Europe: Amusement Parks Discuss How to Protect and Promote Innovation
On June 21st of this year, representatives from European amusement parks and attractions met in Brussels with members of the European Parliament and the European Commission to discuss how to protect and promote innovation within the industry. The meeting was hosted by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) EMEA. “Innovation is a significant growth enabler for the entire European tourism sector, which is why we chose this theme for this year’s conference,” said Karen Staley, Senior Vice President IAAPA EMEA. Speakers talked about various facets on innovation in parks, such as innovative use of digital content or design of new and exciting rides. The valuable collaboration between parks and intellectual property (IP) owners was also a major discussion point, given that the use of IP is a great opportunity especially for smaller parks to reach audiences beyond regional borders.
The three panels featured speakers from European amusement parks including Andreas Andersen, President & CEO of Liseberg (Sweden), Miikka Seppälä, Särkänniemi’s CEO (Finland), Eric Cosset, Director, Parks Operations, Product Integration & Development at Disneyland Paris and Fernando Aldecoa, General Manager of PortAventura World (Spain). Also, participants were able to share views with representatives from European ride manufacturing companies. (eap)
