"La nouvelle attraction, qui se situe à mi-chemin entre le téléphérique et la montagne russe, emmènera les visiteurs pour un survol du parc", selon Greet Vandenberghe, responsable de la communication chez Walibi. "L'ouverture de la nouvelle attraction est prévue pour l'été 2006", a-t-elle ajouté.
Conçu et développé par la firme autrichienne Doppelmayr, ce téléphérique d'un nouveau genre permettra au public de voir le parc comme jamais auparavant puisqu'il... le survolera. Le passager prendra place dans une nacelle pouvant accueillir 4 personnes de front, qui s'élèvera à une altitude de 55 mètres en moins de 13 secondes. Fixée à un câble, elle parcourera ensuite un circuit qui l'emmenera au-dessus des zones du parc dédiées à Bob et Bobette et à Lucky Luke.
Selon Walibi, les nacelles seront balancées de gauche à droite et de bas en haut, ce qui donnera aux passagers l'impression de voler. L'installation de cette attraction unique au monde nécessitera la construction de trois pylônes, séparés d'une distance pouvant aller jusqu'à 200 mètres, en plus des tours de la gare d'embarquement.
Tout au long du parcours, d'une distance de 722 mètres et d'une durée de 94 secondes, les nacelles "voleront" à une altitude de 15 à 55 mètres et pourront atteindre la vitesse de 60 km/h suivant les endroits. L'arrivée sera également impressionnante puisque la nacelle effectuera un virage à 480°, soit un tour et demi, pour ensuite descendre et "atterrir" à la gare de départ.
Huit nacelles de 4 personnes seront mises en fonctionnement, permettant ainsi à 800 personnes de prendre place dans l'attraction chaque heure. La nouvelle attraction sera implantée là où se trouvait le "Tornado", en cours de démolition. Cette montagne russe, la première dotée d'un looping en Europe, avait été construite en 1979.
Source : Net Event
"C'est la première fois que le Futuroscope", lancé en 1987, donne un thème à sa saison, président de la société d'économie mixte qui gère le parc.
Celui-ci, qui est passé tout près de la faillite en 2002, vise 1,5 million de visiteurs en 2006.
Parmi les 23 attractions figure cette année un "Zoo des robots", avec six robots-animaux exposés pendant plusieurs années aux Etats-Unis et en Asie. Parallèlement, ouvrira en mars un spectacle intitulé "Danse avec les robots". Pour le monter, le parc a acquis pour 7 millions d'euros des robots issus de l'industrie automobile, reconvertis avec une nacelle en manèges avec une mise en musique du chorégraphe Kamel Ouali.
Le Futuroscope présente également un spectacle avec les chiens-robots japonais de compagnie Aibo. Sony vient tout juste d'annoncer l'arrêt de leur fabrication. Commercialisés depuis 1999, ils se sont vendus à 150.000 exemplaires. On trouve aussi un robot-explorateur et un robot-peintre.
Le parc proposera également à partir d'avril dans l'un de ses sept restaurants un menu "gastronomie du futur" mis au point par Hervé This. Ce physico-chimiste, qui exerce l'Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA), est le maître français de la "cuisine moléculaire".
Initialement créé à l'initiative du Conseil général de la Vienne, l'exploitation du Futuroscope avait été confiée en 2000 au groupe privé Amaury. Deux ans plus tard, le parc, qui cumule alors les pertes, est réintégré dans le giron public, sous la forme d'une société d'économie mixte. Pour expliquer ses difficultés, on invoque un manque de renouvellement de ses attractions.
Selon son directeur, le site, qui totalise 30 millions de visites en 20 ans, entend aujourd'hui se renouveler à un rythme annuel de 20 %. A cette fin, il investit "10 % de son chiffre d'affaires annuel". "Ce renouvellement est obligatoire si l'on veut que les visiteurs reviennent", explique Dominique Hummel. D'après lui, le taux de visiteurs qui reviennent est remonté à 60 %, après avoir chuté à 40% il y a quelques années.
Pour 2007, le directeur a en projet une nouvelle attraction de "réalité augmentée", vue au Japon, associant images virtuelles, sons et lumière, ainsi qu'un spectacle avec les "animaux du futur".
