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Episodes

March 25, 2024

Scream Break and the Popup Trend

This week: Scream Break returns to Six Flags Magic Mountain; Mattel Adventure Park is coming to Kansas City in 2026; New Walt Disney World drone show will soar above Disney Springs; ‘Phantom of the Opera’ VR coaster is coming to …

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March 18, 2024

Disneyland Forward Moves Forward

This week, Disneyland Forward Moves one step closer to approval, plus a roundup of expansions elsewhere.

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March 12, 2024

LIVE from Transworld's Halloween & Attractions Show 2024

We discuss the 2024 Transworld's Halloween & Attractions Show.

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March 5, 2024

Willie Wonka and Immersive Entertainment

What is immersive entertainment in 2024? This week, we discuss the "Willie Wonka Incicident" in Scotland, the new Immersive Fort Tokyo, and Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea.

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Feb. 28, 2024

Do Cedar Fair's Earnings Matter?

Cedar Fair reported a loss during the last earnings, but does it matter?

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Feb. 20, 2024

Disney x Epic Games and Live Sports

Disney's latest earnings call showed the theme parks continue to perform well, and alongside that news, Disney announced a partnership with Epic Games and a foray into live sports.

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Feb. 12, 2024

Let's Talk About Upcharges in Theme Parks

4 stories that show excellent up-charging strategies: Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure, The Giant at American Dream, the "SkyRide" attraction reopened at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Monster Makeovers.

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Feb. 5, 2024

Universal Epic Universe: Detailed Revealed

On Tuesday, Universal Orlando revealed more details about Epic Universe, which is set to open in late 2025. We dedicate the entire show to discussing the news!

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Jan. 30, 2024

Top Risks for Theme Parks in 2024

This week we recap the https://finance.yahoo.com/news/comcast-corporation-nasdaq-cmcsa-q4-142425693.html from Universal Studios, discuss IAAPA's...

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Jan. 22, 2024

Liquid Gold: Are drinks the new theme park trend?

This week we discuss Good to Go days at WDW, Legoland Shanghai, and - Are drinks the new theme park trend?

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Jan. 15, 2024

Should Theme Park Restaurants use Dynamic Pricing?

This week: Disney Electrical Sky Parade, Puy du Fou to open immersive theater in Xuhui, and dynamic pricing in theme park restaurants.

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Jan. 8, 2024

Steamboat Willie's Impact on Theme Parks

Steamboat Willie has crossed into the Public Domain, and we discuss what impact (if any) this has on the theme park industry. Philip references...

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Dec. 31, 2023

2024 Trends and Predictions

In this special episode, we discuss 4 trends that we predict will heavily impact the theme park and attractions industry.

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Dec. 24, 2023

Universal's UK Theme Park

News is out that Universal is considering a new theme park and resort in the UK, plus we recap Christmas events.

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Dec. 18, 2023

What Taylor Swift Can Teach You About Storytelling

Taylor Swift is Time Person of the Year, and we discuss the parallels between her career and storytelling (“All great art is the art that sees you”). Philip referenceshttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/podcasts/the-daily/the-year-of-taylor-swift.html.

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Dec. 12, 2023

Universal Kids & Disneyland's 2024 Season Announcements

Announcements abound as attractions attempt to bolster 2024 sales and temper expectations. We'll discuss a select few: Universal Kids Resort, Disneyland After Dark, and Disneyland 2024 Events.

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Dec. 4, 2023

The Christmas Pop-Up Bonanza

It seems like EVERYONE is doing something for Christmas. Some are repurposing assets to make Christmas events, while others are simply using their Halloween stuff, and yet others are just opening limited-run shows. We'll discuss a few, including the...

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Nov. 28, 2023

World of Frozen Opens & 30th Annual Theas

World of Frozen opened Nov 20th, 2023, at Hong Kong Disneyland and the 30rh Annual Thea Recipients from the Themed Entertainment Association were announced - what do these say about the trend of entertainment?

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Nov. 20, 2023

IAAPA Expo 2023: Best of

IAAPA Expo is the largest tradeshow in the attractions industry, and this week we break down the top announcements from this year's show. Watch Philip's video here: https://youtu.be/Kwp1QiQLWVk

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Nov. 13, 2023

Will Disney rightsize? Q3 2023 Earnings Takeaways

This week we discuss Disney's latest earnings report, the new Jollywood event, and SeaWorld's drop in attendance.

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Nov. 6, 2023

Six Flags and Cedar Fair Merger

This week, Cedar Fair and Six Flags are merging. The combined company, using the Six Flags name, will boast 27 amusement parks and 15 water parks, for a combined annual revenue of more than $3.5 billion.

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Oct. 30, 2023

Staffing Struggles in the Themed Entertainment Industry

We discuss the article 'What haunts the haunted house industry?' and discuss solutions to staffing concerns in the themed entertainment industry: https://www.marketplace.org/2023/10/27/what-haunts-the-haunted-house-industry/

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Oct. 22, 2023

The Swing to Halloween Festivals

This week: Philip's segment on NBC and how you can prepare for media; Disney's new reporting system reveals how profitable their parks are; Halloween Nights at Eastern state penitentiary

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Oct. 16, 2023

IAAPA Presents: Universal Studios Japan

We discuss takeaways from IAAPA Presents: Universal Studios Japan, held Oct 11, 2023, in Osaka.

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