18 Jul 2014

Trailblazing

by Liz Terry

In Leisure Management 2014 issue 3, we celebrate the disruptors – innovators who are coming into the leisure industry with new ideas which are innovative enough to bring about radical change in the way things are done in their sector – whether it be spa, health and fitness, sport or hospitality. [more...]

30 Jun 2014

The feelgood factor

by Kate Cracknell

What really motivates you to exercise today? Are distant goals sufficiently engaging on a day-to-day basis, or will today’s gym visit be more about simply wanting to feel energised and positive about the day? [more...]

13 Jun 2014

Sustaining tourism growth

by Eva McDiarmid

Two reports published last month by Barclay’s Bank indicate that spend by tourists is set to increase substantially over the next few years. Of course this is total spend, including accommodation, bars & restaurants and High Street stores, but both reports forecast growth in domestic and inbound tourism. The research underpinning the reports was independently commissioned by Barclay’s Retail and Hospitality & Leisure sector teams. So no pressure from tourism related commissioning bodies! [more...]

03 Jun 2014

On-track with tracking?

by Kate Cracknell

We're hearing more and more about the ‘quantified self’, and this trend is now steering a course directly towards us, with news of some exciting and disruptive deals that won’t just bring tracking to the doorsteps of our clubs, but right into the heart of our businesses. [more...]

01 Jun 2014

Attractions Management magazine launches AM2 global news magazine and invites the industry to join in conversation

by Liz Terry

It's a big day today for the team at Leisure Media as we launch our new magazine – AM2 – the first jobs and news magazine for the global visitor attractions industry. [more...]

08 May 2014

The New Philanthropists

by Liz Terry

The majority of visitor attractions rely in part on donations to meet the cost of investment, so wooing benefactors and donors is part of the process. As more tech millionaires are made, will attractions which focus on tech-related topics find it easier to fundraise? [more...]

06 May 2014

23 and a half hours

by Kate Cracknell

Can you limit your sitting and sleeping to 23 and a half hours a day? That’s the thought-provoking question asked by Dr Mike Evans in a fantastic short film which everyone in the sector should watch (see www.health-club.co.uk/film). In less than 10 minutes he makes a compelling case for exercise, setting out the extensive health benefits but also, crucially, making these seem achievable. All we need to do is limit our inactivity to 23 and a half hours a day, or 23 hours for children. [more...]

28 Mar 2014

Sport CSR is growing fast

by Liz Terry

With so much focus on the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Olympic and Paralympic sports, the UK’s powerful network of sports governing bodies and voluntary sports clubs, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this represents pretty much the full extent of meaningful sporting activity in the UK. [more...]

10 Mar 2014

Creating wealth

by Liz Terry

In Attractions Management 2014 issue 1 we pause to take a special, in-depth look at Merlin Entertainments, following its successful floatation on the London Stock Exchange in November last year (page 30). Great companies generate whole eco-systems around themselves, with employees and their families, shareholders, investors, suppliers and stakeholders all benefiting from the wealth, energy and opportunity they create. A look at the numbers gives clues to the extent of Merlin's. [more...]

10 Mar 2014

Waterparks make waves in Europe

by Aleatha Ezra

New waterpark projects and additions continue to come online at a steady pace throughout the European market. Take, for example, the investment of €10m (US$13.6m, £8.3m) that PortAventura made in its Costa Caribe Aquatic Park in 2013. [more...]

10 Mar 2014

A space rendez-vous with Rosetta

by Maria Zolotonosa

Can science centres and museums build common tools to cover the most exciting 2014 space events at the European level? Ecsite and the European Space Agency (ESA) are taking on this task with the ‘Hook up with Rosetta' campaign. [more...]

10 Mar 2014

Saving species and engaging people

by Jennifer Fields

The primary goal of zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is to save species and engage people. As poaching has reached its highest level in decades and continues to increase, this goal is more important than ever before. [more...]

06 Mar 2014

Creating ‘wellness cities’

by Kate Cracknell

Recommendations made in January that two new garden cities be built in southern England to ease the UK’s housing shortage have prompted fierce political debate. [more...]

19 Feb 2014

It’s time to build wellness cities

by Liz Terry

Earlier this month, news broke that the UK government is planning to build two new Garden Cities in the south of England to ease a housing shortage. The original Garden Cities - conceived in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard - were planned, self-contained communities surrounded by green space, containing homes, industry and agriculture. Plans for the new settlements seem likely to be guided by this philosophy. [more...]

18 Feb 2014

The floods – learning from Foot and Mouth disease

by Kurt Janson

The analysis from the Met Service and the Environment Agency is grim. They believe that flooding in the UK is going to get significantly worse before it gets any better and that, after the wettest January since 1766, the ground is now so saturated that even if the rain were to stop tomorrow, the flood waters will not fully recede for up to four months in some parts of the country. [more...]

18 Feb 2014

The post-recession return to growth

by Peter Ducker

Following one of the worst recessions in history, the UK is now passing from recovery to bona-fide growth. Instead of the 1.5 per cent it gave us a few months ago, the IMF now expects the UK to grow 2.4 per cent this year, higher than any other European country. [more...]