FW Collections Water Parks

FUNWORLD COLLECTIONS
WATERPARKS
Aquatica by SeaWorld Orlando
WATERPARKS
4 Uncharted Waters
Schlitterbahns Jeff Henry explains why waterparks are becoming the heart of giant destination resorts. By Keith Miller
Originally published in May 2007
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Q&A
Colleen Murphy, Director of Park Operations, Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom, Aurora, Ohio
Originally published in October 2007
18 8 Making it Work
Kent Lemasters vision and experience have helped turn around several parks across the United States. By Tim OBrien
A Day in the Life

Jean-Michel Mairesse, Food Service Manager, Walibi Rhone Alpes
Originally published in January 2008
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Running Wild
Waterparks share advice on how to check for and react to wild animals in their facilities. By Christina MacDonald
Originally published in March 2008
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Standing Apart
Wild Wadi delivers immersive experience through theming and tailored attractions. By Christina MacDonald
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Keeping it Fun for Everyone

Parks reveal how they handle alcohol for the enjoyment of drinkers and nondrinkers alike. By Keith Miller
Originally published in June 2008
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A Splashing Success
Water Wars has been making waves at IAAPA Attractions Expo, and soon, on Carnival Cruise ships. By Amanda Charney
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Making Waves
How SeaWorlds new Aquatica waterpark impacts Busch Entertainments presence in Central Florida. By Jeremy Schoolfield
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Q&A
Eric Anderson, Waterpark Manager, Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury, Connecticut
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A Big Trend Gets Bigger

Hotel and indoor waterpark projects are expanding to include adventure sports, recreation, and entertainment by Jeff Coy, ISHC
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Avoiding Trouble
Six tips from Moreys Piers on waterpark risk management. By George Rohman
34 16 Keeping Ahead of the Times

Wet n Wild Orlando keeps a close eye on its guests to set a course for the future. By J.B. Elderkin
From Wasteland to Waterpark

Kenyan city Mombasa welcomes a family attraction never before seen in the region. By Denis Gathanju
Originally published in September 2008
The stories contained in this compilation appeared in FUNWORLD magazine from 2007 to 2009.
WATERPARKS
38 Must-See Waterpark Winner
IAAPA honors excellence in waterpark operations at IAAPA Attractions Expo. By Marion Hixon
Originally published in July 2008
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Drop by Drop
Waterpark operators discuss ways to reduce water usage, resulting in increased efficiency and cost savings. By Lisa Anderson Mann
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Blue is the New Green

Atlantis Blue Project is determined to show how conservation cal also be good business. By Juliana Gilling
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Adapting to Change
Two industry professionals explain how they restructured their drain systems to comply with the Virginia Graeme Baker Act. By Marion Hixon
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A Smooth Ride
Routine slide checks and maintenance are keys to preventing major waterpark issues. By Mike Bederka
Originally published in November/December 2008
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One-Stop Shop
Indoor and outdoor waterpark operators share creative methods for bundling attractions, services, and lodging to attract families and groups for longer stays. By Marion Hixon
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Kid Talk: Waterparks

Thoughts on all things water-related, straight from the customers mouth. By Keith Miller
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Get Creative
SCS sends its customers to the drawing board with a Build Your Own web tool. By Marion Hixon
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Q&A
Jumana Khoury, General Manager Wonderland Dubai, Dubai, UAE
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Mimicking Mother Nature

Morgan Brown is determined to bring a sustainable energy solution to United States swimming poolswithout chemicals. By Marion Hixon
Originally published in March 2009
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Waterpark Report
The Latest on Trends, Finances, and Staffing. FUNWORLD interviews two waterpark operators about the state of the industry. By Marion Hixon
Originally published in April 2009
The stories contained in this compilation appeared in FUNWORLD magazine from 2007 to 2009.
Cover Story
by Keith Miller
Uncharted
Waters
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SCHLITTERBAHNS JEFF HENRY EXPLAINS WHY WATERPARKS ARE BECOMING THE HEART OF GIANT DESTINATION RESORTS
aterparks certainly have come of age, from a time in the late 1970s when pioneers like George Millay couldnt get their ideas taken seriously, to today, when outdoor waterparks dot the land-
scape and are regarded as must-have sister facilities to amusement parks. Indoor waterparks, meanwhile, are popping up everywhere. Now, waterparks are conquering a new frontier: destination resorts.
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These vast, sprawling complexes are making waterparks the cornerstones of their domains. I think its the same story you had with some theme parks, says Bill Haralson, president of William L. Haralson & Associates in Richardson, Texas, a consulting firm heavily involved in feasibility studies and master planning for a variety of attractions, including destination resorts. Somebody came up with a good idea and now you see it getting replicated, and waterparks are a great fit [for destination resorts] because I think they have an appeal beyond dry ride parks. Jeff Janovich, vice president of sales for ProSlide, a prominent waterpark supplier in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, sees one specific reason that waterparks are being made a part of the destination resort mix: They add another entertainment opportunity. When youve filled thousands of rooms at resorts, it gives people another option, like if the skiing conditions arent good at a ski resort or if some people dont want to ski. One of the most impressive of these projects is being built by Schlitterbahn Waterparks of New Braunfels, Texas, which has embarked on a massive 370acre, $749 million destination resort in Kansas City. Dubbed Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, it is expected to attract 3.3 million visitors annually. The resorts centerpiece is a 30-acre waterpark, capable of entertaining 12,000 guests in the summer, and featuring an enormous, convertible section
with a capacity of 6,000 that can be enclosed for year-round use. The resort will also feature a marine life park, an aquarium, a riverwalk, lodging, shopping, boating, dining, and other activities. All this has to do with our belief that to be a destination resort, you have to have multiple entertainment attractions, says Jeff Henry, CEO of Schlitterbahn Waterparks. We dont want to get couched as a theme park but as a destination resort. I think that destination resorts are and will be a significant major player [for parks], if not the biggest player in the next 20 years. Kansas City probably is not one of the first places that come to mind when thinking of a destination attraction. However, Henry says there were good reasons for this choice: We see it as a sleeper location, meaning theres pent-up demand because theres not a tremendous amount of quality entertainment. We looked at the Orlando market and the Anaheim market, and Orlando had 34 million people within eight hours [drive] and Anaheim had 48 million, but Kansas City had 54 million and is centrally located in the country. When I was there, I counted 27 different states on license plates. Henry says another critical element in the site selection was the reception they received from the community. Its nice to be wanted, and there are so many places where [projects like this] arent wanted, he says. The local government rolled out the carpet and promised to do whatever it took to make it happen.
Kansas Kool
The waterpark, scheduled to open April 2008, has 18,000 feet of rivers and streams and thousands of trees. Its termed a convertible waterpark because much of it will have retractable, polycarbonate roofing panels that will be removed when the park transforms from winter to summer operation. Henry says the panels also serve as solar collectors, drastically reducing winter heating costs. It will be a 12-month operation because of the 6,000-person-capacity indoor facility, notes Henry, but it will be completely different from any current indoor project. The waterpark itself and the adjacent lodging will be innovative, to say the least. There will be a few traditional Schlitterbahn favorites, like the FlowRider aquatic surfer and Master Blaster water coaster. But the facility will also feature a completely landless waterpark system, eliminating queue lines and replacing them with an Endless Waterslide, which connects all of the waterslides end to end. Once you get on one slide, you can ride them all, says Henry. A person who comes to the park when its real busy and wants to ride the slides can go to any of the nine Endless Waterslide stations and get on, then get off where they want to. Weve coined the term float-in-andfloat-out. It will be coupled with the Transportainment system. First installed at Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark on South Padre Island, Texas,
A rendering of Schlitterbahn Vacation Village to open in Kansas City by 2009-10
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the Transportainment system is designed to combine the elements of transportation, sport, and entertainment, all while minimizing the time guests spend standing in lines. Its heated water that flows through a channel like a real river, not powered by jets or pumps, but using a lift mechanism that lifts the people out at the lower end and back to the upper end, creating an endless water ride, Henry explains, but its not a lazy river.
Treehaus Living
Integrated with the waterpark will be one of the most astounding elements of the projectthe Schlitterbahn Treehaus Resort. It will consist of 40 treehausesliving biospheres with live trees, birds, animals, and butterflies. The treehauses will be arranged in clusters or pods of three to five of these unusual lodgings each. Years ago I decided that I wanted to build treehouses, but I was never able to get control of how to build the branches or leavesthey rot and fall apart, and its difficult to make them look real, says Henry. The treehaus concept is to have these artificial trees actually be a living entitywe call them biotrees. The first treehaus, begun in October, will stand 52 feet in the air, have two bedrooms, and cover 784 square feet. It will consist entirely of recycled materials, including 100-year-old redwood from an old water tower and recycled aluminum for the greenhouse that sits atop the treehaus. The greenhouse will make it so when youre in the house looking up youll see live plants growing down toward you, reveals Henry. The underneath portion we made into kind of a living museum, with about 100 waterpark industry artifacts. Its also got crawlthroughs, two slides, and six swings. A lot of history is inside these treestheyre phenomenal. They use everything weve learned over all these years. Like all of the accommodations in Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, the treehauses will be connected to the waterpark by rivers. Each treehaus will have its own waterslide, which will take guests right down into the river, where they can drift anywhere in the resort they want
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and then float back to their treehaus. Another unusual lodging option is 44 houseboats, ranging from 44 to 87 feet long and sleeping up to 15 people. Guests can stay on the river all night, or if they choose, pull up to a restaurant, the family entertainment center, the sports facility, or any of several other venues. Other accommodations will include a waterpark hotel, marine life center hotel, the Wilderness Resort consisting of 500 cabins, several hundred condotels, and 25 Riverwalk Bed and Breakfast Lodging units. The waterpark hotel will include a large acrylic window for viewing an interactive marine life area.
Wet in Other Ways

One of the more unusual attractions in the vacation village is called Sea Trek and is located at the interactive marine life park. A popular activity at Schlitterbahns South Padre park, Sea Trek allows guests to put on a helmet, get in the water, and experience marine life close up. The inspiration for Sea Trek came from an outing Henry took a few years ago while attending IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando. We went to Busch Entertainments Discovery Cove, which is one of the best entertainment facilities Ive ever been to, and had a great time, he says. I left there realizing it was time to mix saltwater and underwater experiences into the waterpark arena, and earth, water, and life have become the three issues were trying to incorporate into our facilities. So we opened Sea Trek at South Padre, in which you go underwater, feed the fish, get your picture taken, and your head doesnt get wetits just the coolest thing. The interactive marine life park will also include a snorkeling pool, aviary, aquatic petting zoo, and Snuba, a cross between scuba diving and snorkeling in which guests breathe underwater through a long air line attached to their masks.
Blended Synergy
The integration of these different componentsa waterpark, interactive marine park, riverwalk and retail area,
aquarium, restaurants, boating, and unique lodginginto one destination is what Schlitterbahn refers to as Bundled Integrated Synergy (BIS). What were doing is something brand new, except maybe for Disney and Universal Studios, Henry says. BIS is retail, entertainment, and lodging, with one ownership group at the top owning them all. Then we can adjust marketing, pricing, whatever, and can [give discounts] at one end and make up for it in another place. Such synergy may create an exciting and flexible entity, but it doesnt come cheap. The estimated cost of Schlitterbahn Vacation Village has grown from $300 million to $749 million, and plans call for future expansion to exceed that figure. Henry says the resort principals are arranging the financing in a way that gives them maximum flexibility. What were agreeing to build now is $749 million, but were trying to do a revolving loan and go to permanent financing so we can reconvert our loan line and take the project north of $749 million without having to worry about refinancing, he says.
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Jeff Henry works on drawings for the new Schlitterbahn Vacation Village.
Sea Trek at Schlitterbahns South Padre Island facility
When asked what anyone considering embarking on such a project should know about the difference between a mega-destination resort and a traditional waterpark project, Henry replies, Its the difference between launching a biplane and the space shuttle. Be very, very scared. One big issue is funding because its difficult to get such large funding in place. Its also very difficult to do the integrated design. Finally, having enough bandwidth, resource-wise and people-wisewere a big organization, and were really stretching our people with this. Haralson agrees: These [facilities] are very expensive to build$300 to $400 per square foot turnkey. Another challenge is that you can only sell rooms when school is out. The waterpark can guarantee 40 to 50 percent
o c c u p a n c y, but if you want to go higher than that, you need something else like golf, skiing, or dry entertainment. The plus is that it boosts your occupancy, but the minuses are the costs of construction and you dont have a steady demand. Despite these obstacles, many such
projects are under way. Haralson says among his clients is the Grand Sierra in Reno, Nevada, which is taking a 2,000-room Hilton and converting it to condominiums and building a 150,000-square-foot waterpark, a shopping center, and a 60-lane bowling center. Also, on a 60-acre lake, theyre building a seaport village-type retail and entertainment complexit will all be a half-billion-dollar project, Haralson reveals. His other clients include Boeing Mountain USA, which offers an 80,000-square-foot waterpark attached to a condo hotel, a 36-hole golf course, a ski center, and other activities; and Silver Mountain, Idaho, with a waterpark, ski resort, and condominiums. Al Sharq Investments has a $900million mega-resort called Aqua Dunya slated for Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Plans include a themed waterpark; three hotels, including the five-star 330-room Jumeirah Desert Pearl set in a 19thcentury ship; a golf course; and a waterfront retail, entertainment, and dining district. Internationally, more and more of these are being built, especially in [parts of] the Middle East, says Proslides Janovich, like Atlantis [the Palm, Dubai], and Dubailand, which will be an all-encompassing resort with a waterpark, hotels, aquarium, and dry attractions. Though several such destination resorts around the world are under way or on the drawing board, Henry, Haralson, and Janovich all agree its too early to call them a trend, and theyre not a threat to small local waterparks. I think its a different customer base, says Janovich, The destination facilities are getting people traveling from farther away, whereas the small waterparks cater to local markets. These huge destination resorts are something thats just starting.
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in the cave as a bank-robbing, gunslinging bad guy in street shows alongside Peter Herschend of Herschend Family Entertainment. He moved on to being a conductor and train robber when the park added the train ride. Nearly four decades later, hes the president and CEO of Amusement AquaticManagement Group (AMG), a management and consulting firm that runs several waterparks as well as other facilities such as a Ripleys Believe It or Not! Museum in California. Hes also president/COO of Southland Entertainment, which owns the Alabama Adventure Theme Park near Birmingham, Alabama. Through his 35 years in the industry, Lemasters has successfully combined a corporate discipline with an entrepreneurial spirit and management style. And it has been his key to success, especially as the head of his own company. I believe in corporate-style structure, set policies, and strong guidelines, he says, but I also enjoy the freedom of operating as an entrepreneur.
Making It
hile leading groups of visitors through Marvel Cave in Branson, Missouri, decades ago, Kent Lemasters found his calling the cave was his one-way entry into the theme park business, an industry he fell in love with and hasnt left yet.
Career Trajectory
Lemasters took a brief hiatus from the industry for two years in 1966-68, while he attended Southwest Missouri University and spent time in the U.S. Army, but when he returned to Branson, he started again at Silver Dollar City, without losing a step. A few years later when the park added a gate charge, he became front gate supervisor; then in 1972, he was promoted to front gate manager overseeing cave tours, admissions, parking, and parking lot trams. Within a couple years, group sales manager was added to his list of titles. Shortly after returning home, Lemasters met Sherry Michel, whom he married in the fall of 1969. A registered nurse, Sherry worked full time until the birth of the couples two daughters, Jill and Jennifer. She decided to be a stay-at-home mom, notes Lemasters. Later, after their move to California, the girls matriculated from high school, and Sherry returned to nursing and became director of nursing and hospital management in Brea, California, near the
Work
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by Tim OBrien
Kent Lemasters vision and experience have helped turn around several parks across the United States
I wanted that cave guide job
because it was the only job in Branson at that time where kids of my age could have fun and still make a few bucks, he tells FUNWORLD. That was back before there were any rides in the parks, just Marvel Cave and a Western-themed main street with a few walk-through attractions. He worked
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couples home. The two girls worked in the waterpark industry when Lemasters ran Raging Waters in San Dimas, California, but Sherry seldom crossed the line. Sherry loves parks, and I would really say shes a parkie at heart because she loves the rides, but she has this great career of her own and never showed any interest in working in the industry, Lemasters says. Her support of my career through the years was much more important to me than anything she could have done to help out in the parks.
Lemasters Plies the Waters

In 1985, Lemasters received a call from headhunters looking for a general manager for the new Raging Waters waterpark, the first waterpark in Southern California. The headhunters were tipped off about Lemasters by officials of the Canadian Steel Company, a shareholder in Raging Waters. They had heard what he had done for Calaway Park and wanted some of his magic worked at their own facility. Before accepting the position, Lemasters called Jack Herschend, whose advice he highly valued, and whose family by then had created three White Water waterparksin Branson, Missouri, Dallas, and Oklahoma City. Lemasters recalls Herschends reaction. I would not recommend it. Kent, this is a new industry, and I would question you leaving a successful career in the theme park industry for a waterpark. It will be tough for you, but if you can make it work, you will have made a good decision. Taking heed, Lemasters accepted the waterpark positionbeginning
Off to the Big Smoky Mountains

