Funworld May 2008

Convening in the Middle East

by Richard Whitehead

IAAPA conference addresses safety and international standards in desert oasis of Dubai

IN THE LEISURE BUSINESS, OPERATORS CANNOT INVEST TOO MUCH TIME, MONEY, AND RESOURCES INTO SAFETY, and that was the key message of the IAAPAMiddle East Safety Conference, held in Dubai, Feb. 27–28.

Delegates from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the southern hemisphere arrived in the booming Gulf emirate in February to hear addresses from leading figures of the amusement industry on how operators should embrace safety issues while working together to harmonize standards.

“Businesses will close because of safety issues,” said Darrell Metzger in his keynote address. “It is our job to ensure we invest in stopping preventable accidents.”

Metzger, the CEO of destination developments at Ruwaad Holdings and responsible for developing the first Paramount Pictures-branded park in the Middle East, took delegates on a brutally honest journey through his career, highlighting incidents that had been preventable and detailing how he had learned from them.

“It is essential to learn from the mistakes of others and think outside the box,” he said. “Safety starts at the top, and if you don’t believe that, then frankly you are doing a poor job.”

For manufacturers, meanwhile, Jim Seay, president of Premier Rides, said in spite of the ruthless competition involved, he knows of no other business that shares as much information through cooperation as the attractions industry—and that’s what keeps it safe. “Our industry is incredibly safe. In fact, research shows that playing shuffleboard is more dangerous than visiting an amusement park,” he said during his address.

For businesses to stay safe, though, Seay believes thirdparty involvement is probably more critical than in any other industry, as it makes testing more thorough and brings a fresh perspective to speed up the process.

Internationally, IAAPA is using this industrial cooperation to work toward a common safety standard, and Randy Davis, IAAPA vice president for government relations and safety services, said the association is taking a multiphase approach to this.

“Standards are under constant revision, and since the process to harmonize international standards began back in 2004, we have had numerous meetings to bring this forward,” he said. “Costs to companies for implementing safety standards are minimal compared to their investment in products.”

With the current ASTM and other international standards working well, drawing together the best aspects of each can only benefit the industry and enhance its safety record, Davis said.

Geoff Robson, chief executive of ADIPS, looked at how his organization draws together the standards and best practices of the industry in the United Kingdom. He looked in depth at how bodies are bound by a duty of care with safety, with respect to the government, municipalities, the judiciary, consumer groups, and operators.

Steve Blum and Peter Doyle, meanwhile, addressed the subject of park safety from the viewpoint of park owners. Blum, NBC Universal Parks and Resorts’ senior vice president of safety and engineering, looked at the coverage of incidents in the press, and their disparate relationship with the high safety standards of amusement parks. He warned against accepting a statistical approach to safety: Even though the tiny rate of incidents may appear insignificant on paper, it is wrong to accept this, and Universal’s philosophy is to maintain complete safety. “Events are rare, and the best way to prevent them is to constantly monitor machines,” he said.

Doyle, senior vice president, marine and waterpark, Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, highlighted the effects of negative PR, and how even accidents elsewhere can cast a shadow over the industry.

“An incident elsewhere will impact your business,” he said. “The benefits of improved safety are worth the investment. As well as providing safe facilities for both staff and guests and reducing insurance premiums, it minimizes negative PR.”

Like Seay, Doyle extolled the benefits of thirdparty input and the need for auditors to help maintain standards of safety.

Following what was regarded by delegates as a highly successful conference in Dubai, Davis was delighted by the response. “We have had excellent feedback. The Middle East is growing fast from an attractions standpoint and that is why we have made safety the subject for this conference,” he said. “IAAPA is constantly helping improve standards with conferences like this.”

Richard Whitehead is a British freelance writer and chief scribe at WhiteFox editorial agency in Dubai. He is also a broadcaster on Dubai Eye 103.8 and can be reached at richard@whitefoxme.com.