GOLDEN TICKET BONUS ISSUE TM www.AmusementToday.com Vol. 13, Issue 6.2 SEPTEMBER 2009 $5.00 Parks seeking gold head west Southern California hosts AT’s 2009 Golden Ticket Awards Tim Baldwin Amusement Today For 12 years, Amusement Today has presented industry awards to “The Best of the Best.” In 2001 Holiday World approached AT with the pros- pect of announcing the results live. And so, a ceremony was born. For the first time, the Golden Ticket Awards are hosted by the land of gold, the West coast and sunny LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA Southern California. Host Park The 2009 host park, Legoland California, has 2009 Golden Ticket Awards dominated the Best Children’s September 10, 2009 PHOTO COURTESY LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA Park category since its intro- Legoland California (above) takes the category for Best their own spin in 2006 by duction. The eclectic mix of many pleasures of the Golden Children’s Park and serves as host for the 2009 Golden kid-friendly rides, imagina- transforming the ceremony State. This year it just happens Ticket Awards ceremony. Knott’s Berry Farm (below) co- tive activities, and inspira- into an Oscar-style production to be the Golden Ticket State. tional family experiences have with presenters taken from As this celebration hosts with an industry reception the night before the helped this park grow into a the industry – from parks to acknowledges The Best of the ceremony. unique destination. Attendees manufacturers. As the Golden Best, Amusement Today thanks at this year’s Golden Ticket Tickets have evolved, it has its host venues both past and Awards ceremony will get to become one of the year’s most present, as well as the event experience firsthand this cre- pleasurable networking events sponsors, and congratulates ative property catering to chil- within this amazing industry. all winners on their hard- dren and all of its charms. Last year’s host park, earned accolades. However, even the cer- Give Kids The World Village, Amusement Today would emony has continued to grow near Orlando, Florida, treated like to thank our two event over the years. In 2003 Six Golden Ticket attendees to a parks, Knott’s Berry Farm and Flags Fiesta Texas offered an very memorable event, com- Legoland California, as well add-on day of enjoyment by plete with their own version as our many sponsors who co-hosting award winners of the “Red Carpet.” help make our event possible: who had traveled to the cer- So, “Go West!” honored Larson International, Leisure emony at Schlitterbahn. Over winners. Enjoy the character Labs LLC, Mack Rides, the past years, this has devel- and ambience of Southern Montgomery Inn, William H. oped into a pre-event party California. Santa Cruz Beach Robinson Inc. and Zamperla. the night before. This year, Boardwalk, our repeat win- We would also like to thank that festive occasion is hosted ner of Best Seaside Park, has Kay Park Recreation for their by Knott’s Berry Farm. a shorter journey to the south, support and the Nocturnes Holiday World added but they already know the for the musical talents. PHOTO COURTESY RIC TURNER Join us next year for the 2010 Golden Ticket Awards at: Dated material. material. Dated 2010 . RUSH! P GOLDEN TICKET . I . V AWARDS NEWSPAPER PLEASE Sept. Mailed 10, Thursday, 2009 POSTMASTER: BEST OF THE BEST! PERMIT # 2069 # PERMIT FT. WORTH TX WORTH FT. PAID US POSTAGE US COMING IN OCTOBER’S ISSUE: POST GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS COVERAGE PRSRT STD PRSRT 2 AMUSEMENT TODAY GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS September 2009 TM Gary Slade Founder and Publisher [email protected] A new beginning When IAAPA elected to cancel their long standing Summer Meeting event for the 2009 year, many in the industry turned to Amusement Today asking if we would keep the tradition alive. While we are no strangers to hosting events like our Golden Ticket Awards each year, hosting a summer celebration event is a little different as more activities are needed which in turn takes more advance planning. AT, with the help of William H. Robinson, Inc. and our Golden Ticket event coordinator Janice Witherow, was able to take our annual awards event and expand it into a Summer Celebration, open to all professionals in the amusement industry. Thanks to our great host parks, Knott’s Berry Farm Tim Baldwin and Legoland California, we were able to put a nice two-day agenda together that we hope all attendees were A challenge able to enjoy. We have already learned much from this Being in competition with all the avid sports fans, amusement park afi- event that will be planned into our future events, and we other parks in the amusement indus- cionados deeply feel the pride of their welcome your input on what you would like to see or do try is a sizable challenge. Each park favorite parks, be they local or from in the future. shares similar goals and customer ser- the twelve countries from around the The last several years have been good to the Golden vice cornerstones which makes the task world represented in the Golden Ticket Tickets as we were able to conduct our event in year- put before our voters an even tougher charts. The unquenchable desire to get one. So often park fans come up to me to all the parks out there continues to round facilities that allowed for a meeting date after the Baldwin and say “It’s so hard to choose just drive the enthusiasts to spend their Labor Day holiday. That date is always important as it one!” hard earned dollars on travel, admission, and allows more travel time for the small park owners who Indeed. This difficulty in choosing is a souvenirs. Their support is felt and voiced to never leave their facility when they are open. result of the countless parks out there striving the industry. It is their expertise collected into The next two event years are all set with our host to do not just a good job, but an outstanding one enormous round of applause that creates park sites and both sites returning to seasonal parks, one. By exceeding goals and building upon the Golden Ticket Awards for Amusement beginning with Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2010. them, parks continue to offer a fantastic value Today each year. We here at AT never forget Our question to the industry is when would you for guests and offer a diverse range of enter- how important this fan base is, and how grate- most like to visit Busch Gardens next year for our tainment not available from any other indus- ful we are that they accept our challenge. Summer Celebration event? Before or after the Labor try. It’s no wonder that family vacations are So, for every enthusiast that tells us how Day holiday, and is it necessary that the park be in full planned around visiting parks, and so many tough the job is we have given them, I take operation when you visit? TV specials focus on the amusement industry. pride in the fact that so many favorites have We thank all of you who attended, or participated, Even in today’s tough economic climate, our been created. To all the parks that make it onto in the event, but most of all we thank our 2009 event industry still offers what people crave. the charts — congratulations. It is a huge com- It is also exhilarating to see the huge pliment. And for those still garnering votes, sponsors, who with their financial contributions, help fan base all the parks have created. Loyalty you also are to be commended. Thanks for make our fun event possible for all to enjoy. is deeply felt through the many enthusiast continuing to make it a tough challenge year —Gary Slade groups that form around this industry. Like after year. AMUSEMENT TODAY STAFF ADDRESS, SUBSCRIPTION, POSTMASTER INFORMATION Mailing Address Deliveries Gary Slade Sammy Piccola P.O. Box 5427 2012 E. Randol Mill Rd, Suite 203 Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Accounting / Circulation Arlington, Texas 76011 (817) 460-7220 AWARD WINNER [email protected] Arlington, Texas 76005-5427 1997 • 1999 • 2000 • 2002 • 2004 • • [email protected] Member of: EDITORIAL (817) 460-7220 Fax (817) 265-NEWS (6397) IAAPA, AIMS International, PAPA, ADVERTISING NEWSPAPER PRODUCTION NEAAPA, NJAA, OABA, WWA and IALEI Tim Baldwin Subscription rates are: 1 year (14 issues) $50 in the USA; $70 elsewhere; 2 years Sue Nichols Stacey Childress / Affinity Communications [email protected] (28 issues) $90/$130; 3 years (42 issues) $130/$190. 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