Sacoa Cashless System, the global leader in cashless solutions for FECs, is gearing up to showcase its cutting-edge products at EAG 2025. The event will take place from January 14 to 16th, at the ExCeL in London, UK, where Sacoa will be located at booth #D60.

Pol Mochkovsky, CEO of Sacoa International, expressed the company’s enthusiasm about the upcoming exhibition: “We have high expectations for this year’s show. It serves as a fantastic opportunity to engage with operators and showcase how our innovative solutions can transform their operations and increase profitability.”

Sacoa will present its comprehensive range of products designed to optimize costs and boost revenues for FEC operators, including:

• ⁠its compact and economical K5 Kiosk,
• ⁠⁠the time-saving Redemption Kiosk,
• the updated and completely redesigned Redemption 2,
• KwikPay, a revolutionary payment solution tailored to operators with small- and route-based operations, and
• Time Tracker, ideal for operators with time-based attractions.

Sacoa invites all attendees to visit their booth to experience firsthand how these latest solutions can maximize operational efficiency and profitability. Don’t miss the chance to explore the future of cashless technology at EAG 2025 with Sacoa!

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — LEGO NINJAGO Weekends are taking over LEGOLAND Florida Resort on select dates:January 25-26 and February 1-2, 8-9 and 15-17! During this limited-time event, guests can unleash their inner ninja with epic activities, high-energy shows, all-new ninja-inspired treats and exclusive meet-and-greets with beloved LEGO NINJAGO heroes. Best of all, the action-packed event is included with general admission and select Annual Passes, offering families an unforgettable ninja adventure at no additional cost.

Here’s a sneak peek at what LEGO NINJAGO Weekends have in store:

PATH OF THE DRAGON
Guests begin their ultimate ninja journey the moment they enter the Park with the guidance of the exclusive Path of the Dragon event guide.

First, they select the elemental dragon power they’d like to master then, they can set out on an action-packed adventure to sharpen their skills. Along the way, guests can take part in thrilling activities and dynamic interactive shows, earning elemental stickers as they progress and ultimately earning the most coveted LEGO NINJAGO headband, while supplies last, to unlock full ninja power!

ACTION-PACKED ACTIVITES & SHOWS!
To become a legendary ninja master, focus and agility are key! These high-energy activities and thrilling shows are designed to put guests’ skills to the test and take them to the next level.

• NEW! Thunderfang is on the loose! Use your ninja skills to find his marking and unlock your true ninja potential by participating in the Thunderfang Scavenger Hunt and earn a pop badge!
• Don’t miss jaw-dropping stunts, dazzling special effects and, of course, epic ninja moves as brave leader Lloyd challenges a new generation of ninjas in Lloyd’s Elemental Challenge.
• NEW! Unlock LEGO brick building fun at the collaborative Dragon Rising Mosaic Build and help construct the giant, 8-foot-tall Heatwave at the Heatwave Dragon Superbrick Build!
• Compete to build the fiercest dragon at the Ultimate Dragon Competition Build. Your help is crucial— the fate of the universe is in your hands!
• Master Wu has hidden vital clues to test your ninja knowledge. Do you have what it takes to rise and prove your skills during Master Wu’s Expedition?
• Learn to pose, chop, balance and spin like a true master while leveling up your skills at the School of Spinjitzu.
• Take a break from training and groove to the beat at our high-energy Whip Around Dance Party.
• Step into the action and join the LEGO® NINJAGO® heroes as they take on the challenge of mastering the 4th Dimension when watching NINJAGO: Masters of the 4th Dimension, a 4D Movie at the Fun Town Theater.
• Join your favorite LEGO NINJAGO ninjas for a one-of-a-kind ceremony at the Ninjas Unite Celebration to honor your legendary ninja training adventure!

ROLL INTO DELICIOUS NINJA BITES!
Guests are encouraged to power up their ninja energy and training with three exciting, limited-time treats, perfect for every aspiring ninja master:

• Samurai Sliced Chicken Bowl
  • Crispy panko-breaded chicken paired with rich Japanese curry, hearty potatoes, carrots, and peas, all served on jasmine rice 
• Mango Master Apple Fries
  • Granny’s signature Apple Fries crowned with mango ice cream, mango chunks, sprinkles, and lychee jelly stars
• Warrior’s BBQ Bun
  • Crispy panko-breaded chicken coated in tangy Japanese BBQ sauce, topped with Asian slaw, nestled in a soft potato bun, and served alongside golden curry-seasoned fries

BURBANK, CALIF (14 January 2025) – The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is excited to announce tickets are on sale for the highly anticipated 31st Annual TEA Thea Awards Gala. The elegant affair, recognized as the premier business and social event of the themed entertainment industry will be held on Saturday, 15 March 2025, at the Hilton Universal Hotel in Universal City, California. Celebrating ingenuity and excellence, the Gala honors new global attractions, places and spaces that inspire millions of guests.