When the Herschend family purchased Gold Rush Junction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1978, Lemasters was transferred to the Smoky Mountains and became the parks director of marketing. The following year, it was renamed Silver Dollar City, and in 1986 it became Dollywood. In 1982, Lemasters moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to become general manager of the nearly completed Calaway Park. By the time he arrived, officials had overrun the capital costs to build the park and shortly after opening it went into receivership. He was then retained by the receiver, Touche Ross (now Deloitte Touche) and a consortium of the three banks that had financed the project. By revamping the marketing strategy and the ticket price structure, Lemasters and his team were able to turn the park around. The main problem in addition to exceeding the capital cost to build the park was the perception that the admission cost was too high, he recalls, noting that by the time he began at Calaway Park, he already had experience in adjusting gate prices. I was at the front gate at Silver Dollar City when we started charging general admission and learned how to charge a minimal fee, while learning to efficiently upsell a guest on rides and attractions. He did something very similar at Calaway, as he would at least two more times in his career.
what has proven to be a long and successful career. Herschends words proved to be prophetic. The first couple years at Raging Waters were a challenge, Lemasters recalls. We opened in the Southern California market where SeaWorld, Disney, Knotts Berry Farm, and Magic Mountain were already established. They advertised heavily and everyone understood by that time what a theme park was. Meanwhile, the early perception of a waterpark was a couple of slides on the side of a hillnothing to get excited about, much less a place to take a family for a day full of fun. Not being visible from the freeway made it an even tougher sell because nobody could see it unless they drove right up to the front gates. We had to invest in major TV and other expensive advertising to show that we were more than a couple of slides and a pool, he says. We had to visually communicate to the public that we were a park with many attractions where the family could spend the day together enjoying themselves, just the way they did at one of the theme parks. Park officials couldnt boast they were the biggest and best attraction in California, but they did proclaim it was the biggest and best waterpark in the market through the use of the slogan that they were the worlds greatest water adventure. Lemasters laughs recalling those days. We kept our claims as generic as possible so we could meet expectations, he says. It worked. Attendance at Raging Waters was 289,000 in 1989 and hit its peak of 749,000 during his reign. In 1990, Southbrook Corporation purchased the park and gave Lemasters an opportunity to buy into the venture,
I believe in corporate-style structure, set policies, and strong guidelines, but I also enjoy the freedom of operating as an entrepreneur.
Kent Lemasters
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which he did. Nine years later, when Ogden Entertainment bought the park, Lemasters was made an Ogden vice president, continued to run the waterpark, and was given the additional duty of overseeing Ogdens other park in the area, Castle Park, in Riverside, California. It didnt take me long to realize that working in Ogdens corporate structure would not be a good fit for me, he says, and I also felt it was the right time for me to form my own company, which I named AMG.
park. The following year, Lemasters, AMG, and two other investors formed a new entity to purchase the underperforming park. The new firm, Team ProParks, then hired AMG to manage the park. Jeff Henry of Schlitterbahn bought the rides in 2004, then the company closed the park and held onto the rapidly more-expensive land before selling out completely in 2005. During 2003, Lemasters worked with Wave Loch and Tom Lochtefeld on The Wave House concept in Durban,
The Lemasters family, from left: Jim Takahashi, daughter Jill Lemasters Takahashi holding grandson Trevor Takahashi, Sherry Lemasters, granddaughter Layney Takahashi, Kent Lemasters, Jennifer Lemasters Oswald, grandson Jake Oswald, and Mike Oswald.
On His Own
His first several jobs as an independent were short-term consulting gigs, working in the marketing, operations, and planning disciplines. His first true management contract was in 2001 with Wild Waters in Fresno, California. The park was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the courts hired AMG to take over management. Within one season Lemasters and his team were able to turn the park around using new marketing and operation models. The owners took back control of the park after that one season, and AMG was put on a two-year contract for marketing and operational consulting services. When SuperSplash waterpark in Edinburg, Texas, went into Chapter 11 in 2002, AMG was hired to run the
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South Africa. Attached to a large mall and entertainment complex, The Wave House consisted of several Flow Rider surfing machines, a skate park, a restaurant, and an entertainment stage. Later, he assisted Lochtefeld with the acquisition of Belmont Park in San Diego.
Lemasters Grabs a Vision

Following years of disappointing attendance and dire financial problems, Visionland Theme Park, near Birmingham, Alabama, went into Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 2002, and Lemasters pulled together another group, known as Southland Entertainment, to buy the park in January 2003. Southlands investors included AMG and Southbrook Entertainment (formerly Southbrook Corporation) and
Team ProParks. In 2004, AMG and Southbrook bought out their partner, Team ProParks. Visionland had been built for $90 million (including refinancing) in 1998 by an entity of 11 municipalities surrounding Birmingham. Lemasters and his group purchased it for $5.2 million, immediately invested another $2 million to get the rides ready, and reopened the park in 2003. This was a huge challenge, Lemasters says. All of its struggles were documented in the daily papers here, and its failed attempts at surviving made it a high-profile story in the media, and it didnt receive very good press. There was a negative perception of the park, and our top priority was to start working on changing that image. Lemasters says most of the rides and buildings were in good shape because they were still relatively new: Our top concern was to communicate a visual change that screamed this was a new and improved park under new ownership, he says. Lemasters team first repainted everything and added new landscaping. Then through focus groups they discovered the waterpark was popular and that water had significant appeal to this market, so the team added a freefall slide and a wave pool to the mix, complete with a white sand beach. The waterpark was called Steel Waters, an unappealing name, so we renamed it Splash Beach Waterpark, Lemaster says. At the same time, the theme park was renamed Magic City USA, but the entire complex was still known as Visionland. Along with the upgrades and waterpark name change, separate admission gates and polices were established for each park. Visionland had been one large park, with a theme park, a waterpark, and a main street, all included in one price. Today, the waterpark and theme park are separate gates, with a combo ticket available. Celebration Street, which divides the two parks, is the center of events and eateries. It is available from both the parks. We had considered a name change for the entire complex at first, but research showed the name was not a major issue and that in fact there actu-
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ally was some loyalty to the old name, Lemasters notes. The owners operated it as Visionland for three seasons. After adding a Vekoma triple-loop coaster in 2005, the team began a concert series and announced a master plan and spoke of future development in 2006. At that time, the park announced a name change to Alabama Adventure. All the changes have worked, and in 2006 it started coming together as the management team envisioned. Attendance for both parks hit nearly 500,000, an all-time high. With additional concerts and a new childrens play area in the waterpark, were looking for an 18 percent increase in 2007, Lemasters says. With its primary business of providing services to midsized to small waterpark clients in which the park is not achieving its attendance, revenue, or profit goals, AMG continues to be busy, adding its newest client in early 2007, a small waterpark in North Dakota. Meanwhile, Lemasters is focusing on a new master plan for Alabama Adventure, where he spends more than 50 percent of his time. Weve got several great ideas, including possibly building a hotel with an indoor waterpark and an RV park, he says.
Lemasters is president/COO of Southland Entertainment, which owns Alabama Adventure.
The Lemasters
Files
Name: Wayne Kent Lemasters Born: Springfield, Missouri Married: Sherry Michel, Sept. 8, 1969 Children: Two daughters, Jill and Jennifer; four grandchildren Residence: Corona Del Mar, California Education: Attended Southwest Missouri University Current position: President/CEO Amusement AquaticManagement Group (AMG) and president/COO of Southland Entertainment First seasonal industry job: Guide in Marvel Cave, Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, 1965 First industry full-time managerial job: Front gate/admissions manager, Silver Dollar City, 1972 Business philosophy: Honesty, openness, listening, and followthrough reign! Favorite management quote: Inspect what you expect Mentors: Jack Herschend of Herschend Family Entertainment. Hes a creative and excellent businessman with an excellent ability to motivate people. Another mentor is Alan Joelson of Southbrook Equities. Hes an astute, focused, tenacious businessman with an unbelievable memory and attention to detail as well as strong management skills. Hobbies: Collecting T-shirts and hats from parks, special events, sports, and charities Favorite activities: Jogging, tennis, biking, attending on-campus events prior to attending University of Southern California football games, and loves to dine out at unique restaurants Favorite restaurants: Five Foot in Laguna Beach, California; Highland Bar & Grill in Birmingham, Alabama; and Antoines in New Orleans, Louisiana Two things you may not know about Kent Lemasters: He ran in the Los Angeles Marathon and in the early days was a train robber at Silver Dollar City
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Must-See Waterparks
Standing
Apart
by Christina MacDonald
Wild Wadi delivers immersive experience through theming and tailored attractions
Editors note: Each year IAAPA invites waterparks from around the world to enter its Must-See Waterparks awards program. FUNWORLD will feature profiles of each of the two winners this year.
ild Wadi Water Park in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, succeeds because of its ability to offer quests a special experience in a tourism-laden region.
One of the elements that sets the park apart from competitors, in addition to its 350,000square-foot grounds and a reputation as a luxurious recreational destination drawing customers from around the world, is the fact that Wild Wadi is the only themed waterpark in the area. Wild Wadi is unique within the region because we are the only themed waterpark and the most technologically advanced. No other parks in the region have Master Blaster technology or two Flow Riders, says Marketing Communications Manager Abby Dean. A member of the Jumeirah Group, Wild Wadi Water Park is a subsidiary of Dubai Holding. Dean relays that the park has aggressive plans within the hospitality industry in terms of global expansion, which will be implemented using the parks proven method of branded entertainment. Branded entertainment has truly revolutionized our industry. From a marketing perspective it provides an additional opportunity to build relationships with consumers, particularly where well-known brands are concerned (in our case a mythical character from Arabian folklore who is well-known throughout the Arabic world), and of course merchandising opportunities, which grow our brand exponentially, says Dean. Markets can open up beyond the traditional amusement park enthusiasts to encompass those who have a relationship with the brand associationparticularly in relation to younger markets.
Spanning more than 12 acres and offering guests 30 adrenaline-pumping rides and attractions, the park is known for its several industry firsts. The resort breaks new ground in that 13 of its 23 rides are interconnected, allowing guests to experience several different attractions without leaving the water. Its Jumeirah Sceirah is the tallest and fastest slide outside the United States, while Summit Surge uses high-powered water jets to propel up to four people uphill. It also boasts one of the largest family interactive play structures in the region, while also offering guests two new retail outlets and three new food and beverage outlets. The park invested in two new decked areas for guests, and since opening the doors in 1999, its annual attendance has more than tripled, according to Dean. We review our customer satisfaction scores and comments daily and have noticed an upward trend in the number or comments pertaining to activities for small children, Dean says. particularly as a response to factors that will influence whether our guests decide to return to the park.
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A Splashing Success
Water Wars has been making waves at IAAPA Attractions Expo, and soon, on Carnival Cruise ships
by Amanda Charney
ommy Woog, director of sales and marketing at Water Wars, says his father, company president Tom Woog, often comes up with his most creative ideas in the middle of the night or from some random association to something else. It isnt uncommon, he says. Hes very creative and thats how his mind works. Water Wars was just one of these brilliant ideas. Woog says the game, which involves participants facing off on either side of a court shooting water balloons at targets, ultimately resulting in getting their opponents wet, was born of necessity. The Woogs used to operate an FEC in Minnesota, and in the summer of 1988, they were faced with particularly blistering weather. The summer of 88 was the hottest year, and we needed something to cool people down, he says. There was a water slide down the road from the FEC, and the Woogs knew if they didnt come up with something, guests would go elsewhere. And, as it turns out, water balloons have always been in [my fathers] mind, Woog says. A few years later, they became the familys core business. The Woogs closed the FEC and made Water Wars a fulltime business, knowing the idea might be appealing to other facilities. And thus, the Woogs made the official transition from facility operator to manufacturer and supplier. The gamble proved to be a good bet, as the Woogs now offer several iterations of Water Wars and have just upgraded the product to include a feature called Depth Charge, which creates explosions of water during play. The company sells kits, and facilities that already have Water Wars can easily retrofit the Depth Charge system into their attractions. Its a different avenue from where weve been, says Woog. Our attractions have always been low tech because [we believe] it doesnt have to be complex to be good. [Depth Charge] brings a bit more technology; you have
power, compressed air, and different things that take it from what we thought was cool in the first place to spectacular. Blackbeards Cave in New Jersey originally brought the idea of Depth Charge to the Woogs attention, and now the venture is a partnership between the two companies. They installed it and used it for a number of years and said this is really cool and it has increased sales revenue, and kids are buying more buckets of balloons, Woog says. Woog says he owes much of the companys buzz to IAAPA. When the Woogs went out on their own with Water Wars in 1990, they discovered IAAPA and began exhibiting at the annual Attractions Expo. While Water Wars has caught on over the years, Woog admits it wasnt a home run right away. [My father went to the show] thinking he was going to sell 100 units, and he sold three, and then a few more each year, he says, adding, being firsttime exhibitors, everyone has those types of aspirations. Soon, the company was selling more and more each year, and now it sells anywhere from 30-50 each year. It slowly grows over time, and weve been around enough that people know who we are, Woog says. And if they dont, they will. Water Wars recently signed a contract with Carnival Cruises and will install units in the cruise liners entire fleet by this summer. Still, the core business remains robust, Woog says. Water Wars has even garnered interest from mobile operators who take various attractions to picnics, fairs, and other events.
For more information, visit www.waterwars.com.
FUNW O R L D C O L L E C T I O N S 13
Q&A
Eric Anderson
Waterpark Manager Quassy Amusement Park Middlebury, Connecticut
What is your typical workday like? Each day presents different challenges. We are a small operation and run all of the departments in house. So its possible that I might be dealing with advertising, sales of corporate outings, vendors and building officials for possible new attractions, game operations, you name it. One thing is certainly true: When we are all working together in all of these areas, there is never a dull moment. How do you describe Quassy to people who dont know it? Quassy is a family-owned and -operated amusement park. We cater to families with children who are 12 and younger. We have 24 land rides and attractions, and we offer freshwater swimming in Lake Quassapaug. How did you come to work in the industry? I began working at Quassy when I was 11 years old. To be honest about it, there was a time when kids could sneak under the Quassy fence and get in for free that way. One day John Frantzis took me aside and offered me a job manually handing out tickets for the pokereno machines. That was my start, and Ive been here ever since. Is there someone who has greatly influenced your career? Without a doubt, John Frantzis has been a great influence in my life. Hes been a mentor to me in so many waysI feel very fortunate. In terms of his business decisions and strategies, I watched John develop and grow the park over time, and Ive also seen him diversify. For example, in the late 1970s he began a video game business when that was booming. It became something to work on during the off-season at Quassy, and its something we still operate today. So I watched him take advantage of opportunities; thats been a big influence. What is the biggest challenge of your work? The weather! More seriously, weve found that rising
expenses are our biggest challenge. Some of that comes from the repeated increases in the states minimum wage, and some of that comes from insurance costs. What do you most enjoy about what you do? I especially enjoy the process of researching, assessing, purchasing, and installing new rides. Thats a challenge, but its also a pleasure. And the bonds we make working together and getting to know our seasonal employees are pretty special. Some kids will stick around through their college years and keep in touch or keep coming back. Not long ago I actually went to California and stayed with a couple there whod met while working at Quassy and still stayed in touch with us. Thats pretty amazing. What advice would you offer to someone starting out in the industry today? My best advice is to pay attention to customer service, first and foremost. We ask our people to remember that our guests have chosen to spend their time off work with us, and we need to treat them well. What do you like to do in your free time? I have a great wife, Emily, and two boys, Sam and Christopher, who are 12 and 11. I try to spend as much time with them as possible, including winter skiing weekends in Vermont.
SPECIAL REPORT
Avoiding Trouble
For waterpark and aquatic facility operators, risk management is a critical part of daily operations. Over time, aquatic facility operators, working in concert with their legal and risk management teams, have developed various facility risk management practices to help make their facilities as safe as possible for their guests. Listed below are just a few risk management practices that many waterpark and aquatic facility operators use. Before implementing any type of risk management practice, facilities should always consult with their legal teams and risk management departments. Review incidents regularly with department heads. Many aquatic facility operators meet regularly with key staff members to review incidents occurring at their facility. Meeting at least once per week to discuss each incident and implement plans to rectify and correct problem areas can prove beneficial to your safety program. This can also allow facility managers across different geographic facilities to compare and contrast injury trends. Utilize surveillance cameras and DVR (digital video recorder) systems. Recent technology improvements and mass production of camera surveillance and DVRs have allowed facilities to install and embrace this type of surveillance. Camera surveillance systems can help document irresponsible guest behavior and rule violations, which may help in claim defense. More important, it can serve as a tool to monitor attraction areas and proactively address safety concerns. Camera surveillance can validate and document employee behaviors, aid with loss prevention, reduce theft, and validate the adherence to standard operating procedures such as lifeguard awareness and slide dispatch procedures. Utilize a video camera in incident investigation. Having the ability to quickly document and archive information relating to incidents can be very beneficial when trying to establish fact/guest behavior patterns before or after an incident. One facility recently defended a frivolous personal injury claim resulting from a guest alleging to have received a neck and back injury from riding a waterslide. During treatment in the waterpark first aid area, the guest indicated she was in intense pain and was going to go to her doctor for treatment. However, after the guest departed the waterpark section of the park, she spent the next several hours riding several roller coasters and playing several
by George Rohman
Six tips from Moreys Piers on waterpark risk management
Build Your Own Waterpark in Orlando

