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Return to South America
One of the things I cherish most about my role as chairman is learning about business, culture, and people through the prism of this great industry. I had the chance to do that recently during a trip to South America with IAAPA President and CEO Charlie Bray and IAAPA Latin America Executive Director Paulina Reyes. It had been 10 years since I last visited the continent, and I was impressed and inspired all over again.
During our trip to Brazil, we visited Parque da Monica, Beto Carrero World, Hopi Hari (profiled in February’s FUNWORLD), Playcenter, Unipraias Park, Playland FEC, and Wet ’n Wild. We also spent time in Chile, visiting Fantasilandia and Happyland family entertainment center (FEC).
Brazil is experiencing an economic renaissance, and the changes I noticed since the last time I visited were amazing. I saw progress in general infrastructure such as roads and buildings, but I also noticed revitalization in the attractions industry—a clear benefit from financial recovery.
During our time in both countries, I was struck by the family entertainment centers. They are a core element to the region’s attractions business, typically found in shopping malls as an added amenity. Coming from the United States, I’m used to the standalone destination FEC, but during this trip we found ourselves navigating the corridors of a shopping mall where we visited busy, colorful fun centers offering children’s rides and redemption games. It impressed me how operators make creative use of limited space and design the facilities with eye-catching graphics and layouts, all within the confines of a shopping center. They have clearly found what works for them, and it’s made them very successful.
 If there’s one thing that didn’t change from the last time I was in South America, it was the quality and character of the people. From both the U.S. and Latin American sides, there was a genuine thirst for knowledge and understanding about our respective cultures and businesses. With our new office located in Mexico City, under Paulina’s direction, I am confident our relationships with our friends in Latin America will continue to flourish.
As we go to press we have all seen the devastating pictures coming out of the earthquake in Chile. We have heard from the owners of Fantasilandia in Santiago, and they and the park as of now seem to be OK. We hope all our members in Chile are unharmed and that there is no damage to their attractions.
Have a sparkling day,
Chip Cleary, Chairman of the Board
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