Press Releases

Mats Wedin Elected 2007 Chair of the Board - Officer and Board Members Also Elected

ATLANTA (Nov. 15, 2006) – The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions ( IAAPA) board of directors today announced that Mats Wedin, president of the Liseberg Group, Sweden was officially elected IAAPA chair of the board for 2007.

The board of directors also elected Bob Masterson of Ripley Entertainment (Orlando, Fla.) as first vice chair, Darrell Metzger of Sentosa Leisure Group (Sentosa, Singapore) as second vice chair, and James “Chip” Cleary of Palace Entertainment (Riverhead, N.Y.) as third vice chair.  Tom Wages, International Attractions Services, will serve as Treasurer.

Additionally, the following IAAPA members were elected to three-year terms on the board of directors at the association’s annual business meeting:

• Gerardo Arteaga – Fantasilandia, Chile
• Ted Molter – San Diego Zoo, USA
• Greg O’Neill – O’Neill Entertainment, Australia
• Gary Smart – Harbour Park, England
• Tim Sorge – Swings-N-Things, USA
• Carline von Landsberg – Velen, Schloss Dankern, Germany
• Jeroen Nijpels – JN Entertainment and Leisure Consultancy, Luxembourg
• Jane Cooper – Herschend Family Entertainment, USA

About Mats Wedin:
Mats Wedin began his career at the Volvo Car Corporation in 1973, where he held a variety of positions in the areas of logistics, information technology and manufacturing.

He began his work in the theme park business in 1988 with Liseberg Theme Park when he was hired as president.  He would remain president of Liseberg Theme Park until 1993 when he became president of the Liseberg Group.  The Liseberg Group consists of four companies in the theme park, restaurant, and hotel businesses.

Mr. Wedin has been the president of the Swedish Park Association since 1994.  In 1996 he joined Europarks executive committee and from 2000 to 2003 he served as its president.  He has also served on the board of Astrid Lindgrens Varld, a theme park in Sweden.

Mats Wedin has also been very active on a variety of boards, including ARE, Sweden’s largest ski resort, as well as at MTV Television Production and the Gothenburg Tourist Board.

In addition to all his work on a variety of boards, Mr. Wedin has served IAAPA on a variety of committees since 1992, including three terms as a member of the association’s board.

Mr. Wedin has a MBA in business administration.

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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 safety, efficiency, marketing, and profitability while maintaining the highest possible professional standards in the industry. www.iaapa.org