great park’s founding mission when it originally opened all those years ago.
Owen Ralph – Editor
Editor: Owen Ralph (+44 161 438 2934)
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ISSN 1462-4796
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JULY 2014 Member of:
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