On Wednesday, Nov. 14, IAAPA Attractions Expo 2007 in Orlando will feature a Waterpark Tycoon Luncheon. Attendees will engage in discussions of ride placement and other design and development issues as the group builds a new waterpark from scratch. For more information, visit www.IAAPA.org/expos/attractions.
midway gamesclearly not the behavior of an injured guest. The claim was dropped when the facility produced several hours of video of the guest enjoying the park. Take pictures of your facility and signage throughout the season. With claims and litigation often occurring years after an alleged incident, it can be very helpful to be able to produce a snapshot of your facility at a given date and time. Some facilities take photos and document the condition of their facilities at least once per season. Photos may include signage and safety warnings, condition of walkways/areas of egress, pool markings, and location of safety equipment and staff. With digital cameras and largestorage data cards readily available, compiling a large database of photos is relatively quick and easy. Document lifeguard staff activity and movements. Many aquatic facilities have an administrative system in place that documents the assignment and location of lifeguards and other safety staff members throughout the day. This can be especially helpful during an incident investigation or when trying to identify witnesses to an incident. Have life jackets readily available for guests. While every facility has specific life-jacket use policies, most provide free life jackets for guests. Ellis & Associates, a top aquatic risk management consultant, mandates their clients have life jackets readily available for guests. Some facilities have a central location near the entrance for life-jacket distribution, while others will have several satellite lifejacket distribution areas located throughout their facilities. George is currently an operations manager for Moreys Piers and Beachfront Waterparks located in Wildwood, New Jersey. He also oversees the companys employee housing program and corporate security and loss prevention.
Must-See Waterparks
Keeping Ahead of the
Times
by J.B. Elderkin
Wet n Wild Orlando keeps a close eye on its guests to set a course for the future
Editors note: Each year IAAPA invites waterparks from around the world to enter its Must-See Waterparks awards program. This article profiles the second of two winners from 2006.
ichael Black understands the pressure of keeping ahead of the competition. As director of marketing and GM of Wet n Wild Orlando, his motivation isnt simply financial.
Wet n Wild bills itself as the original waterpark, and the parks staff takes that frontrunner position seriously. When Wet n Wild opened in 1977, it was a truly groundbreaking occasionthe idea of a freestanding, themed waterpark had been untested, and there was no guarantee it would survive the cutthroat competition in Orlando. But that lack of certainty gave rise to a corporate culture that has been willing to push boundaries and accept the risks of moving forward with gusto. Here are some of the strategies Black uses as the Wet n Wild team works to keep its place at the head of the pack: New rides are important, but theyre not enough. They must also be a unique fit. Black says the age-old adage that new rides increase interest is true. But too often parks and waterparks simply add a ride for that purpose without carefully considering theming issues and how it will uniquely add to the atmosphere of the facility. Take a ride like our new Disco H2O, Black says. There are other waterparks with basic tube rides, but we spend a
great deal of energy thinking about how to make each attraction unlike anything else, and that newness helps make it more exciting. Work with manufacturers as you do your planning, but control the process. When new rides Disco H2O and Brain Wash were being developed, the Wet n Wild team consulted with a variety of manufacturers. Both rides would include complex sound and light systems, and bringing in such high-tech features meant approaching experts in those fields, not simply waiting to have manufacturers pitch existing ideas. Know what sorts of rides guests prefer, and keep an eye on developing trends. Black says spotting what guests most enjoy is the key to predicting future trends. The current emphasis on multiperson rides is something he says Wet n Wild observed in its early stages and as a result managed to stay ahead of the curve. Our guests often come in groups of friends and family, and they want to get on rides together. It makes sense. And so weve responded with new rides, he says. Remember that competition can be a good thing. Back when waterparks were rarities, Wet n Wild had to worry about survival in the wilderness. Now that waterparks are springing up on what seems like every other street corner, Wet n Wild has a new set of concerns. There are a lot of waterparks, no doubt about it, but remember, competition leads to innovation, Black says.
Q&A
Colleen Murphy
Director of Park Operations Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom Aurora, Ohio
What is your typical workday like? Without fail, I always begin my day by walking the grounds and making sure the parks cleanliness meets our Cedar Fair standards. While walking, I talk to my department managers to ensure that staffing levels are appropriate and that we are well prepared for the day ahead. I also update my vice president and general manager on the current status of my division. We discuss any other issues he might need to be aware of. Once the park is open, I still can be found out on the midways making sure our guests are having a great time. How do you describe Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom to people who dont know it? Geauga Lake offers more than 40 rides and attractions. We also have a 20-acre waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom, which has become the signature of our property. How did you get your start in the industry? I began working at Geauga Lake the winter of 1995. I processed season passes until I was promoted to seasonal admissions manager the following summer. I joined the full-time staff of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in 2001 as the aquatics manager. When Cedar Fair bought our property in 2004, I stayed on as the aquatics and park services manager and have held several positions since then. Is there someone who has greatly influenced your career? I have been very fortunate throughout the course of my career. I have met and worked with a lot of great people, but the one person who has most influenced me is Bill Spehn, our parks vice president and general manager. Bill has taught me that hard work and dedication are the keys to being successful in this industry. He is a great motivator, and he never misses an opportunity to interact with the seasonal team members; he truly cares about Geauga Lake and the people who work here. Bill has taken me under his wing, and through him I have
been able to absorb some of the knowledge that he learned from his two mentors, Dick Kinzel and Jack Falfas. What do you most enjoy about what you do? I especially enjoy the process of researching, assessing, purchasing, and installing new rides. Thats a challenge because its such a crucial part of the business, but its also a pleasure and very rewarding. What advice would you offer to someone starting out in the industry today? Be flexible. The amusement industry is always changing, and you have to be able to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Just as the industry as a whole will grow and develop, people who work in this industry must grow and develop in order to become successful. What do you like to do in your free time? During football season you can catch me on Friday nights watching my 16-year-old son, Justin, tearing up the football field. I also enjoy working around my house and shopping. Cant forget the shopping! Where do you see yourself in five years? I look forward to being right here at Geauga Lake.
A Day in the Life

Tall Order
JEAN-MICHEL MAIRESSE Food Service Manager Walibi Rhone Alpes
eeding 400,000 people per year requires Jean-Michel Mairesse to work faster than a roller coaster. Mairesse is the food service manager for Walibi Rhone Alpes, a 28-year-old, 86-acre theme park/waterpark in the east of France situated between Lyon, Grenoble, and Geneva. With an average of 6,000 visitors every Sunday during the parks peak season, Mairesse and his staff of 70 employees operate three restaurants, three fast-food outlets, a pancake house, and seven kiosks. Mairesse has been with the park for 11 seasons serving French favoritesincluding mussels and fries, cheeseburgers, and churroswhile working six days a week (and sometimes seven).
be less than successful, never mind because next year there is a bright new season where everything is possible.
the types of visitors in attendance, then map out and ne-tune the daily schedule with my assistants.
What is your typical workday like?

I usually start around 8 a.m. I check on the food storage, the days deliveries, and make sure enough of everything is in stock. I then go over group reservations. I assess how many groups are visiting for the day and I come up with a meal schedule for them. I relay this information to the group entrance employees, who greet the groups upon arrival. I assign the groups to different food outlets, taking into account that I allow enough capacity in each zone for individual diners. At 9 a.m., I go to the daily brieng for the supervisors and assistants. We discuss expected attendance, group reservations, special meals, any changes in routines or menus, and staff members who are on sick leave or absent. I then check on the morning visitor rush, and I will sometimes help out with parking circulation. I do this to get the feel of the day. I assess the attendance count and
Are there any challenges that you face on a daily basis?

In France, everybody eats at the same time, which puts an enormous stress on the staff between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. I try to be everywhere, but I also rely on the supervisors, assistants, and shift staff if necessary. If a supervisor from a food outlet has taken the day off, my assistant and I will pay more attention to that station. At 1:30 we open the kiosks. This gives me an excuse to take a detailed tour of each kiosk and food outlet so that I can check on cleanliness, refrigerated storage temperatures, and provisions. Again, we might shift staff around according to how the day progresses. Each employee is assigned to a specic food outlet; however they are all multi-trained and will be put to work where we need them. This means that my assistant and I have to be extremely alert about what is happening where. It is hard work, but it
What made you decide to enter this eld?

When I started, I was seduced by the fact that no two days are alike and that you can never predict exactly how the day will unfold. The challenge is adapting to the environment and staying one step ahead. You have to realize that although one season might turn out to
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A Day in the Life

pays off in lower labor costs. At about 8 p.m., we start shutting down the different food outlets. After closing, I check on all of the outlets. I check the cold storage temperatures, food stores, etc., and check to see each outlet is clean and that all of the cash registers are empty. Then I can go home. product, as opposed to waiting ve minutes and receiving a mediocre or poor product. A client that has waited an extra minute for a good product forgets the wait. A client who has waited a little less but receives a bad product gets very irritated and complains both about the product and the wait! I try to teach people they should never lose biweekly unannounced. They check food temperatures, both at the counters and in the storage facilities. They check the cleanliness of all work and serving surfaces. The feedback that we receive from the controllers is shared with different supervisors and is used to motivate teams to achieve higher standards.
You have to motivate the team to succeed

by always taking the lead, investing in yourself, and never falling behind. It is very satisfying to see an employee master a task.
What is the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge is to direct the staff, especially when the attendance count is much higher than anticipatedor much lower. Both can put stress on the team, and thats when your leadership skills are really put to the test. I nd tremendous motivation in the fact that each day is a challenge every day is different. You have to motivate the team to succeed by always taking the lead, investing in yourself, and never falling behind. It is very satisfying to see an employee master a task. It is also very satisfying to see the supervisors nally come to understand how their outlet ticks or when their team has come to adhere to the same goal.
their cool. They should be sure of their tasks and understand that come what may, they must always perform accordingly. Since I never give undue praise, when they get it, it is worth something and it is treasured. The supervisors are encouragedbefore Augustto work very hard to foster team spirit, but to also maintain an ownership of their outlets. It is important for them to have pride and a ghting spirit that will motivate them to do their best.
If supervisors use this information to better their practices they will receive a bonus at the end of the season.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the food service industry today?
When you start off in the food industry you have to have the basic knowledge, but it takes very strong physical stamina to stay on top of your tasks. You have to always be available and lead by your own example.
Who has served as your mentor?

Luc de Roo, the [former] revenue manager of this park, although he is now the general manager of Aqualibi in Belgium. He hired me and was my rst boss in this industry. He taught me what the park industry was all about, and he taught me the importance of having a multipurpose all-around staff.
What do you like to do in your free time?

At the end of the day, when I am homeI go over the day. Did I miss a cent worth of sales anywhere? Then I sleep.
How do you motivate your staff?

I am not a very demonstrative person who uses big gestures or words, but I am always present. My staffers know I am there to support them, but also to observe. Our peak season starts on Aug. 1. Before that date, I never talk gures, and the feedback I give my employeesboth positive and negativeis always about cleanliness; how to serve, and maintaining high quality. I teach them it is better to let clients wait six minutes so they can receive a good
What are the parks safety procedures?

Safety in food operations requires employees to focus on both preparation and storage. We employ a hygiene control agency that teaches our supervisors about hygiene and sensitivity training at the beginning of each season. Then, the supervisors have to train their staff. The hygiene controllers visit the park
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How do you describe the park to people who do not know it?
Walibi Rhone Alpes is a very family friendly regional theme park. It is not so big that it is stressful, but not so small that it is boring; its just the right size. The really special thing about WRA is that it is two parks in onepart waterpark, part amusement park. FW
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SPOTLIGHT ON FEC
Running Wild
Waterparks share advice on how to check for and react to wild animals in their facilities
TOWERING ABOVE THE GROUND and presenting 500 feet of twisting and turning darkness, the Black Hole at Orlandos Wet n Wild waterpark powers 1,000 gallons of water per minute as its two-person inner tubes cascade down. However, on one hot and steamy morning park operators found themselves cautiously pacing through the attractions pitch-black tunnel holding their flashlights tight as they scanned the cylinders descending interior. Finally, after a fair amount of time searching for their prey one proud park operator called out, Ive got it! as he exited the attraction running at lighting-quick speed and holding a possum high above his head. If this feat occurred during operating hours it would be certain to frighten guests, but this is what it takes to ensure an animal-free park throughout the day. We set traps at night and then relocate the animals in the morning, says Dave Stein, director of operations for Wet n Wild. Our employees walk the entire park and inspect every slide before we open so many animal sightings happen then. Oftentimes, animals hide in the flumes or on the conveyer belts so we start up the attractions prior to opening to make sure we dont have any surprises. Calling in a trapper gets expensive, seeing how it costs $250 to relocate one possum!
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From elk to groundhogs, feral cats, birds, and even alligators, almost every waterpark has its tried and true method for relocating animals before they pose a threat to guests. And while many parks deal with non-threatening animals on their own, there are several services that offer their expertise in animal relocation. They include state-certified trappers, wildlife relocation services, the humane society, animal control, and, at times, veterinarians (contacted if an animal is found injured). While most parks maintenance departments are equipped with snares, nets, traps, and cages, there are times when any park official will agree its worth their while to call in the experts. Needless to say, an alligator hovering near park premises would be one of these occasions. Stein has dealt with two alligator incidences, where the animals were found on the propertys lake and a trapper was called in. According to Sean Carruth, vice president of communications for Critter Control, a nationwide animal control service, it is crucial to mark the alligators location, movement, time first spotted, and assign someone to monitor the animal. In addition, the entire area should be completely closed until the alligator has been relocated. In most cases, a Critter Control employee will use a control stick to bring the alligator to a sanctioned area; the employee then climbs onto the alligators back, closes its eyes, and clamps its jaw so it is immobilized.
Be Nice
On a more common level, birds may not be seen as threatening, but they can be responsible for spreading diseases. Most parks have an enormous bird problem, says Carruth. It is an extreme health hazard. While there are a vast number of methods to keep birds from loitering in your parks outdoor eating areas, we have found one method that is extremely effective. We use a Bird Buffer, which is a misting
SPOTLIGHT ON FEC
machine that emits a grape-flavored extract. While this scent is unnoticeable to humans, it enters a birds mucus membrane, aggravates it, and causes them to leave the area. While hardly as high-tech as Carruths Bird Buffer, General Manager Steve Loos of Hyland Hills Water World in Denver, Colorado, has his own ingenious method for dealing with the skunks that lurk in his park. Ive learned that the most effective way to deal with them, once they are trapped, is to approach them with a large black piece of plastic, which you can find at a hardware store, says Loos. Skunks are nocturnal animals and when a dark piece of plastic is put over their cage they are actually less likely to spray. But what about harmful bees, which hover over picnic tables in the middle of the day? Hornets and bees are not as active in the morning and the evening as they are in the heat of midday, says Loos. Dont spray a bee hive in the middle of the day unless you want trouble. Wendy Wallace, human relations manager for Tomahawk Lake Waterpark in Sparta, New Jersey, says her staff hangs bee traps in early August to prevent guest stings. In addition, she sprays the underside of her picnic tables with insect repellent to keep the yellow jackets away. Using a simple and subtle method to rid animals from your park is the best solution, says Wallace. The worst thing an employee can do is cause a scene when trying to relocate an animal, like picking up a snake with a rake. On one comical occasion, park employees found a groundhog that was wandering aimlessly through the park with a tin can on its head. Instead of drawing more attention to the animal, maintenance officials were called in to relocate the animal immediately. The key is removing the animal before guests have to ask you to. We dont create a lot of conversation when an animal is found on site, says Wallace. We notify our maintenance crew immediately, and they relocate the animal being as quiet as they possibly can. Many waterparks tell employees never to touch an animal, but to simply contact their supervisor upon sighting. Gary Bennett, president and CEO of Rapids on the Reservoir in Brandon, Missouri, teaches his staff to hold up their arm and make a fist when they see an animal so a supervisor in close proximity will understand the gesture, a gesture subtle enough to not worry guests.
Dead Animals: Protocol

According to the park officials interviewed, finding a dead animal on site doesnt happen often. While most employees say that it certainly depends on the animal, in most cases the maintenance department bags it and disposes of it off site. If a large animal is found, the local animal control or wildlife service is contacted and will remove the animal.
However, if the deceased animal is a rabies suspect and bit an employee or guest prior to death, Carruth says it is crucial to store the animal in a cooler until it can be taken to the local health department and tested. If the animal was infected, then the victim will have to undergo medical treatment of five rabies shots. Suspect animals that die on property should be cooled and chilled on wet ice during immediate transportation to an approved laboratory, says Carruth. The brain should not be frozen. Robin Patrick, general manager of Water World in Denton, Alabama, constantly finds snakes in her kiddy pools. Her maintenance department is advised to kill them on sight and properly dispose of them in an approved offsite facility. To educate her staffers she advises an easy method of telling the difference between a poisonous and non-poisonous snake. Non-poisonous snakes have a round pupil, whereas poisonous snakes have a vertical elliptical [cat-like] shaped pupil, says Patrick. All [poisonous] pit-vipers also have a small hole between the nostril and the eye. FW
Christina MacDonald is a native of Los Angeles, California, and has written for entertainment trade publications, including Amusement Business and The Hollywood Reporter. She can be reached at cmacdonald738@hotmail.com.
ccording to waterparks and amusement parks, many guests say the relaxation and enjoyment of a day of leisure are enhanced if they can enjoy an alcoholic beverage. But for the parks, this presents the challenges of gauging when that relaxation turns into intoxication, where and how to sell alcohol, and how to deal with guests who become unruly. FUNWORLD consulted a variety of parks to learn how they handle these challenges. Mount Olympus Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, has three different types of amusement facilities on its propertyan outdoor waterpark, an indoor waterpark, and a dry ride park. All three sell alcoholprimarily beer and wineto guests at snack bars and in restaurants, and the theme park is working to secure a liquor license this year to sell cocktails. Park owner Nick Laskaris says Mt. Olympus did not always sell alcohol. My father was a very conservative man and wouldnt do it, he says. For years and years, we didnt serve it because we thought wed have a lot of drunks causing mayhem. But I think it was actually worse because of tailgating. Laskaris explains that when the park didnt sell alcohol, some guests would tailgate in the parking lot and drink, and then come into the park
Everyone
by Keith Miller 22 FUNW O R L D C O L L E C T I O N S
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Keeping It Fun for