The Gala follows TEA INSPIRE which will take place 12-14 March. TEA INSPIRE is the industry’s most complete networking and learning experience. Peer-led discussions accompany in-depth presentations about the creation and development of this year’s class of TEA Thea Award winners. INSPIRE’s unique format celebrates the professionals and teams that bring audacious and bold ideas to life in the world of themed entertainment.

Anyone can attend the TEA Thea Awards Gala, and everyone is encouraged to be there. Individual tickets start at $395 and are available for purchase online. Tables and sponsorship packages are also available.

“The 31st annual TEA Thea Awards is the highlight of the year for the themed entertainment industry,” shared Melissa Oviedo, CEO of the TEA. “This year’s Thea Award winners represent excellence while celebrating what it means to be bold, audacious, and innovative. The projects can be found in every corner of the world and will inspire millions for many years to come.”

“TEA celebrates the incredible professionals and teams in the themed entertainment industry. We embrace diversity and creativity, and we highlight their talent and hard work. We are excited for this year’s event and hope that more people than ever will join us for both TEA INSPIRE and the Thea Awards Gala.”

In addition to this year’s Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement, the Gala will welcome and honor four professionals who have left an indelible mark on the themed entertainment industry:

• The Buzz Price Thea Award for a Lifetime of Outstanding Achievement – Rick Rothschild, Found and Chief Creative, FAR Out! Creative Direction.
• The Thea Catalyst Award – Dayton Schroeder, AIA, Vice President and Design Director, SmithGroup; and Naoki Tanaka, Creative Director, Dentsu Lab Tokyo
• The Peter Chernack Distinguished Service Award – Lynn Willrich, Co-Owner І Director, D J Willrich, Ltd.

For more information on TEA and to see the full list of the 31st Annual TEA Thea Award winners, visit TEAConnect.org.

The year 2025 marks an extraordinary milestone for Gardaland Resort, as it celebrates half a century of magic, adventure and fun with a new and symbolic commemorative logo. In elegant gold, the new logo (created for this year) includes the two key dates for the park – 1975, the year of opening, and 2025, the anniversary year – with a design that combines tradition and innovation. The number ‘5’ takes the shape of Gardaland’s ‘G’, while the ‘0’ encloses the stylised face of Prezzemolo, the mascot which is beloved by generations of visitors and a symbol of the Park. Also, the ’50’ recalls the word ‘GO‘, representing a vision of the Park that looks enthusiastically to the future.

In this spirit of celebration, Gardaland Resort launches a historic year with the announcement of a second extraordinary innovation: Dragon Empire, the sparkling remodelled area that pays homage to the traditions of the Orient.

Following the enthusiastic response last November to the announcement of the first great novelty, Animal Treasure Island, Gardaland Resort confirms its commitment to enriching the Park by creating unique experiences for families and young people, turning every visit into moments of pure joy.

Dragon Empire will take visitors into a world of colour, music and all-day celebrations. At the entrance, a majestic gateway dominated by shades of blue and red and embellished with red lanterns, decorative fans and ropes in five colours, welcomes guests and immerses them in a festive atmosphere, “as if New Year began each and every day“.

In the heart of the remodelled area, attractions – which will hold further surprises for visitors – will be flanked by spectacular shows and music, turning every visit into a memorable experience.

With this second innovation, Gardaland Resort celebrates its 50th anniversary, confirming itself as a cornerstone of the amusement industry, backed by a tradition and know-how that have made it a pioneer in the sector and an innovative vision that continues to chart its course towards the future.

Dragon Empire will open in April 2025, ready to help mark the 50th anniversary season as unique and unforgettable.

One of Sweden’s greatest cultural acts – Electric Banana Band will come to Gröna Lund on June 7, 2025. The band was formed in 1980 and consists of several prominent musicians, including three of Sweden’s greatest cultural personalities: Lasse Åberg, Klasse Möllberg and Janne Schaffer.

Electric Banana Band is permeated by humor and themes that have succeeded, with the swing intact, touching on everything from environmental issues, friendship and not least caring for our animals. Electric Banana Band will perform with a unique summer concert at Gröna Lund this summer where the whole family can go bananas with jungle hits in the band’s energetic concert/art installation. Their message carved out in the form of Electric Banana Band’s subtle lyrics about protecting nature and being kind to each other has made them loved by generation after generation that shows Electric Banana Band’s unique cultural achievement. Electric Banana Band has previously drawn large crowds at concerts such as the Hultsfred Festival, where 27,000 people danced, and the Sweden Rock Festival, where 32,000 fans went bananas in front of the stage. With these successes behind them, expectations are high for the gig on Gröna Lund’s Main Stage.

