Meeting News - April 7, 2008 - (Page 24)

Insider Report: Theme Parks continued from page 22 expected to put coaster lovers under its spell. Virginia’s Kings Dominion, just outside of Richmond, will introduce the Dominator, the world’s longest ﬂoorless coaster, and Canada’s Wonderland, in Vaughan, ON, will become the home of Canada’s biggest, fastest, and tallest coaster, Behemoth. —RW Palm Jebel Ali island that will have SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, marking their overseas debuts. The resort, called Worlds of Discovery, promises to create more entertainment options for fastdeveloping Dubai. It will be located on a section of Palm Jebel Ali known as the Crown, which resembles a killer whale. Palm Jebel Ali is one of three palm tree-shaped artiﬁcial islands off the coast of Dubai designed to drive international tourism with mixed-use developments. Chris O’Donnell, chief executive of the theme parks’ developer, Nakheel PJSC, said a key part of Dubai’s development into a destination is attracting world-class entertainment brands. Added Marwan Alk Qanzi, managing director of Palm Jebel Ali, “We are honored to become home to the ﬁrst Worlds of Discovery theme parks outside the U.S.” Design work for Worlds of Discovery has begun, and the ﬁrst phase is expected to debut in 2012. In addition to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, the project will include Discovery Cove, and Busch’s newest brand, the water park Aquatica. r —William Ng Groups Get All Wet In the Lone Star State Grapevine, TX, got a big dose of fun earlier this year with the opening of Great Wolf Lodge. Along with its 402 all-suite guest rooms, a spa, and themed restaurants, the resort boasts Texas’ largest indoor water park, the 80,000-sf Bear Track Landing. The facility includes seven pools, 11 waterslides, and a four-story treehouse water fort. Because the park is only open to hotel guests, lines are manageable. And while playtime takes center stage at Great Wolf Lodge, the property has plenty to offer for meetings. The hotel features 10,000 sf of meeting Texas’ Great Wolf Lodge has much to offer. space, but that will grow to 27,000 sf by December. The additional function space will include a 7,500-sf ballroom, six breakout rooms, two boardrooms, 4,000-plus sf of prefunction space, and six outdoor event areas. Another 203 suites will be added during the expansion. —Lori Morris Busch Entertainment Makes An International Splash in Dubai Busch Entertainment Corp., a division of AnheuserBusch, will develop a theme park resort on Dubai’s 24 MeetingNews April 7, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.kalahariresorts.com http://www.kalahariresorts.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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