This article is written by Timo van Boekel and his vision about hybrid zoos: “There has been a lot of discussion about the idea for a rollercoaster at Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen in the Netherlands lately. The main subject in this discussion was about the use of attractions within an environment with living animals. However, the combination between animals and attractions is already well known … Continue reading Zoos & Attractions: Not If, But How?
Every year, the unofficial field trip to Phantasialand (Brühl, Germany) takes place in December. The magical park will be set in a winter theme, called Wintertraum. This year, we have reached the highest attendance level ever: around 80 students, divided over more than 20 cars, will drive to Brühl and experience Phantasialand in a breathtaking winter setting. Will you be joining us next year? Come … Continue reading Upcoming Event: Phantasialand Wintertraum 2017
~ by Jasper Wilms Is that a serious business? Can you get a job with that? These are common questions that I regularly receive when I tell about my study. Therefore, let it be clear, the industry of fun is a serious business! My name is Jasper Wilms and I am a second year Attractions and Theme Park Management student. I chose the ATPM track … Continue reading Attractions And Theme Park Management. What?
After three and a half years it is time to start graduating. You will do your graduation assignment based on the study that you have chosen in the first year. This means that students who chose to do Tourism that they will write a thesis and defend it. Leisure students will do a graduation assignment for a company and defend their personal development during a … Continue reading Graduating: The do’s and don’ts!
‘Change or die’ is a sentence we hear regularly in the course change management. Throughout history, change was absolutely necessary to avoid a disadvantageous end. It has been around since the beginning of time. Change is, in essence, moving from a current state to a future state. It always starts from within, but is often stimulated from without; your direct and indirect environment. Within our … Continue reading Change or die?
What is marketing? The dictionary describes marketing as: ‘The strategic functions involved in identifying and appealing to particular groups of consumers, often including activities such as advertising, branding, pricing, and sales.’ Advertising is at least not the only activity. Imagine a new attraction is being built. How will this be communicated to the public? The marketing department wrote a press release, which will be spread … Continue reading Marketing management for theme parks and other leisure activities
MEK, de Stichting Milieu, Educatie en Kinderboerderij, is located in Oosterhout – about a twenty minute – drive from Breda. Or in English: MEK is a petting zoo focusing on education and sustainability. Bart Stadhouders, lecturer Professional Leadership & Development, arranged a fieldtrip to show the variety in the industry. It entails more than just theme parks, as is often limited to. An estimation indicates that there are roughly 550 … Continue reading Fieldtrip Stichting Milieu, Educatie en Kinderboerderij
Is admission for Attractions & Theme Park Management is only for people knowledgeable about the industry? The answer is no. There have been quite some misconceptions that you need to be a theme park fan in order to be admitted to the program and in order to understand the materials. I personally knew nothing about theme parks, apart from my own experiences. I applied because of … Continue reading Admission to ATPM: only for theme park fans…?
After months of hard work is was time to go back to Europa-Park and show them our findings. 16 students divided over three project groups have worked on a loyalty program, a new themed area and improving the communication tools for the Dutch market. The students left Monday morning to drive to Rust. After the check-in we had a backstage tour. During this tour we … Continue reading Minor presentation at Europa-Park
Project 5 is all about financing. As a manager, it is essential to understand financial statements and to be able to calculate in order to have a proper view on how your business is developing. When is your break-even point? How would cash be generated in the next 10 years and how would that influence your investments? These questions need to be answered to enable … Continue reading Project 5: Revenue & Financial Management
