Scott's UAE Rebuttal, Then Winged Monkeys and Zombies

0:01 Okay, from our studios this week in Indianapolis and Los Angeles, this is Green Tagged Theme Park in 30. I'm Philip from Gantam Lighting Controls, and I'm joined as always by my co-host, Scott Swenson of Scott Swenson Creative Development, who is on the job today, but still calling in because that's how important you all are to Scott. And because of course, every week we look at the top news each week and we pick the stories we think matter most to industry professionals. And this week, We are going to start with a little bit of a response to some of the messages that came out from our video last week. But then we're going to move on to news about the Middle East as well, plus some news about how attractions are reutilizing their assets in fun ways.

0:49 So first. Yeah, first, I think we need to, we would both like to apologize for mispronouncing the moving coaster. And specifically to the Aerie family, Aerie Force One, we mispronounced it as Air Force One, which as, you know, forgive us. It was a mistake. And we recognize that. And our apology goes out especially to the Aerie family and those who pointed it out. Some very kindly, some not so kindly, but those who pointed it out to us, whether it was kind or not, we do appreciate the fact that you're keeping us honest and you're keeping us on point.

1:30 We would also like to respond to someone who pointed out that moving the coaster, of course, was going to be cheaper. Duh. Well, the point of that is this is someone who clearly is not in the industry. Because if you've been in the industry, you recognize that on the surface, this looks like a phenomenal idea to buy a coaster, lift it up, and place it in a new location. Anybody in the industry knows that that is not the way it really works. The challenge is, and of course, the parks will present it as, look how much money we're saving. What they don't tell you is all of the stuff that either could or usually does go wrong. And that's assuming that there's not going to be a single bit of modification. There's not going to be a new queue house built. There's not going to be a new exit. They're not going to change the end of the ride, as one of our other commenters threw in there, that the end of the Airy Force One was stupid intense and is only impactful for those who are the biggest thrill seekers, which is great. But it's based on the trend that's happening now with coasters.

2:37 They want a broader audience. They don't just want those who can survive G-forces that only astronauts should be required to endure. So chances are good that there are going to be some modifications. We don't know that for sure, but those are additional costs as well. If they're able to lift it from one location that has exactly the same ground plan as a second location, you are 100% correct. It is a great cost savings. chances are good it will still be a cost savings to a certain extent, but you have to take into consideration the reality of the situation and the fact that when you reassemble it, if it's off by even an inch, then there's some significant problems and it will require some significant money to fix it. So for those of you who did not recognize this, I just wanted to clarify that that is the reality. Yes, it could be a huge savings, but it's hard to say that. Nothing is ever concrete and is ever 100% certain. You have to look at it, you have to interpret it, and you have to recognize there's some hidden costs there. So just keep that in mind.

3:49 That's all we ask. The other thing that I personally would like to comment on is, once again, anytime we bring up the industry in the Middle East, and specifically the UAE, we get a lot of pushback. And I am not going to tell you that you can't believe and follow what you want to believe. All I can share on this show is what I have experienced firsthand personally having worked there. There was a lot of comments that came up, or several comments, not a lot, but several comments that came up regarding the slave labor in the UAE. First off, that slave labor is a misnomer. The laborers are paid. They are paid a significantly lower amount than I was paid. I know that. But I will also say that the industry, being its own best police, really, to help stop this, we had to take, we were required before we were allowed on site to take classes in how to spot some of the things that really are not right at all when it comes to the quote unquote modern day slave labor. Let me point out just a couple of things that are reality. Yes, there are underpaid laborers there. but they come from countries that are incredibly poor, not the UAE. The vast majority of them on the projects that I've worked on came from India.

5:08 And they are coming from total squalor to an agreed upon rate. Is it a fair rate? No, I admit that it's not. There are concerns and have been concerns in the past about holding these laborers' passports and holding their pay or providing them only pay in the form of a, in essence, a gift card. Um, and we were trained that if we saw any of this, we were to report it immediately and it would be stopped. So has it gone on in the past? Clearly it has. Um, but are there being, are there efforts being made to reduce it? Uh, there are. And so, you know, is it going to change overnight? Probably not, but there are efforts being made to, to improve the work situation and You know, there are underpaid laborers in every country in this world. And so I just think it's important that we do need to continue to fight the right fight.

