The majority of visitor attractions rely in part on donations to meet the cost of investment, so wooing benefactors and donors is part of the process. As more tech millionaires are made, will attractions which focus on tech-related topics find it easier to fundraise?
By Liz Terry | Published in Attractions Management 2014 issue 2
The leisure and attractions industries have always caught the eye of the rich and famous. It’s no coincidence that musicians and film stars invest in restaurants, build hotels and buy ski resorts and Caribbean islands or that philanthropists have sunk parts of their fortunes into building some of the world’s most incredible museums and galleries as legacies.
As times change, people acquire their wealth by different means and their passions – to an extent – define the kinds of attractions which get built. This is particularly the case in the US, where huge wealth resides with a small elite – The One Percent. The Victorians explored, hunted, researched and catalogued the world as never before, so philanthropic collections from this era are heavy on the taxidermy. They were great art lovers, so we have galleries filled with amazing paintings and portraits.
In this issue, we look at the new philanthropists – the people influencing the direction in which the industry develops by their choice of funding and their passions. The first – the newly opened Bezos Centre for Innovation at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, Washington State, US – is featured on see page 30.
The attraction, part-funded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie, includes content which shares and celebrates Seattle’s entrepreneurial achievements: the city is home to a significant number of successful corporations, from Boeing to Microsoft – and Amazon of course.
Money from tech is driving many developments and skewing the attractions sector towards technology, with Google one of the most prominent donors. On page 48 we look at MoMath – the Museum of Mathematics in New York City, which had a US$2m donation from the internet giant.
Each year, through its charitable arm, Google Giving, the company donates US$100m (E72.4m, £59.6m) in grants, as well as 50,000 hours support and $1bn (E724m, £596m) in product to good causes, making it a significant force in third sector funding and attractions are in the front line to benefit.
These days, in addition to philanthropy, there’s a broader than ever range of routes by which attractions come into existence, from crowd funding sources like Kickstarter to corporatelands and everything in between. Fittingly – in this age of the cult of personality – we even have attractions which focus on a celebrity: football star Christiano Ronaldo has opened a museum dedicated to himself on his home island of Madeira, Portugal as a gift to fans, for example.
But tech is hot and the emerging tech elite have shown intent to do good with their money, so donations from this source will continue to have an impact. When you consider that the Facebook flotation alone created 1,000 dollar millionaires, it’s clear the money’s there, meaning we’re likely to see more tech-related attractions receiving funding as the new philanthropists hit their stride.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2014 issue 2
Editor's letter: The New Philanthropists
Tech is hot and as the growing number of tech millionaires
turn their thoughts to philanthropy, tech-related
attactions will prosper
Profile: Mario Mamon
The current chair of IAAPA talks about
his role with the organisation, doubling
the size of family theme park Enchanted
Kingdom in the Philippines and the
devastation of Super Typhoon Haiyan
Museums: MOHAI
MOHAI's executive director,
Leonard Garfield, talks about
the Seattle museum's new Bezos
Center for Innovation, named after
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
Science centres: Appliance of science
Andreas Waschk and Mike Boris
explain how they made Blueprint
Entertainment into Europe's largest
private science centre operator
Museums: Olympic Movement
Director Francis Gabet describes how
The Olympic Museum's extensive
refurbishment reflects the excitement
and diveristy of the modern Games
Planetariums: Starry skies
The newly upgraded Fiske Planetarium in
Boulder, Colorado now boasts the highest
specification full dome theatre in the US.
Director Douglas Duncan tells us more
Museums: Beautiful minds
The founders of MoMath, the New York
Museum of Mathematics, tell us how
they're on a mission to get ordinary
people to fall in love with maths
World expos: Brave new world
Christian Lachel considers how world
expos can raise global awareness
about what matters for the planet
3D/4D/5D: IMERSA
A review of the fifth annual IMERSA
conference held in Denver, Colorado
Advertisement feature: EAS 2014
The exhibitors reveal what they’ll be showcasing at EAS in
September and what the hot topics of conversation will be
Waterparks: Wet'n'Wild
Wet'n'Wild Sydney has welcomed
a million visitors through its gates
since opening in December. Managing
director Chris Warhurst tells us why
Ticketing: Convenience store
Gateway's Liesel Tarquini explains
how mobile web stores can help
generate additional revenue
for attractions operators
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
The majority of visitor attractions rely in part on donations to meet the cost of investment, so wooing benefactors and donors is part of the process. As more tech millionaires are made, will attractions which focus on tech-related topics find it easier to fundraise?
