Griffith Observatory makeover

This article in Sound & Video Contractor magazine, by Trevor Boyer, looks at some of the technical wizardry that went into creating new exhibits for Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. This venerable and much-loved facility recently reopened after having been closed for some years to do the renovation. The story spotlights some exceptional accomplishments by AV systems integrator Mad Systems Inc.

A really good expo article by Gordon Linden

This article takes a look at world's fairs aka world expositions or expos as they have been occurring in Europe and Asia over the past couple decades, and also details how US participation in world's fairs as well as hosting of such events has fallen off during that same period. Click the title to read the article, which was written by two seasoned consultants in the field, Gordon Linden and Paul Creighton.

ASTC 2007 Conference Report

The Association of Science-Technology Centers held its annual meeting in Los Angeles in October, and I reported on some promising trends in digital media and dome theater systems. This article appeared first in the newsletter LF Examiner, www.lfexaminer.com, which concentrates on the giant-screen cinema industry. It was subsequently published online at Blooloop. Click the title link to read the story.

Letter From Dubai

Letter from Dubai: Head-Over-Heels Race to the Future Causes Growing Pains

By Gordon Linden and Rupak Chatterjee With sky-high aspirations to become a world-class destination and business hub, Dubai has mobilized mega-development on multiple fronts, leveraging its geographic advantages and historic trading role. The ambitions of this UAE city-state (population, 1.4 million) - expected to run out of oil in a few years - and its power to build seem unbounded. Massive manmade islands, Universal and Paramount theme parks, and Bawadi (a 50,000+ room Las Vegas-style strip) are all part of the current plans to solidify Dubai's growing reputation as the place to be. Extraordinary architectural landmarks such as the Burj Al Arab Hotel, and the Burj Dubai Tower (world's tallest building - for now), stellar shopping malls, luxury hotels and sports venues are all expected to materialize in less time than it takes most cities to update a zoning ordinance. Much infrastructure is well underway, including Dubai World Central (world's largest airport), the Metro-rail network and an ever-expanding maze of roads and bridges. The projects now taking shape and in the pipeline are ambitiously proposed to be fully populated in just a few short years. The skyline is crowded with building cranes and current residents face years of building noise, dust and truck traffic. Consider Dubai Marina, reportedly the world's largest man-made marina, which started development in the late 1990s. Today, in spite of glossy "sea-view-sky-lounge-living" brochures, it remains a vast construction site. In fact, very few of the unique, vigorously promoted destinations, such as Palm Island, Palm Deira, Dubai Waterfront, Dubailand, and the Lagoons (which, at 95 million square feet, is four times the size of London's Canary Wharf) are close to completion. Dubai should be busy moving earth and erecting buildings for at least another decade and probably beyond... [click the title link to read the complete article at blooloop.com]

The Expo Book by Gordon Linden AIA

THE EXPO BOOK – Gordon Linden & Paul Creighton’s New Guide To the Business, Organization & Design Of Modern World Expositions To Be Published by InPark Magazine

Milwaukee, USA, September 4, 2007 – InPark Magazine (IPM) announced that it will publish The Expo Book: A Guide to THE Hosting, Planning, Organization & Design OF WORLD EXPOSITIONS by Gordon Linden and Paul Creighton, in six consecutive installments of the bi-monthly magazine, starting with the Nov-Dec 2007 issue. Written by a pair of seasoned international expo consultants, THE EXPO BOOK addresses all aspects of the complex and rewarding business of creating an outstanding and successful world expo – from seeking registration with the Bureau of International Expositions, to selecting a site and formulating a theme, through all the subsequent planning, financial, operations and development issues including the transition to post-use of the site. The IPM serialization of THE EXPO BOOK will be the first publication of this new business & reference title. It will be edited by Judith Rubin.... [click on the title link to read the complete text of this release]

Global Theme Park Attendance Report

An authoritative, annual resource for the attractions industry, travel industry and the media, the current TEA/ERA Global Theme Park Attendance Report was published in April 2007, using information provided by Economics Research Associates (ERA). Executive Publisher: TEA. Editor: Judith Rubin. Sponsorship: Thorburn Associates.

The report was printed simultaneously in two magazines, US-based InPark (www.inparkmagazine.com) and UK-based Park World (www.parkworld-online.com). Contact either to request a hard copy. Click the link to see the report on the TEA website.