6:11 But what you're going to do is if you say, I'm going to not do this and we hope that everything in the Middle East shuts down, then these people who are making their living from squalor to what's two steps above squalor, I don't know, who are trying to improve their lives will have significantly less opportunities to send money home to their family. So the long-term is that you're actually hurting the people that you're trying to help. Is there a ways to go? Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. So before you send the negative comment saying, Scott is just saying that we should support slavery, I am not at all. I am saying that we should continue on the road that we are on so that these people can continue to improve their way of life and can continue to take the crafts that they have learned and earn money for them and their families. And like I said, every organization, I've worked with three different organizations in the Middle East, not just in the UAE. And all three of them made it very clear to us that if there was ever any evidence of this kind of inappropriate work behavior, and I say that 100%, it is inappropriate work behavior.

7:23 If there was any example of it, we were to bring it to light. And the companies would, would stop it. Finally, when it comes to traveling to the UAE or the middle East in general, we had several comments about the way the UAE treats the LGBTQ plus community. It is not, it is not open and loving and embracing the LGBTQ plus community. I live in Florida. the government of Florida is also not embracing the LGBTQ plus community. As a member of the LGBTQ plus community, both Philip and I, we recognize that this is an issue. Once again, what I'm reporting here based on specifically that is not based on what I read on the internet. It's what I experienced in person while living there. My very first night Because I was told the same thing and I was concerned as hell about going. But my very first night I was told there's no alcohol and there's no LGBTQ plus recognition and it is punished and you can be arrested.

8:40 So whether that is going on in some of the smaller Emirates, I don't know. But from my own personal experience, my very first night I walked into the bar, which yes, was serving alcohol. And on the couch were two men making out with a hookah. I mean, they were making out with each other, and they had a hookah. They weren't making out with a hookah. That's even stranger than two guys making out in the UAE. And I turned to the person I was there, and he had lived there for quite some time, and he said, if you're not Emirati, which is about 75% of the population in the UAE, if you're not Emirati, they don't embrace it, but they do.

9:23 They are tolerant of it. And I said, okay. So I lived as an openly gay man in the UAE for five months and never once had a single moment of discrimination. Never once. So if that's going on other places and I simply did not see it, that's possible. I admit that. But I just want you to recognize that we are not turning a blind eye to it. It is something that if it is happening and I mean, if it is truly happening, and if it's truly happening in specific places, it needs to be dealt with. And then, of course... We had a couple people go after JK Rowling and I am the first to admit I love her work and I hate her beliefs on Specifically in regards to trans people. I have a ton of trans friends and you know, unfortunately Um, I became a fan of her work before I became aware of her, um, her stance against, against Tran, the trans community. And if you are opposed to that, absolutely do not go, do not visit any of her experiences. Do not buy her books. Do not read the, do not see the movies. Do not watch the series on HBO. But I will also tell you, do not go to any universal park because universal When Universal Studios opened Wizarding World, they made so much additional money.

10:55 It basically made it so that they could compete with Disney. And that came from the Rowling brand. So you can go to Universal and not go to that specific area and think that you're shunning J.K. Rowling. You're not. You're not. You know, it's what I call wish cycling. It's like when you put everything into a mixed recycling bin and you think, oh, I'm doing the right thing. And you just see it all go into the trash. It's because you're really not. But I am a full supporter. I am a 100% supporter of if your beliefs are different from those people who are profiting from your money, vote with your money. Speak with your money. I support you 100%.

11:39 But I just want to make sure that you recognize and how far reaching that is. Um, and so there's some responses. Um, I, it sounds like I'm being defensive in some of these terms. I'm not, I'm just sharing you with you. Here's why I said the things I said in the show. Here is why we position things the way we did. And it is based on our personal observations, not something that we read on the internet. So continue to act and follow your heart. Do what you think is right. And that's the thing I want you to remember about this entire rant. Do what you feel is right. And I will support that. Yep. Yes. Uh, thank you, Scott.

12:19 I don't have, uh, yes, I let Scott take the lead on that because Scott has spent significantly more time in the region than I have. Although I visited multiple times and I worked also on projects in the region, uh, and I did not face any discrimination either. And I have talked with a lot of people, a significant amount of people that work in the region that are Americans that are there working. We have a lot of, I have a lot of friends also that still live there and work there and are part of the community. And it's, it's everything that Scott is saying is what I keep hearing over and over that, especially the Americans are actively on the lookout for anything that, that is unsafe, that is, you know, illegal.

