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< Previous8 Funworld | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 | IAAPA.org/Funworld LAUNCH Employee Wellbeing complete the check-in process. Moving forward, tour guides based out of Welcome Center 75 will show new employees where they will be working, as well as other relevant locations within the resort and the town of Rust. Europa-Park aims to make the center a welcoming environment for established employees as well, allowing all to make use of the building’s amenities. Rust government representatives regularly visit the center to help answer questions and provide services, saving employees a trip into town. An onsite cafe—which is not only open to employees, but also park guests and members of the Rust community—offers an informal gathering spot. Europa-Park hosts social events at the center as well. “People from different departments can get in discussions and make friends. They can get in contact with people from the village,” says Frederik. He notes that employees represent more than 100 nationalities, so to accommodate, Welcome Center 75 staff members speak 11 languages. Fostering Belonging and Social Wellness Miriam Mack, wife of Europa-Park man- aging partner Michael Mack, launched a program five years ago to promote health and provide medical care to employees. The new Feel Good center brings these services under one roof and expands the offerings. While Miriam says that it is often difficult to book medical appoint- ments in Germany, the center provides employees direct and easy access to gen- eral practitioners, dermatologists, physical therapists, orthopedists, and other special- ists. There are plans to offer telemedicine appointments and wellness programs, such as nutritional counseling, yoga classes, and routine checkups to prioritize health maintenance as well. “It’s not only about examinations. It’s about having good food, having good relationships with one another, taking care of mental health issues. This is a whole 360-degree program,” Miriam tells Funworld. While the Feel Good center is an attractive benefit for employees and can- didates who are considering working at Europa-Park, it is more than a recruitment and retention tool. The center helps keep employees healthy and happy, according to Miriam. With its focus on prevention, the center can help reduce downtime, thereby making it a win-win for the resort and its staff. Both new facilities are part of a larger goal, Frederik adds. Each structure helps employees feel welcomed and valued members of the Europa-Park team. “The most important thing is that our employees are happy, because only then can they be good hosts for our guests. Basically, happy employees mean happy guests,” he says. EUROPA-PARK Welcome Center 75 is open to Europa- Park employees and residents of Rust, Germany. see us at IAAPA Expo Europe in Amsterdam, booth #10107! Discover our possibilities to enable your customers a new level of fun, thrill and excitement! THRILL ON A NEW LEVEL COME www.kristallturm.comZAMPERLA CIMBA Dispatch NEW AND NOTABLE China’s Dinosaur Dream Factory became home to Zamperla ’s third Lightning coaster this summer. The roller coaster begins with a vertical lift powered by a chain drive, followed by four inversions that include a vertical loop, zero-G roll, a dive loop, and a classic corkscrew. At 2,260.5 feet long, Zamperla says the new coaster is their largest built to date in China. Zoológico Guadalajara in Mexico recently opened the Comprehensive Center for Animal Medicine and Welfare (named CIMBA in Spanish), one of the larg- est veterinary hospitals within a zoo in Latin America. Guests may tour the pharmacy, the clinical labora- tory, the surgery room, a diagnostic imaging area, and treatment areas. All of the components work together to ensure the zoo’s animals receive the best possible care. The Alpine Coaster at Thredbo Alpine Resort in Thredbo, New South Wales, Australia is a creation of Wiegand . With guests control- ling their own speed up to a maxi- mum of 40 km per hour, the new attraction traverses 1.5 km of track through a tunnel, over bridges, and down the snowy alpine panorama. The resort, known for skiing and snowboarding, built the attraction to operate 365 days a year. LIGHTNING STRIKES BEST IN ANIMAL CARE SNOWY COASTING Carowinds released a series of proactive social media posts, blog entries, and videos promoting safety at the theme park straddling the North Carolina and South Carolina border. The guest-facing content transparently shares Carowinds’ commitment to safety. Topics include ride manufacturers, annual licensing by state agencies, daily mechanical inspections, unexpected ride stoppages, and the use of drones in inspections. “Using the drones gives us a way to do more inspections,” explains Steve Jackson , director of maintenance and construction at Carowinds in a video. “We have our own drone now, so we can fly our own sorties. It gives us the ability to do it now versus having to call somebody in—a contractor—to do the work for us.” To see examples of Carowinds safety content, visit IAAPA.org/Carowinds GUEST COMMUNICATION 2 Sourced by Scott