PartyCenterSoftware.com/Blog

Legoland water park gets prestigious industry award
By Lori Weisberg

Monday, October 11, 2010 at 7:51 p.m.

Legoland’s new $12 million water park, which debuted earlier this year, has landed the Carlsbad theme park a major industry award, presented by an association of water attraction professionals.

The park was chosen for the Industry Innovation Award, which recognizes how well an organization sets itself apart from others in its ability to move the industry “to a new or higher plane.”

“The Worldwater Park Board of Directors considers new services, techniques and attractions and how those offerings help advance the industry in some way to keep it fresh and inspired,” said Gina Kellogg, of the World Waterpark Association.

The 5.5-acre water park, which opened in May, includes a number of features, including four slides that branch from a 45-toot-tall tower, and the Orange Rush slide, which allows four people in a raft to glide down a 312-foot-long tube.

Geared for families with children ages 2 to 12, the park also has a wading pool for toddlers and a “lazy river” where people can build rafts and lounge while getting sprayed by life-size Lego “friends.”

“The fact that our Water Park is Lego-themed and geared toward young children and their families is what truly separates Legoland Water Park from any other water park in the world,” said Peter Ronchetti, general manager of Legoland California Resort. “I’m glad to say the reaction has been very positive and despite the rather untraditional summer weather and continuing economic stress in the market, we have had a very strong season and will be once again reporting record attendance numbers this year.”

By Gary White
THE LEDGER

Published: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 5:26 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 5:26 p.m.

Adrian Jones, 39, an Englishman, was hired in early August as general manager of Legoland Florida.

Jones sat down with The Ledger earlier this week to discuss the progress of the theme park, scheduled to open next fall at the former Cypress Gardens property in Winter Haven.

Q: What can you tell us about the construction and renovation work going on at the property?

A: People who’ve driven past the site have probably seen a lot of demolition and removal of rides that didn’t necessarily fit our portfolio. There’s a lot of fenced-off areas and there’s still a bit of demolition going on to kind of change the flow of the park, but I would say 75 percent of the infrastructure is there in terms of the buildings we’re going to be reusing and redeveloping.

Q: What is the time line for future construction plans?

A: From the beginning of January, there’s going to be a lot more construction teams on site … so you’ll see things start to appear above the fence line in certain areas of the park. … The hope is to have construction completed around June, July, August time, and then we’ve got two or three months lead time into the opening to make sure the systems are checked, we’ve trained the staff and we’re fully prepared to go.

A: We’ve got about 35 people on site at the moment. We’ve got a rides manager, a maintenance director. We’ve got gardeners and we’ve got landscapers, carpenters. … The biggest team we have in administration is marketing at the moment. We’re starting to get out into the community a lot more and really put the plans together, reaching out to trade partners, suppliers, potential sponsors and also people who are going to be providing things like ride photography and the games.

Q: What is the schedule for future hiring?

A: The next big surge of hiring starts in the new year. My (operations) team will probably be fully in place by the end of February, March, depending on what recruitment’s like. But then the big push will be for seasonal staff around July time, possibly June.

Q: Miniland, with its miniature replicas of famous places constructed from Lego bricks, is the highlight of every Legoland park. What can you say about the Miniland being planned for Legoland Florida?

A: One thing I will say is we will be including a Florida section because you have to take on the face of the place. … And one thing I will say is that after seeing most of the Minilands in the world, this Miniland for me is going to have the most beautiful view out of any of the Legoland parks in the world.

Q: Who is working on the creation of Miniland?

A: Miniland as a project is huge, as you can imagine. There are millions and millions of bricks that go into (it). … There are elements of it that are being built in California, there are elements of it that are being built in Billund (Denmark), and I believe there are elements that are being built in Windsor (England), as well. They started on it a long time ago.

Q: When will you offer the media or the public a glimpse of the work being done at the property?
A: People have to understand that we will give them as much information as we can give them because there are still things that are changing. And the reason we’re not really being up-front is because we don’t want to mislead them � because things are subject to change still. We have to understand that is a construction site, so it’s for people’s safety that we try to keep out of those areas as best we can. And the main reason is we don’t want the project to be delayed.
Read More…

Cameron Park, Ca., August 24, 2010 –Scott Drummond, President of Agile Software and Marketing, received notification that their product PartyCenterSoftware.com, is a finalist for the “Innovation of the year” award presented by the Play Providers Association (PPA), arguably the UK’s most influential association for the fun industry.  “It was great to see our PartyCenterSoftware.com program be recognized for the contributions it is making to help the fun industry.  As a previous operator I understand the struggles that our customers go through and we have found a solution to help make both their lives and their profit better!”

Drummond will be exhibiting at the Leisure International Week in Birmingham, UK in late September and along with 9 other finalist will display his PartyCenterSoftware.com product to be voted on by members of the PPA.  He hopes to bring home top prize for his newly released version of his online party booking and facility management software. “This will be our first year exhibiting at LIW so I am very excited to meet many of our customers in person and if we can bring home the award it will make for one great trip!  I’m just thankful for our customers and all they do to help us grow as a business”, said Drummond.

Read more…

3:06 PM Thu, Aug 12, 2010
Deborah Fleck/News Assistant Read Here

LEGOLAND Discovery CenterA tractor dumped out its unusual contents–thousands of colorful LEGO bricks.
Then, Grapevine Mayor William D. Tate, Sen. Jane Nelson, Russell Barnes of Merlin Entertainments Group and Peggy Weaver of Grapevine Mills took up shovels and dug into the pile.

A “Turning of the LEGO Bricks” ceremony this morning marked the construction launch for a new LEGOLAND Discovery Center at Grapevine Mills Mall. The center, only the second one in the United States and fifth one worldwide, is scheduled to open in April, 2011. The 35,000-square-foot playland will offer rides, a 4D cinema, party rooms, interactive features and even a MINILAND that will feature landmark North Texas buildings–including a Cowboys Stadium made out of LEGOs.

