About Us

SpacePortLeisure was born out of Raoul Katovsky’s vision for a futuristic experience that would blend 100% entertainment and 100% education and a desire to communicate and share with everyone the wonders of the universe and mankind’s interaction with space. Over the last 11 years SpacePortLeisure has grown from this vision and today is the result of very extensive international investigatory market research and in-depth concept and business development and team building.

SpacePortLeisure is developing world-class “next generation” space, science and technology theme parks, hotels, and mixed used lifestyle urban city destinations, which provide a "space tourism experience" on Planet Earth for those unable to travel into space. The evolving global business, with a focus on China and Western Europe, where it is building significant footprints, spans these lines of businesses.

SpacePortLeisure aims to build a not-for-profit Institute for space, science and technology education that will be attached to each theme park and provide learners with a stimulating environment in which to learn.

To turn our vision into realty, we have assembled a highly professional international SpacePortLeisure Team which includes rocket scientists, theme-park experts, animators, film producers, special effects experts, designers and architects.
We look forward to welcoming you to a SpacePort in the near future as a sponsor, partner, space and technology enthusiast or simply a thrill seeker looking for an unforgettable day out!

About Gran Scala

A British-based consortium, International Leisure Development (www.ild-plc.com), whose major shareholders include Aristocrat Technologies, UFA Insurance, Ultragroup, Inc. Atlanta, USA, Europtima, and Tranchant Group, chose the location because of a possible 25 million catchment market (excluding foreign tourists) and its proximity to Zaragoza Airport, an important hub in the low cost air network. Zaragoza is also one of NASA’s Shuttle Tactical Abort Landing Sites (STAL).

Sited in the Los Monegros region, (+/-50km east of Zaragoza), Gran Scala aims at taking a strong role in the region’s economic and social development. It will integrate traditional agriculture, (in decline up to now), in its landscape concept by using biologically treated waste water for irrigation, thus helping climate control while regulating the use of water through the seasons without jeopardizing water availability in the Ebro valley.

Renewable energies (already over 20% of Arag?n’s energy production today), both solar and wind generated, will be developed on a large scale and combined with geothermal techniques and fuel cells allowing for windmill produced hydrogen storage,. These techniques will be integrated in both infrastructure and architecture, with, for example, a high rise building having a double skin fabric façade thereby increasing thermals for windmill activation and its base will cover a naturally climate controlled Rambla, (with P.V. cells providing shade and electricity). This “skirt “could also define different climate zones and botanical gardens. Solar cooling technologies, ideally efficient in Aragon’s climate, will reduce dramatically, Gran Scala’s energy consumption.

Landscape concepts, combining traditional agriculture and indigenous vegetation, have been chosen for their capacity to retain water, which will address certification requirements and studies will be undertaken by natural environment specialists who will define the correct habitat for rare flora and fauna. Natural areas will be part of carefully planned reserves for endangered species reintroduction, an attraction in its own right.

The HST [high speed train] link [Madrid- Barcelona via Zaragoza is to be opened shortly] and two nearby airports [Zaragoza and Huesca] connect the Gran Scala resort to Europe’s main population and directly serve Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Toulouse and Zaragoza within a radius of just over an hour travel. The Gran Scala destination should be regularly visited by the local population living within 300km. Gran Scala expects 25 million visitors per year, but is being developed on the basis of 35 million visitors per year.

Gran Scala will result in the creation of an estimated 60.000 jobs, which supplements the Autonomous Community of Aragon’s development plan following the Expo 2008, which is being held in Zaragoza. Gran Scala has been declared to be of both regional and national importance.

About SpacePortGranScala - A Futuristic Space City

SpacePortGranScala is a 95 hectare space-themed entertainment, hospitality and leisure resort with:-

		a 60 hectare theme park, multi-day Mars Experience and a Space Camp
		two hotels and an international convention center
		tourist condos, and wellness center
		restaurants and retail

SpacePortGranScala will include two space-themed [Year2100 and Year3000] casinos each on a 9 hectare site, and each with a hotel and mini cultural museum.

The underlying core offer of SpacePortGranScala will be “Explore”, “Experience”, Innovate” and “Live”, themes that will be carried throughout SpacePortGranScala’s theme park, hotels, retail, and lifestyle real estate.

Using space as a theme together with our human desire to explore, and with technology as the enabler, SpacePortLeisure will provide intelligent, stimulating, and fun-filled lifestyle, entertainment and learning experiences that will give freedom to transcend language and culture, thus creating dynamic new ways of learning and of building new communities across the globe. Our creativity will be as expansive as the Universe. Only a privileged few will be able to experience a real flight into space. In conceiving the SpacePortLeisure concept, the goal is to give visitors and residents alike, an experience of “Stepping into Space” at our SpacePortGranScala.

Visitors to SpacePortGranScala will be whipped away from Planet Earth for the day on an awe inspiring adventure normally only experienced by a select few space tourists. From the moment they arrive, they will start the illusion that they are departing for a journey into space and throughout this journey will be entertained by attractions for all to enjoy from educational interactive displays and simulations to the wildest roller coasters for the true thrill seeker.

SpacePortGranScala, as a concept, is in touch with the times and will always be contemporary. It is linked to space and mankind’s continuous exploration of his Universe. The concept has longevity since it is futuristic and sustainable through software technology. Since man first gazed up at the stars, he has been inspired to discover, to travel, to experiment, to invent and understand. SpacePortGranScala will involve its visitors in the vision of the future through knowledge and innovation, providing a unique blend of education and entertainment.

