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Submit Photos of Your Facility to IAAPA and Your Attraction Could be Featured on the IAAPA WebSite!

Dear IAAPA Members,

Please consider submitting photos of your facility to us to post on our website. Your pictures may be featured as one of the rotating images on the homepage, at the top

of one of our web sections, or in various IAAPA marketing materials.

If your facility’s picture is chosen, the name and location of the facility will be listed with the picture. This will be our way of saying “thank you” as we publicize your facility to thousands of people who view our web pages each week.

Your pictures must be 750 pixels wide by 200 pixels high, 75dpi resolution in JPG format (panoramic view) in order to be considered for placement. If you’re interested in participating, please complete the online form and upload pictures of your facility.

Thanks for your consideration and we look forward to seeing your photos! If you have questions, please contact webmaster@IAAPA.org for more information.

Sincerely,

Your IAAPA Website Team.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions 1448 Duke St. Alexandria, VA 22314 | Tel: +1 703/836-4800

No this is not a joke… Gift cards are DANGEROUS! Why you ask? At the IAAPA FEC Summit earlier this year, Gregg Borman, Senior VP Palace Entertainment, warned the audience about how unused gift cards or gift certificates will soon be seized by our desperate and over reaching state governments. The first state to try this move was New Jersey. Last year their law makers approved the seizure of any unused gift card or travels checks that had went unused for more than two or three years. While a federal court blocked their bid to seize these assets from businesses, it is only a matter of time before they are allowed to take your unused gift card or gift certificate funds. New Jersey is attempting to balance their out of control budget by taking the estimated $80 million in unused gift cards in the state. The fiscal ramifications to the businesses that lose these cash reserves will be catastrophic and the short-sided view by the state government will send shock waves through the already hostile business environment.

WHAT CAN I DO? Borman in a recent meeting with Party Center Software suggests that each facility contact their attorney to find out how to protect their funds from being seized. Borman says his in-house counsel had suggested the first step is to completely remove the word GIFT from the product name. They will most likely be going to a more generic “play card” or “game card” name. The theory behind this move is that if they can show that the monies paid were for the purchase of a “play card” then the fund were fully used and allocated to the play card and most likely will not be subject to the unredeemed gift card laws. On the accounting side you will need to verify and check with your accountant as this may change how you account for those cards and the value on them within your books. You may be requiring to show them no longer as a liability but now as an asset which can change your tax implications.

An additional step is to provide a policy for those play cards and have that policy printed on the back of the card as well as posted on your website and on location. This policy may include details about how the card value can be exchanged for other goods and services and also to put on an expiration date for the card. Under certain state laws, such as California, if you issue physical gift certificates as opposed to gift cards, they may never expire and are consider identical to cash. This makes is difficult to balance your books with years of unredeemed gift certificates. All in all the actual Gift Card is not dangerous but the fact that a state can, by the barrel of a political gun aka threat of prison, seize your hard earned cash right from your bank account makes them a huge liability. So this is just a warning to those of you who still issue gift cards or gift certificates. Get with your attorney and find out how you can start to transition your gift card program to a play card or other system and start protecting the hard earned revenue from the hands of often over reaching government.

James “Chip” Cleary Named IAAPA President and CEO(March 2, 2011) – The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) today
announced James “Chip” Cleary has been named president and CEO. He will take over the top staff position at the worldwide trade association on April 4, 2011.

“Chip’s proven leadership acumen, diverse and extensive experience in the attractions industry, and his years of service as an active volunteer and leader within IAAPA make him ideally qualified to lead the association as president and CEO,” said IAAPA Chairman Bob Rippy. “Chip will use his knowledge of our industry and his passion for the success of our members to elevate the products and services we offer around the world.”

A 30-year veteran of the attractions industry, Cleary has been a partner in and/or managed a variety of attractions including amusement parks, family entertainment centers, and waterparks.

Cleary started his career in the industry in 1978 at Adventureland Amusement Park in Farmingdale, New York. He worked his way up through a number of positions to serve as vice president, where he oversaw the rebuilding and operation of the park.

In 1991 Cleary supervised the design and construction of Splish Splash waterpark on Long Island, New York, and served as the park’s president until 1999. Cleary and his partners sold Splish Splash to Palace Entertainment in 1999, and Cleary joined Palace’s executive team as vice president of the waterpark division. Splish Splash is consistently rated one of the top waterparks in the United States.

