CBS announces that HFE President and CEO Joel Manby will be featured in its March 28th episode of Undercover Boss. The new reality series follows high-level chief executives as they slip anonymously into the rank and file of their companies. Each week a different executive leaves the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their company. While working alongside their employees, they see the effects their decisions have on the others, where the problems lie within their organization and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their company run.
Dollywood won its fourth consecutive international Heartbeat Award along with three additional trophies at this year's IAAPA Big E entertainment awards ceremony. The awards bring Dollywood's total to 15 in the past four years, more than any other theme park in the world. Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke won the prestigious Heartbeat Award. Dollywood also took home awards in three additional categories. Creature Adventures starring the Kratt Brothers won Best Live Edutainment Show. Park performer Gabriel Myers from Dreamland Drive-In won Best Male Performer. Dollywood's Gem Tones won honorable mention as Best Atmosphere/Street Performer. IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities worldwide. The organization represents more than 4,500 facility, supplier, and individual members from more than 90 countries.
For the first time ever, a Silver Dollar City production show took top honors in its category at an award ceremony during the IAAPA Big E entertainment awards ceremony. The park took home the first place prize in "Best Overall Production" for its original fall production show, Headin' West. The park also won an honorable mention for the summer rhythm and dance production show featuring the Swedish Supergroup, Jeerk. "With almost 30,000 attendees and more than 1,000 exhibitors from 90 countries, this is the industry's largest conference and trade show," explained Silver Dollar City Entertainment Director Brad Schroeder. "This is our first time taking home a 'Big E' award and with two of our shows placing in their categories, we are very pleased. This tells us that not only do our guests enjoy our shows, but those within the industry do too."
Dollywood's Splash Country won the Must-See Waterpark Award on Monday, Nov. 16, at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo 2009 in Las Vegas. The program recognizes outstanding waterparks around the world that provide visitors with a unique and memorable experience, top-notch guest service, operations, and safety. The park has also twice been recognized by the Travel Channel as one of the country's top ten waterparks.
Three HFE properties were honored at IAAPA's 2009 Brass Ring Awards Ceremony. The awards honor originality, creativity, and excellence in marketing, advertising, and public relations in the attractions industry. Silver Dollar City and Dollywood took top honors in their categories for their PR Programs, and Adventure Aquarium won their category for Television Commercial. The Brass Ring Awards are presented in a class system with categories based on attendance. The awards are judged by a panel of 50 industry professionals with experience in marketing and public relations.
In its 12th year, Amusement Today magazine honors the "best of the best" in the amusement industry with its Golden Ticket Awards. Both Dollywood and Silver Dollar City were recognized at the award show. Dollywood took home top honors for BEST SHOWS and, for the second year in a row, BEST CHRISTMAS EVENT, while Silver Dollar City was named the park with the FRIENDLIEST STAFF. The International Golden Ticket Awards are calculated from an international survey conducted by Amusement Today magazine and sent to a database of experienced and well-traveled amusement park fans from around the world. Other awards won by the parks this year include: Silver Dollar City - 2nd place Best Christmas Event, 2nd place Best Food and 3rd place Best Shows; Dollywood - 3rd place Friendliest Staff and 3rd place Cleanest Park.
Dollywood has entered into an agreement with Starr Crest Resort (Sevierville, TN) to immediately feature and promote the company's cabins as a convenient lodging option for Dollywood guests on Dollywood.com. "With more than four million visitors a year, Dollywood is the leading tourism destination in Tennessee. We're in the unique position to help drive more visitors to the area and entice them to stay overnight in convenient, family-friendly cabins," said Ken Bell, president of Dollywood. "This alliance builds upon the current hotel and motel lodging options Dollywood already features via our online vacation packages. We are starting with the more than 100 cabins within Starr Crest Resort portfolio, and expect to add more choices soon." Located just two miles from Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country, the Starr Crest Resort features log cabins in a mountain setting with picturesque views of the famed Great Smoky Mountains.
