Designers and representatives from Wiegand.Maelzer, a water slide creator in Germany, knew they had something special with their water slide/Ferris wheel hybrid, “SlideWheel,” but they never expected the reaction from international theme park community. After the World Waterpark Association (WWA) Tradeshow in Las Vegas and the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, SlideWheel took home, not…
Dynamic Attractions Duel Power Coaster is the world’s most advanced roller coaster vehicle: If you had a Hot Wheels racing set as a kid, you’ve no doubt let your imagination run with some of the death-defying moves your car can make. But what if you could do all those same moves in a theme park…
Question: How many theme park professionals can you fit into a 30 x 30 convention booth? Answer: Depends. Can we use a Pepper’s Ghost? The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) announced the recipients of their prestigious TEA Thea Awards at IAAPA’s Attractions Expo today. Clearly one of the most anticipated announcements of the week, the large,…
TEA Thea Award recipients to be announced at IAAPA – 11/13/18 at 2pm The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) will officially announce the new slate of TEA Thea Awards recipients at a press conference on Tuesday, Nov 13, 2018 at 2:00 pm (local time) during the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando. New TEA International Board President Michael Mercadante…
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Sam parked his beautiful RV outside our studio and spent the hour discussing the heart and soul of theme parks. What makes them special? Why do they keep missing the mark? And what’s his latest journey about as he crosses the country? Tune in for an amazing dive into the DNA of park design. Our…
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Well, we got to talking so long we had to break it up into two episodes. Make sure you go back and listen to part 1 (episode 2) where we hear Tom share his ideas on design, decisions, and lots of stories from the parks. Our guest for today is Tom Morris. Theme music composed by…
Stunned. That’s how we felt after a preview visit to Poverty Encounter, the new immersive attraction built by Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF) in Los Angeles. The non-profit is currently prepping their walk-through experience for public opening in December. The attraction is meant to be an eye-opening, educational look at the plight of the extremely poor…
Marty Sklar dishes on the secret to creating great theme park attractions. Here are WDI’s “Mickey’s 10 Commandments” Every theme park designer should know great formulas for creating fantastic guest experiences. Benchmarks and precedents are extremely important. With that in mind, you should learn the ten guidelines to theme park design developed by Walt Disney…
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Tom happened to be at the studio one day working with us on a project, so we snagged him for a bit longer to discuss his long, long, long history with Disneyland, Epcot, Paris, Hong Kong, and so on. Learn from The Master himself as he discusses design concepts, decision making, and tells lots of…
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Hop aboard and join us for our inaugural cruise down the best of themed design. We’ll be discussing the how-to and why of designing attractions with lots of great stories from your favorite parks and destinations. Keep your hands and feet inside the boat…and watch those crocodiles! Theme music composed by Rob Watson, closing music…
The following is a general overview of the terms and terminology you will encounter as a theme park designer. The terms are a combination of those you will see in theater, engineering, theme park operations, architecture and more. A theme park designer must know all of these terms to be able to communicate effectively with…
The 2018 TEA Thea Awards, Anaheim, California. April 7, 2018 By Freddy Martin ANAHEIM – When civil rights activist and U.S. Representative, John Lewis, dedicated the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC, his words echoed the triumph of generations; “See what a dream can do.” The NMAAHC was…