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ITPS Amusement INdustry News
March 5, 2008
No where else can you find more news covering the amusement and leisure industry! When news hits, you can be certain that will deliver it to you.
ITPS has proudly served the leisure industry since 1983. Visit http://www.interthemepark.com for more information.
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Amusement/Theme Park News
HK Disneyland Targets Chinese Yuppies Hong Kong Disneyland hopes to reverse the fortunes of Disney's first theme park in China with a marketing campaign geared toward young, well-to-do Chinese adults. Mainland professionals in their 20s and 30s may have an affinity for Disney not seen in the larger population, and park officials say the solution to its poor performance is a targeted marketing campaign aimed at this segment of Chinese consumers.
Is a new country on the way? Busch Gardens Europe seeks construction on 1 1/2 acres, but hasn't said what's being planned. Let the guessing game begin. Busch Gardens Europe has submitted obscure preliminary plans to James City County's planning department to expand the park by five buildings and "various guest attractions and theming." No details have been released, but nothing will be torn down to make room for the new area.
There’s more than rides at Indiana Beach Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong and Duke Ellington played there. Thousands “play” there now every summer. For most of the past century, Indiana Beach has been a summertime mecca for people from the Logansport area as well as other parts of Indiana and Illinois.
Disney's Animal Kingdom ride gets added safety features Disney World makes changes in the entry and exit areas of Primeval Whirl. Walt Disney World is tinkering with a roller coaster at Animal Kingdom to improve overall safety after the accidental death of an employee there last fall.
UPDATE - OFFICIAL RELEASE Tatweer and Six Flags Announce Strategic Alliance to Develop Thrill Theme Parks in the Arab World and Beyond Tuesday March 4, 10:59 am ET DUBAILAND(R) to Host First Six Flags Theme Park Outside Of North America
Playland park to sponsor jobs fair Saturday Westchester County’s Playland amusement park will sponsor a job fair Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. Playland, in Rye, maintains seasonal employment from April through September. Positions to be filled include ride operators, cashiers, custodial, beach and pool, maintenance, lifeguards, clerical and emergency medical technicians.
Pastors debate park's message Education and entertainment or exploitation and excess? Rutherford County's clergy don't all agree on the merits of a proposed Bible theme park in the Blackman community, with some expressing support, others opposition and still others uncertainty.
Waterpark News
Village adds Gold Coast theme to Hawaiian park THE threat of a US recession has not dissuaded Village Roadshow from spending $US27 million ($A29.2 million) on a water park in Hawaii. The purchase of the 12-hectare Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park is the latest example of the company's shift from cinemas to theme parks — and chief executive Graham Burke said it expected to buy another US theme park by the end of the month.
Water park back for second try TEMECULA, CA -- Developers of a proposed water park are poised to jump back into the process of seeking approval for the 15-acre project, an effort previously sunk when a Riverside County judge ruled that until an environmental review was completed, the park wouldn't float.
Water park to open in hotel MO The St. Joseph Ramada Inn, 4016 Frederick Ave., is making a splash. By Memorial Day, the hotel is hoping to open Monkey Cove, a rainforest-themed water park. "We decided to add a water park because we felt there is an excellent market for that in St. Joseph and the surrounding areas," general manager Nancy France said. "It will give us a little more competitive edge over hotels nearby."
Railroad-themed resort planned at La Plata LA PLATA, MO. (AP) -- Developers are planning a resort in rural northeast Missouri with a railroad theme. Plans call for the Silver Rails Resort to break ground by late summer or early fall and open in 2011 at La Plata, a small community near Kirksville, not far from the Iowa border.
Developer asks for levy to pay for private water park New residents of Shoal Creek Valley could be paying higher property taxes to maintain the subdivision’s new water park. The developer of the 1,700-acre residential and commercial development in Kansas City, North, wants to establish a community improvement district that would have the authority to levy a special assessment on property owners. To set up such a taxing jurisdiction requires approval from the Kansas City Council.
More families report sickness, rashes from Middleton water park MIDDLETON — Three more people are saying their families suffered rashes or were sickened by chemicals in a hot tub at the CoCo Key Water Resort, one 6-year-old boy "coughing, coughing and coughing to the point he was vomiting," according to his mother.
