Philippines hosts the IAAPA Safety Institute for Amusement Parks and Attractions

As various tourism-related enterprises continue to be established in the country, people are becoming more and more aware and curious not only of how exciting and unique these attractions may be but also how safe they are. Not everything that is new and ground breaking is always safe and built to internationally accepted standards. With so many untoward incidents that have been happening not only in our backyard but also around the world, people are now more prone to pop the “safety” question. It is interesting to note that more than anything else, the “safety” aspect usually crops up when we talk about amusement parks and attractions, and believe it or not, there is a worldwide international association working in hand with a local one to promote safety and standards when it comes not only to amusement and theme parks, but also in other destinations like zoos, aquariums, water parks and resorts.

For the first time ever in the country, the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (IAAPA) and its local counterpart, the Philippine Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (PhilAPPA), in cooperation with Enchanted Kingdom and Resorts World Manila, is organizing the IAAPA Safety Institute for Amusement Parks and Attractions on March 27 at the Enchanting Events Place (EEP) of Enchanted Kingdom in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna. This safety summit is expected to draw in key executives and staff not only from the local amusement and attractions industry involved in maintenance, operations and safety, but also attendees from the public sector, namely local government unit representatives, fire safety personnel and even members of Congress concerned with industry safety and standards.

An interesting pool of noted industry experts from global and regional amusement industry players, international associations and even government will share their best practices on the twin topics of safety and standards for amusement parks and attractions. Confirmed speakers for this very educational one-day institute are Mr. Randy Davis, Vice President for Safety of IAAPA; Mr. Darren Lim, Deputy Director, Amusement Rides Safety, Building & Construction Authority, Singapore; Mr. Noble Coker, Vice President, Park Operations, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort; Mr. Doug Stagner, Corporate Senior Director of Operations, Sea World Parks & Entertainment, Florida, USA; Mr. Richard A. Carroll, Senior Vice President and COO, Jeff Ellis & Associates, Inc., USA; Mr. Frankie Hau, Environmental Health and Safety Manager, Ocean Park, Hong Kong; and Mr. Ramon Santos, President, Westech International.

The IAAPA Safety Institute is one of the major advocacy thrusts of IAAPA and PhilAAPA to create and heighten awareness to everyone that safety and standards in the amusement and attractions industry is serious business that should be inculcated into a “culture”. Never is it more important than in the Philippines, which is seeking to adopt a set of standards for its growing local fledgling amusement and attractions industry to protect the multitude of people, young and old, who troop through turnstiles all over the country throughout the year.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions or IAAPA is the worldwide trade association of the amusement and attractions industry based in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. It is the largest industry trade association of its kind, founded 93 years ago and now serving over 4,000 members from more than 90 countries around the world. Aside from its global headquarters in Alexandria, it has regional offices in Brussels, Mexico City and Hong Kong. It is dedicated to serve the industry needs of the global amusement and attractions industry that include theme and amusement parks, water parks, family entertainment centers, arcades, zoos, aquariums, museums, science centers, resorts, and even casinos. Together with its members and partners, they spread the message of SAFETY as an industry standard around the world.

Mario O. Mamon, Chairman and President of Enchanted Kingdom and current 2nd Vice Chairman of IAAPA, together with all PhilAAPA members, will make the first-ever IAAPA Safety Institute in the country happen. Mr. Mamon describes the association as “a group of dynamic, creative and passionate professionals engaged in the promotion and development of the amusement and attractions industry in the Philippines. We envision being the national association providing a vehicle for the development and promotion of the Philippine amusement and attractions industry and the conduit for government and private sector collaboration towards policy making, development of industry standards and incentives ultimately resulting in the promotion of our tourism industry, both domestic and foreign.”

For more information and inquiries regarding the forthcoming IAAPA Safety Institute for Amusement Parks and Attractions, please contact 584-4332 or Philaapa_safety@yahoogroups.com. Slots for interested individuals are limited. The Fire National Training Institute at Camp Vicente Lim, Canlubang, Laguna will also offer fire safety personnel accommodations and transport services. IAAPA and PhilAPPA will award a certificate of completion to participants of this unique and prestigious safety institute.