IAAPA has announced four new inductees to its Hall of Fame.
The 2022 inductees are Joan Ganz Cooney, a pioneer in edutainment with experience at Sesame Place, KidZania and Legoland, Xavier Lopez Ancona, the driving force behind KidZania, Darrell Metzger, an icon of the industry who has spent more than four decades working on attractions such as Disneyland, Ocean Park Resort Hong Kong and Setosa Island Resort, and Dennis Speigel, who has spent more than 60 years in the leisure industry and who according to IAAPA is: “The go to guy when an opinion on the most updated information is sought.”
The IAAPA Hall of Fame was established in 1990 to honour leisure industry legends and pioneers. Over the last 32 years, names such as Walt Disney, Milton Hershey and Dick Knoebel have all been inducted.
Michael Collins, chairman of the IAAPA Hall of Fame and Archives Committee and senior partner with Leisure Development Partners LLP, said: “We could not be more thrilled with this year’s Hall of Fame inductees.
“These four individuals truly represent more than 100 years of influence and imagination that has resonated throughout our industry.”
