Press Releases

Jane Cooper Officially Elected 2005 IAAPA Chairman

Board Officers and New Board Members Elected at IAAPA Orlando 2004 Annual Convention & Trade Show

ORLANDO, Fla., USA (Nov. 17, 2004) – Wannado Entertainment President and CEO Jane Cooper was officially elected the 2005 Chairman of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions ( IAAPA) today, the IAAPA Board of Directors announced.

At its annual business meeting at the IAAPA Orlando 2004 Annual Convention & Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, association members elected Rob Norris of Seabreeze Park( Rochester, New York) as First Vice Chairman. Mats Wedin of Liseberg ( Gothenburg, Sweden) was chosen as Second Vice Chairman, and Robert Masterson of Ripley Entertainment is the new Third Vice Chairman. Tom Wages of Lake Compounce (Prospect, Connecticut) will continue to serve as Treasurer.

Elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors representing amusement facilities were:

• Leslie Hutcheson— Wheels Inn (Wild Zone Adventures, Chatham, Ontario, Canada)
• Thomas Ivan— Six Flags, Inc.( Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA)
• Darrell Metzger— Sentosa Leisure Group ( Singapore)
• Frank J. O’Connel— Hersheypark ( Hershey, Pennsylvania , USA )
• Al Weber— Viacom Recreation ( Charlotte, North Carolina , USA)

Elected to a three-year term on the Board representing manufacturers and suppliers was:

• Jim Seay— Premier Rides ( Millersville, Maryland)

“I look forward to my tenure as chairman and will work with the board of directors and committees to continue to enhance the many benefits our association brings to its members,” said Cooper.

About Jane Cooper
As president and CEO of Wannado Entertainment, Jane Cooper is the driving force behind the debut of Wannado City TM, America’s first real-play TM park for kids. Aimed at the 3 to 13 year old set, Wannado City™ is a city scaled for its kidizens™, allowing them to live out their dreams – from learning to be a firefighter, to piloting an aircraft, to working at a television studio. Real-play™ empowers kids to become decision makers and learn responsibility.

Cooper plays a pivotal role in the operations management and strategic development of Wannado City™, overseeing construction and design, sales, marketing, communications, finance and administration. In addition, she spearheads the company’s aggressive U.S. expansion strategy, which includes opening parks in the top ten U.S. cities within the next several years.

Prior to joining Wannado Entertainment, Cooper spent more than 25 years with Paramount Parks, one of the world’s largest theme park companies and the out-of-home entertainment provider for parent company Viacom, Inc. For the past eight years as president and CEO of Paramount Parks, she oversaw all of the company’s entertainment operations including four of the top 30 theme parks in the U.S., two international theme parks and the award-winning Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Cooper’s extensive career in the industry began with a summer theme park job at Paramount’s King’s Island in Cincinnati, Ohio. Various positions held at the park included merchandise buyer, merchandise operations manager and director of merchandise and games. In 1984, Cooper was promoted to director of the resale division at Paramount’s Great America in Santa Clara, California and was later appointed to executive vice president and general manager of the park in 1992. In 1994, she was named president of all Paramount Parks and relocated to the company’s corporate headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. In May 1995, she added the title of chief executive officer.

Cooper’s enthusiasm for the entertainment industry is only matched by her passion for business, her love of education and her commitment to public service. She presently serves as second vice chairman on the board of the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions), a 5,600-member global association; on the executive committee of Central Piedmont Community College, one of the nation’s largest community colleges; as former chairman and current board member of WTVI 42 – the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Public Broadcast Authority and as chairman of Partners of Out of School Time.

Jane Cooper is a respected and celebrated executive whose honors include the Women in Business Achievement Award; the Woman of the Year Award presented by Ursuline Academy of Cincinnati and the title of finalist for the Charlotte Businesswoman of the Year Award presented by Queens College and Wachovia. In 2002, she was inducted into Xavier University’s Williams College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame in Cincinnati.

Cooper holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA in Finance from Xavier University.

A working mom with two children, she is thrilled to contribute her experience and knowledge in the realm of entertainment and education for future generations to come.

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IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities worldwide. The organization represents over 4,500 facility, supplier, and individual members from more than 90 countries. IAAPA strives to help members improve their efficiency, marketing, safety, and profitability while maintaining the highest possible professional standards in the industry. www.iaapa.org