Parks reveal how they handle alcohol for the enjoyment of drinkers and nondrinkers alike
intoxicated. When we started selling it, we were able to take control of it, he says, and a lot of [the control] is done through the pricing. We set the price high enough so that no one wants to pay that much just to get drunk! He says his servers are required to check the identification (ID) of purchasers, and that, coupled with the high price, thwarts most underage drinkers. Also, the servers at all three parks are trained to watch for signs of intoxication, and if it appears a guest has had too much, that person is cut off. Laskaris says if customers become unruly, security removes them from the park. We dont put up with that at all, he says. But the guests who drink are pretty responsible. Laskaris notes advantages to the park in selling alcohol include higher income and guest satisfaction: A lot of guests expect to be able to buy it, and if you dont provide it to them, I think youre missing the boat.
ally, Soak City, the outdoor waterpark, has a swim-up bar called Bubbles that, like the restaurants, has a liquor license to sell mixed drinks. Gary Jones, manager of development standards and safety for Cedar Point, says the park utilizes a special training program called ServSafe Alcohol. It was developed by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, and Jones says Cedar Point assisted with that development. All of the parks food and beverage service employees must complete the program, which for Cedar
www.servsafe.com/alcohol. Jones notes in the year prior to Cedar Points participation in the ServSafe program, which began in 2005, the park recorded around 10 alcohol-related incidents. The first year we used the program, we had one alcohol incident in the park, and the past two years weve had none. He says the park also has a program in which a plain-clothes police officer teaches the staff the specifics of the Ohio alcohol laws, which is important because the state has some unusual regulations, such as the fact that nei-
Shipwreck Islands focus groups

show adultseven parentslike to mix adult beverages with the beach and the water.
Point is divided into eight different tracks. The particular track a server takes depends upon the tasks of that server. The ServSafe program is conducted in the classroom, at unit workstations, in one-on-one settings, and online. Servers are given various training materials, and when theyve completed the program, they must pass an exam to be ServSafe certified. More information on the ServSafe program, including extensive information on state-by-state regulations and governing agencies, can be found at ther passports nor military IDs are acceptable for the purpose of purchasing alcohol. Guests are not allowed to enter the park if they appear intoxicated, nor are they allowed to bring in their own alcohol. Cedar Point not only checks IDs, but also limits guests to one drink at a time per ID. Servers and staff at the waterparks watch especially closely for patrons whove had too much to drink because of the additional drowning risk. We just wont serve a guest whos getting intoxicated because if they get into an accident,
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Customized Training
Like Mt. Olympus, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, also has an outdoor waterpark, indoor waterpark, and outdoor ride park. All three sell alcohol, as do a few of the retail establishments and a couple of theaters. The alcohol choices within the parks include beer, wine, and hard lemonade. Addition-
we can be in trouble, he says. We sell it because a lot of people equate alcohol with fun, and were not here to stop them from having fun. If we can do it without them becoming a problem to themselves or others, then it works out for everyone. Palace Entertainment owns 10 waterparks across the United States, but only a few of them sell alcohol; according to Chip Cleary, who is vice president of Palaces waterpark division and president of Splish Splash waterpark in Riverhead, New York, the parks that do also utilize the ServSafe Alcohol program. We absolutely positively check IDs, says Cleary, and youd think that would be a tough thing in a waterpark, with peoples IDs being [in their lockers], but thats not been the case. Cleary sees the alcohol sales as a premium experience that offers guest choice: We look at it as not necessarily a big profit area, but as a convenience for guests, and we price it accordingly to keep it very, very controlledits a higher-priced product. We sell mostly beer, and its only in a controlled environment in restaurants.
We dont market it, and we dont do things like buy-one-get-one-free! When asked if guests are allowed to bring their own alcohol to the parks, Cleary quickly retorts, Absolutely not. Because of these controls and the ServSafe training, he says the Palace parks havent seen a problem with people having too much to drink.
Competing with the Beach

Shipwreck Island waterpark in Panama City Beach, Florida, has a somewhat unusual situation regarding guest alcohol consumption because it sits across the street from the Gulf of Mexico. Says General Manager Buddy Wilkes, Were competing with the Gulf of Mexico, where they can go drink and swim and lie on the beach for free! He says the parks focus groups show adultseven parentslike to mix adult beverages with the beach and the water. So the park sells beer and wine coolers at three locations. The staff is trained in serving alcohol, and Wilkes says they have to deal with four or five intoxicated guests a year at most. Were more concerned about people coming into the park that way, he
says, which is the other challenge presented by the Gulf. Theyve been out on the beach drinking all morning, and then they wander in here, so we have to handle that. We have a great concern about safety, so we just dont want to have to deal with that. Theyre not allowed to bring alcohol in, but sometimes theyll sneak it in and keep it in a locker. Wilkes notes underage purchases are not a problem. But occasionally, an adult will purchase a beverage and give it to a teen. If we see someone drinking who just looks too young, we will ask for ID, he says. As for the issue of whether alcohol sales affect park insurance, Wilkes responds, Well, yes, they certainly want to know your numbers, and they do take it into account, but alcohol has fortunately never been involved in an issue in our park.
Different Cultures, Different Approaches

Outside the United States, cultural differences in the attitudes toward alcohol are reflected in how parks handle situations.
Faarup Sommerland amusement park in Saltum, Denmark, is representative of the posture of parks in Europe, according to its co-owner, Sorne Kragelund. I think we are very typical of how parks do it in Europe, he says. We sell beer and wine, and people are allowed to bring in their own alcohol. A lot of them expect to be able to do it if they stay all day. We allow them to cook out, and they want to be able to have a beer, especially if theyre on vacation. Its a part of Danish culture. But Kragelund stresses that Faarup Sommerland is a family park, and excessive drinking isnt tolerated: If theyre trying to bring in boxes of beer, we say no, no, no. The park has a written alcohol policy for staff, and intoxicated persons arent allowed to board rides. Alcohol buyers are carded, but only if they appear under 18. If a guest becomes unruly, the staff doesnt make a scene but instead appeals to the guest and his/her family to leave. It is interesting that, unlike the parks interviewed in the United States, Kragelund says his park refunds the guests money to prevent an angry escalation. Kragelund notes, We sell much more soft drinks than alcohol. We sell about 40,000 liters (annually) of alcohol and 557,000 liters of soft drinks. We rarely see intoxicated people because we are a family park in a vacation [spot]. You dont come to this park to get drunk! El Vergel waterpark in Tijuana, Mexico, also has a methodology thats a bit more relaxed than that of most U.S. parks. Park co-owner Gerardo Salazar says the park will sometimes allow guests to bring their own beer if the amount isnt excessive. Sometimes when there are a lot of people in the family, like 15, and they bring just a six pack, its not a problem, he says. But if its one or two people bringing a whole [case], thats a problem, and we wont let them in. In addition to its sales at food outlets, the park also has a palapa (hut) where beer can be purchased. Guests are carded if they appear under 18. Theyre happy to [to be able] to buy it here, and we sell it because if they cant drink they will leave the park, Salazar says. Weve been doing it since 1984, and it works. FW Wat e r p a r k s E d i t i o n
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Cover Story
Making
by Jeremy Schoolfield
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HOW SEAWORLDS NEW AQUATICA WATERPARK IMPACTS BUSCH ENTERTAINMENTS PRESENCE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
heres no denying it2008 is turning out to be a banner year for Busch Entertainment Corpo-
ration (BEC). Along with announcing a massive fourpark expansion project for Dubai and moving its corporate headquarters from St. Louis to Orlando, this spring BEC changed the face of Central Florida tourism with the debut of SeaWorlds waterpark, Aquatica, in Orlando.
A lifeguard stands at her post at Aquatica's Taumata Racer.
PHOTO BY BRIAN PEPPER/DIGITAL IMAGING DIRECT
Busch marketing guru Joe Couceiro puts it simply: Yeah, were on a roll. Aquatica is the first major park to open in the unofficial theme park capital of the world since 2000, when Busch unveiled its exclusive Discovery Cove experience. The new waterpark brings BECs presence in Central Florida to an impressiveand potentially immer-
sivefour parks, including the esteemed SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Africa, the latter only a little more than an hours drive away in Tampa. Theyre on their way to having a destination resort, says Steve Baker, president of Orlando-based attraction management and consulting firm Baker Leisure Group. You could do four or
five days of Busch parks definitely. Thats the planright here in our own little world, agrees Dan Brown, executive vice president overseeing BECs three Orlando properties. We think its important people have choices when theyre on vacation, especially when youre bringing the whole family to Central Florida. Now we have something for everyone. Weve created a destination.
Roas Rapids may look tranquil, but it moves at three to four times the speed of a typical lazy river.
Covey Comfort
Something for everyone was one of the determining factors when selecting Aquaticas mix of attractions, says Tim Cuddihy, vice president of Aquatica. We went in a little different direction than most waterparks, he says, with more than 50 percent of the facilitys capacity allocated to immersive attractions. In fact, there are two of each: two wave pools, two rivers, and two childrens areas (for more details see Aquatica at a Glance on p. 32). The advantage of immersive-type attractions is no waityou just walk in and enjoy, Cuddihy says. They also appeal to all members of the family, from the toddlers to the grandparents. It is the best way to spend your time on a hot day, because you can completely immerse yourself in the water. Guest comfort is something BEC officials all keep coming back to when speaking about Aquaticait was obviously top of mind during the design phase, and that commitment now extends to operations. In a bold move, the number of guests allowed into the waterpark on a daily basis will be restricted to maintain a more serene feel inside its lush borders. Brown says there isnt a specific hard cap for the day, but instead a flexible approach that takes into account traffic flow, parking, ride lines, availability of furniture, etc. Comfort is important to us at this park, and thats why we restrict the number of visitors we allow to enter, he says. If this operational strategy sounds familiar, it shouldBusch employs the same method with Discovery Cove, where the low number of guests allowed in each day is one of that parks primary draws. Though Aquatica obviously
PHOTO COURTESY BUSCH ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION
caters to a larger audience than the ultra-exclusive Cove experience, the principle is still the same, says Couceiro, Busch Entertainments chief marketing officer. In 2000 when we opened Discovery Cove, Disney had opened Animal Kingdom, and Universal had opened Islands of Adventurebig parks, he says. We came in with a small, intimate park, a totally different approach. Weve been very successful. Its hard for a marketing guy to see us close the park at a certain time, Couceiro continues, but the reality is we have been successful making sure we only allow the right number of people here so those in the park are leaving with a wonderful experience.
Commerson's dolphins frolic beneath Aquatica's Dolphin Plunge slide.
Baby Shamu and Friends

The similarities between Aquatica and its fellow Busch Entertainment parks dont stop there. Far from it. Cuddihy, who spent several years at Busch Gardens Europes Water Country USA waterpark in Williamsburg, Virginia, says when the initial talks about Aquatica began years ago, the companys research found that another waterpark in Central Florida would only work if it was unique and differentnot only from every other waterpark in Orlando, but from any other waterpark in the world. And just what does that entail? Cuddihy describes it as the SeaWorld stamp, which, along with the aforementioned attention to guest comfort, means one thing: animals. Aquaticas signature attraction is the Dolphin Plunge, a twisting tube slide that briefly whizzes guests through a tank home to rare Commersons dolphins from South America. These small dolphins only grow to about five feet long and have the added notoriety of blackand-white coloring similar to killer whales, prompting many Aquatica guests to dub them Baby Shamu after SeaWorlds icon. Visitors dont have to take the plunge to see the dolphins, though, as they are easily visible playing in the clear water through a large lower-level viewing window; quick and personable,
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Aquatica at a Glance
SLIDES Dolphin PlungeTwin tube slides twist down through a dolphin habitat HooRoo RunA six-story, triple-drop family slide accommodating up to four riders at a time in one raft Tassies TwistersA 129-foot bowl slide accommodating single or double riders Taumata RacerUp to eight people at a time can race against one aother side by side through spiral tubes that dump into steep drops to the finish line Walhalla WaveUp to four riders per raft can plunge through this 600-foot tube slide Whanau WayTwo-rider tubes zip down 340-foot slides into a splashdown pool RIVERS Loggerhead LaneA tranquil lazy river that connects to Tassies Twisters and offers views of the dolphin habitat and a 10,000-gallon exotic fish grotto Roas RapidsAnother of Aquaticas signature attractions, this 1,500-foot-long body of water coils through the center of the park; guests travel up to four times the speed of a traditional lazy river, enough to create a real sense of rapidslevel force
CHILDRENS PLAY AREAS Katas Kookaburra Cove Located near the wave pools, this play area for small children includes four slides, multiple fountains, and other toddler-friendly fare Walkabout WatersA massive interactive playground towering six stories in the air where children can scramble over, around, and through 15,000 square feet of water-spraying fun; includes slides, fountains, and water cannons RESTAURANTS Aquatica features three dining establishments offering a mix of sandwiches, salads, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and more; all queues are indoors and shaded tables are plentiful. Banana Beach Cookout buffet offers an eat-all-day option for $19.95. PRIVATE CABANAS Aquaticas cabanas, located near the wave pools, hold up to four people ($30 each additional person up to seven) and include ceiling fans, privacy curtains, mini refrigerator, soft drinks, water, juice, sunscreen, and a discount on merchandise; cost is $175/day during peak season (Memorial Day to Labor Day) and $150/day the rest of the year. TICKETS Single-day (ages 10 and up): $38.95 Single-day (ages 3 to 9): $32.95 Aquatica/SeaWorld combo: $89.95 (good for seven consecutive days at either park) Aquatica/SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Africa: $134.95 (good for seven days; includes transportation to Tampa from Orlando) Aquatica/SeaWorld/Discovery Cove: Start at $242 Aquatica/SeaWorld/Discovery Cove/Busch Gardens Africa: Start at $287
POOLS Big Surf Shores and Cutback Cove are side-by-side wave pools capable of operating together or independently with different levels of wave strength. With a combined 860,000 gallons of water, Cutback is the more formidable of the two, with waves up to five feet. For those who dont want to swim, the pools are bordered by wide, white sandy beaches.
Aquatica features two side-by-side wave pools and 80,000 square feet of white-sand beach.
Walkabout Waters is one of the largest waterplay structures in the world.
they enjoy showing off for a crowd. The Loggerhead Lane lazy river also offers a separate angle of the dolphin tank, as well as views of a 10,000-gallon exotic fish grotto. Handlers, meanwhile, traverse Aquaticas twisting paths with animals in tow, including a giant anteater, sulcata tortoise, and laughing kookaburra birds, best known for making the jungle sound in the old Tarzan movies. A trademark of any and all Busch Entertainment properties, Aquatica features lush horticultural theming. The new waterpark has a loose South Seas motif running throughout, with vivid, brightly colored plants to match equally colorful attractions. As Couceiro points out, no Busch park is simply concrete and steel; at Aquatica, the slides and play areas seem to accent the park rather than dominate it. Apart from the Dolphin Plunge, which prominently greets visitors as they arrive, the waterparks remaining slides (36 in all, divided among eight attractions) manage to blend in to their surn
More Worlds to Discover

Aquatica isnt the only new offering from Busch Entertainment in 2008. Heres a look at a few more projects from the companys other parks. Jungala Busch Gardens Africa (Tampa, Florida) Opened in April, this four-acre section themed to a jungle village mixes childrens attractions with animal habitats that would make zookeepers drool. Donnie Mills, BGAs general manager, says Jungala is meant for 6- to 13-year-olds as a bridge between kiddie rides and the parks high-thrill attractions. Located in the parks Congo section, Jungalas hallmark attraction is the sprawling, multilevel Bengal tiger habitat, where every effort was made to get visitors up close and personal with the lithe cats. There is a clear pop-up dome in one section; a closed-in bridge allows the cats to prowl above guests heads; and elsewhere visitors are separated from the tigers by just a few feet and two chain-link fences, where they can actually engage in a game of tug of war with the powerful jungle creatures. Jungala offers views of a large orangutan exhibit, as well. On the more traditional theme park side, Jungala features a massive childrens play area dubbed Tree Top Trails, with climb ing nets, bridges, crawl tubes, and a multilevel hanging maze. The Wild Surge is a launch tower ride themed to look as if its blasting out of the center of a volcano. And Jungle Flyers is a kids-only zipline attraction providing views of the entire village from 50 feet above the ground. Finally, Jungala features two new restaurants and allows Zoo Educators to roam its pathways with live animals such as lemurs, toucans, and snakes. Rock n Roll Island Water Country USA (Williamsburg, Virginia) A new multi-attraction area opening this year themed to classic rock from the 1950s and 60s; included are three slides, a lazy river, and a childrens attraction. Sesame Street Bay of Play SeaWorld San Diego (California) A spate of Sesame Street-themed attractions debut this year, including three kiddie rides, a 4-D theater show, and Breakfast with Elmo and Friends character dining experience. Jeremy Schoolfield
roundings, despite their imposing size. All pathways are lined with large palm trees, leafy shrubbery, and foliage of every size and color in between; all told, there are more than 60,000 plants enveloping Aquatica. Were about connecting our guests to the natural world, and horticulture is part of that, Couceiro says. It is an important element because it sets the mood for our guestsit relaxes them, its beautiful, and it adds color and a different atmosphere. Were never going to be a concrete-and-steel parkwere about nature.
Unity, Synergy
In October, Busch Entertainment announced Worlds of Discovery, its new companywide brand and marketing strategy encompassing all 10 of its parks in North Americaand in a few years, four more in Dubai (for more on BECs international expansion, see the Industry Notes section of Mays FUNWORLD). The idea is to present a unifying identity, Couceiro says, one that highlights Buschs goal of connecting its guests with nature. Aquatica is the first park to open under this new umbrella. It proves a fitting template of the business synergy BEC hopes to accomplish with this new Worlds of Discovery idea by offering ticket packages that encompass all the company has to offer in Central Florida and reinforcing the overall brand as a vacation destination unto itself. It completes the SeaWorld experience, Couceiro says of the waterpark. The three parks complement each one another well. And then we have Busch Gardens, which is not marine life but a lot of animal interactions. What brings us together is that we celebrate, connect, and care, he continues. That goes across all our parks. Discovery can be interpreted in so many different ways: going to a Shamu show and marveling at a killer whale; discovery can be going to Busch Gardens Africa and playing tug of war with a tiger; or discovery can be as simple as going to Sesame Place and learning the alphabet. FW
SPECIAL REPORT: Hotel Waterparks
A BigT rend Gets Bigger