Source : France2
Les images diffusées montrent notamment une mère faisant passer son enfant au-dessus des grilles sous le regard des services de sécurité dépassés par ce mouvement de colère.
La plupart des clients, venus de Chine continentale à l'occasion de la semaine de congés du Nouvel an, avaient déjà déboursé quelque 300 HKD (43 $) pour accéder aux attractions. Une porte-parole de Disney a tenté de minimiser l'incident.
«Le calme est revenu peu après, nous avons réglé le problème et laissé les gens pénétrer», a-t-elle déclaré à l'AFP.
Le parc a mis en place un système de tickets flexibles permettant de le visiter à sa guise dans une période de six mois à partir de l'achat, mais sans pouvoir en garantir l'accès les jours de pleine affluence.
En septembre 2005, le mois de son ouverture, un visiteur a engagé une action en justice contre le parc, l'accusant de ne pas savoir gérer la foule et de permettre la formation de files d'attente de plusieurs heures.
Premier du genre en Chine, le Disney hongkongais, a coûté trois milliards de dollars et est détenu à 57 % par le gouvernement.
Source : AFP
la Compagnie des Alpes serait sur les rangs
Mike Riddell, Directeur Général du Marineland depuis 25 ans, a été débarqué par les actionnaires. Il est remplacé par Michel Dompnier qui fut DRH 5 ans à EuroDisney. Mais sa nomination pourrait n'être que provisoire. On évoque de plus en plus la cession de Marineland par les actionnaires. La Compagnie des Alpes serait sur les rangs...
Il est vrai que dans le contexte européen, Marineland reste une exception par son indépendance. Mike Riddell, Directeur Général du Marineland depuis 25 ans, a été débarqué par les actionnaires. Il est remplacé par Michel Dompnier qui fut DRH 5 ans à EuroDisney.
Stratégie de croissance : l'acquisition de sites en France et en Europe
Mais sa nomination pourrait n'être que provisoire. On évoque de plus en plus la cession de Marineland par les actionnaires. La Compagnie des Alpes serait sur les rangs. Cette société gère des stations de sports d'hiver (les Alpes en France, Suisse et Italie) avec lesquelles elle réalise 245 ME soit environ les deux tiers de son chiffre d'affaires.
L'activité parcs de loisirs (127 ME) est liée au Parc Asterix, France Miniatures, Grevin, Planète Sauvage ainsi qu'à 6 parcs en Allemagne, aux Pays-Bas et en Angleterre. Il mène une stratégie de croissance qui repose sur l'acquisition de sites en France et en Europe et le développement des sites qu'il gère et anime.
Le personnel de Marineland (300 toute l'année, 600 en saison) a rencontré le propriétaire fondateur Roland de la Poype. Si ce dernier n'a pas confirmé la vente les dissensions avec Mike Riddell et son limogeage après 25 ans de bons et loyaux services ne présagent rien de bon.
Les résultats, moins florissants, sont toujours acceptables
Le personnel ne redoute que le nouveau propriétaire ne parte sur une activité saisonnière avec fermeture du parc sur 4 mois contre un aujourd'hui. Fait plus positif, le nouvel acquéreur aurait les moyens d'engager les investissements nécessaires dans de nouvelles attractions et notamment le pavillon polaire que souhaitait réaliser Mike Riddell.
Il faudra toutefois que le parc tienne compte du jugement de la Cour d'Appel sur un litige portant sur la possibilité de construire sur le site. Le personnel souligne que les résultats, moins florissants, sont toujours acceptables. Ils craignent que le nouveau repreneur ne ferme le parc 4 mois durant l'hiver contre un mois (Janvier) actuellement.
Source: Tourmag.com
Info a prendre avec des pincettes....
Dining News (II): €2 Billion "Gastro Amusement Park" Proposed
In what is already emerging as our all-time favorite doomed-from-the-start family entertainment concept, a group of developers is planning a Ft 500 billion (€2 billion) "gastronomical adventure park" that would straddle the Danube north of Budapest, taking in three Hungarian and one Slovakian towns and offering visitors a chance to sample cuisines from dozens of nations in settings that evoke the country were the grub came from. So far, 43 countries have indicated that they are interested in joining the project, and no, this isn't a joke, or at least we're not making this up.
