The trade show at IAAPA Orlando 2003 was a veritable tug of war, where technology gurus vied for clients’ attention by showing off their wares with flashy displays, rabidly passing out business cards, and promising to keep in touch. But no industry sector exhibited more tenacity than the ride photography companies. Eager to keep up with the advancing technologies and add value to their clients’ businesses, companies promise super-high-resolution, faster processing, video technology, e-mails, coupons, and much more. A few of the trade show’s big hitters were… >>>Photo-Opp The Newcomers Isn’t it so adorable when your five-year-old goes up and pets the giraffe, or when you spot a chimpanzee swinging joyfully from branch to branch? And how funny is the look on your child’s face after her first ride on the mine train? Could you imagine not having pictures of these precious moments? Plenty of parents don’t. Not because they’re bad moms and dads, but because they just forgot to bring the camera… again…for the third time…in a row. Photo-Opp President and CEO Patrick McIntyre has felt that pain. After fine-tuning a crazy idea he had about a camera rental business, he subsequently quit his corporate job to go make it happen. “One of the things I noticed as a single dad is, you always have the opportunity to get one picture at the ride, but I always want that the whole day, and I always forget my camera,” says McIntyre, who often finds himself purchasing those overpriced disposable cameras, plus paying for expensive processing. “With the digital imaging revolution upon us, I thought ‘wouldn’t it be a great idea get all pictures on a camera, integrate it with some software, and allow the park to get more recognition, and create more memories as well.’” McIntyre and his business partner Vice President Casey Spelman have made it so that camera-less parents can rent a digital camera from a Photo-Opp kiosk (about $20, depending on the park), spend the whole day snapping photos of animal encounters and ice cream mishaps, then return to the kiosk, where an attendant will upload the images and burn them on to a customized CD (about three or four dollars) for the family. It’s so obvious it has to work. And so far it has. Though the company officially debuted its product at the IAAPA show last November, it already had a few clients on board. The Milwaukee Zoo offered to help Photo-Opp field test the product during Halloween last year and hopes to be a Photo-Opp client sometime in the future. “It seems to be very operator friendly,” says Laura Pedriani, the zoo’s director of marketing. “And they totally thought the product through and how they would approach facilities. They looked at every angle at putting the product together.” Photo-Opp sells everything down to the CD case. Clients can choose from a selection of kiosks—an indoor kiosk, an outdoor, lockable, weatherproof kiosk, or a small counter for museums, all of which run between $20,000 and $30,000—a one-time purchase. This price includes the cameras, the CDs, software, shipping, installation, and training. All the materials—the CDs, packaging, kiosks, and the cameras—are designed by Photo-Opp. What’s more, Photo-Opp’s relationship continues after the one-time sale. For example, each CD face and case has a customized design. Even the slide show that clients flip through on their home computers is designed with a custom frame, which gives the park more exposure, and reminds the family what fun they had at that particular park. And if a particular park wants to change the background to a Halloween or springtime theme, for example, Photo-Opp changes it for an additional fee. Parks can also opt to have sponsorships added as hyperlinks to the CD, or paper coupons included in the inside pocket of the case. Waterparks can also get in on the fun. Photo-Opp offers the same kiosks with underwater digital cameras. Noah’s Ark in the Dells in Wisconsin currently uses this product. >>>Socrates The Technophiles It’s no mystery that conceiving of an idea, testing the product, and installing the new technology takes serious time. But for Fons Bakker and Pim Sonépouse at photography company Socrates, doing hard work in no time is just what they do. “About once a year a customer comes up with a crazy idea,” says Bakker, manager of desktop video at Socrates. “And there’s no one else able to develop it in a very short period. And we like to develop.” Most ride cameras are stationary and are positioned at a certain point alongside the track of the ride to get the best shot. In this case, Socrates was called upon to provide a solution for a rotating, swinging ride in Holland—in two months. The Netherlands-based company modified its hardware and created an “on-ride” camera, which is affixed to the ride itself, and, because the camera is moving with the ride, the background looks as if it is moving in the final product. “Since people are facing the middle, it was impossible to install cameras on the floor. So we had to place cameras in the middle,” Bakker says. On this particular ride, six cameras are affixed