Fais 1 10 LAUNCH THREDBO FRONT AND CENTER WITH SAFETY11 IAAPA.org/Funworld | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 | Funworld CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY BRANDING Summer provided a perfect backdrop for employees at Plopsaland De Panne in Belgium participating in Relay for Life, benefitting the Foundation Against Cancer. More than 25 teams consisting of 110 employees walked or jogged through the park for 24 hours without stopping. As the sun set, Plopsaland’s pathways became aglow with luminaries lining the course. “By organizing this famous event—for the first time ever at an attraction park—our themed scenery created an unforgettable memory for all participants,” says Kris Biesemans , who assisted in organizing the event. The employees at Plopsaland De Panne raised more than €62,000 during the event. 4 5 PARK IN PRINT INNOVATION AR’s Entertainment Hub in San Antonio implemented an automatic way to distribute golf balls for its indoor miniature golf course that requires no staffing. Co-Owner Archie Wright tells Funworld, “We were spending all this payroll for just someone to handout a golf ball.” The solution comes in the form of the Golf Ball Vendor combined with a Club Rack from DSM Sales & Manufacturing . Guests at the FEC will swipe their game card and then the device dispenses one golf ball. “It’s performing flawlessly,” Wright says. “It saves payroll, it saves time, [it’s] very easy to maintain.” 3 FORE YOURSELF FEC Seaside attraction Harbour Park in Littlehampton, England, is the setting for a new children’s book featuring the park’s mascot, Sandy Castle . Author Wenny Smart pens a tale where twins on holiday create and then befriend a magic sandcastle that can walk and talk through their adventure, building respect for the planet we all share. “Sandcastle building is a simple, free activity that connects people with nature. Additionally, I wanted to promote environmental awareness, especially regarding our coasts and oceans,” says Smart, who grew up as a self-described island girl from Java Island, Indonesia. Entitled “Sandy Castle,” the book “brings a lot of goodwill and is instantaneously recognizable” as part of Harbour Park’s brand, says mascot creator Gary Smart , Wenny’s father-in-law. The book is available from WH Smith, Waterstones, and Amazon.com. HAVE A DISPATCH FROM THE FIELD? Have a Dispatch from the field? Share your 2024 successes, wins, and innovations with Funworld. Send news and photos to FunworldWorks@IAAPA.org SPREADING LIGHT SCOTT FAIS HARBOUR PARK PLOPSALAND12 by Michael Switow Asia-Pacific LAUNCH Funworld | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 | IAAPA.org/Funworld Visitors to Singapore’s Sentosa Island and nearby Mount Faber can witness spec- tacular views 100 meters above the ground from the Singapore Cable Car’s new SkyOrb cabins. Billed as one of the world’s first chrome-finished spherical cable cars, the SkyOrb features glass floors, enhanced ventila- tion, and colorful lighted rings that cast an illuminating glow in the evening. “The spherical design of the SkyOrb Cabins breaks the bound- aries of traditional cable car aesthet- ics and offers a futuristic and captivating look,” says Buhdy Bok, managing director of the Mount Faber Leisure Group (MFLG), which has added seven SkyOrb cab- ins to its cable car fleet. The SkyOrb is designed in collaboration with Switzerland’s CWA, a member of the Doppelmayr Group. CWA first partnered with MFLG for the launch of the first-generation of Singapore cable cars more than 50 years ago. A round-trip cable car ticket costs SG$35; an upgrade to ride in a SkyOrb cabin is an additional SG$15. mountfaberleisure.com/attraction/ singapore-cable-car Visitors to Beijing’s ZGC Science Fiction Industry Innovation Center can enjoy two new deep space sci-fi adventures. Guests don an astronaut suit and helmet in Space Rescue, then pilot a capsule to a space station where they must restart a control system at a biological base. Space Dinosaur Base combines two popular themes while testing players’ intellect and bravery. The visuals of both experiences are powered by Christie Pandoras Box and Widget Designer. Christie Pandoras Box facilitates the transition of gaming scene effects while integrating multi-scene audio and video content with Widget Designer’s adaptable control algorithms. The software is installed in two customized multimedia servers. “This setup allows for precise control of storyline effects and efficient network distribution,” says Daiyuan Wang, general manager of Beijing De Yi Jia Chuang, which installed the soft- ware. “This empowers the operator to achieve real-time and precise playback control of various audio and video content.” metaversecenter.cn WONDERLAND SCIENCE FICTION EXPLORATION HALL Spherical SkyOrbs Soar Over Singapore Deep Space Adventure Launches in BeijingWe delight generations of consumers every day. Our consumer-preferred snack brands are recognized and adored in the most fun places around the world. Come talk with us about offering the world’s FUNNEST snacks and frozen beverages. www.jjsnack.com please contact us at marketingcoordinator@jjsnack.com14 LAUNCH