IAAPA 2013 SHOW REPORT
INDUSTRY VIEWPOINTS
What were the hot topics and trends being discussed at the show? We ask some of the exhibitors from across the attractions sectors for their views
Shawn McCoy
Vp of marketing & business development Jack Rouse Associates
Attractions design
What's the talk in the industry? The value of intellectual property, how to create a successful attraction model for a variety of new mall pro- jects, expanding leisure markets in Russia and China, and the growing importance of guest-influenced visi- tor experiences. It’s exciting to see how media, technology and simple human interaction are converging to create personalised visitor experi- ences where the audience becomes an integral part of the attraction.
What are the challenges ahead? The industry needs to continue to focus on attracting and cultivat- ing new creative talent – writers, planners, designers and produc- ers. Programmes such as Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center, University of Cincinnati's DAAP programme and SCAD’s new Themed Entertainment Design Masters are creating great tal- ent, and initiatives such as TEA’s NextGen and IAAPA's Student Memberships are doing a great job of educating students about the pos- sibilities in the attractions industry.
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Sohret Pakis Communications director
Polin Waterparks & Pool Systems
Waterpark design & supply
What are the main issues or trends in your industry currently? One of the biggest trends is them- ing. Customers love stories, so they want the parks that they visit to tell them great stories, including the park’s rides. That means we need waterslides to be able to work with the themes and tell those stories too. That’s one of the reasons we created the King Cobra waterslide – the very first waterslide to build theming into its design—into the fibreglass itself.
What new technology are you working on? On the manufacturing process, we’re focused on our RTM technol- ogy (resin transfer molding). This technology doesn’t simply improve the looks of slides, it also creates stronger slides that use less waste in the manufacturing process, which is critical in today’s environmentally conscious world. The movement toward closed- molded technology will eventually displace conventional, traditional molding methods.
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
Stuart Hetherington
CEO Holovis
Immersive entertainment
What do you see as the main issues and trends in the current market? Taking storytelling to the next level is a big industry focus – putting the user in the centre of the story, immersing them completely rather than watching on a flat screen. Globalisation is another issue, with emerging markets starting to drive the quality agenda for the first time, and looking to create world leading solutions. This is putting pressure on the more established markets to be at the forefront of the visitor experience.
What effect are these issues having on your business? The industry is in a very excit- ing place with emerging markets such as China going through a new period of growth. Offering parks one point of contact and a complete turnkey solution is a new business model which the Chinese market in particular is embracing. This has led to a lot of new opportunities and contracts which we will be delivering on in 2014.
AM 1 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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