Part 4 of our COVID re-opening performance survey is now live. Similar to past surveys the focus is on re-opening and performance for the month of September 2020. We ask that you compare year over year data for September 2019 vs. September 2020. Also similar to the last survey we have added an additional optional…
The third part of our COVID-19 Re-Opening Survey series analysis is now complete and available on our website. The focus in this survey was on re-opening and attendance performance for the month of August 2020. As you will read in this summary report, more facilities are beginning to re-open, which is a great sign for…
Series 3 – COVID Re-Opening Performance Survey is Now Live Part 3 of our COVID re-opening performance survey is now live. Similar to past surveys the focus is on re-opening and performance for the month of August 2020. We ask that you compare year over year data for August 2019 vs. August 2020. Also similar…
This is the second part of our COVID-19 re-opening survey, which focuses on performance for the month of July 2020 vs. July 2019. We thankful to all the people that continue to participate in the survey. This report follows a similar analysis as the first survey, but now includes new highlights: Trends – as we…
Series 2 – COVID Re-Opening Performance Survey Launch The next COVID re-opening performance survey is now live. The survey has some new optional questions that pertain to re-opening. We hope you take the time to fill out this survey and share it with other industry colleagues. The focus for this survey will be on re-opening…
As attractions and experiences begin to re-open, MR-ProFun issued a survey to gather information on re-opening trends and attendance performance. There were nearly 100 facilities that responded to the initial survey. Facilities of all types (attractions, museums, and gardens) responded and we are thankful to all of those that participated in this brief survey. The…
Disneyland Shanghai Reopens to New World of Masks, Distance Bloomberg NewsMay 10, 2020, 7:43 PM PDT As Shanghai Disneyland opened Monday for the first time since late January, Walt Disney Co.’s hit song “A Whole New World” played in the background. And it was a very different world for guests required to stay 6 feet…
MR-ProFun Acquires Icon Global Partners, Ltd. Acquisition substantially enhances waterpark consulting and management capabilities LOS ANGELES, CA – June 7, 2019 – MR-ProFun, Inc announced today that on June 6, 2019 they entered into an agreement to acquire Icon Global Partners Limited. The acquisition represents a consolidation of the two leading independent providers of waterpark…
(Penn State University) – Working on something as monumental as the Apollo spacecraft would be the peak of almost anyone’s career, but for Penn State alumnus Jim Benedick, it was only the beginning. With more than 50 years of experience in the industry, he has worked for companies and on projects that most could only…
(CNN) — New York will soon have “the edge” when it comes to magnificent outdoor observation decks. Already home to some of the most famous viewing spots in the world, the Big Apple is about to add another to its impressive collection. Named Edge, the upcoming Hudson Yards observation deck is set to open next year, with…
Two years after its debut in Foley, Alabama, The Park at OWA is to open its first dark ride. Supplied by the Sally Corporation, the interactive attraction will feature a version of the firm’s Ghost Blasters concept. To garner intrigue in the ride, which will open this coming season, the park teased fans with blurred photos and…
FOLEY, Ala. and LAS VEGAS, Feb. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Legends in Concert, the longest-running show in Las Vegas, has announced an all-new residency at OWA, in Foley Alabama’s Gulf Coast region. OWA is a world-class, award-winning entertainment destination owned and operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. OWA’s design celebrates its rural roots and the…
Perched a dizzying 314 meters in the sky is the “Mahanakhon SkyWalk,” which opened in November atop the King Power Mahanakhon, Thailand’s tallest building. Located on the 74th, 75th, and 78th floors, the skywalk has both indoor and outdoor observation decks offering fabulous views of the city, plus Thailand’s highest rooftop bar. The starring feature…
Today’s consumers expect fantastic, immersive, quality experiences when they come to theme parks – whether it’s a destination operated by a top international owner such as Disney, Universal, Chimelong Group, or Merlin Entertainments, or a smaller regional park. In what is anticipated to be a $70-plus billion market by 2025, as the industry expands and…
REUTERS, NOV. 23, 2018 – Visitors are flocking to Bangkok’s latest rooftop attraction, a skywalk that’s 1,017 ft above the ground from where they can see the city’s skyline. READ MORE