Hotel and indoor waterpark projects are expanding to include adventure sports, recreation, and entertainment
by Jeff Coy, ISHC
EVER SINCE WATERPARKS CAME INDOORS, under cover, and attached themselves to hotels, the hotel waterpark resort industry has continued to grow at an accelerating pace. At the start of 2008, 169 hotels in the United States had 28,888 rooms and more than 4.1 million square feet of indoor waterpark space. Nationally, waterpark hotel rooms grew 20.9 percent in 2007 compared to ordinary hotel rooms at 1.4 percent growth, according to two reports, Hotel Waterpark Resort Industry Report 2008 and the Construction Report 2008, produced by industry consultants Jeff Coy and Bill Haralson. FUNWORLD asked the two experts to assess the impact of several emerging trends and predict the future of hotel waterpark resorts.
Hotel Waterpark Resort Growth Accelerates

Hotels and resorts with indoor waterparks are a small but rapidly growing segment of the lodging, recreation, and entertainment business. Study data found waterparks are popular with families and hotel owners because they fill empty rooms at higher rates than hotels without indoor waterparks. During 2007, 33 new facilities opened, bringing the total to 169 hotel waterpark resorts open and operating in the United States by the end of that year. Another 55 projects are under construction now or will break ground during 2008. Every year the construction pipeline gets bigger, and hotel waterpark projects get bigger. Many are part of mixed-use resort destination developments that include conference centers, recreation, entertainment, retail shopping, offices,
Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio
and residential units. Kalahari Resort & Convention Center in Sandusky, Ohio, recently completed its expansion to become the largest hotel waterpark resort in the United States, with 884 rooms and a 193,000-square-foot indoor waterpark. Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells is in the midst of a four-year, $200 million expansion. It recently topped the charts of the Top 10 Hotel Meeting Facilities, with 150,000 square feet of domed meeting space and 110,000 square feet of indoor waterparks.
waterparks are adding meeting space to attract different types of customers during certain low periods throughout the year, and more hotel waterparks are part of larger mixed-use resort projects (shopping centers, malls, casinos, etc.). Additionally, the number of larger-format facilities is growing. In 2004, only one indoor waterpark with more than 50,000 square feet was built. In 2005, the number increased to three, but by 2006, eight had opened, with another eight in 2007. In the hotel waterpark resort industry, the study reveals that bigger is definitely better. The added entertainment value encourages families with young children to drive up to 200 miles and spend more than $200 a night for a family suite. The merging of lodging, recreation, and entertainment concepts is the main reason for the rapid growth of indoor waterpark projects. Additionally, those resorts are growing in size due to the advent of mixed-use offerings, the mainstreaming of adventure sports, the move from natural to man-made sporting facilities, and the addition of high-tech structures. FW To read the complete Hotel Waterpark Resort Industry Report 2008 and the Construction Report 2008, which highlights new and developing projects, visit www.jeffcoy.com.
Jeff Coy, ISHC, is president of JLC Hospitality Consulting of Phoenix-Cave Creek AZ and certified by the International Society of Hospitality Consultants. For more information, contact him at +1 480/488-3382 or e-mail jeffcoy@jeffcoy.com. Or go to www.jeffcoy.com.
Indoor Waterpark Projects Get Bigger

The average size of a hotel indoor waterpark has been steadily growing each year from 20,382 square feet in 2002 to 24,452 square feet in 2007. More hotel
Guests move to the music at the popular rain dance corner of Kenya's Wild Waters waterpark.
Waterpark
Kenyan city Mombasa welcomes a family attraction never before seen in the region
by Denis Gathanju
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From Wasteland to
hen Vipul Patel was tasked with building and managing a waterpark, he had no frame of reference. Apart from what I had seen on television, never in my life had I ever seen the actual thing in real life, says Patel, a former computer graphics designer and now the general manager of Wild Waters Mombasa. But he nonetheless rolled up his sleeves and helped give something Mombasa had never seen before, either: a full-scale entertainment destination for families. The idea of having this facility is to bring back the family values in our society, where the entire family from the grandparents, the parents, to the children can all have fun together, says Patel. Mombasa is considered by many locals and foreigners alike the melting pot of fun, leisure, and entertainment in Kenya. The sun-kissed city is awash with numerous entertainment spots that dot the coastline. The words Mombasa Raha or Leisurely Mombasa describe the citys position as the ultimate fun and entertainment hub in Kenya. Enter Wild Waters. Etched out from a 50-year-old limestone mine in the posh Nyali suburb of Mombasa City, Wild Waters exists to provide one location where families can experience a range of entertainment options, including 11 adult waterslides, seven childrens slides, bumper cars, a merry-go-round, and an arcade. Many times, I have sat across from the entrance and seen the excited, yet astonished, expressions on the faces of most people who come here, says Patel. [The park] seeks to bring back the family values and togetherness we seem to have lost. The Reliable Group, a collection of companies based in Mombasa, owns and operates Wild Waters and provides the financial and technical support it needs to operate. For instance, Reliable brought four Indian engineers into Mombasa to help put up the waterslides in accordance with Patels designs. Many additional donors and family members within the company have contributed to the facilitys operations, as well.
Wild Waters Bounces Back

DESPITE UNREST IN KENYA, Mombasas Wild Waters remained positive. Kenya went through a tumultuous time in the first two months of this year following the clashes and skirmishes that erupted across the nation following the disputed presidential elections of Dec. 27, 2007. All spheres of the Kenyan economy ranging from transport and communications to agriculture and tourismwere heavily hit and led to more than 300 billion (Kes) Kenya shillings (US$5 billion) in losses. The tourism and entertainment industry, which accounts for more than US$1 billion in revenue every year, was hit hard during its peak season, resulting in massive cancellations of both domestic and foreign tourists to the Kenyan coast. The nation saw losses exceeding Kes 850 million (US$14 million) to the sector and more than 120,000 job cuts in January and February. Wild Waters in Mombasa was one of the many entertainment facilities in Kenya that bore the brunt of the political upheaval. Vipul Patel, the general manager of Wild Waters Mombasa, says Wild Waters lost out on the most revenue-generating months of the year; it closed on Jan. 15 due to the clashes but took advantage of the opportunity to conduct maintenance work on the whole park. The cost [due to the riots] had been great, especially being a new facility; however, we are positive and have invested Kes 4 million (US$67,000) this year to improve and upgrade the park, Patel says. We are now more focused on local tourists and attract the local residents to take advantage of the new sports bar and amusement games we have added. The park now boasts three new areas, and Patel says the staff is primed for the upcoming season. During the spring, the managers were proactive and attended a holiday fair in Nairobi, where they marketed Wild Waters to the local population, an effort that proved successful. We intend to keep the facility alive and promote the industry in this part of the world, and nothing will stop us from providing families entertainment, Patel says. Denis Gathanju
Eco-Tourism Increasing in Kenya

As the global eco-tourism appetite continues to grow, Mombasa is increasingly seeing the rehabilitation of abandoned limestone mines into
Wild Waters is Kenyas first waterpark.
eco-paradises. The holiday resort is quickly carving a market niche for itself in the fast-growing eco-tourism industry with innovative products that continue to bring in more visitors. Says Ernest Mutava, a Kenyan Ministry of Tourism official: Mombasa is gradually making the change from a purely beach holiday resort and is trying to offer the visitors more products that are fun and informative. The rise of amusement parks in the city that have been reclaimed from old mines is an example that other countries can learn from in developing wastelands into excellent entertainment venues. Wild Waters, says Mutava, has gone a step further by not only being an excellent example of reclaiming wastelands; has offered the local and foreign visitors entertainment facilities never seen anywhere else in the region. The fact that the entire family can gather at the park and have fun together irrespective of their ages is a departure from the norm as compared to other entertainment facilities in the city, explains Mutava. Since the Kenya shillings (Kes) 300 million (US$4.6 million) facility opened its doors in January 2007, the reception it has received from the locals has been phenomenal, according to park operators. Says Monica Nyokabi, the marketing
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executive at Wild Waters: We are seeing more and more people trek to the facility. Most of them are coming here for their very first time after they have heard of the facility from their friends.
At the moment, the largest number of visitors we have received in one day is well over a thousand people. The facility has the capacity to handle up to 7,000 people, and we hope that as we go into the festive Christmas holidays, our figures will gradually improve, she adds. As the park continues into its second year of operation, Patel is interested in bringing in more fun games to Wild Waters that will keep visitors coming for more. Specifically, he is looking at an adjacent piece of wasteland he hopes to develop and integrate into the existing facilities at Wild Waters. I have been thinking of bringing roller coaster rides that will take visitors on an aerial, ground, and underground tour of the facility, he says. There are so many exciting fun and games that we are keen on bringing here once we get more land for development. But all in due time, he says with a broad smile: We are just learning to crawl; wait until we stand on our feet and learn to walk. FW
Denis Gathanju is a freelance business journalist and editor based in Nakuru, Kenya. He reports on trade and business issues in Kenya, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. He can be contacted at dgathanju@gmail.com.
Hyland Hills Water World
IAAPA AWARDS
FECs and Waterparks Thrive in 07

by Marion Hixon EACH YEAR AT IAAPA ATTRACTIONS EXPO, topnotch FECs and waterparks are honored for unique ideas, visitor-pleasing attractions, and a commitment to quality service. Last years IAAPA Attractions Expo was no exception, singling out several exemplary FECs and waterparks. As IAAPA Attractions Expo 2008 draws close, individuals and facilities are encouraged to nominate FECs and waterparks for their respective award programs. Nomination requirements and forms can be found online at www.IAAPA.org. In anticipation of this years crop of award winners, here's a look at who was honored last year.
Flatline speed ride, and Voyage to the Center of the Earth, a dark/water ride featuring animatronic dinosaurs. The Travel Channel recently listed the 69-acre facility on its list of Best Waterparks. Open since 1991, Splish Splash Waterpark in Long Island, New York, also made the list. Over the years, the park has made an impressive transition from local hot spot to national tourist attraction. Preserving the natural beauty of the land, the parks staff has made a concerted effort to keeping as many trees on site as possible. For 17 years, clever construction has provided our guests with a naturally beautiful, shaded waterpark, says Katie Sioss, retail and admissions manager for the park. Splish Splash recently added the technologically advanced Alien Invasion, a raft ride with drops and spins that put guests within reaching distance of a larger-than-life crashed spaceship and giant aliens.
Must-See Waterparks of 2007

The Must-See Waterparks Awards were presented at the weeks Waterpark Social at Wet n Wild Orlando and honored Hyland Hills Water World in Denver, Colorado; New Yorks Splish Splash waterpark; and Chimelong Water Park in Guangdong, China. Hyland Hills Water World turned 30 this year, making it one of the nations oldest waterparks. Water World offers an extensive and unique mix of family-friendly themed attractions, says Joann Saitta, the parks communications director. Guests enjoy the Screaming Mimi, the heart-stopping
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IAAPA AWARDS
Open since 2007, Chimelong Water Park is young but influential. Built in an unbelievable four-month construction period, the park launched an intense marketing campaign, resulting in more than 750,000 guests within a seven-week period. Alan Mahoney, general consultant for Chimelong, attributes this sensation to staffers. Their ability to learn, dedication to training, and attention to detail on the job is a success story within itself, he says. With continued success, the park is gearing up for its second stage: expansion. Among other things, the addition of changing rooms, a second entrance, and an enlarged childrens pool are planned. largest successes is its stafftruly the heart of the facility. Happy employees equal happy guests! Scherbarth says. Our employees have fun working at Boondocks and love their jobthis shows in their interactions with guests. The Boondocks team goes into each situation with an Expect Excellence attitude. The Amazing Pizza Machine is the largest FEC in the Midwest, with a hard-working staff that treat one another, and customers, like family. We combine great food with games and attractions like bumper cars, glow golf, bowling, and thrill rides all in one weatherproof environment, Allen Wachter, vice president, says of the FEC, located in snowy Nebraska. Management and employees pride themselves on ensuring each member of the family has a great experience; in return, they receive high marks from customers all around. Founded in 2006, Diversia is a unique complex that blends both adults and childrens entertainment settings. On the first floor sits Los Inmigrantes Caf, a gourmet restaurant, while Neverland Park fills up the second and third floors. Equipped with big-screen games, digital surround sound, and a giant carousel, the Italian-styled dcor offers a classic feel while wireless Internet makes Diversia comfortably modern. Maria Jose Dominguez, a representative for Diversia, says the complex has created an opportunity for families to experience a new and innovative way to enjoy their free time. FW
2007s Top FECs of the World Awards

During the Family Entertainment Center Reception at IAAPA Attractions Expo 2007, Boondocks Fun Center in Draper, Utah; The Amazing Pizza Machine in Omaha, Nebraska; and Diversia in Crdoba, Argentina, were named Top FECs of the World. Boondocks Fun Center, open since 2005, is fully outfitted with games and attractions guests love. The Centers gokarts, complete with three racing styles suited to different levels of experience, are always the first attraction guests want to go on and the last thing they want to do before they leave, says Cathy Scherbarth, regional group sales and marketing director for Boondocks. She says one of the FECs
Chimelong Water Park in China
Cover Story
New A
Atlantis, Paradise Island in The Bahamas, has plenty to keep guests busy. The destination resorts newest tower, The Reef, caps a $1 billion expansion, which has seen the launch of Aquaventure, a 63-acre continuous waterscape containing more than 5 million gallons of water, waterslides, a mile-long river ride, and special effects. Theres Dolphin Cay, a new dolphin interaction and education center, complementing Atlantis huge marine habitat that plays host to some 50,000 animals. Or you can simply sit on the beach and soak up the Bahamian sunsets.
Blue Is
PHOTO BY TIM AYLEN
the Green
ATLANTIS BLUE PROJECT IS DETERMINED TO SHOW HOW CONSERVATION CAN ALSO BE GOOD BUSINESS
by Juliana Gilling
Aerial view of Atlantis resort
PHOTO COURTESY ATLANTIS
And now, thanks to the resorts conservation-oriented Blue Project and Blue Tourism programs, you can feel even better about doing so. The ideas for The Blue Project and Blue Tourism flowed in from different parts of the Kerzner International organization, which owns and operates the resort. In SOS IS THE SEA LIFE AQUARIUM 2005, the company pledged more than $5 million over NETWORKS ENVIRONMENTAL PROfive years to the Kerzner Marine Foundation (KMF). GRAM. Its our way of raising awareIt was the catalyst for a series of initiatives designed ness of marine conservation issues, to increase awareness and protection of the marine enabling our visitors to register their world. The Blue Project, funded by KMF, began support and, in some instances, make a in December 2007. direct contribution to safeguarding the Debra Erickson, KMFs executive director, future of our seas and its inhabitants, says picks up the story: When you look at conservaSea Lifes head marine biologist, Rob Hicks. tion funding, its shocking to find out that 99 Over the past seven years, the campaigns percent of environmental funds go to terressuccesses have included several SOS petitions, trial based concerns. Only 1 percent goes to including one delivered to the European Union, the ocean, although it makes up more than in conjunction with the Shark Trust, which helped 70 percent of our planet. to bring about a ban on the shark-finning industry Yet evidence of the threats facing in European waters. Another SOS appeal raised sufmarine ecosystems is stark. In July, ficient funds for work to get under way on a new turtle new research published in the rescue center on the Greek island of Zakynthos, journal Science consays Hicks. cluded a
A new development is the Junior Sea Life Conference, with two events held recently in Berlin and Birmingham, UK. Youngsters ages 10-14 gave passionate presentations on topics ranging from overfishing and seal culling to shark finning and coral reef erosion. As the presentations voted most impressive at these events were both on the subject of whaling, this may become the subject of our next SOS campaign in 2009, says Hicks. In addition, Sea Life and SOS are engaged in the ongoing rescue of seals and other sea creatures in distress, as well as breeding and research programs. www.sealife.co.uk
Sea Life Sends an SOS for Marine Conservation
third of the worlds reef-building coral species are facing extinction through climate change, coastal development, overfishing, and pollution. Large reef areas could be lost within 50 to 100 years. The fallout for biodiversity and economies would be devastating. The economic value of the worlds reefs has been estimated at more than $375 billion each year, according to the United Nations Environment
Atlantis is the only facility in the Western hemisphere to display manta rays, one of which is seen here.
PHOTO BY TIM AYLEN
The company realized that, long term,

it had to become involved in conservation efforts because our properties lie in some of the most beautiful places in the world.
Programme (www.unep.org). With the help of a group of independent scientific Caption advisors, Erickson identified three prioritiesmarine protected areas, coral reefs, and cetaceans (whales and dolphins) with the aim of funding scientific research, education, and public outreach activities. KMFs resources are spread across three geographical areas linked to Kerzner properties, namely The Bahamas, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The company realized that, long term, it had to become involved in conservation efforts because our properties lie in some of the most beautiful places in the world. It was our responsibility to help protect these jewels.
Debra Erickson, KMFs executive director
First Steps
KMFs first project was to protect the waters of Andros Island in The Bahamas, supporting the efforts of The Nature Conservancy and its local partners, The Bahamas National Trust and Bahamas Sportfishing Conservation Association. The island [Andros] is the largest land mass within The Bahamas; it encompasses 40 percent of all the land in the country, says Erickson. The western side is amazing; its pristine. Its an absolutely critical habitat for The Bahamas because its a nursery area for a lot of the fish, sharks, and marine wildlife. The Andros Island project partners embarked on a threephase plan. First, they enabled scientists to carry out a rapid ecological assessment, analyzing the areas biodiversity and habitats. Next, the team worked with local people to establish a sustainable management plan. The third and current step is the development of legislation to designate Andros Islands western side as a protected marine area. Its great to see Bahamians leading a project to protect their own resource, says Erickson. Through their work, the country has made a pledge to set aside 20 percent of its marine areas for protection by 2020. Were hoping Andros Island will be one of the first. Ericksons been touched by the response from inside Kerzner, too. It was just heartwarming for them to come back and say, Wed like to expand our efforts in The Bahamas. Were now looking at New Providence island, focusing our efforts here on the coral reefs where we have the majority of the population and the tourists, she says.
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Atlantis' Royal Towers hotel complex overlooks several marine lagoons.