According to hirado.hu and vendegvaro.hu "Gastroland" would cover the area around Szob, Ipolyalmásd, Márianoszta and Chlaba (in Slovakia), and would present the culinary delights of the world in settings reminiscent of the countries they come from, taking advantage of the area's diverse topography. For example, the representatives of Mexico will open their restaurant in the mountains, the Dutch near water, the Austrians near pine forests, and Hungary will build a csárda in some low-lying ground. There are plans for an international gastronomical museum and a total of 50 catering trade units, each with the ability to hold 200-300 diners at a time.
The project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of the decade, will create an estimated 4,000 jobs, and the contract for the necessary land area has already been signed with the representatives of the chosen territory, according to the developer of the project, one Zoltán Remitzky.
As for what people are supposed to do at the park after the hour or two it takes to gorge themselves on tacos, waffles, sushi and blood sausages, we have no idea, though we sure hope it won't involve amusement park rides.
Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro wants to restore the family-friendly image to the theme-park chain
As a teen-ager, Mark Shapiro loved riding the American Eagle roller coaster with his friends and eating pizza and hot dogs with his four siblings at Six Flags Great America outside Chicago.
"You could go one weekend with your friends and one with your family, and it was cool either way," Shapiro said. "I want to bring that back."
That's the task Shapiro has set for himself as the new chief executive of Six Flags: restore the family-friendly image to the theme-park chain.
Under previous management -- which was ousted in December after a proxy battle won by shareholder Daniel Snyder -- Six Flags spent millions on new roller-coasters while cutting back on maintenance and in-park entertainment such as Looney Tunes characters that would roam the park. And although the thrill rides brought more teen-agers and coaster enthusiasts, families with small children stayed away.
Shapiro, a former ESPN executive, wants to bring those families back to Six Flags. With his new management team in place, Shapiro is ready to clean up the chain's 29 parks and make them fun again for people of all ages.
"The good news is, nobody has better rides than we do," Shapiro said. "The challenge for us is to upgrade our service."
In his 12 years at ESPN, Shapiro worked his way up from fetching coffee as a production assistant on the West Coast to brokering deals with the NFL and NBA as the executive vice president of programming and production.
He is already bringing his deal-making ability to Six Flags; the company is reportedly in talks with Papa John's and Pizza Hut for a sponsorship deal. And he has also hired three other former ESPN executives -- Mark Quenzel, Mike Antinoro and Lou Koskovolis -- with extensive sales and marketing experience to turn around Six Flags.
Although the theme-park industry is not the same as the television world, Shapiro and his team believe their experience at the sports-cable network will help them get more people to the parks. They equate TV ratings with theme-park attendance numbers and say getting more people into the parks is like getting more people to watch a television program.
"The boss is the consumer, and it's the hallmark of what ESPN does, and it's been the key to their success," said Quenzel, who oversees park operations. "We want to bring that belief to Six Flags and make sure everybody understands [that] if you're working there ... everybody around you is basically your boss. What's important to them is important to us."
Shapiro has also made employees a priority. At every theme park the management team has visited so far -- including a stop at Six Flags Over Texas on Dec. 26 -- Shapiro has held town meetings with employees to talk about "getting back to the basics of the theme-park business."
He acknowledges that employees have worked under a cloud of uncertainty for several reasons: last year's ownership struggle, the company's continuing losses and the five-year slump in Six Flags' stock price, from $40 per share to $4. Shapiro said he initially wants them to get excited about working at Six Flags again and re-establishing the company in the entertainment world.
Shapiro has found some simple ways to improve the attitude of his workers. At ESPN, he arranged for free Dunkin' Donuts coffee for the cafeteria after employees complained for years about the terrible coffee. Quenzel said Shapiro made it his "personal mission" to get good coffee for workers who typically worked weekends and late nights covering sports and knows how critical happy employees are to the success of a company.
"Unless he can get people at all these parks to believe in this vision, we will not succeed," Quenzel said.
