HOLIDAY WORLD THEME PARK TO HOST VIRTUAL OPENING DAY

 BY GABRIELLE


With its original opening day in early June postponed due to the ongoing global pandemic, Holiday World in Santa Clause, Indiana, is now hosting its opening day digitally.

The online opening day is taking place on Saturday May 2. The theme park’s president Matt Eckert and owner Leah Koch will be kicking off the digital fun day at 9am, which will end with a firework show at 9pm Central Time.

Throughout the day there will be entertainment videos, alongside cooking tutorials based on recipes of food served in the park. There will also be special chats with Eckert, Kock and Lauren Crosby, another owner of Holiday World.

Leah Koch commented on this unique way of opening the theme park: “We may not be able to welcome guests through our gates on May 2 as we had originally planned, but we’re going to celebrate it just the same.

“Opening day is a special day that we count down toward every year. We can’t wait until we can open our gates to guests again, but until then we’re going to celebrate and help our guests bring opening day home,” Koch added.

SHOPDISNEY HOSTS DISNEY MOVIE WATCH PARTIES ON TWITTER

BY GABRIELLE


ShopDisney, the online Disney shopping store, is to host Disney movie watch parties on Twitter to help keep people entertained during lcokdown. The initiative will be hosted with the hashtag #shopDisneyMovieTime!

The movie parties kick off on April 30 at 5pm Pacific Time, with the much-loved story of ‘The Little Mermaid.’

The following week on May 7 at the same time, shopDisney will host the Disney classic ‘Moana.’

Disney fans can stay in the loop of what will be coming up by following the #shopDisneyMovieTime hashtag on Twitter.

DEAL POSTPONED UNTIL 2021

BY GABRIELLE


The 2020 edition of the Dubai Entertainment Amusement & Leisure (DEAL) exhibition has been postponed until 2021.

The exhibition was originally planned for March 2020 but was postponed until mid-June. The show’s organisers, International Expo Consults (IEC), have confirmed that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event will be put back a year to 2021.

In a statement about the announcement, the IEC said:

“After thorough evaluation of the current global Covid-19 situation and the prevailing travel restrictions, we have decided to postpone the DEAL show to 2021. In the current global pandemic backdrop, the safety of all of our exhibitors, partners, visitors, staff and associated stakeholders will continue to be our top priority.

“Furthermore, the Dubai World Trade Centre (the venue) is now temporarily converted into a field hospital. Thus, all the major shows, concerts and events across the UAE have also been postponed for the rest of the year.

“After careful review, in-depth discussion with the Dubai World Trade Centre and the feedback received from exhibitors, partners and associates, we arrived at a difficult decision to postpone the show.”

ATTRACTIONS INDUSTRY HEAVILY IMPACTED BY CORONAVIRUS IN MENA, BUT VENUES BEGIN TO REOPEN

BY GABRIELLE


The leisure and attractions industry across the Middle East and North African (MENA) region has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), an average of US$6.71 billion per month in business has been lost in the industry in the region. WTTC estimates put $80 billion of the $102 billion generated by people visiting MENA from overseas is in leisure tourism, including visits to theme parks and entertainment centres.

Of the region’s gross domestic product, 8.7% is made up by the travel and tourism industry. The WTTC states that theme parks and FECs contribute to MENA’s GPP above all other segments of tourism, with families spending more on entrance fees, food and drink, and hotels, compared to any other type of tourism.

Restrictions are starting to be lifted in the region, with shopping malls, the location of many FECs, beginning to reopen. Strict safety measures are however in place, including temperature checks on visitors at the entrance and the mandatory wearing of face masks.

Yuhanis Nawasreh, sales and development manager of Dubai-based distributor Warehouse of Games, spoke about the reopening of the industry: “We have started to move again. But there are many precautions, social distancing and capacity rules. FECs, cinemas and all other attraction and entertainment venues remain closed until further notice.”

CONNECT&GO PROVIDES CONTACTLESS SOLUTIONS FOR ATTRACTIONS INDUSTRY

BY GABRIELLE


Connect&GO, the Montreal-based providers of high-tech contactless solutions, is helping theme parks and other attraction venues prepare for a new post COVID-19 reality.

By utilising RFID technology, Connect&GO’s cashless payments solutions will help parks meet targets to reduce human contact among guests. A Connect&GO wristband is embedded with a RFID chip, which is associated with the wearer’s personal profile. Guests can log onto a customised mobile website to access their personal profile, make purchases, review activities and more.

When they arrive at the theme park, visitors can access their chosen activities and purchases by simply scanning the wristband.

Talking about the need for contactless technology, Antony Palermo, co-founder of Connect&GO, commented:  “In these unprecedented times, we’ve made it a priority to listen to the ideas and concerns of our clients and, through extensive round table discussions, we’ve managed to come up with an entire suite of contactless products and services we can offer. We’re proud to be helping our clients navigate this new reality.”

NEW APP ENABLES USERS TO ENJOY THE SOUND OF THEME PARKS

BY GABRIELLE


For theme park enthusiasts missing their favourite parks during lockdown, a new app could help them get their fix. Known as Ambients, the app brings the soundtrack of theme parks and amusement sites into people’s homes.

With the Ambients app, users can listen to the noise of a fun family day out at an amusement park via audio tracks designed to sooth without distraction. The app isn’t focused on white noise or the sounds of nature, but gentle laughter, conversation, the chat of children, and screams from white-knuckle rollercoasters.

