Green Tagged: Theme Park in 30

This week: A PSA for EIDL extensions, USJ and The Pokemon Company announce partnership, Six Flags Magic Mountain works with Clear, Prices for Lighting Lane Released, plus a roundup of new openings.

Crowds continue to swell at mega fall events, leading to more accidents. We dive into the incident report from Glenwood Caverns and the fighting at Six Flags properties, then discuss how attractions are responding. Plus, are unvaccinated people more likely to visit theme parks?

Quarterly reports from Disney and Cedar continue to show good trends, but more people at fall events means more conflict. Media has been latching on to anything that can be viewed as unsafe at attractions. In this episode we touch on larger trends and discuss what some folks are doing as a defense. Plus, we finish up with some killer collaborations at ScareHouse, Hershey Park, and the first haunte...

After some quick hits, we’re discussing the Golden Ticket awards and how attractions are engaging their super fans. Stories covered: LA County Guideline updates; Amusement Today’s Golden Tickets; Universal Beijing’s Opening; Takeaways from Knott’s Scary Farm, Universal Orlando Horror Nights, SeaWorld, and more.

The administration is asking entertainment venues to require vaccines for guests; what should attractions do? Also – a discussion on SeaWorld’s inaugural Halloween event HowloScream, Universal Orlando’s Sellout nights, and Disneyland’s Very Merriest Nites.

We’re one year old! This stories in today’s show deal with attractions choosing between wide audience appeal versus targeting audience segments. Stories: Walt Disney World Annual Pass sales to resume Sept. 8 with four new pass types; Merlin Entertainments & LEGO break ground on LEGOLAND Shenzhen Resort; Storyland Studios to design experiences around Ubisoft franchises; Europa-Park to launch its ow...

After some quick hits, our deep dive this week is retail experiences versus app extensions; while many brands are crafting experiences with licenses, Disney is doubling down on app experiences. Stories: Walt Disney World requiring COVID vaccine for unionized cast members; Delta’s Extra $200 Monthly Healthcare Surcharge To Unvaccinated Airline Workers May Have Serious Unintended Consequences; Vinyl...

This week’s big news is the unveiling of Disney Genie. The service puts Disney one large step closer to the ‘park sharing’ model of peak efficiency. While the service democratizes concierge planning for every ticketholder, the lightning lane marks another set of ‘velvet ropes’ to get more spend per guest. Disney’s walls climb ever higher by adding technology and cash to the chasm. Will the service...

Last week we mentioned that Universal matching 2019 attendance levels with Cedar Fair at 85%. Disney’s Q3 Earnings report is better. Stories Covered: Disney’s Earnings Report; Cedar Fair Announces 2022 Investment; 12 Hasbro-themed entertainment Centers Openings; San Francisco’s Mandates; Disney Very Merriest After Hours offerings revealed; K11 Art Mall in Hong Kong welcomes new Meme Museum; Six Fl...

As China begins to shut down again, attractions in the US are fighting to stay open and working. NYC’s new mandate program for recreation is one path, while Florida’s is another. And yet, numbers released this week show Universal already matching 2019 attendance with Cedar Fair at 85%. Plus, AA shows business travel returning. The bad news: guests are grumpy, violent interactions are on the rise,...

Delta is all that’s on anyone’s mind this week, so we’re doing something a little different. We dedicate the show to what you can do no to prepare. What contingency plans can I make? How much should I reduce capacity? How will that impact staffing? Will demand go soft? All those questions answered and more.

This week we’re giving updates on industry staffing and then discussing new openings that focus on blending IP with the natural world to refurbish existing attractions. Stories: Disney Cruise Line to resume Bahamian voyages from Florida in August; multiple layers of safety measures added; IAAPA Supports the Robust Resumption of Visa Processing; Ohio's Coney Island offers new incentive for seasonal...

While France and LA are adding new mandates, new attractions are opening in time for the Fall Season. This week: LA County’s mask mandate; France’s tourism pass; Disney’s new campus; Halloween Nights at Eastern State; よみうりランド Pokemon Hunt; Universal Osaka’s Demon Slayer partnership.