(CNN) — Bangkok is famous for many things. Street food, temples and over-the-top shopping malls come to mind. Terrifying experiences that make your palms sweat and your knees shake? No so much, unless you count the city’s notorious traffic jams.The new Mahanakhon SkyWalk, however, is a thrilling addition to Bangkok’s roster of family-friendly tourist attractions. Located…
Bangkok, 16 November 2018: King Power Mahanakhon unveils Mahanakhon SkyWalk – Thailand’s highest 360-degree observation deck and rooftop bar at 314 meters high, offering spectacular panoramic views of the city from Thailand’s tallest building. The new premium attraction opened its doors to the public on 16 November 2018. Located on the 74th, 75th and 78th…
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today marks the formal introduction of MR-ProFun following the successful merger of Management Resources and ProFun Management Group, two highly respected operations consulting and management firms with long-standing reputations in the themed-entertainment and cultural attractions industry. Both entities provided an assortment of planning, advisory and management services, though Management Resources focused mainly…
For over 38 years, Management Resources and ProFun Management Group have operated independently while serving 350+ clients in 45 countries. Both entities provided an assortment of planning, advisory, training, implementation and management services to the theme-entertainment and cultural attractions industry, though Management Resources focused mainly on operational consulting while ProFun Management Group focused on operational…
LOS ANGELES, CA – November 7, 2018 – Today marks the formal introduction of MR-ProFun following the successful merger of Management Resources and ProFun Management Group, two highly-respected operations consulting and management firms with long-standing reputations in the themed-entertainment and cultural attractions industry. Both entities provided an assortment of planning, advisory, training, implementation and management…
Global Village, Dubai’s multicultural festival park, opens in Dubai on Tuesday, for its latest season which runs under the theme “Explore, Experience, Enjoy. This Way!”. Global Village pledged to offer “world-class shopping, unlimited entertainment and tantalizing international cuisine” during the 159 day-long season that runs until April 6 2019. It will also feature a newly…
Spanning 12.8 million square feet of landscaped land, Dubai Safari was home to more than 2,500 animals when it welcomed visitors on December 12, 2017. The wildlife park that closed on May 15 to undergo an upgrade has welcomed several new animals over the summer months, a top executive said in a statement to Gulf News on…
A new investor has promised to put £25 million into long-running plans for an entertainment resort set to cost £5 billion. Engineering and construction group Keltbray is poised to inject the cash to the theme park plans, originally set to be based around the films of Hollywood studio Paramount Pictures. The company has formed a…
In a drawback to its international expansion plans, a Six Flags theme park that was supposed to open late next year in Dubai is now under review by its struggling owner, executives from Six Flags Entertainment said Wednesday. DXB Entertainments, which owns the Dubai Parks and Resorts complex where the new Six Flags is under construction, has posted losses as attendance failed to…
Dubai Parks and Resorts pulled in more than 1.96 million visits in the first nine months, which is a 33 per cent gain on the same period last year. In the third quarter of 2018, the development in Jebel Ali recorded over 501,000 visits compared to 479,000 last year. August saw an increase as it…
Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) has announced the opening of three new entertainment attractions. TEPfactor, 3D Blacklight Minigolf and Countdown Challenge are located on the plaza level of Bahra 1. TEPfactor is an adventure experience featuring 21 challenges to test players’ skills including puzzles, balancing acts and team challenges. It is open to teams of…
MAE JEMISON, THE first woman of color to go into space, stood in the center of the room and prepared to become digital. Around her, 106 cameras captured her image in 3-D, which would later render her as a life-sized hologram when viewed through a HoloLens headset. Jemison was recording what would become the introduction for…
There’s a massive new entertainment venue opening at Atlantis The Palm next year and it seems like there will be a lot to keep people occupied. Along with restaurants and bars, there will also be a bowling alley, a retro gaming zone and even a wave machine at the venue when it is ready to open early next…
By CHESTER CHIN JUN. 28, 2018 Your favorite Cartoon Network characters are going to Bali, Indonesia, and they’re bringing to the island its largest waterpark. The 4.3ha entertainment park – a joint collaboration between Turner Asia Pacific and MAJ Group – is scheduled to open in 2020. In addition to an indoor entertainment centre, the project…