13:00 And, and they, you know, will, you know, it's. It's like, you know, they're, they're looking for it. I think that, yeah. So I'm just, I'm going to just echo everything Scott said. Including about JK Rowling, you know, I don't approve of the JK Rowling, everything that she's doing either. I think I'm just, in my brain, I'm just trying to separate between, you know, work for the industry and work for a region that makes a region better, you know, versus these other items. And I'm thinking of it in that lens, of course, as a manufacturer. I think of it tend to be in that lens as well. And I think the one thing to take into consideration too is if we pull out all of the American and European companies from that area, if it is truly the government that is trying to enslave people from other countries or get dirt cheap labor, then there will be no watchdog.

14:01 Right. There will be no watchdog and Disney has very, even though the new Disney park is owned by morale, it is required to operate under Disney. Uh, protocol in order to use the name, the sea world park is the same way. The Warner brothers park is the same way. Uh, I don't know about Ferrari, but I, I can speak specifically about those three and those companies are very, uh, they have very specific guidelines. Yeah, I think that's the other nuance that maybe if you're not working in the industry or you have not, even if you've been working in the industry but not been in that region, to talk to the local professionals, that nuance is.

14:47 Pretty key to the area's development. Think of it a little bit like a soft power, basically, where major European and American companies are there and they're, from a professional standpoint, they're influencing the regulations and everything there because there's a lot of, you know, I think that those regions are trying to learn how to run attractions. And so they're bringing in folks that are established professionals from other regions. And of course, all of us have a way of working professionally. And so we're, they're, they're doing their job to learn from us and to make progress. That's what I've seen. That's what I've witnessed firsthand in the conversations I've had. I'm sure there's, there's always more going on. But like Scott emphasized again and again, we're talking about things that we have lived, that we've experienced.

15:37 We're talking about firsthand experiences in these regions when we're sharing our perspective. So I'm sure there's always more to it, but that's our perspective. So I think the news, we wanted to pair these responses also with a news story to get to the news. Halfway through the show, we're going to get to news finally. But there is news in in that region that I think was maybe some of the biggest news that came out this past week, which was that the Legoland real Madrid world and motion gate are reopening. They're reopening on October 7th. That's it. That's the news. But I do, I do, I did like motion gate.

16:20 I did get the chance to visit motion gate, uh, and real Madrid world as well. And, uh, motion gate, like we said, it's, The problem there, of course, is it's exposed. Portions of the Motion Gate area are exposed to the weather, so it's not always the most hospitable experience as a guest. But again, I liked it. I thought it was very, very cute. I thought that especially the live entertainment portions, I really enjoyed at Motion Gate Park. And again, I'm always happy when things are reopening as an industry professional and as a fan of the industry, a supporter of the industry. You want people to go back to work, you know, and, and to, and to have their jobs back. And I think that's a good positive thing.

17:08 Yeah, I, I, I agree. And I think motion gate, the interesting thing about motion gate is motion gate. Well, it's, let me put it this way. It's more obvious that motion gate is multiple movie studios. Um, you know, at universal it's, it all seems to be under the universal brand. except for the fact that many of their products are from other studios. They just licensed them and put them under universal. Um, but, uh, but motion get calls it out. And, um, it's a fun, it's a very, it was a very fun park as Philip said, very hot. Um, but, and I've not been to, um, well, Madrid world. I have not, I've not experienced that. Um, nor have I been to the, the Legoland Dubai resort. But again, all of these are brands that are coming from other places, either the United States or Europe, and coming into the area to help, I don't want to say normalize, that's not right, to help improve the working conditions and to make money. I mean, there's no, this is a business, so I'm not going to sit here and go, it's all altruistic. It's not.

18:18 It's companies trying to make money and trying to expand their, uh, their businesses, which is what people in the industry are trying to do, hopefully in a very ethical way. Yep. Okay. Let's move. We're going to move away from. While back in the United States. Yeah. Meanwhile, back in the United States, we have two stories that are a little bit about re-utilizing your assets. And the first is at the sphere and this is pretty old. We just never got to it on the show. but this was back in early September, but it's opening next weekend, so it's a good thing we covered it before it opened.