Conservation = Good Business?

Mark Gsellman, senior vice president/general manager of marine and waterparks operations at Atlantis, believes any company, resort, or amusement park has an obligation to support environmental and community efforts. Beyond the feel-good factor, it makes commercial sense, says his colleague Michelle Liu, vice president of marine aquarium operations at the resort. Ultimately, we benefit because we depend heavily on the oceans, she says. Our guests come to Atlantis to see the animals, to snorkel, to use our beaches. If you have no coral reefs out there, youll have nothing for the guests to see. While Erickson is spearheading conservation efforts through KMF, the Atlantis marine team is involved in Blue Adventures, part of the Blue Tourism concept evolving at the resort. The Blue Adventures planners at The Reef can arrange for guests to don an air helmet and walk into a shark tank, go scuba diving on a reef, or experience snorkeling and snuba (a less-intimidating combination of scuba and snorkeling). Aquarists from Atlantis join each Blue Adventure tour boat, giving guests a deeper insight into the marine environments theyre visiting. There are more opportunities to learn about marine wildlife through the Discover Atlantis programs, Atlantis Kids Club activities, and the Dolphin Cay interaction and education center. The hope is youll appreciate Atlantis and the whole thematic envelope around you, as well as the environment wrapped around it on the outside, says Gsellman. Once were working physically on programs that deal with the conservation of reefs in our local areathrough The Blue Projectwe hope to not only educate guests, but present them with a hands-on opportunity to participate in research and conservation programs. We want them to understand the marine ecosystem in such a way that theyll appreciate it more when they get home, he says. George Markantonis, president/managing director, Kerzner International Bahamas, recalls his own Jacques
PHOTO BY TIM AYLEN
A view of what Blue Adventures guests can see up close
Cousteau moment. I never even used to dive, until we got into this Blue thing and started talking about coral reefs. I thought, I need to see this and find out what its all about. And I wasnt the only one; many senior managers and people here were talking about this big concept. So I got certified to dive; then my family got certified. Suddenly, this whole world opened up for me. I developed an appreciation for something I was ignorant of before. If that impact is typical of the person we might touch at Atlantis, then well be doing a great thing. Well be creating awareness while giving pleasure. Guestwise, it adds another dimension for us as a business, too, Markantonis continues. Atlantis was always a great family resort. Now were dipping our toe in the eco-tourism waters. I think its going to take off and attract a new market for us. As soon as guests arrive at Atlantis, they are introduced to The Blue Project. Every guest knows that when they check in, $10 for every room in The Reef is donated to KMF and The Blue Project specifically, says Lauren E. Snyder, executive vice president of global communications at Kerzner International. Brochures explaining The Blue Project are placed around the property, and there is even conservation information on the back of every resort guest map.
Expanding the Eden Project

STAFF AT THE EDEN PROJECT, a futuristic eco-attraction in the UK owned by the Eden Trust charity, are raising further funds to expand their educational outreach programs. One of these projects is called Gardens for Life. It promotes partnerships between schools, children, and teachers, with the aim of sharing the learning that can come from growing food and gardening in different communities, cultures, and countries. More than 20,000 young people and 400 teachers, plus many families and communities (estimated at 50,000 people in total) across four continents have already participated in garden-based teaching and learning activities. www.edenproject.com/
The Eden Project
Dolphin Cay at the Atlantis Resort
Actress Rebecca Romijn narrates a broadcast for the in-room televisions and Atlantis web site, and companies including American Express, JetBlue Airways, Melissa & Doug toys, Red Flower, Shoshanna, and Stuart Coves Dive Bahamas have jumped on board as partners. Guests are exposed to as much in the way of ocean-based information and experiences as they want during their stay, without forcing the issue, says Snyder. Liu adds: Its about sharing with people how these issues affect them, even though they may not be living near the ocean or on an island. Everyone relies on the ocean in some way and every action that goes toward conserving it would help. People are so engaged that they want to come back and find out how they can become more involved.
Committing to the Community

The need to raise awareness of marine ecology extends to the Bahamian community, says Erickson: Its hard to believe, but the majority of Bahamians dont swim. Its difficult to develop an appreciation for the underwater world if the most you get in the water is up to your knees. Its vital we facilitate coral reef education programs for schoolchildren and local community members. Our employees are a great way to start. Weve developed a module to share with them an overview of The Blue Project. Markantonis says: You can imagine the ripple of pride
Connections 2009: See Atlantis Up Close

IAAPA's new networking event, Connections 2009, will be held Feb. 24-26 at the Atlantis Resort. Don't miss this great opportunity to see a world-class facility and learn from the best in the industry. Here are a few highlights you can expect from the event: Dr. Roch Parayre of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania will explore how operators in this industry can find new market spaces and make competition irrelevant. Richard Dennison, director of Disney's Cirque de Soleil show, "La Nouba," will discuss how the production came to be and how it is has utilized the Blue Ocean Strategy to be successful. Explore Atlantis' key attractions. Go behind the scenes through Atlantis' main operation areas, including food and beverage, waterpark operations, the Blue Project, and more. Relax and connect with colleagues and friends during the receptions and the closing gala. Visit www.IAAPA.org/expos/connections for more information.
and diligence that goes through our employees [more than 97 percent are Bahamian]. Its their country; they live here. This is the legacy they will leave behind for their children. Surely skeptics might argue The Blue Project is still just a drop in the ocean for a corporation the size of Kerzner International? Weve pledged $5 million over five years for KMF as a baseline, says Snyder. Weve contributed an additional $1 million for The Blue Project in its first year. With a proportion of our room rate and proceeds from the dolphin swims at Dolphin Cay in The Bahamas (and eventually Dolphin Bay at Atlantis, The Palm, in Dubai), its endless. The bottom line is conservation is not free, its extremely expensive for us to operate. This isnt just a marketing ploy; weve made a hardcore commitment. Gsellman continues: Any operation is going to have an impact on the environment. In a perfect world youd consume 100 percent and give back 100 percent, but anything you can dofrom recycling aluminum cans to not washing towels every dayis a step in the right direction. We have to keep foremost in our minds that the objective is not only to minimize our impact on the environment but, hopefully, maybe even improve it. KMF and Atlantis are determined to lead the way for other organizations considering conservation projects, says Erickson. We can make a big difference because of the millions of people we touch every year, she says. It doesnt matter whether were a resort, an amusement park, a zoo, or an aquarium. If we all work to bring these issues to the forefront and support them, well raise peoples awareness. As companies are scrambling to understand and connect with the green concept, Markantonis admits: This country is not quite ready to go green; there is a lot of work to be done, infrastructurewise, by the government. But Blue is something we can do. FW
Juliana Gilling is a specialist attractions journalist. E-mail: julianagilling@gmail.com
MAINTENANCE
A Smooth Ride
Routine water slide checks prevent major problems
by Mike Bederka
THE DAYS START EARLY AT MANY WATERPARKS. At Hyland Hills Water World, for example, the maintenance staff arrives at a barely sun-splitting 6 a.m. The Denver, Colorado, park opens to the public four hours later, so crew members have plenty of time to survey the 64acre facility, explains Steve Loose, general manager. On the list of important duties: examining the parks many water slides. Routine checks like this help to create a culture of safety, save money in the long term, and increase the longevity of rides. Water World has some slides that date back more than 20 years, Loose says. Waterslide maintenance is key to any successful operation.
SeaWorld San Antonio in Texas also has stringent testing in place. Two departments at the Texas park examine the slides daily, says Tim Morrow, director of operations. The maintenance team inspects the slides from base to tower, looking for cracks, loose hardware and railings, leaks, or abnormalities in the fiberglass, like splintering or spider webbing. When they feel comfortable that everything is good to go, they will green tag the ride, which gives operations permission to start their checks, Morrow says. Operations will look for some of the same things, but they also make sure slides remain free of trash and debris. In addition, they check the stoplight dispatches, the audio system that announces safety instructions, and the network where employees can call the base operator. Lastly, they get a little wet and ride each slide, Morrow says: We want to experience the same thing the guest is going to experience.
Additional Checks
Other slide safety checks occur less frequently but still remain extremely critical. Staff at Wild Wadi inspect the support structurecolumns and support beamsweekly for any signs of weakness or rust. If this is found, we will strip the rust off and repaint the area, Pogharian says. This also indicates water loss, so we will then locate and solve the problems cause. At Dollywoods Splash Country in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, maintenance workers look at the yield plates (the metal that holds up the fiberglass) for movement, says Mike Brown, director of operations for aquatics, maintenance, and safety. Also, on a weekly basis they check the sump pump pits and motors; twice a year, the slides get waxed. SeaWorld generally waxes the slides once a year or as needed, if they see theyre going a little slow, Morrow says. Other annual maintenance checks include a visit from a
Daily Inspection
Most waterparks maintenance and operations teams perform an assortment of slide safety inspections on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis, depending on the type of check. Before Wild Wadi Water Park in Dubai opens and closes each day, at least one engineering technician will inspect the nozzle flaps, ride joints, safety netting, ride rims, dewatering grating, and ride panels, says Gary Pogharian, director of engineering. If any of those areas needs attention, the staff deals with it immediately, he notes: When that is not possible, the effect on operations is assessed and the ride is opened accordingly.
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third-party inspection company that examines the park from top to bottom. The staff at Water World also suggests working with an independent inspector. Theyll go through every nut and bolt in the park, says Andy Maurek, manager of lifeguards. Theyll give us a list of things and prioritize them. Its a new set of eyes. Dont overlook the yearly maintenance, Loose adds. If you do, youre going to have a bunch of issues pile up.
Fashion Police
Employees not only have to monitor the water slides for chips, cracks, and other problems, they have to watch out for guests choice of wardrobe. Shorts with zippers and rivets can scratch surfaces and add to the normal wear and tear of the slides. SeaWorld San Antonio, for instance, posts signs at the waterpark entrance and in front of all the attractions notifying guests they must wear the proper swim gear, says Tim Morrow, director of operations. There is a gift shop in the waterpark for unprepared customers. The park might even offer them the employee discount to purchase new slide-friendly duds.
A Culture of Safety
All these checks can be time-consuming but, of course, well worth the effort. Guests remain happy and safe, and the maintenance helps prevent any ride shutdowns, bad press, and loss in revenue. Rushing water can be a tireless invader, and unimpeded small cracks could very easily turn into large ones, Brown reminds parks. That may mean the difference between a simple caulk job and having to cut out a section of the slide and put in new fiberglass. Therefore, waterparks must have patient staff members with keen eyes, he says. Most of his employees who perform the safety checks have worked there at least a few years. Experience rules at SeaWorld as well, says Morrow, a 12year vet. Its mainly a full-time team. However, all employees have the power to inform management if they see something out of the ordinary. We ask them to make the call and the ride gets shuts down, Morrow says.
Brown also wants guests to be active participants in the safety process. Customers occasionally think they felt something strange on the slide and inform an employee. Just to be safe, they stop the ride and have a staffer check it out. Most of the time the guest didnt ride properlydespite the safety instructionsand rubbed on the slide the wrong way. But situations like this highlight the need for everyone to be vigilant. In all our training, safety is No. 1, Loose says. If you dont have a safe park, you dont have a park. FW
KIDTALK Thoughts on All Things Water Related

Straight from the customers mouth
by Keith Miller FOR THIS EDITION OF KID TALK, we asked our 15year-old park expert, Austin Riggsbee, to talk about waterparks. Austin tells us what waterparks are doing that he likes and doesnt like, his favorite things to do at waterparks, and what hed like to see waterparks do that theyre not doing now. Austin lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has visited stand-alone waterparks, both large and small, waterparks operating within amusement parks, and one indoor waterpark. FUNWORLD: Whats your favorite type of waterpark ride? Austin Riggsbee: Tube rides that take you through rapids theyre fun. You go fast, and they can be in the dark so you dont know whats coming. You can also ride with other people. Slidesin fact, all of the waterpark ridesneed to have stuff like waterfalls and rapids and obstacles. FW: Whats your favorite type of waterpark slide? AR: I dont really like any of the old slides because of the seams. My favorites are the ones that use innertubes because sometimes there are waterfalls at the start and during the ride, and you can go so fast. FW: Is there any other kind of waterpark attraction you really like? AR: I like the big dumping buckets and the extreme water zones with obstacle courses, monkey bars, ziplinesstuff like that. FW: What about some of the more exotic waterpark attractions, such as the FlowRider? AR: I think theyre really goodanything thats different is good. FW: How do you feel about immersion or interactive experiences, like swimming with marine animals? AR: Yeah, I like that, as long as they are animals that dont attack you! FW: Youve said you like heavily themed rides at amusement parksis the same true for waterparks? AR: Yes. Ive seen the animation online for Dragons Revenge [Schlitterbahn, New Braunfels, Texas], and Id really like to ride one like that! FW: Would you like a waterpark to have a cashless system for food and merchandise? AR: Sure. If you forget that your money is in your pocket and you jump in the pool, it gets wet. It also stops you from losing your wallet and your money, and you dont have to use lockers. I dont use lockers because I dont want to take stuff in that I have to keep track of. FW: How important is it to you that a waterpark have a raincheck policy? AR: Really important, because when its storming, you really cant do anything else at a waterpark like you can at an [amusement park]. FW: Do you like dry ride amusement parks that have a waterpark inside? AR: As long as you dont have to pay for it separately. Then you can ride the rides for part of the day, and when it gets hot, you can go swim at the waterpark, then go back to the rides later. FW: What do the waterparks youve visited not offer that youd like them to offer? AR: Many, many more water fountains. I think sometimes they dont have water fountains because they want people to buy drinks, and thats not nice to your customers and its not good in the heat. Id also like a lazy river thats not so lazy, but goes fast in places and has rapids, like the one at Soak City [Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio]. FW
Q&A
Changing with the Times
JUMANA KHOURY IS GENERAL MANAGER AT WONDERLAND DUBAI, an entertainment center with both a theme park and waterpark that opened in 1996. One of the primary reasons for building Wonderland was to focus on incorporating new ride concepts. Khoury has experienced the industry from many angles, having worked in entertainment sales and marketing for six years and moving to her current position from operations manager of the park. She tells FUNWORLD of the importance of adapting to current trends, engaging in effective advertising, and reacting to Dubais expansion.
FUNWORLD: What are some of your biggest and most exciting challenges on the job? Jumana Khoury: The biggest challenge is the industry itself and how to adapt to it. The good challenge is the know-how of the full aspect of the entertainment work and how to deal with customers for better services. The things I enjoy most in the park are the need to multitask and learning how to create the right communication chain between management, employees, and customers. Its important to be well-rounded; fortunately my background in entertainment has allowed me to deal with all aspects in the industryfrom designing to operating to managingso I can follow up on the new industry trends. FW: What lessons do you use from your marketing experience when increasing your number of guests? JK: The best way to keep your guests loyal and to gain more is to provide a good and safe service, along with a potential marketing strategy and media campaign targeting the right customers and getting their attention directly. We also draw in large groups by hosting events and corporate day outs, and by keeping guests engaged with music and bands.
FW: Does the rapid development in the Middle East change your marketing perspectives? JK: The growth in the industry in the Middle Easteven the growth in competitionis an added value for us, as the market is large and always needs more attractions. Here in Dubai there are so many aspects of entertainment available for customers. And on top of that, new technologies for rides are being presented in the industry each day. Guests are going to be satisfied by new and affordable attractions, so this new competition only gives us motivation to better the company; it pushes us to find new creative concepts that no one else has. FW: With all the interest, how does this affect your flow of employees? JK: We dont have much of a problem with losing employees since we have many different nationalities working for us. Our employees are wonderful and very loyal as we motivate them with events throughout the year and we find different ways to reward them annually, including bonuses. But in larger companies in Dubai, the employee turnover is becoming a big issue, especially with expatriates who come to work for one to two years and then leave. FW
MIDWAY
M&S Minute Mimicking Mother Nature

Morgan Brown is determined to bring a sustainable energy solution to United States swimming poolswithout chemicals
by Marion Hixon
NATURAL SWIMMING POOLS COMPLETELY VOID OF CHEMICALSARENT A COMMON SIGHT IN NORTH AMERICA, but Morgan Brown wants this to change soon. Brown is president of Whole Water Systems, manufacturers and suppliers of natural swimming pools (NSP), which are an accessible source of sustainable energy. I actually do want to save the world, he says. The phrase seems clich, but Brown has tangible plans and ideas to back up such a statement. After spending part of his career in high-technology management everywhere from Germany to Seattle for companies like Siemens and Microsoft, he followed a passion for environmentalism and sustainability and founded Whole Water Systems with engineer Patrick Fitzgerald and biologist John Grove, who had pioneered natural water treatment systems using constructed wetlands. Natural swimming pools evolved in Austria and Germany in the 1970s for individual residences and were approved for the public by health officials in 1990. Since then, the trend has rapidly increased in Germany, due to its economic benefits. In 2007, Whole Water Systems licensed technology from BioNova, manufacturers of public and residential natural pools, to bring the product to the United States. NSPs function as carefully engi-
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Benefits of Natural Swimming Pools