For the 2009 season, Dollywood unveils the most elaborate show in the park's 24-year history. Featuring eight original songs written by entertainment legend Dolly Parton, the 45-minute show commemorates the Great Smoky Mountain National Park's 75th anniversary. Sha-Kon-O-Hey! tells the story of the people who called the Smoky Mountains their home and captures the time of great change in the Smoky Mountains in the 1930s. "Sha-Kon-O-Hey" is a term derived from the Cherokee name for the Smoky Mountains meaning "land of blue smoke." In addition to the show, Dolly Parton has released a commemorative CD of these songs to benefit Friends of the Smokies.
Stone Mountain Park's famous Laser Lawn transforms into a winterland with Snow Mountain. The attraction features three football fields of snow including a 400' tubing hill and a 30,000 square foot play area. Stone Mountain Park focused on creating the attraction in an environmentally-friendly way. Using state-of-the-art technology, water is borrowed from Stone Mountain Lake to make Snow Mountain. Specialized equipment pumps water from the recreational lake directly to a water filtration plant. Here, the water is treated to potable standards. The attraction is a first-of-its-kind snow park in Atlanta and the Southeast.
The Travel Channel highlights "The Most Christmasy Places in America" with Branson, MO topping the list. Naming Silver Dollar City "The Most Illuminated Amusement Park on Earth", The Travel Channel also features Silver Dollar City's Main Street Christmas as "totally cutting edge" and its stage production as "Charles Dickens with a Broadway Beat." The park also takes top honors from America's Best Online, which names Silver Dollar City the "Top Christmas Light Show in America".
As part of a multi-year sponsorship with Dollywood, Humana will serve as presenting sponsor of three of Dollywood's award-winning festivals. "Being at a world class destination like Dollywood is part of Humana's mission of meeting our customers where they live and play," said Lance Hoeltke, vice president of strategic alliances with Humana. "Like Dollywood, we want to build lasting relationships with our members and potential members based upon trust.
Dollywood claimed its third consecutive International Heartbeat Award along with three additional trophies at this year's IAAPA Big E awards ceremony. The latest awards bring Dollywood's total to 11 in the past three years, more than any other theme park in the world. Dreamland Drive-In won the prestigious Heartbeat Award for the second time. Dollywood's Gem Tones, an a capella group that performs '50s and '60s music, was named Best Atmosphere/Street Performer. Creature Adventures starring the Kratt Brothers, a show which premiered in 2008 as the headliner of the park's annual KidsFest event, won honorable mention in the Best Live Edutainment Show category. Park performer Arnie Shaw from The Great American Country Show won honorable mention for Best Female Performer.
Newport Aquarium will be featured on an upcoming episode of Food Network's Ace of Cakes. The aquarium's female shark ray (and resident celebrity) Sweet Pea, celebrates her birthday. To commemorate the occasion, world-famous Ace of Cakes Chef Duff Goldman visits the aquarium and creates a custom birthday cake. Chef Duff even spends some time with Sweet Pea, accompanying the aquarium dive team in her tank. The up-close and personal research proves invaluable as he reproduces her likeness in the form of a gourmet, 4-foot long, life-like cake! Check your local listings to catch the episode "Swimming with the Sharks" on the Food Network.
Herschend Family Entertainment announces Andrew Wexler Chief Financial Officer. Andrew joined HFE in September of 2007 as Vice President of New Business Development. Andrew earned his BBA and Master of Accountancy degree from the University of Georgia. He obtained his MBA from The Harvard Business School where he graduated as a George F. Baker Scholar (High Distinction). His work experience includes time at Arthur Andersen and McKinsey & Company. Andrew was also a co-founder and the CFO of Derivion, a pioneer in internet-based billing, and the Chief Operating Officer of Martin Capital, a real estate development and finance firm.
Ride The DucksTM announces the launch of its San Francisco location. The 90-minute land and water tour takes guests by Ghiradelli Square, North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square and SoMa. The Ducks splashdown into the Bay and cruise McCovey Cove. Tours depart from the famous Fisherman's Wharf.
Herschend Family Entertainment has combined with the first land-based sightseeing company in San Francisco, Cable Car Charters, which has been family-owned and operated since 1958. The new company, Classic Cable Car Sightseeing, will be managed by Ride The DucksTM. Some of the vehicles are originals from the cable car line, dating back as far as 1888. The ride offers a two-hour city tour and is the only cable car sightseeing company that goes over the Golden Gate Bridge.
