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In this issue: BALPPA CEO exposed Thoughts on EAS and LIW Dates for your diary Awesome Autumn Conference! Awards for Drayton Manor and Port Lympne Reserve
Quarter 3, 2014
Following a very successful start to the EAS show in Amsterdam last month, the unfortunate news has broken that BALPPA CEO, Paul Kelly was found in a compromising situation in a well known part of Amsterdam City.
As the news went viral overnight, pictures have appeared on the internet of Kelly looking sheepish outside an adult entertainment centre. Mr Kelly’s response when questioned on his movements that night said, “John Davies told me that this was the way to the EAS Opening Reception”. Well, you won’t find it in that part of town! Mr Kelly’s first wife refused to comment when shown the photographic evidence but simply rolled her eyes.
BALPPA CEO, caught red handed in Amsterdam last month.
BALPPA drinks reception Prior to this indiscretion, Paul Kelly hosted a BALPPA drinks reception on the eve of the EAS show. This was a hugely popular event, attended by many BALPPA Members. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Vekoma Rides Manufacturing for generously sponsoring this reception. We were delighted to see so many of our Members exhibiting and visiting the show – we hope it was a successful week for everyone.
Paul presents Stefan Holtman of Vekoma with the BALPPA Sponsor’s award
CEO PAPPED IN COMPROMISING SITUATION
CADBURY WORLD ATTRACTION UNVEILS ADVENTUROUS NEW ZONE
Launched a few weeks ago, the new zone features a 4D interactive cinema experience which invites visitors to join a host of familiar Cadbury characters on an adventurous chocolate journey. Visitors will get the opportunity to experience the feeling of diving into a pot of melted Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate, riding the Crunchie Rollercoaster and taking to the skies in a Cadbury Creme Egg airship piloted by the Caramel Bunny. Seating 60 visitors, the auditorium offers the full 4D experience including a state of the art production, motion seats, surround sound and effects.
During the 500+miles trip Steven placed commemorative plaques at each of the 200 British and Commonwealth memorials and cemeteries he visited and a special poppy wreath at the memorial to the Pals Brigades on the Somme.
Popular family attraction, Cadbury World, has unveiled an exciting new Chocolate Adventure zone.
Diane Mitchell, marketing manager at Cadbury World, said: “The attraction’s main aim has always been to bring chocolate to life for our visitors and so we’re particularly excited that we’ve now been able to take this to the next level and really give families a Chocolate Adventure they won’t forget! The effects are fantastic and I really felt like I was riding the Crunchie Rollercoaster!” Based in Bournville, Birmingham the attraction offers over 600,000 annual visitors the chance to explore the magic and making of Cadbury chocolate through its fourteen amazing zones including the Aztec Jungle and popular Cadabra ride. Earlier this year it also unveiled a newly revamped Chocolate Making zone where visitors can choose from a range of sweet treats to add to a delicious pot of warm liquid Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate, and enjoy traditional chocolate making demonstrations.
LIGHTWATER EMPLOYEE REMEMBERS THE FIRST WORLD WAR Steven Fort, Health and Safety Manager at Lightwater Valley Theme Park has rrecently returned from a solo cycle tour of the Western Front following the route of the trenches through Belgium and France in commemoration of the centenary of the first world war and in remembrance of all those who perished.
The new zone, entitled ‘4D Chocolate Adventure’ also features a number of interactive digital games including a ‘Joy-O-Meter’ and ‘chocolate tracing’ game. Families can also have a go at creating their own futuristic bar of virtual 3D Cadbury chocolate featuring exciting new ingredients including glow in the dark chocolate and ever-morphing fondant.
EAS CELEBRATES RECORD BREAKING SHOW EAS realized the highest number of exhibitors, the largest amount of exhibit space, and a record attendance by visitors. It is the largest trade show for the attractions industry in Europe and this edition in Amsterdam has been the most successful in the event’s 11-year history.
HALLOWEEN: AN EVENING OF FEAR AND WONDER AT THE VIEW FROM THE SHARD
On Friday 31 October the wide eyed and wondrous are invited to a Halloween Tickets include a complimentary cocktail from Crystal Head Vodka at their dedicated bar in the level 69 viewing gallery. The View will be decked with the beautiful skull vodka, conceived and created by Dan Aykroyd, legendary Ghostbusters actor and musician. Crystal Head is pure and unadulterated at every stage of it’s creation, and made from Canadian Peaches & Cream sweet corn. As part of their major three month season Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder, presented together with O2, the BFI will be creating an eerie Halloween atmosphere with projections of iconic scenes from classic films. The unique immersive experience will include clips from Trip to The Moon (1902) by French illusionist and filmmaker Georges Méliès and Metropolis (1927), Fritz Lang’s classic dystopian masterpiece. To welcome in the witching hour there will be a live performance from the lead of hit musical Wicked. In a show-stopping addition to the evening, the multi-award winning production will have their wicked-witch-of-the-west Elphaba sing a spine-tingling rendition whilst literally ‘Defying Gravity’ 800 feet above the city.
