Here you can find the latest stories and announcements from the Florida Attractions Association.
Dear Fellow FAA Member,
On November 8, Floridians will go to the polls to elect the Florida Cabinet, a US Senator, their Congressman, State Senator, and State Representative. While the Florida Attractions Association works diligently to advocate on behalf of our industry, the non-partisan Florida Attractions Political Action Committee (FAPAC) is focused on electing tourism and business-friendly candidates to the Florida Legislature.
Our success in the Florida Legislature is reliant on the election of men and women who understand the unique challenges of our industry and a willingness to respect the interests of our member businesses when deliberating Legislative proposals.
Your FAPAC is asking Florida attractions industry leaders to chip in $25 to support this initiative and industry businesses to contribute $100. It’s a relatively small ask that returns huge rewards by electing the right leaders into the Florida Legislature.
Thank you to these individuals and businesses who have already contributed to help us make a difference this November. Please join me and your FAPAC Committee to Back the PAC and elect conscientious leaders to support our interests.
Sincerely,
Cindy Stavely
Executive Director, St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum
Chair, Florida Attractions Political Action Committee
Become a Sponsor of an FAA Event!
The Florida Attractions Association depends on our Associate Members to to help us provide excellent programming to our members. Sponsorships elevate your company's profile before our members and demonstrate your support of our dynamic attractions industry.
Sponsorship Opportunities:
2022
Golf Tournament
Networking Nights
FAA Networking Dinner
2023
Attraction Regional Forums
Annual Conference
Strategic Partnerships
If your business is interested in sponsoring an FAA event, or has questions, please contact Mike Donaldson at 850-222-2885 or Donaldson@floridaattractions.org.
9/1/22 Deadline
Bureau of Fair Rides Releases Required Inspection and Documentation Guidelines
The Bureau of Fair Rides has established a September 1, 2022 deadline for compliance with recent changes in Florida Statutes and Florida Administrative Code. Please review the Industry Letter and the Documentation Requirements below for details.
Industry Letter
Documentation Requirements
2022 Outstanding Member Award Recipients
In case you missed, the FAA was proud to announce this year's Outstanding Member Award recipients at this year's Annual Conference in West Palm Beach June 12-15. Please join us in congratulating the Outstanding Attraction Member and Outstanding Association Member of 2022 for their unwavering dedication and service to Florida's attractions industry and the FAA...
Matt Johnson
IMAG History & Science Center
Our Outstanding Attraction Member of the year is someone who has exemplified the ideals we all aspire to. We have all benefited from this person’s leadership and most have been elevated by friendship.
Our honoree’s long-time service to the FAA reaches back 15 years. The FAA has benefited from this member’s wisdom, vision, and compassion. Leadership through a global pandemic wasn’t easy for any of us, but his leadership steered the FAA through the storm and into a brighter future.
Matt has done more than devote himself to the FAA – he has shared his life with us. FAA member Marineland helped Matt “pop the question” to his wife Shannon and the FAA toasted Matt & Shannon the day following their engagement. Matt has been not just a remarkable leader to the FAA, but a wonderful example of a person to follow – authentic in the truest sense of the word.
For his 15 years of volunteer service and leadership, we are pleased to honor our 2022 Outstanding Attraction Member of the Year - Matt Johnson!
Pam Wells
Dippin' Dots
Our Associate Member of the year has been an active supporter of the FAA for many years – This individual attends every conference, most Networking Nights, our IAAPA event, in fact, its hard to remember an FAA gathering when this person wasn’t there.
Her presence helps us all keep our “cool” when we feel like “dippin”, she’s always there with the frozen “dots”.
We are so grateful for her active participation in the FAA, for her company’s generous support, and for her work to ensure that those cool little tasty frozen delights are never too far way. It is a great honor and privilege to present the 2022 Associate Member of the Year to – Pam Wells!
2022 Annual Conference Recap
Nearly 300 attraction industry professionals convened for the Florida Attractions 2022 Annual Conference in West Palm Beach June 12-15 as we Let the Sunshine In!
To our attendees - thank you for sharing in our extraordinary three days of inspiration and innovation. For those who missed it - we hope you'll consider your industry's annual conference an essential part of your professional development in 2023.
Visit our recap site to view photos, download General Session and Breakout Session presentations,
and more!
Recording from General Session #2
w/ the AttractionPros is Now Available!
AttractionPros Matt Heller of Performance Optimist Consulting and Josh Liebman of ROLLER, marked the 250th episode of their AttractionPros Podcast with a live recording of General Session #2 at the Florida Attractions 2022 Annual Conference!