With a combination of pop, rock and reggae influences, they have created iconic songs such as “Banankontakt”, “Zwampen” and not least “Min Piraya Maya” – where an entire audience in front of Hultsfred’s largest stage followed Electric Banana Band’s entire Maya choreography – flawlessly. Will we see a synchronized sea of audiences in front of Gröna Lund’s Main Stage also in the summer of 2025? The outlook is good! Welcome to Grönan on June 7 – it will be animally good!

SINGAPORE — Embed, the world’s FEC tech partner of choice for the amusement, entertainment, and leisure industries, announces the global movement of its chief executive teams to kick off 2025 with gusto.

“We always say that our customers are at the heart of everything we do and how we do it—our customer-centricity has always been the driving force of our business,” says Renee Welsh, CEO at Embed. “This is not just PR talk or a company line; this is The Embed Difference — the commitment to layering value for our customers to enable their success, which includes partnering with the best tech partners, like Amazon Web Services, Apple, and Google, breaking industry barriers, and travelling to the corners of the world to be with them.”

Proving that actions are louder than words, CEO Renee Welsh and CTO Andy Welsh recently relocated from Singapore to Dubai, UAE, Embed’s HQ in EMEA, to deepen Embed’s roots in a region with many Embed customers and unparalleled growth.

To support Welsh’s regional vision, Rob McMenamin joins Embed as the new EMEA General Manager. From his 12 years with entertainment giant and Embed customer, Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), McMenamin is the group’s former Director of Leisure & Entertainment and has an extensive amusement and entertainment background from the UK, Australia, and the Middle East.

This strategic EMEA move comes shortly after Embed relocated its C-suite executives Sara Paz (CMO and Chief Growth Officer) and Michael Lopez (CXO and General Manager, NASA region) from Singapore to Dallas, TX in early 2024.

Lopez welcomes the latest appointments to the CX team to further Embed’s focus on customer care, support, and training: Mike Hartgrove joins as the new Global Director of Customer Experience, bringing his management expertise from multiple industries to lead the Support and Training teams, reinforcing Embed’s 99% customer approval rating.

To ensure the Embed system’s seamlessness and consistency in every location, Michael Smith takes on the role of Embed’s Global Director of Installation, equipped with over 17 years of C-level executive leadership in health sciences industries and as President of wellness start-up, The Virtual Formula.

In their move to Dallas, Paz and Lopez rolled out an ongoing series of customer success programmes for the Embed family of FECs. Within a few months in North America, astounding results ensued: hiring the Embed Success Squad™, the dedicated team of professionals, gurus, and consultants with the single aim of supporting Embed customers to maximise their system with free SaaS product trials, virtual and onsite training, best practice consultations, and free marketing toolkits and printed marketing collaterals.

The Success Squad™ also includes two payment industry experts, affectionately referred to as Payment Gateway Gurus, who provide complimentary payment processing consultations to help Embed customers cut their losses from fluctuating processing rates (due to hidden fees, merchant fees, etc.) and take advantage of the savings they can get by simply changing their payment provider, achieving life-changing results for operators.

On top of these benefits, the big move to the NASA region paved the way for an industry-first event, opening the November 2024 IAAPA Expo week in Orlando, FL with the customer-exclusive, TED Talk- style Embed Connect Summit, enabling Embed customers to meet, network, share insights and best practices to cross-pollinate ideas with the industry’s best players, and exploring how to take their business to the next level together. “We’re expecting to yield groundbreaking results with this strategic EMEA movement to complement what we have accomplished in the NASA region thus far,” concludes CEO Renee Welsh.

WINDERMERE, Fla. — Innovative Attraction Management (IAM), a leading provider of creative management services and strategic growth solutions for the entertainment and leisure industry, is proud to announce its acquisition of Diggerland USA, a unique and one-of-a-kind theme park where guests can operate real construction equipment in a family-friendly environment. This acquisition marks a significant milestone in IAM’s expansion strategy, reinforcing its commitment to offering exceptional experiences for visitors of all ages.

Diggerland USA, located in West Berlin, NJ, offers a thrilling and hands-on adventure with attractions that allow guests to operate diggers, backhoes, and other heavy machinery under the supervision of trained staff. Since its inception, the park has attracted families looking for an exciting, educational, and unique alternative to traditional amusement parks.

The acquisition will enable IAM to leverage its expertise in attraction management and operational efficiencies to further develop and grow Diggerland USA, while preserving the park’s core value of offering an interactive, immersive experience for guests. IAM plans to invest in the park’s infrastructure, introduce innovative new attractions, and enhance the guest experience through cutting-edge technology and personalized service.