IAAPA Vice President of European Operations, Karen Staley said: “Again Amsterdam has proven to be the right place for our show. With numerous projects going on in the northwest part of Europe and with a strong and dynamic industry in the Benelux-region, we had high expectations but these figures are really extraordinary.”
Preliminary counts show that about 10,776 visitors came to the event this year – a 26% increase year on year with visitors from over 100 countries and a record 441 companies from 36 countries showcased their latest products. Parallel to the trade show ran an educational conference with more than 20 hours of seminars for industry professionals about the developments in the industry, the latest trends, and hot topics. The education programmes were led by some of the most successful leaders in Europe. The participation in the education conference sessions was also excellent; more than 1,800 people attended the seminars. EAS 2015 will take place in Gothenberg, Sweden from 6 - 8 October. The conference and trade show will take place in the Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre. The interest of exhibiting companies is already very high and additional information is available at www.IAAPA.org/EAS.
celebration like never before at The View from The Shard. London’s highest Halloween party promises an evening of ‘Fear and Wonder’ in partnership with BFI, supported by the iconic Crystal Head Vodka, with DJs and a live performance from Wicked.
LIW 2014 BALPPA once again supported Leisure Industry Week at Birmingham’s NEC from 30th Sept – 2nd Oct, 2014.
Before being transformed into the aviary this building was used as a theatre for daily shows. Work to transform the theatre into the aviary began in January 2014. The theatre stage and seating were removed and the roof was replaced to give the 'tropical rainforest' atmosphere. Inside the rock work for the new waterfall and large pond were added, complete with water ready for the arrival of the rainbow fish which also inhabit the
BALPPA hosted a lounge on the show floor and also programmed a series of educational seminars for our Members. Our seminars included, customer service, crisis management and marketing and were extremely well attended. In addition, BALPPA hosted 2 drinks receptions and a luncheon during the show and we would like to take this opportunity to thank our generous sponsors of the drinks receptions – Innovative Leisure and KidsPass who accepted Sponsor awards from our Chairman, Bob O’Connor.
James Sinclair of Partyman, delivers ‘The Millionaire Clown’
We were also delighted to host an evening of drinks and a BBQ at Drayton Manor on the first evening of the show. This thoroughly enjoyable event was attended by more than 50 of our Members. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the team at Drayton Manor for their hospitality.
COLCHESTER ZOO LAUNCHES NEW RAINBOW LORIKEET WALKTHROUGH AVIARY Colchester Zoo is delighted with the success of their recently opened Rainbow lorikeet walkthrough aviary, ‘Australian Rainbows’. The new development was officially opened on the 24th July 2014 during a private event by the Mayor of Colchester.
aviary. Colchester Zoo gardeners also worked hard to plant colourful gardens and living green walls to replicate that of the birds’ natural environment. Colchester Zoo is pleased with the positive feedback received from visitors of all ages who are able to journey through this exotic aviary of lorikeets, with the chance to get up close with these birds whilst feeding them a pot of golden nectar. It is hoped that ‘Australian Rainbows’ continues to be a hit with the visitors as well as a safe haven for the birds and fish to inhabit.
WHITEWATER AND VILLAGE ROADSHOW CELEBRATE THE SALE OF SLIDEBOARDING TO WET ‘N’ WILD LAS VEGAS
Slideboarding is a waterslide that integrates gaming, skill, edge, and competitive sports into an experience that will define waterparks of the future. Slideboarding builds on the thrills of waterpark fun and adds in gaming in the same way we love to play today. It’s a waterslide that uses a state-of-the art ride vehicle with an S3 embedded game controller that when combined creates what we call a
PORT LYMPNE MANSION AWARDED 4 STARS Coveted accolade awarded to Port Lympne Reserve’s luxury mansion.
Bob O’Connor, Managing Director commented: “To receive four stars from VisitEngland’s National Quality Assessment Scheme is an absolute testament to the hard work put in by all the staff here – not only at The Mansion, but the whole reserve. Having an official star rating from a respected organisation like VisitEngland, means that our guests can be assured that when they book a stay with us, they will enjoy a quality, luxurious and relaxing stay, in one of the most unique surroundings in the UK.”