Charlyn Keating, CEO of Stormbreaker Studios in Orlando, Florida, commented on the purpose of the app: “While on lockdown here at home, I’ve been missing the people-filled outdoor space.

“I started to feel a strong draw to places with crowds, like the beach, a theme park, or even a busy coffee shop,” Keating continued.

The Ambients app give users a choice of eight tracks, with more due to be available in the coming weeks. Each track lasts for ten minutes. The theme park track features screams from rollercoasters and nostalgic carousel music.

DXB ENTERTAINMENTS APPOINTS NEW CFO

 BY GABRIELLE


DXB Entertainments, the Dubai-headquartered leisure and entertainment company which operates Legoland and other attractions, has appointed a new chief financial officer (CFO).

The new appointment follows the resignation of John Ireland. During Ireland’s tenure, DXB Entertainments enjoyed its first quarter of profitability, in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Remi Ishak has taken the place of John Ireland as the company’s CFO. Ishak is an experienced financial leader, who worked in a similar role for the asset management company, Emirates Real Estate Investment Trust.

Ishak has been involved in the real estate and hospitality industries for more than 15 years, focused on diverse projects, including operational repositioning and management and deal structuring and acquisitions.

Speaking about the appointment, Mohammed Al Mulla, managing director and CEO of DXB Entertainments’ parent company, Dubai Parks & Resorts, said: “At DXBE, he will be responsible for the continued implementation of our strategy as well as helping guide us through the currently challenging operating environment.”

HOLOVIS TO HOST CROWD SOLO WEBINAR ON APRIL 28

 BY GABRIELLE


Since launching its Crowd Solo app less than a week ago, Holovis has been inundated with interest from the theme park and attractions industry about the free social distancing and attraction management solution.

The Crowd Solo app is designed to help single ticket admission destinations re-open safely in the wake of Covid-19.

To answer queries and questions about the app, Holovis is hosting a live webinar on Tuesday April 28 at 3pm BST (6pm GST, 10am EDT and 7am PDT). The webinar is being hosted by Holovis’ creative director Peter Cliff and development director Jos van der Steen. The hosts will showcase the features of the app, demonstrate how it works and discuss its benefits for operators and guests. Webinar attendees will be able to ask questions and take the next steps in registering their interest.

As Peter Cliff explains: “We have had an unprecedented response to this from such a wide demographic within the industry, including theme parks of varying sizes, indoor and outdoor family entertainment destinations, heritage sites, museums, agritainment venues, zoos and aquariums. This has been really great to see as it shows that we are on the right track with this idea and together with the industry we can shape it to be a transformative solution when it comes to getting guests back through the doors.

“We believe that Crowd Solo has the functionality to provide a solution for all types of themed entertainment destinations so are still urging people to get in touch to tell us about their use cases so we can begin our collaboration and development,” Cliff continued.

To register to attend the Crowd Solo webinar, click here.

INDIA’S ATTRACTION PARK INDUSTRY ASKS FOR CORONAVIRUS RELIEF

BY GABRIELLE


The Indian Association of Amusement Parks and Industries (IAAPI) is seeking relief from the damage the ongoing pandemic has brought to the sector.

All amusement parks in India have been closed since mid-March and even when lockdown is lifted, the sector fears it is unlikely to resume normality as social distancing measures are likely to still be enforced.

The IAAPI has asked India’s prime minister Narendra Modi for assistance, including a 6-month deferment of payment of direct or indirect taxes of all statutory dues, a 12-month moratorium on payments to financial institutions, a reduction in effective rate of interest in loans and a 12-month complete holiday from paying goods and services tax.

In a press statement, IAAPI secretary general Anil Padwal said: “We earn over 40 per cent of revenues in the March-June season. After the summer vacations, there are rains and a six-month long lull every year.”

The IAAPI has written two letters to the Indian prime minister, the first dated March 23 and a follow up letter on April 3, stipulating the industry’s demands.

MIZIKER ENTERTAINMENT TO HOST MENTORSHIP WEEKEND IN LA

BY GABRIELLE


Miziker Entertainment, a long-standing creative design company for the themed entertainment industry, is collaborating with the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to help nurture the next generation of location-based entertainment professionals.

The theme park and special venue veterans are teaching the company’s next generation of leaders about technique and business best practices.

The teaching program will take place during what’s known as the MiZ Wknd + SCAD LA 2020. Hosted from the creative theme park hub of Los Angeles, the three-day event will include roundtable sessions with industry leaders, tours of local companies and attractions, a guide trip to Disneyland and portfolio reviews with the Miziker Entertainment team, including the company’s chief creative officer, Ryan Miziker.

Charlotte Huggins, Miziker Entertainment’s CEO, commented on the aim of the event: “We want to help shepherd young people into our unique and rewarding industry, which is a highly creative field that runs on teamwork.

“The themed entertainment sector will recover; people will return to the parks and the industry will continue to grow and mature around the world. There’s a need for artists, illustrators, character developers, writers, costume designers, composers, media producers, technical designers and more. It’s an ongoing need and not just in LA and Orlando – we’re doing projects around the globe,” Huggins added.

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, the exact dates of the program have yet to be announced and will depend on the recovery of both the industry and the Los Angeles region.