Palace Entertainment was purchased by Spain-based Parques Reunidos in 2007 and Cleary was named senior vice president to oversee the company’s portfolio of waterparks in the U.S. In 2008 Lake Compounce was added to his group.

Cleary has been an active volunteer in IAAPA for nearly 15 years. He served on the association’s exhibitor awards, government relations, safety and maintenance, and conference and trade show advisory committees and chaired the membership, strategic planning, compensation, and executive committees. Cleary also led the team that produced the Kickoff Event at IAAPA Attractions Expo for the past four years. He served two terms on the board of directors and was elected third vice chairman in 2007. He served as second and first vice chairman in 2008 and 2009 respectively and he was chairman of the board in 2010.

Cleary graduated magna cum laude in 1973 from the New York Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He is a past chairman of the board for the Amusement Council of the New York State Hotel Motel Association and has served on the boards for the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Miller Place Civic Association.

About IAAPA
IAAPA is the premier trade association for the attractions industry worldwide. Founded more than 90 years ago, IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities and attractions worldwide and is dedicated to the preservation and prosperity of the attractions industry. IAAPA represents more than 4,000 facility, supplier, and individual members from more than 90 countries. Member facilities include amusement/theme parks, waterparks, attractions, family entertainment centers, arcades, zoos, aquariums, museums, science centers, resorts, and casinos. IAAPA is a nonprofit organization. Funds generated for the association by its involvement in trade shows and other activities are returned to the association to fund services for its members and the industry. IAAPA maintains regional offices in Asia, Europe, and Latin America, and the association’s global headquarters is in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. www.IAAPA.org

“If you want to increase the profit for your FEC business, install PartyCenterSoftware.com today!” A recent quote from Mr. Rick Iceberg, IAAPA FEC committee member and owner of CJ Barrymore’s Sports & Entertainment says it all. It is with that excitement that CJ Barrymore’s in Michigan realized an increase in their event profit margin of up to 40% from the previous year, as a result of the installation and use of PartyCenterSoftware.com. Not only did Mr. Iceberg see his bottom line increase, but he was overwhelmed that the PartyCenterSoftware.com implementation actually increased the overall efficiency of managing those booked events, and it drove down labor costs associated with managing CJ Barrymore’s party bookings. “Our online event booking was forecasted at 300, and we exceeded over 1200 online parties booked!!” According to Mr. Iceberg, “Ultimately, our customers are elated with the software’s simplicity and ease of use, so they book more parties–and that makes us extremely satisfied!”

Kim Webster of C.J. Barrymores says, “What a great product! Party Center Software is a great asset to any Family Fun Center.  Thank you to the great staff that has made programming this software convenient and simple.  The tech support is amazing, always friendly and willing to go above and beyond.  I was amazed at how customer friendly this product is! I am so thrilled about this software, defiantly the best purchase for our FEC in 2010!

Mr. Jacob Cascioli, who operates two Jumpin’ Jakes locations in New York, is equally excited about the effectiveness and efficiency of PartyCenterSoftware.com. “Over the past two years, both stores have received over 500 bookings through the online booking module.” Mr. Cascioli continued, “I knew online bookings were on the rise, but I didn’t realize exactly how big of an impact it made to my company – giving my customers the ability to book a party at their convenience really separates us from the competition.”

In addition to the effectiveness and efficiency of PartyCenterSoftware.com, CEO Scott Drummond and his team are receiving praise for their dedication to customer satisfaction. Mr. Robert Peppard with Combat Sports Outdoor Laser Tag Park in Colts Neck, NJ says, “Your continued support of the product and commitment to improve PartyCenterSoftware.com is a testimony to the value you provide to each and every one of your customers – thank you for being a HUGE part of our success.”

For more information on how your company can benefit from our software,  please visit us at PartyCenterSoftware.com

PartyCenterSoftware.com is an online party booking and event management tool designed to increase party bookings and eliminate unnecessary labor costs. Included in the PCS suite of tools is a complete EPOS system, time clock, and vendor management feature. Currently operating in seven countries, PartyCenterSoftware.com is marketed and sold by Agile Software and Marketing, based in California.