Aquarium/Zoo News
Aquarium bosses to stay after lost battle HAVING packed away the knives from its takeover battle for Sydney Attractions Group, Village Roadshow has decided it wants to keep the aquarium owner's management, including its chief executive, Kevin Bush. The cinema and theme park operator said yesterday there would not be any significant operational changes to the company, which runs the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World in Darling Harbour.
Aquarium Return Holds Risks SAN FRANCISCO -- Here is what keeps Bart Shepherd lying awake at night: How to transport 38,000 living specimens of the Steinhart Aquarium -- including bat-eating snakes and an army of leaf cutter ants -- from a makeshift museum here to new digs in the city's rebuilt California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.
How Atlanta's zookeepers train their families Amy Sutherland's husband Scott leaves another pile of reeking clothes in the bathroom. In the past, Amy might pinch her nose or feign dramatic gasps. She would ask if the EPA had approved clean up of toxic waste in their bathroom.
Visitors flock to Chester Zoo CHESTER Zoo is fast becoming one of the most popular leisure attractions in the country, with visitor figures to prove it. New figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) show that the award-winning zoo is the second most-visited tourist attraction in the UK where an entry charge applies.
Cincinnati Zoo gets new 5-year levy worth $36.3 million CINCINNATI (AP) - The animals at the Cincinnati Zoo have scored a victory at the polls. Hamilton County voters on Tuesday approved a tax levy that will raise a little over $36 million for the zoo over the next five years.
FEC/LBE/Museum News
New owner, same Renaissance Festival Sterling, N.Y. - Although the Sterling Renaissance Festival has changed hands, the historic summer festival will continue as usual, according to new owner Doug Waterbury. The assets used in the Sterling Renaissance Festival were sold Feb. 15, by Brandywine Limited and Gerald A. and Virginia L. Young, to Waterbury, principal owner of Ontario Reality, Inc. Waterbury’s company also runs two other entertainment properties: North Pole, New York: Home of Santa’s Village and historic Sylvan Beach Amusement
Eat, Play, Touch: uWink Hollywood to Open Early May 2008 Unique Interactive Restaurant Concept Combining Social Gaming with Delicious Eats to Open at Hollywood & Highland Center HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--uWink (OTCBB:UWKI), an interactive dining experience serving up classic American comfort foods with a modern twist, announced today that it has begun construction on and expects to open uWink Hollywood in early May 2008 at the famous Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, California. The groundbreaking concept was founded by restaurant and technology visionary Nolan Bushnell (former CEO and founder of both Atari & Chuck E. Cheese).
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Contact:
Shawn M. Haas
Vice President of Retail, Operations and Information Technology
International Theme Park Services, Inc
2195 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45206
513-381-6131 Phone
513-381-2756 Fax
http://www.interthemepark.com
shawnhaas@interthemepark.com
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ITPS Services
ITPS provides a full spectrum of services to all types of attractions no matter the size, small to large.
Below are some of the services that ITPS' experienced team of experts can provide:
- Acquisitions / Mergers / Property Valuation / Due Diligence
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Operational Planning
Attractions Development - Ride Bid/Negotiation / Ride Procurement
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Call 513-381-6131 for more information on how ITPS can assist your facility!
25 Years...
Through the good, the bad and the ugly, International Theme Park Services, Inc. (“ITPS”) continues to provide the industry with its skilled services internationally.
ITPS celebrates its 25th year in 2008 and has served over 450 projects in over 40 countries! Considered a leader in the industry by the many companies who have used ITPS’ services, ITPS is still growing and offering its knowledge and experience to every continent. Dennis Speigel, President of ITPS, is a past president of the IAAPA and remains active on their Board of Directors. He is called upon by people throughout the industry to advise and recommend on projects. A leader today and for the future, ITPS is there when you need assistance.
Feasibility, design, pre-opening planning, business audits, on-site training and management…ITPS is still leading the industry into the future.
Leisure Capital Resources
International Theme Park Services provides merger, acquisition, financial, and strategic advisory services to public and private entertainment companies that wish to acquire or sell a business, raise equity capital, raise or restructure debt, or sell real estate.
Contact: Dennis Speigel at 513-381-6131 or Howard Kahn at affiliated Leisure Capital Resources in New York at 516-621-5183.