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Merlin appoints trio to oversee US midway expansion
Visitor attractions operator Merlin Entertainments has appointed three new directors to oversee the expansion of its Madame Tussauds, Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life chains in the US.
Janine DiGioacchino, former general manager of Madame Tussauds New York, has been appointed the new divisional director for the midway attractions portfolio, while Rosemary del Prado has been named as director of marketing.
The trio will be completed by Sarah Reed, who has been given the role of director of finance for the midway brands - attractions with an average dwell time of two to three hours.
In her new role, DiGioacchino will be responsible for the expansion of the three brands and will also manage Merlin's existing six US midway attractions - Madame Tussauds New York, Madame Tussauds Washington D.C., Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, Madame Tussauds Hollywood, Sea Life Arizona and Sea Life Minnesota.
The appointments are part of Merlin's ambitious expansion plans in the US.
Merlin recently broke ground on a new Legoland Discovery Center in Dallas, Texas, which is scheduled to open in 2011.
A new US$2m US Presidents Gallery in set to open at Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. in early 2011.
DiGioacchino will be replaced at Madame Tussauds New York by Bret Pidgeon, former General Manager of Madame Tussauds Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Glenn Earlam, managing director of the midway brands, said: "As demonstrated by the considerable growth over the past several years at Madame Tussauds New York and Las Vegas, we are ready and excited to aggressively continue our expansion in the U.S. Merlin Entertainments is confident that the talent, ideas and expertise of our home-grown, U.S. management team will significantly contribute to the continued success of the U.S. Midway business."