Merlin officials said they love the location–near the airport, in a growing area and in a city that works hard to draw tourists. Irving officials are also happy–they will have something else to promote nearby and draw visitors to their hotels as well.

I’m anxious to see that Cowboys Stadium made of LEGOs!
Lego three (Small).jpg

SANDUSKY
By Tom Jackson

As amusement park companies go, Cedar Fair is the industry’s juggernaut — it owns 11 amusement parks and six water parks throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Even in Sandusky, home of Cedar Point amusement park, news coverage in recent months has concentrated on Cedar Fair as it mulled an acquisition by New York private equity firm Apollo Global Management.

The deal fell through, leaving Cedar Fair to battle the recession and debt problems.

Which leaves everyone wondering: How is Cedar Point doing? Read more…

Lego Builders At Work

By Channel NewsAsia Malaysia Bureau Chief Melissa Goh | Posted: 09 July 2010 2035 hrs

NUSAJAYA, Malaysia : Asia’s first Legoland targets to attract 1.5 million visitors when it opens its doors at the end of 2012.

Located in Nusa Cermelang industrial park, within the Iskandar New Economic Region, the theme park will boast the tallest lego model in the world.

The backgrounds of the 22 young Malaysians – pioneer model builders for Legoland Malaysia – are diverse, coming from engineering, architecture, and fine arts.

They beat over 800 other job seekers at a recent hiring contest.

In the first round, contestants were given 25 minutes to copy a model of a seahorse.

“It was not difficult to find the people. We were amazed. What we really looking for is creativity obviously, but more so it’s teamwork, it’s the passion and the attitude that the people bring in to their role. That’s what we’re really looking for,” said Tim Burnell, Production Director, Merlin Entertainment. Read more…

By Justin McClelland, Staff Writer
1:56 PM Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Becky Fusco her son, Bobby, and husband Jeff, ride the log ride on Wednesday, July 7, 2010, at Kings Island in Mason. The Columbus family came to park as part of A Kid Again day, where sick children and their families were provided free admittance to the park. Bobby has MPPH Syndrome. Staff photo by Apryl Pilolli

MASON —Concerned about her son’s safety, Becky Fusco researched each ride at Kings Island before her family attended the amusement park.

Bobby Fusco, 5, has MPPH Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes seizures, mental retardation, and confines him to a wheelchair.

But, as Fusco and her husband, Jeff, entered the park on Wednesday, July 7, they threw caution to the wind and boarded the water log flume ride, carrying their son. A few minutes later, they emerged, dripping with water and all smiles.

“It was terrific,” Fusco said.

The Fuscos were invited to Kings Island at no cost as part of A Kid Again day at the park.

A Kid Again is a non-profit organization that helps children with life threatening illnesses and their families by providing group oriented “adventure” activities, like outings to sports games, parties, and the annual trip to Kings Island at no cost to the family.

“Events like this get us out of the house,” Becky Fusco said. “Seeing other wheelchairs and Read more…

By Kathy Lauer-Williams, OF THE MORNING CALL
July 8, 2010

Demon Drop, Dorney Park‘s newest thrill ride, is a little deceiving.

The rise to the top of the 131-foot drop tower seems to take forever. But once you get to the top and the car is thrust into the top of the drop chute, you feel surprisingly stable with heavy steel grating under your feet, even though you’re suspended high in the air.

Then, without warning, you drop 10 stories. Your breath leaves your lungs in a rush as you free fall for 12 seconds ending up on your back at the end of the 99-foot track.

And it’s over.

“It’s a short ride, but intense,” says Dorney Park public relations intern Melissa Goodfriend. “It’s the only true free-fall ride in the park.”

She says the 170-foot Dominator ride, also a free-fall style ride, uses Read more…

A new report shows that the theme park business, including Disney, is expected to grow over the next five years after slow attendance in recent years.

IBISWorld, a Santa Monica-based market research firm, predicts that theme parks should see 3.1 percent growth annually, or $12.1 billion, over the next five years, according to a report released last week. This year alone, revenue is expected to increase by 1.7 percent, or $10.4 billion. Read a previous story about the report’s initial findings about the theme-park industry.

The words, "World of Color," appear above Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure at the end of the new light-and-water show.

A new report shows that the theme park business, including Disney, is expected to grow over the next five years after slow attendance in recent years.

IBISWorld, a Santa Monica-based market research firm, predicts that theme parks should see 3.1 percent growth annually, or $12.1 billion, over the next five years, according to a report released last week. This year alone, revenue is expected to increase by 1.7 percent, or $10.4 billion. Read a previous story about the report’s initial findings about the theme-park industry.

Is Your Leadership Showing
By: Beth Standlee, TrainerTainment

I believe that most people that read this newsletter are leaders, supervisors, owners, and influencers of some kind. We all influence or have some leadership roles with someone or ones in our lives. How are you showing up when it comes to leadership?

Whether you believe in scripture or not, Exodus provides great insight to the visual presence of leadership. Exodus 13:21 says that God lead his people out of Egypt with a cloud by day and fire by night. When I read this scripture it struck me that leadership has a real presence that others can see. It takes different shape depending on the situation.

In the fast paced world we live in, people move in and out of our businesses very quickly. Those that show themselves as leaders demand to be promoted. Our young leaders today have a confidence that they can get the job done, but may lack the wisdom of what leadership looks like. Oh wait, that can apply to mature leaders too!
I don’t know that I’m an expert in what leadership looks like but I have noticed that these 5 things inspire others to follow:

1. CARE: Great leaders show that they care. John Maxwell teaches Read more…