NEW SUPERHERO-THEMED ATTRACTIONS TO OPEN AT DISNEY PARKS

BY GABRIELLE

To mark Marvel’s 80th anniversary, new Marvel and Avengers attractions are coming to Disney Parks around the world.

The superhero-themed attractions will include the Avengers Campus and the Worldwide Engineering Brigade (WEB), introducing the first Disney ride to feature Spiderman.

The Spiderman experience will give guests the opportunity to use a raft of superpowers and sling webs to collect Spider Bots.

Immersive lands at the Avengers Campus will be home to iconic Avengers’ characters, including Ant-Man, Black Widow, Iron Man, The Wasp and Doctor Strange.

The Avengers Campus will also be home to the Pym Test Kitchen, featuring Pym Technologies designed to grow and then shrink food.

The second phase of construction of the site will include the building of the Avengers Headquarters, which will be the entrance to a new e-ticket ride that will enable visitors ride a Quinjet and fly with the Avengers to Wakanda.

During the summer of 2020, Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel will open at Disneyland Paris, featuring more than 300 pieces of superhero-themed artwork.

The Avengers Campus will open at Disneyland Resort in California in 2020, opening later at Disneyland Paris.

DISNEY UNVEILS DETAILS ABOUT STAR WARS: RISE OF THE RESISTANCE ATTRACTION

BY GABRIELLE

Walt Disney Imagineering has unveiled details about its immersive attraction, Star Wars: Rise of Resistance, located at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Hailed as one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s most ambitious and innovative projects to date, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will combine reality with fantasy.

Visitors will board a full-sized shuttle where they will be recruited to join General Organa and Rey at a clandestine military base located in the forest. The First Order Star Destroyer will capture guests, who will witness a battle between the Resistance and the First Order.

Featuring two full-size AT-AT walkers and a Star Destroyer hanger bay with Stormtroopers and a TIE fighter, the Rise of the Resistance will be one of Disney’s biggest ever attractions.

A new simulator experience and multiple ride systems will give those who board the Rise of the Resistance the feeling they are falling from space to crash onto Batuu.

The highly awaited new Star Wars attraction will open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida on December 5, 2019 and at Disneyland in California on January 17, 2020.

MEGA ATTRACTION DUE TO OPEN IN NEW JERSEY THIS OCTOBER

BY GABRIELLE

A new entertainment attraction, complete with a theme park, water park, indoor ski slopes and shopping mall, is due to open in October in New Jersey.

The entertainment complex is set to open to the public on October 25 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, seven miles from New York City.

The Nickelodeon Universe theme park will feature a plethora of themed attractions, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob SquarePants rides and four rollercoasters.

The Shellraiser and Shredder Coaster are record-breaking rollercoasters, with the Shellraiser believed to have the world’s steepest rollercoaster drop and the Shredder Coaster the longest free-spinning coaster in the world.

The DreamWorks-themed waterpark will be inside a glass dome, with 25 water slides and a 1.5-acre wave pool.

The huge complex will also be home to a Legoland Discover Centre, a Ferris Wheel that looks onto the Manhattan skyline, an Angry Birds 18-hole miniature golf course and the U.S.’s first indoor snow park with an 800-foot-long ski slope and ice-climbing wall.

Guests at the entertainment site will also be able to visit an NHL-sized ice rink, a rabbit ranch and an aviary.

The complex is expected to pull in around 40 million visitors every year and create 17,000 jobs.

AUSTRALIA’S DREAMWORLD AND WHITEWATER WORLD TO UNDERGO $70M TRANSFORMATION

 BY GABRIELLE

Dreamworld and WhiteWater World, two popular attraction sites on Australia’s Gold Coast, are set to undergo a huge $70m transformation, with new rides and experiences, including a triple launch rollercoaster.

Dreamland will be home to a new state-of-the-art triple launch system rollercoaster, the first coaster to boast a triple launch system in the Southern Hemisphere.

Known as the Sky Voyager, the 1.2km ride will reach speeds of 105km per hour, as riders twist and turn through multiple inversions.

The new rollercoaster is centred on the Blue Fire Launch Coaster, which is installed in 14 different locations around the world, including Europa-Park in Germany.

Dreamworld’s sister resort, WhiteWater World, will be home to a new waterslide complex, with six waterslides each boasting different colours and natural light effects.

John Osborne, CEO of Dreamworld, commented on the transformation:

“Investment into new rides, attractions and technologies to improve customer experience is key for Dreamworld’s future direction.

“Today’s announcements, along with the opening of Sky Voyager is a fantastic start to our transformation of the park.

“This $70 million total investment including Sky Voyager heralds an important time of transition for Dreamworld and provides us with an opportunity to provide our guests new experiences never seen before in Australia,” Osborne added.

PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR UK’S LARGEST INDOOR WATERPARK TO BE BUILT IN BOURNEMOUTH

BY GABRIELLE

Plans have been announced for a £75m waterpark and luxury spa to be constructed in Bournemouth, which would be the largest indoor waterpark in the UK.

The Elysium Bournemouth waterpark will be able to accommodate over 4,000 visitors each day and will attract more than 1 million guests annually.