By Liz Terry | Published in Attractions Management 2014 issue 2
The leisure and attractions industries have always caught the eye of the rich and famous. It’s no coincidence that musicians and film stars invest in restaurants, build hotels and buy ski resorts and Caribbean islands or that philanthropists have sunk parts of their fortunes into building some of the world’s most incredible museums and galleries as legacies.
As times change, people acquire their wealth by different means and their passions – to an extent – define the kinds of attractions which get built. This is particularly the case in the US, where huge wealth resides with a small elite – The One Percent. The Victorians explored, hunted, researched and catalogued the world as never before, so philanthropic collections from this era are heavy on the taxidermy. They were great art lovers, so we have galleries filled with amazing paintings and portraits.
In this issue, we look at the new philanthropists – the people influencing the direction in which the industry develops by their choice of funding and their passions. The first – the newly opened Bezos Centre for Innovation at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, Washington State, US – is featured on see page 30.
The attraction, part-funded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie, includes content which shares and celebrates Seattle’s entrepreneurial achievements: the city is home to a significant number of successful corporations, from Boeing to Microsoft – and Amazon of course.
Money from tech is driving many developments and skewing the attractions sector towards technology, with Google one of the most prominent donors. On page 48 we look at MoMath – the Museum of Mathematics in New York City, which had a US$2m donation from the internet giant.
Each year, through its charitable arm, Google Giving, the company donates US$100m (E72.4m, £59.6m) in grants, as well as 50,000 hours support and $1bn (E724m, £596m) in product to good causes, making it a significant force in third sector funding and attractions are in the front line to benefit.
These days, in addition to philanthropy, there’s a broader than ever range of routes by which attractions come into existence, from crowd funding sources like Kickstarter to corporatelands and everything in between. Fittingly – in this age of the cult of personality – we even have attractions which focus on a celebrity: football star Christiano Ronaldo has opened a museum dedicated to himself on his home island of Madeira, Portugal as a gift to fans, for example.
But tech is hot and the emerging tech elite have shown intent to do good with their money, so donations from this source will continue to have an impact. When you consider that the Facebook flotation alone created 1,000 dollar millionaires, it’s clear the money’s there, meaning we’re likely to see more tech-related attractions receiving funding as the new philanthropists hit their stride.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2014 issue 2
Editor's letter: The New Philanthropists
Tech is hot and as the growing number of tech millionaires
turn their thoughts to philanthropy, tech-related
attactions will prosper
Profile: Mario Mamon
The current chair of IAAPA talks about
his role with the organisation, doubling
the size of family theme park Enchanted
Kingdom in the Philippines and the
devastation of Super Typhoon Haiyan
Museums: MOHAI
MOHAI's executive director,
Leonard Garfield, talks about
the Seattle museum's new Bezos
Center for Innovation, named after
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
Science centres: Appliance of science
Andreas Waschk and Mike Boris
explain how they made Blueprint
Entertainment into Europe's largest
private science centre operator
Museums: Olympic Movement
Director Francis Gabet describes how
The Olympic Museum's extensive
refurbishment reflects the excitement
and diveristy of the modern Games
Planetariums: Starry skies
The newly upgraded Fiske Planetarium in
Boulder, Colorado now boasts the highest
specification full dome theatre in the US.
Director Douglas Duncan tells us more
Museums: Beautiful minds
The founders of MoMath, the New York
Museum of Mathematics, tell us how
they're on a mission to get ordinary
people to fall in love with maths
World expos: Brave new world
Christian Lachel considers how world
expos can raise global awareness
about what matters for the planet
3D/4D/5D: IMERSA
A review of the fifth annual IMERSA
conference held in Denver, Colorado
Advertisement feature: EAS 2014
The exhibitors reveal what they’ll be showcasing at EAS in
September and what the hot topics of conversation will be
Waterparks: Wet'n'Wild
Wet'n'Wild Sydney has welcomed
a million visitors through its gates
since opening in December. Managing
director Chris Warhurst tells us why
Ticketing: Convenience store
Gateway's Liesel Tarquini explains
how mobile web stores can help
generate additional revenue
for attractions operators
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
Royal Caribbean has revealed its Hero of the Seas cruise ship, home to the most pools at sea
(nine), and a record-breaking 28 dining venues, as well as attractions including a waterpark
with two new family raft slides.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