Staff and management at the Port Lympne Mansion Hotel are celebrating, as the latest accommodation offering at the popular Kent visitor attraction, is awarded a coveted four star accolade by VisitEngland’s National Quality Assessment scheme. The award was bestowed on the Mansion Hotel last month, after a rigorous assessment by an anonymous judge, representing VisitEngland’s prestigious scheme. The scheme, started in 2006 provides a star rating for accommodation throughout the UK, based on the quality of welcome, service and hospitality, alongside standard of food offerings and cleanliness. The Quality Assessment Report stated: “Port Lympne Mansion Hotel offers a very unique style of high quality accommodation which on this, the first assessment, achieves a Four Star Hotel rating. All main areas of the business (bedrooms, bathrooms, hospitality, service, housekeeping and food quality) sit very comfortably within or exceed the four star rating band.”
Slideboard. It uses a smart gaming system that knows who you are and tracks your progress/scores over your run down the waterslide as well as multiple runs thereafter. This system also posts the scores on the Scoreboards and on the home app and Slideboarding Website. The game system adapts and modifies as the rider improves his or her performance creating harder and harder experiences from basic to expert as the targets are upgraded instantly to create a more skilled game to conquer.
WhiteWater is very pleased to announce that as part of the development of their new Slideboarding product, they have sold the first iteration of this exciting new innovation to Village Road Show and Wet’n’Wild Las Vegas for the 2015 season.
BALPPA’S 2014 AUTUMN CONFERENCE ‘Twas a wet and windy Monday on the south coast which saw the start of our Autumn Conference, but that didn’t stop us!!
Following a hearty breakfast the following morning, we made our way to Portsmouth Historic Dockyards where the braver guests amongst us attempted Innovative Leisure’s climbing wall inside Action Stations! After pleasant waterbus trip, we arrived at HMS Alliance for our tour.
Colin Dawson presents the winning golf team with their trophy
Bob O’Connor presents Richard Mancey of Paultons Park with BALPPA’s host venue award.
After doing a cycle or 2 through the tumble dryer, the golfers joined the rest of the conference guests for an afternoon at Paultons Park. Despite a wet start to the afternoon, the sun eventually came out, giving our guests the opportunity to test out some of the attractions followed by a well-earnt afternoon tea in the attraction’s new restaurant ‘Wildwoods’. We would like to thank the team at Paultons Park for looking after us so well!
With thanks to KidsPass for sponsoring the “nearest to the pin” prize and congratulations to Michael Kilmartin of KidsPass for winning the prize!
Back at the hotel, there was just time for a quick change of outfit for us all before Paul Kelly and Bob O’Connor hosted our Members ‘ Meeting followed by the Autumn Conference Dinner . We would like to thank the team at the Queen’s Hotel for their hospitality and generous gifts of Portsmouth tea. To the right Bob O’Connor presents Nigel Gordon Rae, the hotel’s Operations Director with BALPP’s host venue award:
CHARITY GOLF DAY The very brave or very daft (we’ll let you decide which!) golf team played on despite getting soaked through their many layers of “waterproof” golfing attire. In aid of our Chairman’s chosen charity, Demelza House,, Children’s Hospice they didn’t let the odd spot of rain get in their way! Congratulations to Marshall Hill, Jim Smith and BALPPA’s very own Paul Kelly who walked away with this year’s trophy.
Bob O’Connor presents Bill Sainsbury of The National Museum of the Royal Navy with BALPPA’s host venue award.
We were taken aboard the submarine by a genuine submariner for an informative tour of the vessel along with some great anecdotes from his time serving on board.
See next page for our memories of the conference!
BALPPA’S 2014 AUTUMN CONFERENCE Our memories in pictures……….
Captain Kluth in the driving seat.
Marshall Hill, Phil Pickersgill, Kirsty Chapman, Bala McAlinn, Dan Tippetts and Mike Rigby brave Innovative Leisure’s climbing wall inside Action Stations!
BALPPA Member Meeting and
Autumn Conference dinner
HMS Alliance
Kids Pass are the UK’s fastest growing family pass. • We already have 175,000 active users. • We receive up to 10,000 visitors per day on our website from
families looking for days out. • 95 percent of our demographic are Mums aged between 22
and 36! • Adding between 600 and 2000 families per day! • We already have fantastic offers at nearly 100 attractions! • It’s free to register your attraction with us! • We send weekly newsletters to all users with fantastic open
rates! So come and join in the Fun! Team KIDS PASS!!!!