Stories covered: The Travel industry has a blueprint for reopening international travel; A congressional update from IAAPA; IAAPA Awards are open; The Theas are now free to stream; Universal Hollywood and Disneyland announce Halloween events; Lego’s NY Store has upped the retailtainment game; and Hans Christian Andersen museum opens in Denmark.

Despite the rising Delta Wave, surveys show that Americans are ready to go out. We’ll discuss recent travel surveys and look at new business opportunities for attractions. This week: Surveys from Morning Consult and AnyRoad show a return to events; Marriott on bleasure trends; parades return to Orlando; NCAA ruling; Knott’s Releases Official Podcast; Great Wolf Resorts Moves into Animation with ‘T...

This week: American cancels hundreds of flights; Knoebels and Seaworld Orlando add incentive programs for new hires; Disney resumes college program in time for 50th anniversary; Royal Caribbean discourages unvaccinated guests from sailing.

This week we’re following up on trends impacting the day to day and the near future. Stories covered: California is reopen; prices for travel services are surging; Universal opened sales for HHN30; the Boo Bash is selling out; Midsummer Scream’s Awaken the Spirits; Dorney reduces summer days due to staffing shortage; and Universal hints at the future of Epic Universe.

Quick Hits, a roundup of some of the new experiences catching our attention, and a discussion on app extensions. Stories: Spain reopens borders to vaccinated tourists; Walt Disney World makes masks optional for guests effective June 15; Fantawild opens new Glorious Orient park in Ganzhou; Cedar Point opens Snake River Expedition; Hasbro unveils new Monopoly experience set to open in London; Musion...

This week is full of updates from around the world. The EEOC gave guidance for mandating vaccines, while Universal Orlando became the first theme park to make masks voluntary for all guests. Seaworld Orlando enters into Universal’s territory with a new Halloween event; is allowing 100% ownership by foreign investment; Butterbeer is coming to New York; The Studio Tour in Tokyo is under construction...

Disney is reopening to out of state guests in California and Universal Orlando Resort is raising wages to compete on staffing. Companies are betting on the future of in-person experiences, but meanwhile media companies are trying to consolidate to combat Disney +. But what’s the big deal? IP is critical because it has extendibility. This week we summarize the state of media consolidation and discu...

This week, we’re circling back to cover updates on some big topics from previous shows. The EU is reopening to international travel, staffing struggles have escalated, and Disney doubles down on demand bets by raising prices. Stories covered: The EU Reopens; Cedar Point to pay $20/hour; Disney Cruise Line Releases Pricing for the Inaugural Season of the Wish; Hong Kong Disneyland has posted its wo...

This week’s major news is – of course – the CDC announcement that fully vaccinated Americans can stop wearing masks and maintaining social distance in most settings — both indoors and outdoors. While this is great news for attractions, it’s going to take some adjusting with your team. We discuss the Disney/Universal response and how you should open the dialogue at your attraction. Plus – as demand...

Seasonal events have always been used to encourage FOMO and drive attendance – and they work. Despite the staffing concerns we discussed last week, attractions are pushing Fall 2021 for all they’re worth. Attractions, restaurants, and streaming services are jumping on the Halfway to Halloween bandwagon – and you should too! This is the perfect time to begin pre-sales and get audiences a preview of...

Fall is coming and as attractions ramp up, some are scrambling to find employees. We discuss why that is, how attractions are adding incentives, and what training will look like in the new normal. Stories Covered: Genting SkyWorlds in Malaysia seeks 1,500 new workers; Great Wolf Resorts has almost 2,000 job openings available at 16 of its locations; 900 jobs available at Pennsylvania parks for 202...

How’s your merch game? This week we’re discussing large retailtainment openings and the land grab happening as companies struggle to go vertical. Stories covered: ‘Harry Potter New York flagship store opening date set for June 3,’ ‘Next-Gen Luxury Guest Experience at the new IWC Flagship Boutique in Zurich, Design Build by The Producers Group,’ ‘Design Museum supermarket is selling artistic essent...