This isn’t totally Potter related, but definitely noteworthy.  Universal has emailed to let us know that Thierry Coup, who was the creative director for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of the Creative Studio at Universal Creative, the planning and development division of Universal Parks and Resorts. “In his new role, Coup leads the creative development activities for upcoming attractions at all of Universal’s theme parks world-wide”

“Thierry has a tremendous reputation of delivering unparalleled attractions and experiences for our guests,” said Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative. “He is an industry leader and continues to bring strength to our team with his creativity and vision.”

Read the full press release here. Follow him on Twitter here! Congrats Thierry!

Universal have just emailed to let us know that the One-Millionth Butterbeer was sold at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! From the press release:

In celebration of selling its millionth Butterbeer inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando Resort shared 1,000 complimentary Butterbeers with guests on the streets of Hogsmeade.

Butterbeer appears as a favorite drink inside the Harry Potter books and films and is only available inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It is a nonalcoholic, frothy drink reminiscent of shortbread and butterscotch and is served cold or frozen.

Much has been written about Butterbeer since it made its debut on June 18, 2010, making it one of the most talked about beverages of 2010. There has been much speculation about its secret ingredients – but Universal Orlando will not share the closely guarded recipe. Universal has implemented special security procedures to protect the details.

Butterbeer quickly became a guest favorite. To help meet the strong demand, Universal Orlando added a fourth Butterbeer location within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

“You can see the excitement on our guests’ faces as they wait in line – and then the smile that comes with their first sip,” said Ric Florell, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Resort Revenue Operations for Universal Orlando. “Butterbeer is not just a beverage. It’s an experience.”

Today, Harry Potter actor Tom Felton visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. Universal have sent over the following photo of Tom taken by Kevin Kolczynski. Click to see it full size.

Caption: Tom Felton, who portrays Draco Malfoy in the blockbuster Harry Potter film series, visited with the Beauxbatons at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter during his recent visit to Universal Orlando Resort on December 28. After enjoying Butterbeer with his friends and visiting Hogwarts castle, Felton spent the rest of his Universal Orlando vacation enjoying the rides and attractions at both theme parks.

Inside the Magic is reporting that Universal has made a second Ollivander’s Wand Shop at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter because so many people wait in line to get a wand.  Apparently, the new store doesn’t have the 5 minute long wand choosing ceremony but if you don’t care about that it may be a quicker way to get your wand. Some photos of the new store are below. According to the site:

The new store can be accessed via Ollivander’s Wand Shop, not by exiting through the right-hand door into the Owl Post, but rather through a left-hand door on the opposite side of the room, formerly an employee-only area that served as a stock room. The store not only features the same assortment of magic wands but also other Wizarding World-exclusive merchandise, also available in other area stores.

While this expansion of the Wizarding World is only minor, it does show that Universal sees the larger-than-average crowds filled with excited guests who are eager to visit the new attractions and stores. Rumors suggest that Universal is currently in talks with Harry Potter author/creator J.K. Rowling to expand the Wizarding World of Harry Potter further, but those remain only rumors for now.

Universal has just emailed to let us know that Harry Potter merchandise from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando is now available for purchase online, just in time for the holiday season!  You can view all the Harry Potter products they have available here.

Guests can view the entire selection of merchandise available for purchase online now at www.UniversalOrlando.com/universalmerchandise. Additional items will be added to the selection in the coming months. All items are subject to availability. Most major credit cards are accepted, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

They also sent a photo over of a little girl with her new pygmy puff:

Harry Potter Wiki has emailed to let us know about a great contest they are holding. You can win a 4 night vacation to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for four people!  To win you have to create an account on the site and leave a comment telling us what you would do if you could spend one day at Hogwarts!  The details are as follows:

One lucky muggle will be randomly selected to win an exclusive four night vacation package for 4 to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including:

• Early park admission
• Breakfast at the Three Broomsticks
• 3-day Wizarding World base ticket
• Roundtrip airfare
• Four diamond hotel accommodations
• Transportation to and from airport
• and more! 

Rules:

• Open for US residents only. Sorry, we know it sucks!
• Must be 18 or older OR have a parent or guardian’s permission to win.
• Check out the Official Rules for details.
• Winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries.
• Contest ends on December 1, 2010.