Volume 1, No. 23. December 14, 2001
Eric’s
Turn
All
we are saying
is give fun a chance
Most of you skim through each issue of THE LOOP, looking for stories pertinent
to your field, operation or interest. THE LOOP is set up to accommodate such
quick access and reading to fit in your too-busy schedules.
But I urge you to give a full read of this week's column. You'll see a prevailing
theme in many of the individual stories not only suitable for the holiday spirit
of this time of year but for the future path of your industry, whether you help
run a big theme park, a little family entertainment center, a zoo or a waterpark.
At the top of this week's column is new IAAPA Chairman Alain Baldacci's campaign
to use the association as a vehicle for bringing fun to the impoverished children
of the world. His words, comparing IAAPA's potential with the campaigns that
provide food and shelter to populations displaced by natural or manmade catastrophes,
conjure what, at first, seem absurdist images: putting up carnival rides at
refugee camps. But, truly, how absurd would that be, once you worked out the
logistical challenges? Imagine how children and their parents, barely nourished,
suffering medical maladies, working through the shock of physical upheaval,
would at least have something that makes them smile, a little enjoyment to spark
interest in surviving another day.
Proverbs abound about the role of education, economic parity and skills in the
creation of stable societies. I firmly believe fun is a vital part of those
equations, too, going so far as to claim that to improve the prospects of world
peace, we should build amusement parks in troubled nations. That, actually,
is the foundation of the zoo industry's efforts to shore up the Kabul Zoo, our
second story in this LOOP. A revitalized zoo would give the Afghan capital city
an entertainment outlet and help its population return to a sense of normalcy.
That phrase, "return to a sense of normalcy," gets a poignant echo in our article
about the Bronx Zoo's decision to go ahead with its Holiday Lights festival
for New Yorkers.
Retiring IAAPA CEO John Graff expanded on the industry's role in universal understanding
in his brilliant speech at the General Managers Luncheon during the IAAPA Convention
and Trade Show in Orlando last month. He took a news account of two young boys,
one in New York, one in Cairo, Egypt, communicating by e-mail, trying to understand
each other's cultures, thinking and goals. Wrote one to the other, "I don't
want to be your enemy." Graff challenged his audience to regard those two boys
as the industry's great motivator, pointing out that because the bulk of our
parks' and zoos' visitors are children, we have a huge influence in shaping
the belief systems of the coming generation of leaders. The quality of our product,
the customer service we provide and the ambiance we achieve—safe, friendly
fun—which we often purposely promote as "escapes from reality" could go
a long way toward someday creating a like reality, Graff said.
Baldacci picks up from there: "Our industry shows the world how to get together,
how to enjoy, how to have fun. By spreading our industry we are spreading harmony."
Correction
Reporting the New Arrival of Stone Mountain's Great Barn in Atlanta, Georgia,
in the previous issue of THE LOOP (November
30, 2001), we failed to list Creative Kingdoms as one of the companies
responsible for a successful delivery. It has been changed in the story. Setpoint
also participated in the Barn's development.
See you next year
This is the last publication of THE LOOP for 2001. Volume 2, our second year,
will launch on January 11, 2002, and we will continue with twice-monthly postings
of the newsletter the second and fourth Friday of every month. Minton Enterprises
offices will be closed until January 8, but feel free to send e-mails to eric@gettheloop.com
or call us at 888-902-LOOP with your news and opinions.
Sarah and I would like to take this moment to thank some special people for
making THE LOOP such a success in its first year of publication: our current
staff, Lynne Mosman and Stacey Johnson; Allen F. Weitzel for his Reading
Room contributions and encouragement; my first operations manager Nathan
Arndts; Deano Minton for the logos (including the drawing above); my summertime
assistants and full-time sons Jon and Ian; Jennifer Collins for her legal advice;
Frank Hinrichs for our initial design; Gary Slade at Amusement
Today for his support, marketing assistance and understanding; Marilyn
Turner at Splash
Magazine for her support; Tiffany Ayers for her editorial guidance;
Michael Moran for his wisdom; our advertising sponsors, who are featured on
our Connections page;
and all of you readers whose enthusiastic response to THE LOOP has made the
travels and travails of the first year all worthwhile. May all of you all around
the world have safe and happy times, until we meet again and beyond.