Thursday, March 28, 2024

$60 million Digital Media-Based Waterpark Planned for Toronto

[quote]marbleLIVE would provide visitors and guests with an additional attraction adding to our industry’s growing list of new, expanded and reinvigorated products.  The combination of a water-themed venue combined with an impressive event space will also give meeting and event planners more options that will help distinguish us as well.” — David Whitaker, President & CEO, Tourism Toronto[/quote]

Toronto, ON, CANADA — A massive indoor/outdoor water park and event complex is being planned for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The $60 million dollar facility is scheduled to begin construction in the spring of 2015 and be fully operational by the fall of 2016. The 100,000 square-foot attraction will feature a retractable roof, allowing it to operate 365 days a year. The development group behind the project, marbleLIVE, is led by Toronto entrepreneur John Barrack and marblemedia, one of Canada’s leading multiplatform content creators. The water park and event complex will fill a significant void in the GTA’s tourism market – a market that before the opening of the Ripley’s Aquarium last fall, had not seen a new attraction established in over 25 years.

“People in the GTA are hungry for new entertainment experiences,” said John Barrack, Managing Partner, marbleLIVE. “We’re going to give them a dynamic year-round attraction that’s part-water-park, part-theme-park and all fun, all the time.”

Mark Bishop, Co-CEO marblemedia said, “This attraction will be far from your typical waterpark. We are going to bring our company’s expertise in digital media and storytelling to create a purpose built digital media experience that will be the first attraction of its kind.”

Barrack and Bishop are in discussion with city officials in Mississauga and Toronto about potential sites. They have also been briefing Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport about the boost the attraction will have on the tourism industry in the GTA.

Barrack said, “We now have a short-list of three locations. Our final decision will be based on our intricate design and operational needs, as well as visitor accessibility.”

The all-season, indoor/outdoor water park will bring significant employment opportunities to the GTA during the development stages of its creation. Once fully operational, the attraction will employ 230 full-time personnel and expects to attract over half a million visitors within its first year of operation.

In addition to Barrack and Bishop, the development group includes New Jersey-based Jerry Merola of Amusement Entertainment LLC and EFA Partners of New York. marblemedia’s multiplatform content is seen in over 120 countries, with leading broadcast partners worldwide including Disney XD, Nickelodeon, YTV and BBC.

marbleLIVE.com

Joe Kleiman
Joe Kleimanhttp://wwww.themedreality.com
Raised in San Diego on theme parks, zoos, and IMAX films, InPark's Senior Correspondent Joe Kleiman would expand his childhood loves into two decades as a projectionist and theater director within the giant screen industry. In addition to his work in commercial and museum operations, Joe has volunteered his time to animal husbandry at leading facilities in California and Texas and has played a leading management role for a number of performing arts companies. Joe previously served as News Editor and has remained a contributing author to InPark Magazine since 2011. HIs writing has also appeared in Sound & Communications, LF Examiner, Jim Hill Media, The Planetarian, Behind the Thrills, and MiceChat His blog, ThemedReality.com takes an unconventional look at the attractions industry. Follow on twitter @ThemesRenewed Joe lives in Sacramento, California with his wife, dog, and a ghost.

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