18:59 So basically, the Sphere is adding additional effects to the Wizard of Oz show, which they are bringing back to the Sphere. So they first did Wizard of Oz last year, and we talked about it when they did it last year, and it, I think it had like a tiny bit of a rocky start, but it sold very well, you know, once it kind of got going and kind of made headlines because some of the uh, resale tickets and some of the ticket costs kind of went pretty high. So people were commenting on that. So it, it did really well. It also sold really well and they're bringing it back, but this year they're adding more to it. So beginning on September 25th, they're going to add new effects to this re you know, re remounted version of the show.

19:43 And the things that caught me were just, they're not all just basic 4D theater stuff mainly that they're adding animatronic winged monkeys so this year says the monkeys will soar above you so like animatronic like winged monkeys that are soaring above you it is not said how they're actually planning to stage that or do it but it's probably going to be a crane or a pulley system or similar to how we've seen it in theme parks probably is something that brings them over but Um, there's also going to be theme sense. There's going to be glitter. They're going to put out for the Glinda glitter. They're going to do, they're going to add pyrotechnic fireworks. They said pyrotechnic fireworks. Like that's what the release says. I was unsure if it's like, is it like digital pirate?

20:25 Is it like, you know, they're calling it pyrotechnics, but it's actually just digital effects or is it real pyrotechnics? I don't know. Uh, that was not clear to me, but, uh, anyway, I'm. Going to guess it's spark generators, but I don't know that for a fact. Right. I think spark generators is more apt, that it's like a firework effect and not actual pyrotechnics, but that's what the release says. So anyway, it sounds really cool. I mean, this is starting to get into a much more expanded experience where you have the animatronics and the sparks and the scents, and you're just adding more layers to this experience that already did really well. And I think, again, that's great.

21:05 Anytime that you can add something that makes it different from something you could do in a nice home theater at home, then I think we're going a step in the right direction, especially things that allow the entire crowd to experience something together that they can make memories with. I think the sphere in general has been super smart. I think that it is a, it is clearly a multi-use space. Yes, it's a multi-use space on a very grand scale, but, um, they, you know, they've started to test out what's going to work as far as these, uh, immersive re re-imagining immersive film experiences. They've obviously done live concerts there as well. And of course the one that I'm most excited about is in 2027 when Rocky Horror Picture Show does an immersive event there as well. So, um, that will, that will continue to take their assets. I mean, the cool thing is, you know, we think, oh my gosh, they're adding animatronics and they're adding glitter and they're adding, uh, But the truth is the most expensive things are already there.

22:06 They've already got the programming and the giant sphere and the, you know, I call it the curved jumbotron, which is really simplifying it. But they've already got all of those assets and to find different ways to cross-utilize them in ways that families can enjoy together or targeting specific audiences at times. Super smart. Very smart. Yep. All right. To Tennessee now, we'll go in the Pigeon Forge region. There is a coaster that is adding live actors and zombies. So this is the Rocky Top Mountain Coaster, and it's running the coaster at night in a new overlay called Zombie Invasion, which is adding live actors on the hillside that the coaster goes through. So it's a rail track sled ride right so it's not like a really fast crazy coaster it's it's just a mountain coaster yeah it's a mountain coaster it's a mountain coaster but what's interesting about this is that they're just they're adding they're adding live actors uh zombies the live actors they're also adding zombies and military themed environments and simulated weapon props strobing lights fog Loud sounds, sudden scares, they're adding all these themed elements to the areas around where the ride will go through as part of this event. It opened earlier.

23:37 I haven't seen great videos. I mean, as in I haven't seen good videos, as in the quality of the video isn't good. Not that it doesn't look fun. But I will say when they emailed me about this experience, and sent me the press release i was excited just because it's such again it's a just like with the sphere the primary cost is already there you know you have your main asset and now you're just bringing in actors and you're bringing in the themed environment and you're bringing in fun elements to the area around it and as long as it's done in a safe way of course but i think stuff like this is excellent i think anytime you can make a ride different for an overlay and put a little bit of work into making it a unique experience. That's exactly what we want to be doing with the holiday season. And I could envision a Christmas version of this as well, again, that I think would do well too.

