IAAPA IS ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR 2020 AWARDS PROGRAMS

BY GABRIELLE


IAAPA is calling for nominations for a series of awards including the IAAPA Hall of Fame Awards, IAAPA Young Professional of the Year Award, and the IAAPA Service Awards.

These esteemed awards will be presented at the IAAPA Expo 2020 in Orlando, Florida, to celebrate the contributions professionals have made in the global attractions industry.

The IAAPA Hall of Fame Awards honours individuals for work that has made a lasting impact on the industry. The IAAPA Young Professional of the Year Award celebrates members under the age of 35 who have demonstrated real commitment to the attractions sector through teamwork, strong leadership, and integrity. The deadline to submit a nomination for both the IAAPA Hall of Fame and the Young Professional of the Year Awards is July 13, 2020.

The IAAPA Service Awards include the Lifetime Service Award, the Outstanding Service Award and the Meritorious Service Award, honour individuals for their outstanding contributions to IAAPA and the attractions industry worldwide. The deadline to apply for these awards is July 31, 2020.

Nominations for the awards can be submitted on the awards page of the IAAPA website.

IAAPA Expo 2020 in Orlando is scheduled to take place in November at the Orange County Convention Centre.

CONSTRUCTION OF XI’AN HAPPY VALLEY IS UNDERWAY

BY GABRIELLE

Construction of Xi’an Happy Valley, a theme park and waterpark in the city of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, is now underway. The project covers an area of approximately 740 mt. sq. and is to have the highest total investment of the Happy Valley sites by Overseas Chinese Town Enterprises (OCT).

Located next to a 1000-year-old historic site, the park will combine the unique history and culture of the of Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties, with innovative technology. The history of the more faraway cultures of East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe will also be featured at the Happy Valley Park.  A ‘multi-media interactive night event’ is poised to be a key attraction. The park will be the first ‘esports carnival base’ in China and is also described as the world’s first ‘AR park’.

The family friendly waterpark will feature both indoor play and an outdoor area and is designed for visitors of any age. The waterpark will be open all year round and is set to open for trial in July 2021. The entire project is expected to be fully opened by the end of June 2023.

DUNGEON ATTRACTIONS LAUNCH SCENT COLLECTION FOR LOCKDOWN FUN

BY GABRIELLE

The Blackpool Tower Dungeon, Edinburgh Dungeon, and York Dungeon have teamed up with themed smell company AromaPrime to launch a scent range designed for fans who are unable to visit the sites because of lockdown.

The iconic Dungeon sites are popular places for taking visitors back in times, walking through elaborate sets with realistic sounds and stimulating characters. Smell plays a principle role in heightening the atmosphere at the dungeons and bringing bygone eras to life. The pongs created at the dungeons are the creation of AromaPrime, which also produces authentic smells for the likes of Thorpe Park, Alton Towers Madame Tussauds and Sea Life aquariums.

Since some of the UK’s favourite attraction sites have been closed, enthusiasts of sites like Blackpool Tower Dungeon have been ordering scent from AromaPrime, to transport themselves back to fond memories of days out.

For the first time ever, Blackpool Tower Dungeon, Edinburgh Dungeon, and York Dungeon, in collaboration with AromaPrime, are making their own unique pongs. Each scent is centred on scenes from the historical sites, including The Witch Trial, The Anatomy Theatre and Castle Ghosts.

Kathryn Angel, general manager at The Edinburgh Dungeon, commented on the partnership with AromaPrime, saying: “We are really pleased to be working in partnership with AromaPrime, whose atmospheric scents we have used for many years. It’s great we are now able to transform the Dungeon experience and bring it into people’s homes for fun, escapism or even to aid learning.”

JIUJIANG TO DEVELOP AN INDOOR THEME PARK COMPLEX

BY GABRIELLE


Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, China, is to develop its first indoor theme park. The site will cover an area of around 80,000sq. ft. and will have a total investment of 3.5bn yuan (approx. US$0.46bn).

The indoor theme park is to feature iconic fairy tale characters, including those created by the famous Chinese fairy tale author, Zheng Yuanjie. The characters will include the much-loved Pipilu, Luxixi, Schunck and Betta, popular among Chinese people born in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

The attraction site will comprise of innovative and interactive technology, alongside more classic mechanical attractions, and immersive multimedia technologies. The indoor theme park complex will feature themed commercial streets, a family resort hotel, and an art theatre.

The complex is expected to be completed within three years.

CHENGDU SUNAC CULTURAL TOURISM CITY WATER AND SNOW WORLD RECEIVES FULL APPROVAL

BY GABRIELLE


The Chengdu Sunac Cultural Tourism City Water and Snow World in Chengdu, China, has passed its final approval condition and has been given the go ahead to be built.

The Water and Snow World will be a principle feature of Chengdu Sunac Cultural Tourism City. The attraction covers a total construction area of 367,600 sq. mt. and includes parking facilities.

Snow World comprises of seven floors, two of which are underground and five above ground. It is the largest reinforced concrete structure indoor ski resort in China.