Installation is typically less than conventional chemical pools Maintenance is greatly reduced Heating costs are often nonexistent because wetland filtration zone warms the swimming area No chemical costs
neered natural ecosystems, which rely on natures equilibrium to keep water clear and allow pathogens to be consumed before they can do any harm. We create an ideal environment for wetland purification and then stand
A public natural swimming pool in Bad Abbach, Germany, which can accommodate up to 1,440 people.
back and let Mother Nature do her thing, Brown says. Since NSPs have no chemical costs, use less energy, and have much lower maintenance requirements, their life-cycle costs are more attractive than conventional pools. These economic and environmental benefits are the reason Brown thinks its only a matter of time before NSPs come to the United States. But because of their gradual move, it may be difficult to envision what their implementation in the attractions industry will look like. Early adopters include hotels and resorts, Brown says, specifically ecofriendly facilities. NSPs can be built for indoor and outdoor use, and while they arent heated like conventional pools, if the outdoor weather of an attraction isnt built for winter swimming, the pool can double as an ice rink. Factors of size and style are not limited by the technology, Brown says. An NSP could be an Olympic regulation swimming pool, a swimming hole in the woods with water plants, or a full-throated waterpark. Brown and the staff at Whole Water Systems know the idea of unconventional swimming pools may be met with some resistance, especially when considering public health standards. It will take time to convince individual health officials, he says. But open-minded professionals are generally very impressed by the European NSP health record, citing the fact that there has never been a case of cryptosporidium in an NSP. The company also plans to tout the financial benefits of natural systems, while still stressing the sustainable aspects of its technology. The hospitality industry is under tremendous competitive pressure to go green, Brown says. In answer to that need, he says Whole Water Systems has a number of product ideas in the pipeline for purifying water using natural methods. Natures a brutal test lab. FW www.wholewatersystems.com
MIDWAY
Waterpark Report
The Latest on T rends, Finances, and Staffing by Marion Hixon
TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WATERPARK INDUSTRY are constantly churning wave pools of reinvention, yet the basis of each facility requires a stable financial foundation and consistency in operations. FUNWORLD talked to Andy Maurek, assistant manager of safety operations at Hyland Hills Water World, and George Rohman, operations manager at Moreys Piers & Beachfront Waterparks, and got their outlook on topics ranging from finances to hot new food items. FUNWORLD: With the current state of the economy, how are you cutting costs while not compromising the customer experience? Rohman: We have adjusted and somewhat reduced our capital and operational spending plans for 2009. Taking a conservative spending approach in 2009 would be prudent and is good business sense. We hope to grow our weekday admissions specials, which offer a unique discount admission special on each weekday. This program was successful in 2007 and 2008, and growing midweek business is an important component in our growth strategy. Maurek: Were definitely tightening our preseason spending by holding back on a few annual purchasescomputers and small infrastructure itemsand were holding prices, which we were originally raising. To draw guests, were looking into viral marketing but may wait a year depending on computer purchases. FW: Do you see advancement in the waterpark resort industry in the near future? Rohman: Absolutelywe think this concept will only grow in the future. Families are always looking for unique and immersive experiences to enjoy while taking a vacation. Recently, it appears families are taking several shorter vacations as opposed to one long vacation, and waterpark resorts fit this need very well. Maurek: But we are losing some of the waterpark resorts as fast as they open so it will be interesting to see if the pipeline of resorts stays full. FW: Given the current economic climate, how will you adjust your hiring and recruiting plans? Rohman: We do feel that the current world economic environment may impact our international recruiting efforts this year, so we are monitoring them closely. Maurek: We are looking at a good recruiting year as the high unemployment rate usually drives older people into jobs traditionally filled by 16- to 22-year-olds. When younger employees cant find their traditional positions, they come to us. FW: What factors are you taking into account when adding rides for the coming season? Maurek: We take into account factors of capacity, thrill, and target market; then we try to find the best ride to fit whichever category were trying to service. Rohman: Recently, it seems attractions offering an interactive experience for an entire family are growing in popularity. MulMaurek Rohman tilevel play structures fit this mold very well since they can handle high-capacity crowds while offering an interactive play experience. In addition, multiperson tube or raft attractions (bowls, tornados, mammoth rivers, etc.) are popular as a complete family attraction experience. What new trends do you see in food and beverage? Maurek: With the exception of Dippin Dots and a few of the standards, food trends seem to be regionally accepted. We added sopapillas last season and they were a huge hit. We also put in kids meals like chicken tenders, smiley fries, and a kids bag with a temporary tattooa big hit which may work well for everyone. FW: What advice do you have for operators cutting costs? Rohman: Attraction selection and facility designs, which take staffing into consideration, will always have an economic advantage for a waterpark operator. Attractions designed with staffing considerations can only help with managing expenses and help operators with the end result. Maurek: Plan your park so you can use the least amount of staff; it is your largest ongoing expense. Try to become as energy efficient as you canit is your next biggest expense. Talk with your energy company before you buy motors, lights, heatersanything that uses energy. They can give you the best advice on saving money and possibly give you energy rebates. For an extended interview with Maurek, Rohman, and Scott Carothers, general manager at Wild Island Family Adventure Park, go to www.iaapa.org/blog. FW
George Rohman has been with Moreys Piers & Beachfront Waterparks in Wildwood, New Jersey, since 1997 and now serves as operations manager. Andy Maurek is the assistant manager of safety operations at Hyland Hills Water World in Denver, Colorado.
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Australias WhiteWater World saves water via a state-of-the-art filtration system.
ENVIRONMENT
Drop by Drop
Fine-tuning water systems to reduce the carbon (and water) footprint
by Lisa Anderson Mann
Luckily, small changes can add up quickly, and many water conservation measures may help reduce your carbon footprintand vice versa.
Conserving and Using Less

WhiteWater World in Queensland, Australia, recently endured its worst drought on record, lasting seven years and requiring emergency water rationing. Although the parks water conservation efforts were extensive, WhiteWater Worlds biggest water savings came from instituting a state-ofthe-art filtration system. Traditionally, waterparks use highrate sand filtration systems; WhiteWater World, however, uses regenerative media filtration. Water loss in WhiteWater World now runs at less than 3 percent, and the park uses almost 60 percent less water than many other parks, saving approximately 6 million gallons of water per year. According to experts, regenerative media filtration works using surface filtration across a media membrane surface versus the depth filtration of high-rate sand filtration. A regenerative media filter (RM or RMF) will remove particles down to 4-6 microns as compared to 10-12 microns with a sand filter and thus does not require backwashing, which is where most of the energy and water savings occurs. Scott Stefanc, program manager of Water Technology Inc., agrees regenerative media filtration is a huge boon in water conservation: We have been able to reduce water usage over standard high-rate sand filters between 70 and 90 percent. On larger facilities, this can equate to millions of gallons a year. Not only does it provide greater water savings, which is environmentally and fiscally prudent, but it also reduces utility and supply costs (chemicals, heating, etc.) and has a finer filtration standard making the water cleaner and safer to users. June Holaday, marketing manager for Neptune Benson,
THE IDEA OF REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT has gone from being a fairly esoteric technical exercise into a household term. You may have already measured your personal carbon footprint (a widely used assessment of carbon-dioxide emissions), but measuring an attractions footprint can be a much more complex matter. The sheer depth and breadth of managing an effective carbon footprint reduction program can be overwhelming some changes are large and expensive, but not particularly effective. Many changes are small and inexpensive, but they can occur in virtually every department and any corner of the property. And while youre attempting to reduce your carbon footprint, another footprint is gaining currencythe water footprint. According to the United Nations, two-thirds of the worlds populationabout 1.8 billion peopleis projected to face water scarcity by 2025. In the United States, water managers in 36 states anticipate shortages by 2013, a General Accounting Office report shows. Climate change and increased demand have caused groundwater reserves to be depleted, glaciers to disappear, and unpolluted water sources to be harder to find. Thiscombined with drought conditions in many parts of the worldhas led to a water footprint measurement similar to the carbon measurements, designed to reduce water usage.
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WHITEWHATER WORLD
ENVIRONMENT
manufacturer of aquatic filtration and reciring large-capacity toilets with more Carbon Footprint efficient smaller-capacity units, which culation systems, agrees: There is no backResources washing, so there is less waste. The media is use less water per flush. The results are World Resources Institute and safe to drain to municipal sewer, and the filsignificant, he says: the World Business Council ter cycle is extended to weeks or even If you assume 12 flushes an hour 10 for Sustainable Development, months as opposed to daily backwashing; hours a day, six days a week, and 50 www.ghgprotocol.org that eliminates the need for a holding tank. weeks a year, replacing 5.0 gpf [gallons Climate Trust, www.cliThe reduction in backwash water also per flush] toilets with 1.6 gpf toilets matetrust.org means that less make-up water needs to be would save 111,600 gallons a year. Water Footprint reheated and retreated with chemicals. SavReplacing 3.5 gpf toilets with 1.6 gpf Resources ing chemicals and fuel for reheating directly toilets would achieve savings of about Water Footprint Network, reduces the carbon footprint. 68,400 gallons a year per toilet. Replacwww.waterfootprint.org She adds, Our RMF filters operate at a ing 3.5 gpf toilets with 1.6/0.8 gpf highlower head compared to traditional sand efficiency dual-flush toilets would save filters, saving motor horsepower. When paired with a variable 85,500 gallons per year per toilet. If you assume you get 20 frequency drive, electrical usage will be cut up to 30 percent. flushes an hour, 10 hours a day, 6 days a week for 50 weeks a Since installing Neptune Bensons Defender RMF filters, year, replacing 1.6 gpf urinals with waterless urinals would Great Wolf Resorts waterparks use 80 to 90 percent less water, save 96,000 gallons a year per urinal. Replacing 1.6 gallon uriaccording to Steve Shattuck, communications director for nals with 0.8 gpf urinals would see a 50 percent savings, or the indoor waterpark chain. They arent cheap, but for water approximately 47,000 gallons per year per urinal. conservation and sanitation, they are second to none. Weve Great Wolf Resort in the Pocono Mountains swapped out augmented that with UV systems, which allow us to use the all its plumbing fixturesfaucets, toilets, showerheads, etc. least amount of chlorine possible, and state-of-the-art Menwith low-flow fixtures, saving 9 million gallons in 2008 and erva units that control air temperature, water temperature, reaching the return on investment in just 2.2 months. humidity, and air circulation to dramatically reduce water WhiteWater World tested waterless urinal technology in loss through evaporation. 2007, but it was scrapped; the waterless urinals couldnt keep Water pumps, as well as filters, can be energy hogs. Tim pace hygienically with the high-traffic usage in the park. Kiersz, a team leader for Nevada Energys efficiency and conservation department, says a great deal of energy saving can be realized by looking at pump size. Pumps at waterparks that lift and move water in wave pools and other waterpark features are much larger than most pool pumps, he says. A large waterpark may have as many as 25 or 50 pumps. It requires a lot of electricity to operate that many pumps. He adds, A pump is required to move the water at a specified rate of gallons per minute to achieve a desired flow rate. To do this efficiently the pump and the piping have to be sized correctly. An oversized pump and an undersized pipe make the pump work harder, which wastes energy, so this certainly is the best place for some potential savings to be realized.
Restroom Reductions
Retrofitting restroom fixtures can have a huge impact, according to Rusty Osborne, technical staff assistant at the University of Texas. He suggests replacn
ENVIRONMENT
Instead another method of low water usage has been installed, and all urinal systems are on automatic timers that are activated to flow twice an hour for 30 seconds at a rate of 9 liters per minute, says Angus Hutchings, safety and environment manager of Dreamworld and WhiteWater World. This still offers a huge water saving as the previous system used 80 liters of flush every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day.
A Water Conservation Checklist

Landscaping Use native or drought-resistant plants. Use mulch, if possible. Regularly inspect water systems for leaks or malfunctions. Water at night or in the very early mornings; avoid watering on very windy days. Install weather-based irrigation controllers to avoid watering on rainy days or over watering. Use pop-up spray heads with multistream, multitrajectory rotating nozzles to improve water distribution by about 23 percent and reduce watering times by about 22 percent. Use drip systems whenever possible. Consider installing a rainwater harvesting system. Replace lawns with xeriscaping (landscaping in a way that obviates supplemental irrigation). Dont mow lawns too short3-inch-tall grass better shades the soil and retains water. Add water-saving polymers or volcanic ash mixtures to planting beds to aid moisture retention. Water Features Provide shade over water features to help reduce evaporation. Use splash backs or retention pools. Consider regenerative media filtration systems. Install water meters on all water attractions and other water-using features to detect leaks or malfunctions quickly. Use recirculation with biological filters. Food and Hospitality Facilities Replace water-cooled ice/ice cream machines with air-cooled units for a savings of approximately 270 Kgals. per year. Alternative: Recover condensate and pump to cooling towers. Train employees to turn off faucets and hoses when not using and to run dishwashers only when full. Replace 4.5 gpm (gallons per minute) pre-rinse spray valves with 1.8 to 2.5 gpm spray units (used three hours a day can save 180 gallons a day per spray valve in addition to gas and wastewater reductions). Replace 2.5 and/or 3.5 gallons per dry pound of laundry conventional washers with 1.0-2.0 gal/pound laundry continuous batch washers. Recover air-conditioning condensate and pump to cooling tower basins. Replace aging conductivity towers to save as much as 800,000 gallons a year, or retrofit conductivity controllers to cooling towers. Guest Facilities Install water meters and monitor frequently to catch any leaks early. Install low-flow toilet and automatic urinals. Sweep sidewalks and paved areas with a broom or leaf blower; save the hose treatment for occasional use or obvious spills.
Checklist sources: Federal Energy Management Program (www.eere.energy.gov/femp/) Scott Stefanc, Water Technology Inc. Angus Hutchings, Dreamworld and WhiteWater World Rusty Osborne, University of Texas Food Service Technology Center (www.fishnick.com/equipement/sprayvalves) Bill Cunningham, PBS&J Entertainment and Hospitality Studio Julie Estarada, Legoland California Tim Kiersz, Nevada Energy Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Watersense, EPA, (www.epa.gov/watersense)
Every Drop Counts

Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta knows first hand what is needed to conserve water, particularly when getting through a difficult dry spell such as the one northern Georgia suffered in 2008. We invested about $250,000 into water conservation techniques that should help us conserve water long after the drought ends, says Hela Sheth, public relations manager for Six Flags White Water, SFOGs sister waterpark. Some of those measures included retrofitting all the bathrooms with water conservation fixtures, installing two wells, and purchasing a pump truck so water is pulled from two spring feed storm runoff ponds on the property for landscaping usage. But training is also part of it, she says, Things like educating the employees to not leave a hose running, or to wait and run the dishwashers only when they are full. Similarly, WhiteWater World in Australia created a Water Conservation Committee to look at every part of the park for places water usage could be reduced. The park switched to droughtresistant perennial planting, mulching, watering only at night, installing watersaving devices in all toilets, urinals, hand basins, and showersall of which helped the conservation effort. Liter for liter, the RM filtration has the most impact, but it was the combination of all our efforts that added up, says Hutchings. Like all Queenslanders, we realize that every drop counts. FW
Lisa Anderson Mann is a freelance writer specializing in travel/hospitality, marketing, technology, and food and wine. She is based in Northern California and can be reached at lisa_mann@comcast.net.
Special Report Adapting to Change

WITH THE SUMMER SEASON IN FULL SWING, facilities with water attractions in the United States are expected to comply with the Virginia Graeme Baker (VGB) Pool and Spa Safety Act. VGB constitutes new regulations for drain grates and sumps, requiring many pools and attractions to restructure their drainage systems. FUNWORLD talked with two waterpark industry professionals who have successfully complied with the act in preparation for the 2009 season: Franceen Gonzales, vice president of risk management for Great Wolf Resorts, and Chip Cleary, senior vice president of operations, waterpark division fof Palace Entertainment and first vice chair of the IAAPA Board of Directors. FUNWORLD: How did you comply with the VGB Act? Franceen Gonzales: If youre still in construction phases, like we were on our Concord, North Carolina, location, you can use commercially available products if theyre available in the size you need. In Concord, we modified our plans and our designer/contractor waited to order the grates. In doing so, they also had to make modifications, and deepen some of the sump pits. With our other locations, we used the field-fabricated method, which requires a professional engineer to design the drains to meet all requirements by getting raw materials and cutting to fit the designed drain. In these cases, our designer did site visits, evaluated each facility, and gave us recommendations on what to do. Chip Cleary: We hired a highly qualified engineer who has a good understanding of swimming pools, the VGB Act, and how the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has interpreted the law. Its important to be cautious and choose an engineering firm that fully understands the VGB Act. Then parks should form a relationship between their local board of health and engineer. FW: Describe any challenges you faced during this process. FG: The challenge is getting things done quicklyengineering time is in high demand right now. Operators need to work with their local regulatory agency to see if they have to go through a plan review or if there are additional local codes they could come into conflict with. CC: We encountered some daunting challenges. We first needed to survey each of our pools and drain grates, so we gath-
MIDWAY
Two industry professionals explain how they restructured their drain systems to comply with the Virginia Graeme Baker Act by Marion Hixon
ered specific data on each. There was also a lack of available products, especially in the larger-sized drain grates. That availability has somewhat improved for the smaller-sized grates over time, but is still somewhat of an issue with the larger custom grates. This is more complicated than going to the pool supply store and asking for a new drain grate. You really need to have a qualified person study your systems and make recommendations on various solutions. FW: How can operators prepare financially for this implementation? FG: You should be thinking about money per pool, as opposed to money per drain. The engineer is going to want to see the pool fully functioning with water in it to test it out. The evaluation is going to be the first expensesomeone will charge you for time, travel, and expenses. The other costs will be the work and the cost of the grates themselves. CC: As this process evolved, we realized it did not entail simply changing a drain grate; there were much bigger issues to be addressedengineering, testing, product cost, and certification. Its going to be more money than you first expect, and if you have problems beyond changing the grates, your expenses could escalate. FW: How have guests or government agencies followed up after your modifications? FG: When we completed our Concord location, the North Carolina Health Department wanted to see our compliance certificate, which our engineers provided. They were very happy to see that because they know a lot of places are struggling with the issue. CC: Were putting a VGB-compliant logo on our park web sites and in our parks. We were starting to get calls from guests and media, and this gives our customers the ability to see weve made the investment to comply with the law. Theres the potential for a sizable amount of media attention this season. Get the proper information so you can make the right decisions quickly and be prepared for media questions when they come. FW Visit www.cpsc.gov/BUSINFO/vgb/poolspa.aspx for detailed information on the act; IAAPA members can access a webinar on this topic at www.IAAPA.org/education/elearn/elearning.asp.
THE
OneStop Shop
How waterpark resorts are packaging classic experiences with nontraditional attractions to add value to the guest experience
by Marion Hixon
t the end of a full day at the waterpark, when guests have a long road ahead but arent quite ready to leave, many parks have found enticing ways to keep everyone on site. Facilities are using and creating amenitieson-property hotels, picnic pavilions, campgrounds, and open-air barsand coupling them with the water attractions theyre known for to lure guests in for a longer stay and transform them into regulars. This all-inclusive vacation adds value to the traditional daylong activity and expands what resorts have been doing for years. Waterparks are asking themselves, What else do we have to offer? Promoting an environment of family togetherness and constant stimulation can be a daunting challenge for waterpark resorts hoping to lure guests in for extended stays. Operators must decide how to make pricing packages enticing to customers while still growing the bottom line; how to offer enough activities without overwhelming guests; and how to keep attractions creative and fresh so guests want to return. FUNWORLD talked to three waterparks tackling this challenge in different ways: Great Wolf Lodge Resorts, an indoor waterpark with amenities ranging from a hotel to a childrens spa; Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, which features campgrounds and live entertainment; and Sandcastle Waterpark, a facility whose nightlife experience is separate but complementary to its daytime water activities.
Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio
Secrets to Success
Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, Great Wolf Lodge, and Sandcastle Waterpark, while vastly different in their makeup, all say listening to guests is top priority for creating a successful all-inclusive attraction. Get Feedback: Guest polls, focus groups, and staff reaction to new attractions and possible additions will be invaluable. The better you know your demographic, the more youll be able to provide for them. Understand your guests needs and expectations, then commit to excellence and ensure you not only meet those needs and expectations, but you strive to over-deliver, Jill Schmelzer, from Darien Lake, says. Have Patience: Melissa Kelly from Sandcastle advises activities will slowly gain popularity after traditional advertising and word-of-mouth marketing spread. It takes time to develop nontraditional activities and attractions, so have patience, she says. Plan in the Off-Season: Finding alternate uses for a facility when its normally closed is one way many parks are boosting revenue and being seen as wide-ranging in their offerings. Sandcastle has cashed in on this opportunity by opening venues at night after the waterpark closes, while Great Wolf Lodge conducts most group events after the summer when kids go back to schooleven renting out waterparks or parking lots when necessary. Similarly, Darien Lake extends its season with Fright Fest on weekends in September and October. The special event includes a haunted house and a family-fun area for pumpkin painting, among other activities. Reach Them Through the Web: Its helpful to have a well-designed web site as parents visit a facilitys Internet location before planning a family vacation. Great Wolfs web site allocates activities into age groups and includes a thorough guest services page. And all three parks have sites with easy-to-find booking and lodging options. Sometimes this visual helps convince guests to turn the visit into an overnight stay.
PHOTO GREAT WOLF LODGE
Great Wolf Lodge Resorts