24:31 Well, and it's, it's funny because I have not experienced, um, this particular mountain coaster, but I have done work in Pigeon Forge and my hotel was right next to this location. And, um, why I didn't do it, I don't know. I was too busy, but anyway, um, The thing you have to recognize, too, with mountain coasters is, yes, they are sled-based and the rider can control the speed to a certain extent. The rider has... There are handbrakes on it that you can use to slow yourself down or speed yourself up. The other thing I love about this and why it's a great cross-utilization of existing assets is they already do nighttime rides. And they have lit tunnels and they invested... I was doing a little bit of research.

25:12 They invested... about half a million dollars in lighting when they, when they put this in so that they could run originally so that they could run a longer day. But if that lighting has control to it, you know, adding, adding fog to it totally makes sense. Um, and as Philip says, in order to remain safe, uh, from what I've seen, many of the actors are in the pre and post ride experience, but they are, there are some in the actual coaster coaster experience itself. Um, I cannot guarantee this because I don't know, but I have worked on projects where we have had to deal with the ride envelope. And in many cases, what they will do is they will, in essence, put a fall protection harness on the actors that attaches to a safety point so that they physically cannot enter the ride envelope. And it's a great safety thing for them. For those of you who have never been to Pigeon Forge to experience the just shenanigans that go on there, there are so many incredible shows and experiences and there are a ton of mountain coasters. This is one of the larger ones that I've seen that I'm aware of. But it's one of those situations where I could totally see this being an attention grabber. Because if you've ever been to International Drive

26:46 in Orlando, Pigeon Forge, the main drive of Pigeon Forge is like that only on steroids. And it's surrounded by mountains. So it's significantly, really significantly more. So they need all those attention grabbers that they can possibly get. And to have something like this, you know, when you see lights and fog rising off, I remember back in the hell of scream days at Busch Gardens, we got. More attention from the fog and the lights rising from the event itself than we actually did from any of the marketing. So yeah, I think this is super smart. I wish I was going to be there over the Halloween season because I would love to experience it. Yep.

27:26 Well, I'm going to sneak in one more new story in the few minutes we have left. And just while we're talking about Pigeon Forge, let's talk a little bit about the Golden Ticket Awards event. that were announced on September 12th. They had the big ceremony at Codaland in Austin, Texas. And the interesting things to me were two interesting things. One, Dollywood, speaking of Pigeon Forge, Dollywood received four of this year's Golden Ticket Awards, the most of any park. And it was Best Guest Experience, Best Kids Area, Best Family Coaster for Big Bear Mountain, and Most Beautiful Park. And also that Six Flags took away another win at Fiesta, Texas. for their new show the new halloween show monster mash bash and they won last year also for the for the show in the mardi gras category the voodoo dolls so it's a it seems like that team entertainment team is i haven't seen either show but it sounds like that entertainment team is doing good and we always talk about entertainment at six flags and their investment to that so um and what you know dollywood it's it's it's a great park and so it's i'm glad to see them on this and Europa Park, of course, won Best Park overall. Europa Park is an excellent park as well.

28:43 They're just about to open their Halloween experience, speaking of. So, golden tickets, Scott. Yeah, it's interesting. The thing about golden ticket is, as with any award, Um, whether it's the Thea's or the brass rings or the, the golden ticket awards, there's always people who will look at them and go, well, I don't know. I think so-and-so should have won or such and such should have won, but kind of where we started. These awards are meant to elevate the industry. So when we can look at them and go, here's somebody being recognized for doing something right now, are they the only person doing something right in that category? Clearly not. And you know, having been a, having been a judge for, for the brass rings for many, many years. Sometimes it's really hard and it comes down to, you know, it's a team of six people, seven people, looking at it kind of arm wrestling back and forth.

29:37 Sometimes there's a lot of discussion that goes on. I don't know whether that's true for all of the awards, but the truth is, if it recognizes excellence in our industry, it helps us all. So, you know, I've kind of put, because there's even in this particular list, there's some that I don't necessarily agree with, but I support them because it's like, okay, good. Somebody really liked that. Somebody thought that was great. And so I think we need to recognize, and hopefully the parks, I know the marketing departments know, the parks can certainly lead with their winnings and the celebration of what is really cool. And we hope that this show, even when we're being snarky, we truly hope that this show will help industry leaders continue to celebrate what is great about our industry. But unfortunately, the celebration must end for now So on behalf of Philip Hernandez with Gantem Lighting and Control and myself, Scott Swenson with Green, or with Green Tag, no, with Scott Swenson Creative Development, we will see all of you next week. Thanks for watching.