Focus on family
With two young sons -- Jack, 5, and Jeffrey, 2, -- Shapiro often takes his family to theme parks. Every summer, Shapiro said they go about 10 times to parks such as Disney World and Lake Compounce near his home in Westport, Conn.
Although Shapiro said he likes trying to sneak his older son past security at Space Mountain at Disney to get on the ride, his kids would not have many rides to go on at the typical Six Flags park with 54-inch height requirements for its thrill rides.
To entice families back to Six Flags, Shapiro is focusing on improving the overall park experience for guests even if they don't want to ride the tall rollercoasters. For example, the parks will have more Warner Bros. characters roaming around, particularly the popular Justice League characters like Superman, Batman, the Flash and the Green Lantern.
"There will not be a day when you see less than 25 characters back in the park," said Shapiro, adding that kids like having their pictures taken with these action heroes.
The parks will also be cleaned up with a nonsmoking policy, better lighting, more security and a restroom attendant in every bathroom every hour of operation, Shapiro said. The company will also spend more on maintenance, so when rides break down, they will be back in operation sooner, he said.
In Arlington, Six Flags Over Texas will add a daily parade to celebrate its 45th anniversary, Shapiro said, in addition to the 10 smaller new rides announced in October. Shapiro said he wants to invest in the local park's celebration and bring more family entertainment.
Quenzel, who acknowledged that the Arlington park "needs a little bit of a facelift," said there have been discussions about adding a Latino festival, similar to the Best of Texas festival the Arlington park holds in September.
With the operating season for a few of its parks beginning with the Spring Break rush in March, Six Flags executives had to quickly make marketing decisions to make its advertising revenue. While they acknowledge that Mr. Six, the techno-dancing octogenarian, has brought national exposure to the chain, the ad man does not tell consumers what they can do at Six Flags parks.
Mike Antinoro, who did marketing for the NBA and created original programming at ESPN, said Six Flags needs to expand the brand past the roller coasters and introduce families to the "whole experience."
When Antinoro visited Six Flags Great Adventure, the New Jersey resident said he didn't realize there were a safari park and water park nearby. So this year, Six Flags is going to focus its advertising on telling consumers all they can do at the regional parks.
"In San Francisco you can ride an elephant, and in other parks you can pet dolphins," Antinoro said. "The Six Flags brand is so much more than what people think it is."
Turnaround timetable
Shapiro and his team have been on the job for only two months, but shareholders seem to believe the new management has the right ideas to turn around the debt-saddled chain.
Since Shapiro was installed as chief executive in December, shares have steadily risen from $7.20 to $11.24. Bear Stearns analyst Glen Reid upgraded the stock mainly because of Shapiro's turnaround plan. "[Shapiro] and Mr. Snyder share a strong sales and marketing background, something we believe was lacking in the former management of Six Flags," Reid wrote in a recent research report.
Several analysts in the theme-park industry are cautiously optimistic that Shapiro will be able to move the company back into the black after six consecutive years of losses. "Their overall ability to make money for the parks drastically increased with the knowledge and experience that those guys bring to the table," said Gary Slade, publisher of Amusement Today, a trade publication based in Arlington. "But 2007 will be the telltale season because that will be their first year to go in with complete planning available where they will have complete say on what rides and shows are going in to the parks."
Shapiro made another major move Friday, announcing that Six Flags will move its corporate offices to New York City from Oklahoma City and sell its Oklahoma City properties. The company has about 35 employees in Oklahoma City and 70 at the corporate facility in Grand Prairie.
The Oklahoma City property sales will reduce the company's $2.15 billion debt, but Shapiro said the primary goal is to bring family fun back to Six Flags.
SIX FLAGS
No. of parks: 29
Headquarters: New York, N.Y.
Employees: 2,370
History: Texas oil baron Angus Wynne opened Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington in 1961. He sold the theme park in 1969 and it has gone through several owners as the Six Flags chain added more theme parks. Premier Parks took over the company in 1998 and renamed it Six Flags Inc. in 2000. The company's management changed in December after shareholder Daniel Snyder gained control following a proxy battle.
Source : Star Telegram
Design : Hitmaaan