DRAYTON MANOR THEME PARK VOTED BEST ATTRACTION FOR CHILDREN Drayton Manor Theme Park, near Tamworth, Staffordshire took home Best UK Attraction for Children at this year’s Group Leisure Awards – the seventh time the park has won this prestigious award.
DELVE INTO THE DARK ARTS Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter has unveiled a new section devoted to the Dark Arts, encompassing Horcruxes and other sinister wizarding artefacts, in what is the Studio Tour’s first permanent addition since opening.
The family owned and run attraction picked up the award on Wednesday 24th September at the Group Leisure Awards Dinner and Ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel. Colin Bryan, CEO of Drayton Manor Theme Park, said: “We are delighted to have won this award again and I would like to thank the readers of Group Leisure for presenting us with this accolade. It’s a real testament to the team we have here at Drayton Manor who work extremely hard to ensure that we maintain our goal, which has always been to provide an amazing day out for our visitors. This is the sixth award we have received from Group Leisure Magazine since 2006 and it is just as important to us as the first one we won.”
Every year readers of leading travel magazine, Group Leisure are asked to vote for their best attractions based on their experiences as a group travel organiser. The guidelines for the Best Attraction for Children award stated that the winner will be popular with families and school parties and may have impressed due to its educational facilities as well as its ability to entertain children. This award highlights the park’s ongoing dedication to providing the best experience possible.
The current Malfoy Manor fireplace has been expanded to showcase the full set which became the headquarters of Lord Voldemort’s followers, the Death Eaters, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Visitors can peer into the drawing room that features ornate chandeliers, an imposing fireplace and the long, grand table around which Bellatrix Lestrange, the Malfoy family, the Death Eaters and Voldemort sat.
The mannequin of captured Muggle Studies teacher Charity Burbage is suspended above the set and a life-like model of Voldemort’s loyal 20-foot snake Nagini sits on the mahogany table. Officially launched on Tuesday 14th October, the new section also includes a variety of never-before-seen artefacts and props from Borgin and Burkes, the Knockturn Alley shop Harry accidentally stumbles into in Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets. Visitors can see these weird and wonderful props up close, including the mysterious Hand of Glory, the Vanishing Cabinet and the sarcophagus that hid Harry during a deleted scene from the second film.
Colin Bryan and Alexa Stockham at Group Leisure Awards
RUSSELL PLAY WOWS WITH ‘TREE FU TOM’ PLAY AREA Merlin Entertainments asked Russell Play to create a unique outdoor play area in the Alton Towers theme park, based on the
Fife Council called in Specialist Wildlife Services to work in conjunction with their officers to assess the welfare of the park's 76 species. SWS staff were horrified to find an emu living in a stable kept almost entirely in darkness. The bird, nicknamed Forest by keepers was in extremely bad condition and suffering from a number of complaints believed to have been caused by dietary inadequacy and poor living conditions. With no access to the company of other birds or enrichment of any kind he had developed the symptoms of sensory and social deprivation. It was initially uncertain as to whether he had any vision at all as his reaction to movement was severely compromised and an initial prognosis by vets in attendance was that Forest may have to be euthanised. However, SWS staff began to work with Forest to assess the extent of his problems and to enrich his everyday life. It became apparent that with suitable care and attention Forest's life could be turned around. Avian specialists Birdworld, a public bird zoo at Farnham in Surrey were contacted and immediately offered to help. Since March, Forest has living at Birdworld and has been given further veterinary treatment, spacious housing and the correct diet for his species, supplemented with vitamins and treats and has gradually been introduced to the open air paddock and his two female companions. Now, seven months later Forest is happy, healthy and enjoying the company of other birds and has become a firm favourite with visitors to the 26 acre park. At last he has a real future thanks to the dedication of the determined organisations who worked together to give him, and the other animals of Fife Animal Park a chance. To hear Forest’s full story please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5to4pU7mRk4&index=1&list=UUQlWTbDGjWrIxk0d5MfXwuQ
Although the ‘Tree Fu Tom Training Camp’ playground has been designed to encourage children of all abilities to develop certain skills it has specifically designed equipment to help children with dyspraxia. The equipment design incorporates carefully selected sequences of movement put together by movement specialists to help children with dyspraxia to develop important foundation motor skills. It is hoped that practicing these movements will benefit all children but
Adrian Parker from Russell Play said, “The equipment design helps children with dyspraxia and other coordination disorders as they need more opportunities to practice these skills than their friends. A huge benefit of Tree Fu Tom is that children are eager to join in with the spells and therefore practice their movement skills without even realising.”