12 locations throughout the United States and Canada GREAT WOLF LODGES OBJECTIVE is to encourage visiting families to spend most of their time together. This is reflected in the grandeur of the lobbys North Woodsinspired comforts: oversized couches, board games, fireplace, and the Clock Tower, a focal point to many of the lodges activities. Weve had people compare us to being a cruise ship on land because we provide everythinga comfortable room, wonderful entertainment, great-tasting food, retail outlets the whole visit means you dont need anything outside the resort, says Franceen Gonzales, vice president of risk management at Great Wolf Resorts. Its activities all day long not just the waterpark, she says.
Scoops, a specialty kids spa at Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington.
Amenities
Great Wolfs myriad spaces and services illustrate that customization and freedom of choice are top priorities. Employee input and focus groups are always a means of testingeven when buying new waterplay toys. Our target group is children ranging from 0 to 18, so we want there to be something for everyone Gonzales says. To keep ideas fresh and innovative, she says staffers are constantly asking themselves: Does it include the entire family, bring people together, and enhance their experience? Here are a few ways Great Wolf Lodge answered Yes to all three questions: LodgingThemed rooms include kids areas fashioned as cabins, tents, or wolf dens with bunk beds
and televisions inside. Giving kids their own space is one way the resort shows them theyre valued, and it gives parents privacy, too. MagiQuestSeven Great Wolf locations are equipped with this interactive laser game in which kids receive a wand and complete different quests throughout the lodge. It keeps kids coming back because you cant do all the quests in one stay, Gonzales says. ScoopsThe Aveda-branded spa for kids emphasizes good hygiene and fun, and its treatments are deliciously dessert themed. Kids pick their flavors and are pampered with services like a chocolate manicure or a strawberry pedicure. gr_8 SpaceThis tech-heavy spot for pre-teens and teens features karaoke, kid-conscious Internet access, green screens, and video games. Meanwhile, a tech jockey mixes music and constantly monitors the area.
Pricing Packages
All Great Wolf rooms include admission to the waterpark; features like Scoops, the Cub Club kids craft area, and retail shops act as add-ons. For families who plan on staying busy, the Lodge offers a PawPass VIP card, which bundles certain pay-as-you-go services, such as a free plush animal and tokens at the Northern Lights Arcade. Some locations partner with other local attractions to create special deals for guests. For example, Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio, offers a pricing package that includes admission to Kings Island next door. www.greatwolf.com
Teens enjoy the tech-heavy gr_8 Space at a Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington.
Sandcastle Waterpark
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania A LOCAL OASIS FOR RESIDENTS OF PITTSBURGH AND BEYOND, Sandcastle Waterpark is located on the waterfront overlooking the Monongahela River. Visitors see the venue as a trip to the boardwalk without the road trip, says Melissa Kelly, director of guest service and sales at Sandcastle. Our visionaries wanted to utilize the waterfront property to its fullest and create a one-day vacation for guests, she says. Once sunset hits, youre done with waterpark hours, so it made perfect sense to add nontraditional attractions.
Amenities
These nontraditionals include The Sandbar and Riverplextwo of the parks anchoring locales that have become popular community hangouts. Riverplex is a picnic pavilion for groups, events, and live music; and for 19 years, The Sandbar has served as an outdoor bar/lounge area with a dance floor, dining, an oversized hot tub, and boating docks. We want to attract guests who may not visit otherwise older adults who wouldnt think to come to a waterpark, Kelly says. Once they get here, they turn into waterpark guests. Sandcastle treats guests opinions as gospel and fine-tunes its offerings in response to visitor feedback and brainstorming sessions. Here are some of those attractions: Sandcastle at NightIn the evenings, the venue serves an entirely new demographic, and Fridays kick off each weekend with The Sandbar opening. Saturday
Night Swim extends pool time for swimmers who dont want to leave at sunset; and Sundays feature Dive-InMovies, where the wave pool turns to a wade pool at dusk and guests can watch movies like Kung Fu Panda from the water or on The Sandbars deck. DiningIn addition to the Tidal Wave Caf, which serves hamburgers, fruit, and salads, the park also offers a variety of catering and small-group meal plans. RiverplexTree-lined walkways, covered pavilions, a childrens play area, and a basketball court attract organized groups and large family gatherings. Riverplex is operated in conjunction with Sandcastle, but guests can rent it separately. Jukebox Sunday NightsThe weekly Sunday-night event has earned Sandcastle the reputation of Pittsburghs Premier Oldies Resort. Local radio DJs play oldies music while guests, usually the 60-and-older crowd, dine and dance.
Pricing Packages
Most of Sandcastles guests are locals who highly value the season pass, which allows for unlimited visits to the park and nighttime events, free parking, a Bring a Buddy Free Day pass, and food and merchandise discounts. Sandcastle doesnt have on-site lodging but has partnered with local hotels for discountsa perk offered through the parks web site. Group events such as corporate gatherings and reunions are commonly held in the Riverplex pavilion, and Sandcastle customizes packages for groups with certain activities in mind including catering, waterpark admission, or Sandcastle at Night. www.sandcastlewaterpark.com
PHOTO: SANDCASTLE WATERPARK
People tell us they can't believe something like this exists right next to the cityits a very serene and beautiful area, says Melissa Kelly, director of guest service and sales at Sandcastle Waterpark. Guests dine and mingle on the deck of The Sandbar, the open-air bar and lounge that serves as Sandcastle's nighttime entertainment venue.
Darien LakeTheme Park Resort

Darien Center, New York DARIEN LAKE IS ONE OF THE FEW outdoor theme park/waterpark combinations in the country that include admission to both parks and on-site accommodations. It was founded in 1960 as a campground, added its first waterpark complex in 1977, and kept expanding. Over the years weve added more than 100 rides, slides, shows, and attractions, says Jill Schmelzer, public relations supervisor at the park. She points toward the entertainment package, park attractions, and the Performing Arts Center as some of the reasons for visitors high return rate. From May to October, when the park is open and the sun is out, guests can take advantage of a full-days vacation, from sleeping arrangements to food and beverage, for which there are 40 stands throughout the property.
PHOTO: DARIEN LAKE THEME PARK RESORT
Darien Lake Theme Park Resort
Creating an All-in-One Experience

Keep guests busy day and night Consider each age group Plan based on customer feedback Bundle amenities for bigger savings
Amenities
By diversifying the attractions, Darien Lake thrives on repeat visitors, as well as specialized groups that bring in additional revenue. Operators balance the variety of guests with an abundance of attractions. We have to constantly be evolving with the times but also remember that we cater to all ages, Schmelzer says. Each year, the resorts goal is to add new amenities that improve the guest experience, like this years new Cabana Cove service. Other services at the park include: Campground and HotelIn 1998, the park built the 162-room Lodge on the Lake Hotel. Guests also have the choice of 600 campsites and 350 35-foot RV rentals, which sleep six people each. All accommodations include admission to both parks, and seasonpass holders receive a discount on their accommodations rate, Schmelzer says. The Performing Arts Center (PAC)For the first time, this year the resort featured a free spring concert series and will continue with more live entertainment. In May, tween-musical acts like Raven Symon and Varsity Fanclub performed at the PAC, which seats 20,000-plus guests. Meanwhile, interactive family shows like Survivor Live and Bob the Builder take place inside the park. Special EventsExtreme Sports Weekend takes place at the park in late June, which predominantly draws teens and college kids to see exhibits from BMX and extreme water sport organizations. Other special events include the nightly LaserBlast Spectacular show and Kingdom Bound, a Christian music festival in its 23rd year at the resort.
guests (theres no fence separating the two), Darien Lake is implementing VIP Thrill Seekers and Fun in the Sun packages this year. The Thrill Seekers package allows for special access to thrill rides, and Fun in the Sun includes benefits like a cabana rental, a meal at the parks Beaver Brothers restaurant, Darien dollars, miniature golf, VIP seating, and more. www.godarienlake.com FW
PHOTO: DARIEN LAKE THEME PARK RESORT
A family relaxes at Darien Lake Theme Park Resorts Lodge on the Lake Hotel.
Pricing Packages
We handle each group individually and if special arrangements are necessary, we do what we can to make it happen, Schmelzer says. In addition to full park access for on-site
To hear more from staffers at the resorts who work one-on-one with guests, visit
ww.IAAPA.org/blog.
MIDWAY
M&S Minute Get Creative
by Marion Hixon
WHEN SCS INTERACTIVE PRESENTED its StormSeries product line in 2006, the Denver-based company kept hearing, Can you change it around? Customers wanted to know how they could get creative with the pieces offered in the line and construct endless configurations. The answer was always, Yes, we can do that, says Steven Wagner, vice president of sales and marketing at SCS. But turning this common question into a practical application where customers could take the lead was the next step. The Build Your Own StormSeries tool that now graces the SCS web site places StormSeries pieces like the HexDek and connecting bridges on the right side of the page. Interested customers can drag the pieces over to the left and arrange them on a pool area layout to create the waterplay attraction that best fits their needs. Web users have four pool sizes to pick from, magnifying icons that reveal a side angle of each piece, an option to print their design, and an estimated price that correlates with what they built. After the experiment, customers are just one click away from submitting the final markup to SCS staff for consultation.
SCS INTERACTIVE
SCS sends its customers to the drawing board with a Build Your Own web tool
THE
Steven Wagner of SCS Interactive
Being Wise with Web Redesigns

The addition of Build Your Own StormSeries was part of an overall site redesign for SCS.The new scsinteractive.com emphasizes a connection to consultants and technical assistance for clients. But customer service was just one pillar of the companys new philosophy; after eight years and four web site designs, the company was keenly aware of its top priorities for the new site.
The idea originated when aquatics consultants Counsil1. Ease of use. We try to organize everything to be intuitive, so the cusman-Hunsakers Jeff Nodorft, tomer finds what they want immediately, says Steven Wagner, vice who proposed creating a Tinpresident of sales and marketing. This meant eliminating several kertoy-like set to give trade show cumbersome Flash components from the site. If a customer cant customers a hands-on experiget what they want from your web site in 30 seconds, theyre out of ence. Then SCS jumped a step there. ahead and took the concept 2. Fresh content. If you have a site thats antiquated with old images online. Putting that idea on a and data, it turns people off pretty quickly, he says, adding that the web page creates endless possicompany updates the site on a monthly basis and has a policy of bilities, Wagner says. reevaluating its capabilities every six months. Live since September 2008, Build Your Own StormSeries 3. Consistent look and feel. Part of SCS re-branding effort included a now serves as a vital component new logo and a uniform tone in design, including layout, fonts, and of the companys redesigned web color use. site (www.scsinteractive.com); 4. Direct access to customer service. We still have our toll-free number, the service continues to grow in but making requests on the web is a quicker and more user-friendly popularity and offers functionaloption during off hours, Wagner says. ity and a valuable visual aide to customers. StormSeries is the ideal fit to debut the online tool, as it has a fairly simple makeup with only three geometric shapesa triangle, square, and hexagonand can be connected by bridges on all sides. All shapes have the same center lines, Wagner explains. And the HexDek has become our number-one seller. With six sides, its the largest, and you can put stairs on one side, a bridge on another, and add four interactive components for a low cost. The value of play makes sense as the number of possibilities grows with the number of sides. A lot of operators are in the process of finding money for their projects and this gives them a good idea of what its going to cost, he says, adding that customers creating waterplay templates on the site will receive a predicted price within 20 percent of the final true cost. In the next year, SCS plans to expand its online catalog and give the Build Your Own treatment to the recently introduced HydroDeck and HydroStructure series. Were probably a year away from allowing customers to order directly online, Wagner says, explaining the most time-consuming element of that process is gathering high-quality web descriptions and images of more than 3,000 SCS products. Once we get it to where we want it to be, I think 80 percent of our service inquiries will come through the web. FW
SCS Build Your Own web tool
SCS INTERACTIVE SCS INTERACTIVE

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What are some tips for waterpark risk management?

What are some tips for waterpark risk management?

What are some challenges of keeping a waterpark fun for all ages?

What are some challenges of keeping a waterpark fun for all ages?

FUNWORLD COLLECTIONS

Aquatica by SeaWorld Orlando

A Day in the Life

Keeping it Fun for Everyone

A Big Trend Gets Bigger

34 16 Keeping Ahead of the Times

From Wasteland to Waterpark

Blue is the New Green

Kid Talk: Waterparks

Mimicking Mother Nature

A rendering of Schlitterbahn Vacation Village to open in Kansas City by 2009-10

Wat e r p a r k s E d i t i o n FUNW O R L D C O L L E C T I O N S 5 M ay 2 0 0 7 F U N WORLD 27

Wet in Other Ways

6 28 O R L DWORLDL E C TMOay 2 Wat e r p a r k s E d i t i o n FUNW F U N C O L I NS 007

Sea Trek at Schlitterbahns South Padre Island facility

Wat e r p a r k s E d i t i o nay FUNW O R L D FCU N WORLDO N29 OLLECTI S 7 M 2007

I wanted that cave guide job

36 F U N WORLD M ay 2 0 0 7 8 FUNW O R L D C O L L E C T I O N S Wat e r p a r k s E d i t i o n

Lemasters Plies the Waters

Off to the Big Smoky Mountains

Lemasters Grabs a Vision

10 FUNW O RWORLDO L L EMTay N 2 0 0Wat e r p a r k s E d i t i o n C IO S 7 38 F U N L D C

Wat e r p a r k s E d i t i o n M ay 2 O R L7 C O F L ENCWORLDS FUNW 0 0 D L U T I O N

For more information, visit www.waterwars.com.

Six tips from Moreys Piers on waterpark risk management

Build Your Own Waterpark in Orlando

Keeping Ahead of the

A Day in the Life

What is your typical workday like?

Are there any challenges that you face on a daily basis?

What made you decide to enter this eld?

56 FUNW O R L D J a n u a r y 2 0 0 8 18 FUNW O R L D C O L L E C T I O N S Wat e r p a r k s E d i t i o n

A Day in the Life

You have to motivate the team to succeed

What is the biggest challenge?

Who has served as your mentor?

What do you like to do in your free time?

How do you motivate your staff?

What are the parks safety procedures?

www.IAAPA.org J a n u a r y 2 0 0 8 FUNW O R L D Wat e r p a r k s E d i t i o n FUNW O R L D C O L L E C T I O N S

Dead Animals: Protocol

Keeping It Fun for

Shipwreck Islands focus groups

Competing with the Beach

Different Cultures, Different Approaches

A lifeguard stands at her post at Aquatica's Taumata Racer.

PHOTO BY BRIAN PEPPER/DIGITAL IMAGING DIRECT

PHOTO COURTESY BUSCH ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION

Commerson's dolphins frolic beneath Aquatica's Dolphin Plunge slide.

Baby Shamu and Friends

PHOTO COURTESY BUSCH ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION

Walkabout Waters is one of the largest waterplay structures in the world.

PHOTO BY BRIAN PEPPER/DIGITAL IMAGING DIRECT

More Worlds to Discover

PHOTO COURTESY BUSCH ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION

SPECIAL REPORT: Hotel Waterparks