“We are thrilled to welcome Diggerland USA into the IAM family,” said James Harhi, CEO of Innovative Attraction Management. “Diggerland represents an incredible opportunity to expand our portfolio with a unique and niche offering in the family entertainment space. We are committed to preserving its fun and educational appeal, while also bringing new, exciting elements to the park. This acquisition aligns perfectly with our vision of creating world-class experiences that inspire joy and wonder in visitors.”

Solomon Partners served as financial advisor to Diggerland.

The Children’s Aquarium Dallas in Fair Park will remain open during the expected winter weather Thursday and Friday, January 9 and 10.

While schools are closed, the aquarium will offer a warm, indoor place for families to enjoy fun and educational activities when it is safe to travel.

Families attending on Thursday and Friday will receive free Stingray food so they can pet and feed the friendly animals in Stingray Bay.

PHOENIX, Arizona — Donald Lee DiGirolamo, a former partner in then N.H.-based O.D. Hopkins died in Phoenix with his family on November 5, 2024. He was 80.

Don, as he was known by his friends, was born in Springfield, Ill. On May 31, 1944, to Cathryn and Gladstone DiGirolamo. He was the youngest of three children having an older sister Gladys and brother Jim. He excelled in sports during high school having played on both the wrestling team and football team. Following high school, he entered the service, serving two years as a cook for the U.S. Army.

Following his service in the Army, he registered with Devry Tech in Chicago, Ill., where he learned the trades of computer programming and draftsman. Following stops in the job market, he became bored with the humdrum job of being indoors all the time. He met someone in a bar one day and asked what they did. The person replied that he worked at a company that had a ride at the Illinois State Fair — and that interested Don a lot. He asked, “What do I have to do to get hired? I’m tired of my current indoor job.” The person said they had an opening for a truck driver and if he was interested, they would loan him a truck so he could go to the DMV and get his CDL license. Don passed the test, got his CDL license and started his job in the early 60’s with O.D. Hopkins and Associates.

Don started by driving the company truck around the fair circuit for Hopkins as needed. He would later move into management with the company where he worked closely with Jerry Pendleton for many years. Pendleton would make Don a partner in the company which was now supplying numerous rides to the amusement park industry. Jerry took care of all the logistics for the company as well as the financial side. Don was assigned the operations parts & service as well as the management duties on the operational side of the rides.

Longtime friend Paul Borchardt, Wonderland Park, Amarillo, Texas shared this about Don, “In 1979 we first met Don, as he brought our O.D.Hopkins Sky Ride to us on the recommendation from Joe Malec of Peony Park in Nebraska. Don and my Father-in-Law (Paul Roads) immediately gave each other nicknames. Don enjoyed directing the workers, and Paul Roads kept asking him when he would start helping the workers erect the ride. This was the beginning of a long-trusted relationship, one that would result in the development of seven prototype Hopkins rides for Wonderland Park. During the next 40 years, Don and later Jeannie would be at the park for delivery, erection, and testing of our new rides. Even if there was not a delivery to be made, he still found time to pass through Amarillo so he could stop to harass Paul and tease him that he only stopped to collect his pay from his friend Paul. They agreed that this was the only excuse needed a enjoy a few good Margaritas. Paul said this was good as he could pay in Margaritas as that was all he was worth. This is more of a story but shows that in this industry friendship is very valuable and full of good people, like Don, that we called our Friend!”

Amusement Today Publisher Gary Slade commented on Don’s passing saying, “I too can confirm the Margarita stories in Amarillo and the friendship both Pauls had with Don. Don was among the great industry Legends when it came to being a gentleman and industry friend. We all lost a dear friend, but Heaven gained an Angel.”

Don would later meet his wife Jeannie in the early 80’s and they carried out a long-distance relationship for several years while she worked for the Department of Defense as a Contracting Officer.  Dan later proposed, and with her acceptance, they were married on October 18, 1986, having enjoyed 38 years of marriage.

Don is fondly remembered by his wife Jeannie, sister Gladys Sokolis, nieces and nephews.

ORLANDO — Universal Orlando Resort invites guests to celebrate 30 years of Mardi Gras from February 1 through March 30 during Universal Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval, featuring an all-new menu of mouth-watering international cuisine, a spectacular parade with colorful floats and – on select nights – live concerts by the biggest names in music. And guests can enjoy all the fun as part of regular theme park admission to Universal Studios Florida.

Here is an overview of what’s in store at this year’s celebration:

STAR-STUDDED MARDI GRAS CONCERT LINEUP
This year’s star-studded concert series will feature 12 live performances by some of the most popular musical artists from across the globe – including GRAMMY- winning artist T-Pain, global pop superstar Joe Jonas and Latin GRAMMY-winning artist Juanes. Live performances will take place on select nights at the Music Plaza Stage inside Universal Studios Florida, following the Mardi Gras parade. See below for the complete concert line-up.