The mission of SpaceportGranScala is optimistic, future oriented and involving in a unique way. Everyone really IS an explorer, and explorers really will make incredible discoveries about the cosmos in the next century. This place will be the rightful home of those explorers. Our “A to A Prime” narrative story paradigm involves transforming the guest from a mere observer/tourist into a participant in the story. Just about everyone wants to be an explorer – this place is the home for these daring, courageous adventurers.

SpacePortLeisure is set to break ground late this year at SpacePortGranScala, with a development cost of some €1 billion. BRC Imagination Arts, of Burbank, California, who have done major projects for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Disney and Universal, to name but a few, will generate the SpacePortGranScala Master Plan and will project manage the development from an entertainment standpoint.

Raoul Katovsky – Executive Chairman

Raoul is the visionary behind SpacePortLeisure and has gained considerable experience in the formation, development and management of organizations over the past 40 years since graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Raoul first worked in the medical supply industry, launching the first disposable diaper in South Africa, before selling this business to Colgate-Palmolive, where he remained for 11 years, leaving to enter the technology arena and built a highly successful software house that produced a Global Top 5 human resource expert-based decision support solution.

Raoul’s is passionate about technology and began building his vision for SpacePortLeisure in 1996. He spent 2 years researching space and science museums in the USA, Canada, the UK and South East Asia and has since assembled a network of subject matter experts throughout the world.

 

Danny Naidoo - President and CEO

Danny is an electronic engineer by training, holding a Bachelor of Science - Engineering degree and has had an active career in corporate and as an entrepreneur for over 20 years. He left Microsoft after 5 years as Director of Technology Platforms in April 2007 to resume his interests as an investor and entrepreneur. During his tenure at Microsoft, Danny developed a strong reputation as a strategic thinker and demonstrated world leading competence as a senior executive. He won several performance accolades. The group that Danny ran was a new business that was being incubated and steadily and strategically developed it to full capability in 3.5 years.

He has developed a strong network across the IT industry and is well regarded in government as well as business circles. He conceptualized and pioneered several initiatives that are now strategically core to Microsoft’s drive to secure market share and build customer loyalty.

After 5 years in his first job with AECI in South Africa, Danny resigned in December 1994 as Senior Engineer to start an IT consulting company focusing on industrial information systems and business intelligence. After 5 years of running this company he joined forces for a year with a nationwide consortium that was part of a take over by CS Holdings a leading IT company at the time. Danny joined CS Holdings as result of the take-over and became their CTO. He spent 3 years in that role providing strategic guidance in mergers and acquisitions, technology road-mapping and business planning as well as strategic business development.

Danny is passionate about leveraging technology and the opportunities it brings to enable economic empowerment in the developing world.

Hans Deuze – Senior Vice President, Operations and Development

Hans is a veteran of the entertainment industry and has worked for leading entertainment and theme-park related companies across the globe for over 25 years. Hans worked for Phillips for 14 years (first in Electronics and then in the Entertainment Division, assisting with the realization of the Disneyland Paris project) and for Disneyland Paris itself for 2½ years and Walt Disney Studios for 2½ years, before becoming a theme park consultant. Hans has been involved with SpacePortLeisure since February 2003. He is also CEO of Latar Entertainment Projects (Proprietary) Limited, the company behind Africa Theme Park Resort (“ATPR”), a US$650 million mix use project intended for a 613 hectare (1,533 acres) site near Johannesburg International Airport. Whilst working at EuroDisney, Deuze had vast experience and training in live show operations and special events. In 2000, Deuze was the operational producer for Walt Disney Studio’s world renown spectacular stunt show called “Moteurs…Action” involving specially designed cars, motor bikes, jet skis and a large cast of actors, stuntmen and technicians.

Hans Deuze, SpacePortLeisures' Senior VP, received the prestigious Disney Imagineer recognition twice over.

Daniel Yang - Vice President: Business Development - China

Daniel was born in China and is now a South African citizen, having immigrated to South Africa during 1991. He is a computer engineer with a Bachelor degree in Computer Science from the Xian Jiaotong University. Daniel is the South African Representative for Xi’an Government National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone. Daniel was Vice General Manager and Technical Director of Beijing HRH Computer Corp., being based in Beijing. During the past 9 years, his authorized inbound Chinese tour operator business has organized more than 500 business delegations and tours from China to South Africa. Daniel, based in Cape Town, with his extensive knowledge of China and the ICT market, will drive the development of the SpacePortLeisure business in China.

Keith “KC” Jones– Content Director

KC has 49 years experience as a film photographer, director and producer having worked through the ranks of the film industry in the United Kingdom.  KC has made high profile movies, TV series, and commercials and will be a key member of SpacePort Studios, a Cape Town-based subsidiary of SpacePortLeisure, which will be responsible for the SpacePortLeisure content and themed visualization development.


Ravi Gajjar - Manager: Business Development - China

Ravi holds a BEng (Civil) degree and a post graduate MSc (IT Management for Construction) diploma. Ravi spent three years at the CSIR in research, business development and project management and two years managing his digital printing business. Ravi, based in Cape Town, researched and developed the SpacePortLeisure Digital Entertainment and New Media Business Plan together with Raoul. Ravi is most likely to relocate to China during early 2009 to be on the ground as we move ahead with our Chinese developments.

Kimon Paxinos - Director: Corporate Finance

Kimon is based in Pretoria and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Business Management and Economics. He has had over 15 years of experience in a cross section of businesses and during the past two years has been providing financial advisory services to Africa Theme Park Resort and SpacePort Leisure.