Skip to main content

Timbalaya, Magical New Outdoor Play Family Entertainment IP, Debuts at IAAPA

News

Timbalaya, a new themed family entertainment Intellectual Property (IP), is to be unveiled at the IAAPA attractions Expo (November 16-20, 2015) Orange County Convention Centre, Orlando.

Designed for families with children under 11 years old, Timbalaya is a new bespoke play experience that offers immersive play, performance, discovery of the outdoors and the natural environment.  The story based experience fills a void in the market, providing an outdoor play environment where children’s imagination can run riot.

Spangle Stargazer's Observatory at TimbalayaImaginative Outdoor Play

Based around a children’s adventure story set in the land of Timbalaya, this magical new attraction includes

  • a treetop view from Spangle Stargazer’s Observatory
  • wishes placed at the Wishing Tree
  • riddles and games to solve dotted around the park
  • water play in the Midmost Lake
  • parades and performances
  • structures to climb up, through and over
  • areas of water, forests, towers, castles, mazes and quirky enchanting houses

Timbalaya is designed with accessibility in mind.  It is highly participatory; discovering clues and reaching goals are rewarded on every level.

Experienced Team

Timbalaya Team Simon Egan,  Sylvia Matiko,  Nick Farmer,  Rosalind Johnson

Timbalaya has been created by an experienced team of creative play professionals: Nick Farmer, founder of Farmer Attraction Management, Simon Egan of CAPCO and Rosalind Johnson and Sylvia Matiko, founders of consulting firm A Different View.

Commenting on the exciting new venture Nick Farmer says, “Every part of the Timbalaya experience has depth. Play structures appeal to all ages and physical abilities. Challenging riddles, clue trails and appealing characters demand families to join in the adventure play around the water, laugh, and participate in the shows and live ‘happenings’.

“The performance strategy embraces the stages in child development, from the toddler eager to get wet standing under the Wishing Tree to the boisterous 10-year-old who might think he’s too cool for the park.”

“A Great Business Model”

Bob Masterson from Timbalaya on Vimeo.

Non-executive director and former President of Ripley Entertainment Inc. Bob Masterson, says, “Timbalaya is a great business model. The people behind it are experienced global players and understand the numbers. There’s a really good ROI. I know of no one who is doing what Timbalaya is doing. When you can fill a void in the market like this, where there is a need, you should make money.

“It is also a cash business; the costs are front loaded with no constant reinvestment of capital like a theme park where items like rollercoasters need maintenance, re-painting etc. Here there is little deterioration, in fact, the attraction improves with age. Nature takes care of it. I like it. Timbalaya is something I recommend.”

TimbalayaEvery Timbalaya will be unique to each and every location – each individual landscape and community will determine its own bespoke design. Integral to the business plan for Timbalaya is the continued development of the story through publishing and other entertainment to give the brand longevity.

Launched to the attractions market as a franchise/licensing opportunity as a mid-range attraction, the tight financial model requires an operator investment of circa $5million, depending on the location and excluding land and services.  Available to operators as a turnkey solution or design and build, it can be ready to open in  2017.

The concept has undergone testing with operators and received two declarations of interest.

Find out more

The team will be at IAAPA and can be reached at www.timbalaya.com or visit Booth 2075 or call on +44 (0) 203 695 9756. Twitter @timbalaya

Share this
charles read blooloop

Charles Read

Charles is managing director at blooloop. He attends numerous trade shows around the world and frequently speaks about trends and social media for the attractions industry at conferences. Outside of blooloop, his passions are diving, trees and cricket.

More from this author

Companies featured in this post

More from this author

Related content

Your web browser is out of date. Update your browser for more security, speed and the best experience on this site.

Find out how to update