Show Daily - Wed, Nov. 16

A Helping Hand

SeaWorld Parks CEO Jim Atchison explains how his company reaches beyond its own world

By Jeremy Schoolfield

It's a good bet most IAAPA Attractions Expo attendees are familiar with the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens theme parks in one way or another. What they might not know, however, is all the work SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment does outside their properties, outside the United States, and even outside the attractions industry.

That was one of the reasons the company's CEO, Jim Atchison, wanted to address the annual GM and Owners' Breakfast this year. Wednesday morning he shared with a group of more than 400 some of the exciting philanthropic work SeaWorld Parks does on behalf of the world's animal population.

Atchison talked about the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, a nonprofit foundation established in 2003 to provide resources for animal care around the globe. The CEO relayed a story of an elephant caught in a poacher's trap in Cambodia whose leg had deteriorated to the point it had to be amputated.

"So we paid to have a prosthetic leg made for an elephant on the other side of the world," Atchison said. "This guy's not in our care, he's not in our collection, but he's better off today because of the work we're doing and the things we support. You name it, we will respond."

SeaWorld Parks is also branching out in other ways, Atchison said. This year the company opened its own film division, SeaWorld Pictures, to create and distribute films that reinforce SeaWorld's conservation message. This summer marked the debut of its first release, "Turtle: The Incredible Journey," a documentary about a loggerhead turtle as it grows from hatchling to maturity. "We'll do more movies like this as time passes," Atchison said.

He also discussed how SeaWorld's animal collection and research is used by veterinarians and scientists all over the world. One group approached SeaWorld to conduct thermographic research on one of its elements, to study how the animal releases heat. "Having these animals in our care allows people to do research that benefits [animals] everywhere in the wild," he said.

All of this work, of course, stems from SeaWorld Parks' core mission of connecting guests with animals "in ways they otherwise never could," Atchison said. In that vein, the company continues to invest heavily in its properties across North America, focusing particularly on rides and other attractions that mix action with animal habitats.

"In 2011 we opened a number of new attractions; it was actually the most significant capital year we've ever had in the history of our company," Atchison said. "And it will only be beat by 2012, when we're spending even more capital."

This past year saw Busch Gardens Tampa's major "Cheetah Hunt" roller coaster and "Cheetah Run" animal exhibit. Next year brings the "Manta" coaster to SeaWorld San Diego that will incorporate the park's "Forbidden Reef" exhibit, which will be enhanced, as well. And in 2013, SeaWorld Orlando will unveil its new Antarctica themed land, which focuses on penguins and will be "the coldest attraction ever in a theme park company," Atchison said.