Funworld | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 | IAAPA.org/Funworld by Juliana Gilling Europe Chocoversum, the chocolate museum in Hamburg, Germany, continues to strengthen its brand as a must-visit destination for chocolate fans by giving its chocolate workshop a makeover. Guest feedback inspired Chocoversum to transform the attraction, tapping into the trend for personalized and immer- sive experiences. Chocoversum’s research showed that 58% of visitors wanted to create their own choco- late bars. Guests of all ages can now decorate liquid chocolate with ingredients to suit their tastes at a Create-Your-Own-Bar experience. Chocoversum also caters to broader tastes by including white chocolate alongside milk and dark chocolate options. Anne Merle Stribeck, project manager and exhibition cura- tor, adds, “There was a need to make the workshop more accessible and inclusive by adjusting table heights and labeling.” Visitors can expect “a vibrant, stylish environment with bold colors, flow- ing shapes, and light accents.” “The redesigned workshop improves the guest experience by making it more interactive, enjoy- able, and memorable,” she says. The new-look chocolate work- shop opened in June. Chocoversum plans to continue guest-centered product development and evolve in other areas, including flexible pricing and retail, to enhance the business. chocoversum.de A L F R E D B R A N D L Revamped Chocolate Workshop Offers a Treat in Germany Playful dinosaurs took over Splash Lagoon, a new family water ride at Paultons Park in Hampshire, England. Lawrence Mancey, the park’s marketing and technology director, describes Splash Lagoon as the “perfect addition” to Paultons’ Lost Kingdom land. Just like Paultons’ popular Dinosaur Tour Co. Jeep Safari ride, Splash Lagoon offers families up-close encounters with prehistoric beasts. “The ride also allows younger children to enjoy a slightly larger log flume than they could previously,” Mancey says. Paultons Park’s focus on theming and landscaping contin- ues with the ABC Rides Mini Flume ride. In a lush tropical set- ting, guests will meet a Brachiosaurus and Triceratops, both supplied by Gengu. Dinosaur spotters should also keep their eyes on the watchtower, built by Paulton’s engineering team. Visitors will encounter a downed airplane and a water tunnel before the big splash. paultonspark.co.uk Paultons Park Embarks on New Adventures in the U.K. PAULTONS PARKSunkid – Interactive Family Rides! We make your guests smile for over 40 years sunkidworld.com | Tel.: +43 5412 68131 | info@sunkidworld.com SundancerTowerButterfly © ThemePark-Central s16 LAUNCH Middle East Funworld | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 | IAAPA.org/Funworld Miral, a creator of immersive destinations and experi- ences in Abu Dhabi, has announced a three- year strategic partnership with Emirates NBD, a banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye) region. The partnership marks one of the largest sponsor- ship deal in Miral’s history. “As our official banking part- ner, Emirates NBD will play a crucial role in further enhancing the overall experience for our guests across our world-class attractions on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi,” says Liam Findlay, CEO at Miral Destinations. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to providing unparalleled leisure and entertainment offerings to our guests, with added value now provided for all Emirates NBD customers.” The deal gives Emirates NBD cardhold- ers exclusive benefits and discounts across all Yas Island theme parks and CLYMB, an indoor skydiving attraction. Emirates NBD is also present in the parks through FacePass, which streamlines the guest experience. The contactless technology, facili- tated by the Yas Island app, uses facial recognition at its entry gates and serves as a cashless way for visitors to pay for purchases made at gift shops. miral.ae Construction continues on Saudi Arabia’s upcoming water theme park, Aquarabia. Located in Qiddiya, Aquarabia will complement Six Flags Qiddiya City, the first Six Flags park to be built from the ground up outside North America. Both parks are slated for completion in 2025. Aquarabia will offer 22 rides and attractions in eight lands for guests to explore. These include Camel Rock, the family-friendly Dhub Grotto, Wave Wadi (with a giant wave pool), The Den—a private zone for women and children—and the Viper Canyon thrill zone. There’s also an adults-only Arabian Peak retreat and Herding Grounds, an adventurous water sports zone with white- water rafting, kayaking, canyoneering, free solo climbing, and cliff jumping. Surftopia features the Kingdom’s first surf pool. The theme is inspired by the journey of local animals on their way to an oasis. Qiddiya Investment Company Managing Director Abdullah Al-Dawood says as one of the region’s largest water parks, Aquarabia “marks a significant milestone for Qiddiya City.” qiddiya.com M I R A L / E M I R A T E S AQUARABIA Miral Banks on Success with Emirates NBD Partnership Aquarabia to Make a Splash in Qiddiya City by Juliana GillingThe Difference Your Guests Will Feel. proslide.comNext >