JUN. 7, 2018 With the highly anticipated Twentieth Century Fox World Theme Park set to open this year, Malaysian-based casions and integrated resorts operator Genting Bhd has posted a 9.8% drop in net profit to in the first quarter of the year on the back of 10% growth in revenue to MYR5.25 billion (US$1.3 billion).…
The Emirates’ aim: to promote the capital as a tolerant global city, and its flagship museum, opening this week, as a bridge between civilizations. By DOREEN CARVAJALNOV. 7, 2017 ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — A decade ago the French architect Jean Nouvel sketched the bare outlines of a fretted dome on flimsy paper. Today…
Bangkok (CNN) — The Skytrain, over 300 meters directly below, snakes across its elevated track like a miniature toy train. Nearby, cars limp down Bangkok’s Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Road in the evening traffic, tiny specks with glowing pinpoints for headlights. But it’s the views of the Chao Phraya River off in the distance that impress the most; unbroken…
FOLEY, AL (WKRG) – The new theme park in Foley announced Thursday that it will be opening one of the area’s biggest haunted houses next week. The “Town of Terror” opens October 6th. According to a press release, OWA will be teaming up with Fairhope’s Nightmare Chambers to bring the attraction, “for more than 10…
Upon its completion in 2016, the 314-meter MahaNakhon was named Thailand’s tallest building. Offering luxury shopping and some of the most expensive properties in Bangkok, the glitzy skyscraper symbolizes a city on the rise. But amid a construction boom in the Thai capital, the skeletons of long-abandoned buildings remain part of the expanding skyline. They stand as…
On Saturday, April 5th our industry celebrated what has come to be known as the “Oscars” of the Themed Entertainment Industry… the 20th Annual Thea Awards Gala. The objective of the Thea Awards is to find excellence and celebrate it. We would like to congratulate all Thea Awards recipients that help create compelling experiences that…
By Dave Parfitt | U.S. News and World Report Contributor April 4, 2017 OWA is a brand-new amusement park currently under construction on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, and the Rollin’ Thunder roller will be the headline attraction. Designed by Italian amusement ride company Zamperla, Rollin’ Thunder will be similar to Thunderbolt, which returned to Brooklyn, New York’s Coney…
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Joel Ward, of ProFun Management Group, has been officially announced as the new General Manager of the 60-story observation wheel being built on the St George waterfront. Joel brings over 25 years of experience in the tourism and attraction industry, including his 18-year tenure at Universal Studios.
New York City, USA – AsDNAinfo reports, on June 28th a cargo ship from Denmark carrying large crane parts for construction of Staten Island’s New York Wheel arrived at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT), where it was docked for five days with around 30 union longshoreman moving the cargo. This was the first shipment…
Twentieth Century Fox World (Malaysia) – The Dubai venture is the second Fox-branded theme park, the first being in partnership with Resorts World Genting. Twentieth Century Fox World, Malaysia, will open in 2016 and feature about 25 rides inspired by movies and TV shows from the Fox archives. (CNN) Where do you go for theme…
Although the New York Wheel, the massive ferris wheel coming to the Staten Island waterfront, is all but a given at this point, the project still needed City Council approval before moving forward with construction. And as of yesterday, those changes—which focused mainly on a parking garage near the attraction—were approved. The adjustments centered on…
He is everywhere! Ho Chi Minh City, Moscow, Orlando, and Sydney… Shaun McKeogh is busier than ever! He has recently completed employee training for Wet’n’Wild in Sydney where he received rave reviews; hosted a highly attended Service Excellence webinar for EAAPA (Eurasian Amusement Parks and Attractions) in Moscow; as well as led IAAPA seminars at…
Shaun McKeogh knows both…. Please read the following article from the October FunWorld Magazine to get Shaun’s advice on how to attract and recruit the right team members for your visitor experience. Better Human Resources for the Attractions Industry – Attracting and Recruiting the Right People
Blooloop recently published an interesting article about the process of managing the design and construction of a theme park. Our very own Claus Frimand was featured in this article, together with other well respected industry professionals Matthew Priddy and Tim Delaney. Please click here to read the full article.
