The amusement ride manufacturer Larson International from Texas announced the purchase of Minnesota-based family-owned Sellner Manufacturing Company at the end of January. Founded in 1923, Sellner produced a number of rides and attractions, having (...) read more
The negotiations concerning the sale of seven leisure parks announced at the end of December by the Compagnie des Alpes Group are finished. Agreements are signed and the new owner, the H.I.G. Capital Consortium (consisting of H.I.G. Capital France (...) read more
The popularity of miniature parks is existent but not exuberant. They are often missing the essential “thrill” to entice children and teenagers as well. According to the “Aachener Zeitung”, the successful Toverland owner Jean Gelissen has created (...) read more
According to Orlando Sentinel, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment plans to launch a new killer-whale show in its three parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio in spring 2011. The new, as-yet-unnamed show will replace the “Believe” show which is in (...) read more
The Ostseetherme (Baltic Sea Thermal Spa) has existed for almost 15 years and now hopes to receive funding from the state of Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania to get started with the complex reconstruction of the facility for around 11.2 million (...) read more
In EAP issue 5/2010 we already represented the first of the new water park cinemas developed by 4D cinema technology specialist Kraftwerk in cooperation with Polin that is going to be installed in Austria. As the Turkish company announced recently, (...) read more
The industrial monument and Ruhr-Event-Center Gasometer in Oberhausen, Germany will see the installation of a 40-meter high replica of a Rain Forest tree. The tree’s branches will already be between eleven and 13 meter long, whereas the treetop will (...) read more
In October 2010, Lo-Q, the supplier of virtual queuing systems for theme parks, announced the appointment of Tom Burnet as Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. Before, Burnet worked as Managing Director of the Serco company’s Defence (...) read more
Karen Staley has assumed her new office as IAAPA Europe Deputy Director on January 1, 2011. She replaces Andreas V. Andersen who is the new President and CEO of the Liseberg Group (more details on that in our current EAP magazine issue 1/11). Staley (...) read more
Palace Entertainment - US-based subsidiary of Parques Reunidos - recently took over Dutch Wonderland in Pennsylvania from Hershey Entertainment for a sum that has not been communicated. The theme park was opened in 1963 and purchased by Hershey in (...) read more
Backstage Connections is the name of Alterface’s new local sales and service partner in the United States. According to the Belgian company, Backstage Connections has a strong technical expertise in all matters related to the entertainment (...) read more
The “Motorsport-Magazine” recently speculated for the possibility to build a second Ferrari theme park in Valencia. Those rumors were probably motivated by conversations between Valencia’s mayor and the president of the Regional Assembly with (...) read more
The French operator Group Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) announced in mid-December their plans to sell seven of their leisure parks within Europe to the investment group H.I.G. Capital France and Laurent Bruloy. CDA intends to sell its controlling (...) read more
As the media consistently report, the hero of “Pirates of the Caribbean”, Johnny Depp, plans to build a waterpark in the Bahamas. The park will have a pirate theming referring to the movie. Unlike some other Hollywood stars, Depp doesn’t want to (...) read more
The construction of the Saarland-Therme in Kleinblittersdorf, Germany, which costs more than 13 million Euros, has started. The vision of a thermal spa has been discussed within the community for around 20 years. Andreas Schauer will be operator (...) read more
After the acquisition of the Holiday Park by Plopsa at the end of October, now further details concerning future development perspectives emerge. In the center of 2011 stands without doubt the 40th anniversary of the park that welcomes around one (...) read more
Despite more than 15 million visitors at Disneyland Paris, the theme park didn’t manage to be in the black again. Quite the contrary: The results of the fiscal year 2010 reveal a significant loss of 39.9 million Euros for the park although the (...) read more
The Hersbrucker Frankenalb Therme has changed its name to “Fackelmann Therme” in mid-September. The new name giver, the Fackelmann company from Hersbruck, Germany produces household articles and bathroom furniture. The international company aims to (...) read more
„Krake“ (octopus) is the name of Germany’s first Dive Coaster which is currently being built by the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard (cf. our current EAP issue, Page 10ff) for the Heide-Park. The theme park in Northern Germany, which is part of (...) read more
Clostermann design received the „Global Connect Award“ from the German Industrie- und Handelskammer, Handwerk International and the Messe Stuttgart at the end of October. The Ettlingen-based company designs and builds sceneries and characters for (...) read more