In this episode, you will hear Josh, Matt, and the attendees of the Annual Conference explore the intersection of guest and employee experience in real time. Along the way you’ll hear great suggestions about attracting, engaging and WOWing your guests and employees.
In case you missed it, or would like to share with your friends and employees, click on the button below to listen to Episode 250 of AttractionPros LIVE featuring YOU -- the leaders of Florida's attractions industry.
The Florida Attractions Scholarship Foundation (FASF) Board of Directors have selected five Florida-based students as recipients of the 2022 Scholarship. Aaron Anleu, Katarina Blumenstein, Elliot Fuerst, Lauren Toma and Wing Tung Liu will each receive a check for $2,000 to aid them in their pursuit of their hospitality-related degrees. FASF will be highlighting the scholarship program and acknowledging this year’s recipients at the Florida Attractions 2022 Annual Conference June 12-15 at the West Palm Beach Hilton and Palm Beach Country Convention Center.
Wing Tung Liu is also working toward her degree in Hospitality Management from UCF while minoring in Studio Art. She is currently an employee of Universal Resort Orlando where she works as an attraction attendant. Her career goal is to continue working at Universal Orlando and ultimately become a manager in attractions operations or in the hotel industry to provide quality guest experiences.
Since 2013, FASF has awarded scholarships to students pursuing degrees in hospitality-related fields to secure the future of the workforce. Scholarship applicants must be an employee or dependent of an employee of a Florida Attractions Association (FAA) member business, be a Florida resident and a full-time student with a cumulative major GPA of 2.8 or higher.
“With the current workforce challenge, it is more important than ever to make sure we are continuing to invest in the future of our industry by supporting those who are aspiring to make hospitality and tourism their career,” said Chairman of the FASF Board of Directors and Vice President of Double T Multimedia Nick Romeo. “Our goal every year is to find exceptional well-deserving students that will make a positive impact on Florida’s tourism industry and this year was no exception with the remarkable talent and credentials of the students selected.”
As part of the scholarship application, candidates were to demonstrate their desire to pursue a career in hospitality management or related field including (but not limited to) attraction management, tourism marketing, museum studies, hospitality, sports management, entertainment management, event management, zoological/aquaria management, recreation/leisure management. They were also evaluated on their academic performance, personal development, leadership experience, internships and extracurricular activities.
Donate to the Silent Auction
The Silent Auction is an exciting part of our Annual Conference every year, and our 2022 Florida Attractions Annual Conference June 12-15 in West Palm Beach will be no exception!
This fundraiser presented by the Florida Attractions Scholarship Foundation allows us to maintain a scholarship fund to support employees of FAA member businesses and their dependents enrolled in a hospitality-related major, as well as provide the educational programs and speakers we offer to our members. Our wide range of items to bid on include resort getaways, one-of-a-kind gift items, attraction experiences, and much more!
Please make a contribution by Friday, June 3 to our Silent Auction to help support the Florida Attractions Scholarship Foundation.
Remember, the earlier you make your donation, the greater exposure your item will receive on our website. Unique donations draw a lot of attention, so get your items in early!
Popular donations will include:
You may mail your items or bring your item with you when you come to the Conference. Either way, please fill out a donation form so we can properly plan for your item. This will ensure that we can include your donation & organization name in our program materials, as well as on our event websites.
Thank you for your support of the Florida Attractions Scholarship Foundation!
Don't forget Early Bird Registration for FAA Members
ends May 13!
Interested in joining our outstanding Associate members as a Conference sponsor? Contact Mike Donaldson at Donaldson@FloridaAttractions.org or at (850) 222-2885.
Registration for the Biggest Attractions Event of the Year is Now OPEN!
Now more than ever is the time to
Let the Sunshine In!
At our 2022 Annual Conference June 12-15 at the Hilton West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County Convention Center, conference attendees will hear first-hand how Florida has strategically positioned to remain available for visitation. Our members will share and learn new methods, technologies and tools to appeal to new markets and remain at the forefront of travelers plans. More than anything, participants will feel the warm glow as we again let the sunshine in!
Register by May 13 to get the Early Bird Rate for FAA Members!
We welcome employees and representatives and industry leaders from Florida’s finest family attractions, as well as industry suppliers from across the country that are eager to do business with Florida-based attractions. Professionals in sales, marketing, public relations, social media, operations, guest experience, safety, legal, communications, human resources, and retail will benefit from the vast array of educational content at the conference.
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