The site will stretch over 75 acres not far from Bournemouth, Poole, New Forest and Christchurch. The indoor waterpark will have a tropical paradise theme and will be located inside one of the UK’s largest free-standing glass domes.

Technology is planned to be at the heart of Elysium Bournemouth, with attractions equipped with virtual reality and augmented reality. The resort will also be home to transparent flumes.

Asides a high-tech waterpark, the site will feature a luxury wellness and beauty spa with a sauna, message, hammam spas and beauty treatments.

There will also be outdoor nature attractions at the waterpark, with a lake, country garden, outdoor seating and nature walks.

There may also be a hotel and eco lodges enabling guests to stay overnight at the new waterpark and luxury spa resort.

Costa Acodrinesei, founder of Elysium Waterpark, commented:

“This is something very spectacular, it’s a very big vision but I know we can do it.

“I want it to be something for the whole community and for everyone to get behind it.”

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR IAAPA FEC SUMMIT 2020 IN STONE MOUNTAIN, GEORGIA

BY GABRIELLE

Registration is now open for the IAAAPA FEC Summit 2020 that’s taking place in Stone Mountain, Georgia on January 26 – 28, 2020.

Owners and operators within the family entertainment centre (FEC) from around the world, will gather in Georgia to learn about the latest trends, ideas and practices within the industry.

This annual event is organised and hosted by IAAPA, the global association for the attractions industry.

The three-day conference will feature education sessions on a number of issues affecting the sector and the opportunity for visitors to connect with professionals from the FEC in the event’s networking sessions.

Breakout sessions will cover a range of subjects, including attractions, games, marketing, food and beverage, risk management, birthday parties and more.

There will also be a unique behind-the-scenes educational event at Andretti’s Indoor Karting and Games.

Alan Miltz, financial analysis expert and co-author of “Scaling Up,” focused on teaching entrepreneurs how to simplify their business while concurrently increasing profits, will lead a workshop which highlights case studies from two FECs.

Industry experts will also be present at the “Launch into Arcade Panel: 2020 Vision for Arcade Operators,” where they will discuss what’s in store for the gaming industry.

A tour taking place after the event on January 29, will allow attendees to visit local FECs in a “dine-around” manner to learn from the owners and operators.

The post-tour will feature Urban Air’s newest 100,000 square foot facility, Malibu Norcross Grand-Prix, and Stars and Strikes.

Details on how to register for the IAAPA FEC Summit 2020 and more information about the event is available at www.IAAPA.org/FECSummit.

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS ANNOUNCES TWO SENIOR APPOINTMENTS

BY GABRIELLE

Merlin Entertainments has announced two senior marketing appointments. Ash Tailor has been appointed as global brand director at Legoland and Matthew Williams has been appointed as global brand director at Midway Attractions.

Tailor will be responsible for nurturing global marketing and brand development at Legoland parks and Legoland Discovery Centres, overseeing brand strategy, product development and customer engagement.

Legoland’s new global brand director will also be the primary Merlin relationship partner with Lego Group.

Having worked with several high-profile brands, including Vodafone, Coca-Cola and Unilever, Tailor brings a wealth of experience in retail marketing and FMCG to Legoland.

Before joining Merlin, Tailor held the position of global category director at Britvic, leading the development and performance of the Kids Category.

At Midway Attractions, Matthew Williams will have the responsibility of setting and implementing brand strategies across the Sea Life Dungeons and Eye brands, placing the consumer at the core of brand development.

Williams will also be focused on delivering world-pioneering product and commercial activations and will also manage Midway’s global partnerships.

Like Tailor, Williams has a strong track record in retail and FMCG.  Before joining Merlin, Williams played a central role in developing growth at Costa Coffee, as both commercial and marketing director for the UK&I and as global brand and Insight director.

Both Tailor and Williams will begin their new roles in mid-September.

Mark Fisher, chief development officer of Merlin, spoke of the new appointments:

“The strength of our brands and how we develop our business to meet our ever increasing customer expectations are crucial to ensure our continued business success.

“Both Matthew and Ash bring with them enormous brand-building knowledge and marketing know-how from FMCG and retail sectors, which, with their great energy and customer obsession, will help us consistently deliver amazing experiences for our guests. I look forward to working with them.”

HONG KONG DISNEYLAND’S TRANSFORMED CASTLE NAMED THE ‘CASTLE OF MAGICAL DREAMS’

BY GABRIELLE

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (HKDL) has finally announced the name of its new centerpiece that has been undergoing a major renovation. The transformed castle is known as the Castle of Magical Dreams.

Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney parks, experiences and products, unveiled the castle’s name at the D23 Expo 2019 in Anaheim, California.

Chapek also revealed the new concept artwork and some of the more intricate details the re-imagined castle.

The Castle of Magical Dreams is the first castle in a Disney resort to undergo such a huge transformation.

The castle’s new themed spires and towers are all dedicated to a well-known Disney story. The towers, turrets and spires are currently being fit into place at the site.

The design of the transformed attraction is centred on Disney’s iconic princesses. Through a playful and creative use of colours, patterns, icons and cultural features, the castle will play homage to many of Disney’s much-loved heroines.

The reinvented castle is designed to stand for courage and hope and to inspire visitors to “think big.” The attraction will be home to both nighttime and daytime shows.

The Castle of Magical Dreams is due to open in 2020.