BBC children’s TV show ‘Tree Fu Tom’. It was to be called ‘Tree Fu Tom Training Camp’ and forms part of ‘CBeebies Land’ a new, larger themed play area aimed at children of nursery and primary school age.
especially those with dyspraxia and other developmental coordination disorders.
FOREST’S STORY Fife Animal Park in Scotland recently hit the headlines with a host of horrifying stories of animal suffering and welfare issues following its closure to the public earlier this year.
BALPPA PARTNERS WITH EAG TO FORM NEW EXPO January 2015 sees the launch of the Visitor Attractions Expo – a partnership between BALPPA and EAG.
The Visitor Attractions Expo will take place alongside EAG International at London’s ExCeL from 13th – 15th January 2015. With visitor registration now open at www.attractionsexpo.co.uk, preparations are now well under way. BALPPA Chief Executive Paul Kelly revealed the rationale behind the launch: “In addition to representing the interests of owners, managers and developers, the BALPPA membership includes a large number of trade suppliers who have for some time been requesting our own expo. We believe that such a show sits well within our strategy of supporting members through seminars, education programmes and the provision of networking opportunities,” revealed Paul. The Visitor Attraction Expo will take place alongside EAG International, with a single visitor badge providing access to both events. EAG International Chairman Martin Burlin welcomed the initiative: “The Visitor Attraction Expo will give the leisure park, piers, zoos and static attractions sector an annual event which it can call its own, right here in the UK. We are experiencing increased crossover between the amusements and attractions sectors so this move reflects what’s happening out there in the market. I understand that there is strong interest from potential exhibitors and believe that EAG International’s 5,000 plus visitors will help in delivering a robust start for this exciting new event.” THE BEST START TO 2015 The BALPPA Annual dinner (details to follow) will take place the night before the start of the show (12th January) to see us into VAE. The following day there will be our AGM, lunch on our stand, the start of our 2-day educational seminar programme and another reception! With lots to see, do and learn, this is significant part of the BALPPA calendar and a great way to see in the new year 3 DAYS DEDICATED TO THE LEISURE INDUSTRY THE BEST IDEAS – new products and services THE BEST INSPIRATION – new technology and innovation THE BEST EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR PROGRAMME – high quality seminar program THE BEST NETWORKING – restaurants, bars, meeting areas THE BEST ENTERTAINMENT – “ First Night Party” the best party of the year BALPPA Trade Members get an exclusive BALPPA rate for exhibiting! Please contact Karen Cooke (Swan Events) on the details below to find out more about this exclusive offer: T: +44 (0)1582 767254 M: +44(0)7545 970200 E: [email protected]
OTHER EVENTS / DATES FOR YOUR DIARY! As we are moving swiftly towards the end of 2014, we are looking forward to completing our 2014 events calendar and moving onto 2015 which is shaping up to be an exciting year! Please note that some dates / locations are provisional at present and more information will follow in due course.
HEALTH AND SAFETY SEMINAR 13th Nov 2014 Drayton Manor Topics include safety in play areas, food safety management systems, lock out procedures, accessibility, Merlin Entertainments case study, H & S legal update and more! Full agenda and invitation will follow very soon
EAG / VAE 13th – 15th January 2015
ExCeL, London 13th January – BALPPA AGM and lunch at
BALPPA stand 13th – 14th Jan – BALPPA education and
seminar programme (schedule TBC)
IAAPA ATTRACTIONS EXPO 18th – 21st Nov 2014
Orange County Convention Centre, Orlando, FL
BALPPA DRINKS RECEPTION 17th Nov 2014
David’s Club Bar and Grill, Hilton Hotel, Orlando With thanks to our generous sponsors:
BALPPA SEMINARS AND SUB GROUP MEETINGS Dates to be confirmed throughout 2015
Marketing, Health and Safety, FEC, HR, Zoo group, Lobbying and Customer Service
BALPPA Annual Dinner – flagship black tie event! 12th January 2015 London (exact location TBC)
BALPPA SUMMER CONERENCE June, 2015 Belfast, NI
BALPPA PARLIAMENTARY LUNCHEON 9th March, 2015 House of Commons, London
2015!
BALPPA’s AUTUMN CONFERENCE October 2015
FEC North Regional Meeting Nov, 2014 FEC South Regional Meeting Dec, 2014 Exact dates and locations to be confirmed soon
The VAC Conference 2014 recently took place at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London. Chaired by our very own Paul Kelly, this year delegates enjoyed informative talks from some key industry players as well as an interesting panel discussion, chaired by Bernard Donoghue of ALVA.
NEW BALPPA WEBSITE! Launches w/c 3rd Nov 2014