The attraction project is which expected to open for trial on June 30, 2020. The shopping mall in Chengdu Sunac Cultural Tourism City is due to open in September 2020.

The site is expected to become one of the most popular commercial districts and tourist destinations in Chengdu.

THEME PARKS IN FLORIDA COULD DECIDE WHEN TO REOPEN

 BY GABRIELLE


The major theme parks in Florida, including Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, could reopen at their own discretion.

The possibility of allowing theme parks to reopen under their own judgement was discussed by a group associated with the Orange Country Economic Task Force. The group met to talk about the guidelines for reopening businesses in Orange county.

During the call, Chuck Whittall, president of Unicorp National Developments and co-leader of the working group within the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force, read a draft approach which would enable theme parks to determine their own reopening schedule.

According to the draft: “Theme parks and other venues of that magnitude shall each develop their own specific and unique set of guidelines following the CDC recommendations and using best practices that will protect the life, health, and safety of their employees and guests. They will be permitted to open at their own discretion with their internally determined level of safe capacities throughout the various phases.”

Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and Disney World have been closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA RESORT CREATES SPECIAL THANK YOU FOR FRONTLINE WORKERS

BY GABRIELLE


Legoland California Resort has built a special Lego feature. The structure says a special thank you to those working in the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The feature boasts a white Lego background that starkly contrasts to text made from black bricks that reads ‘Thank You’. Accompanying the text is a yellow ribbon. The feature was made from 640 Lego bricks and is over three feet in length and two feet in height. The special Lego structure was made by model builder Tim Sams.

A number of Merlin Entertainments resorts, including Legoland Discovery Centres and Legoland Resorts, are sharing similar messages to show appreciation and thanks to those risking their lives by working on the frontline during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

ALTON TOWERS TOGETHER LAUNCHED

BY GABRIELLE


Anew social campaign known as ‘Alton Towers Together’ has been launched. The initiative is designed to bring the fun of Alton Towers into homes in Britain during lockdown.

The campaign shares behind-the-scenes content of Alton Towers’ operations, as well as learning resources and family activities and challenges. The ‘Thrilliant Fun’ feature involves participants creating their perfect virtual Alton Towers theme park, featuring their favourite rides and attractions from the past, present and future.

By using the #AltonTowersTogether hashtag on social media, fans of the Staffordshire theme park can stay up to date on the latest announcements, news releases, and more.

Fans can also keep on top of the Alton Towers Blog written by the team at the resort and featuring some guest bloggers. The regularly updated blog provides information and tips about the resort and explores its 40-year history.

Alton Towers is also encouraging people to participate in the ‘Towers Challenge’ and build the resort’s iconic towers out of household items.

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS PROVIDES ENTERTAINMENT TO FAMILIES STAYING AT HOME

 BY GABRIELLE


Merlin Entertainments is continuing to connect and stay in touch with families despite parks remaining closed and families having to stay at home during lockdown.

The ‘Making Magic with Merlin’ initiative involves bringing ‘Merlin Magic’ to homes everywhere.

By partnering with the online educational publishing house Twinkl, Merlin Entertainments is able to share content from Sea Life centres to families. Twinkl created a free Home Learning Hub that gives daily lessons to three to 16-year-olds in Britain.

The teaching experiences include behind-the-scenes looks at Sea Life attractions presented by Sea Life centre’s aquarium experts.

The Twinkl and Sea Life remote sessions will begin on May 1 and will involve informing children about what penguins eat. Sea Life’s penguin keepers will present the first session.

Attendees can also brighten up their day with a vibrant video background designed by the Aquarist team at Sea Life London. The video backgrounds can be downloaded for free. Among the most popular backgrounds are those that feature sea life and make it look like attendees are swimming with jellyfish or a sand tiger shark during their calls.

THEMEBUILDERS CREATE INDOOR THEMING FOR INDOOR PLAYGROUND IN BELGIUM

 BY GABRIELLE


Themebuilders Philippines Inc., specialists in themed design, has developed indoor theming for the largest indoor playground in Belgium. The project includes glow in the dark murals and fibreglass items.

The Tarzan and Jane indoor playground is located in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. The family entertainment park opened in 2018 and is the largest indoor playground in the Benelux region.

Themebuilders have created glow-in-the-dark murals for the park’s mini-golf course. Visitors can enjoy gazing at immersive scenes centred on marine life, a safari and the arctic. Fibreglass objects bring the scenes to life further, including a life-size polar bear, ice formations, a crouching tiger in the bushes and a dolphin suspended in mid-air.

The Tarzan and Jane indoor playground features a number of fun activities for guests of all ages, including laser tag, a snow glider, a toboggan run. There is also a games room, trampolines, inflatable play and an obstacle course.

Themebuilders create unique and detailed theming for theme parks, attraction sites and entertainment centres around the world. Earlier in 2020, the theming specialists created realistic animals for the Fajnpark theme park in the Czech Republic.