to the center column and each camera shoots a group of four riders. “In normal park rides you will see the background is always static because the camera is static.” The system works like this: A small computer with wireless connection on the server sends a signal to the camera, which then takes the picture at a precise moment. Once the picture is taken, it is sent to the XpressPhoto server, so customers can purchase the photo at the photo kiosk. The software and hardware—all of which is sold to the client as a one-time purchase—were created by Socrates for this new project. The company basically reinvented the wheel with this technology, and that alone gives Bakker and Sonépouse an immense amount of personal gratification. “For the customer, it’s like buying a regular system,” Bakker says. “For us, we get more out of it because we think it’s good to develop such a system.” Sonépouse, manager of digital imaging, adds: “All ride systems have a camera pole fixed on the ground and we still do that. Everyone is doing that. But no one is doing this.” >>>Skycore An Added Bonus What started out as a high-tech service for snowboarders has now been reinvented and repackaged for the amusement industry. Cambridge, Mass.-based Skycore, a division of SkiTag, facilitates and executes the transmission of ride photos from the park ride to people’s cell phones. Though the company might be jumping the gun a bit (not all cell phone users have the capability to receive images on their phones), it just goes to show how far ride photo technology is willing to go. “This is a big challenge because most people’s phones aren’t able to do that currently,” says Peter Rowan, vice president of sales, who believes cell phones with imaging capabilities will catch on. “But we’ve done some research and development and found that the amusement industry is perfect for this.” But Skycore isn’t just thinking of the consumer. The service, depending on the park’s needs, can include promotions and coupons. For example, customers will pick out the photo they want to buy, order the Skycore service, and in just a few minutes they’ll receive the image on their phones, along with a $5 coupon off a product or food item at the park, which encourages those visitors to come again. Though not an exhibitor this year, the company received positive feedback about its service. For more information, visit www.skitag.com. >>>Picsolve The Stalwart Also ubiquitous at the trade show was industry player Picsolve, a U.K.-based ride photography company that, while constantly improving upon its existing products—high-resolution ride photos, souvenirs, and more—is experimenting with expanding its offerings. For example, the company would like to find a safe and effective way to capture a rollercoaster ride on video, and it’s already done testing on a “ride” photo in an IMAX theater, similar to a feature at Futuroscope in France. “There would be 96 cameras in front of the seats at the IMAX theater. And when something dramatic happens in the theater, a giant flash goes off and takes a picture of every set of people,” says Managing Director Dr. Christoper Marvell. “So it’s a ride photo in a theater.” Having been offering such technology for 13 years in Europe, Picsolve, which writes and constantly updates its software, has been linked to household names such as Tussauds Group in the U.K. and Six Flags in Europe. The company’s recent move to the U.S. market with an office in Orlando has yielded more business with U.S. Tussauds attractions, as well as several rides in Las Vegas, including New York, New York and Stratosphere Tower, Picsolve’s newest client. A major upgrade at Alton Towers in the U.K. involved networking nine ride photo systems using the telephone network. All of the photos feed into a Central Processing Unit, where customers can pick up their photos and merchandise. “They pay for it at the ride photo system, but they collect it at the central production unit so the customer doesn’t have to walk around with the products all day long,” explains Sales and Marketing Director Karen Robinson. Picsolve has also added an e-mail service to its merchandise offerings at several parks. Customers can purchase an e-mail that is sent to them with high-resolution copies of their ride photo. Picsolve also gives customers an ID number with each photo, so they can log onto a web site and order more copies and merchandise even after they’ve left the park. Picsolve has also made headway in the DVD department. Currently at Madame Tussauds, customers can dance with a model of Britney Spears and buy a DVD of the performance. Picsolve is looking into expanding those video offerings to rides. “For years people have been asking for ride video, but there are so many challenges to consider,” Robinson says, adding that putting a camera in the back of every seat has never been done, and could pose safety risks, nor would it yield the photo quality that customers expect. “We shouldn’t jeopardize safety to sell a product,” says Marvell. “We could offer a technical solution, but we haven’t got one that I’m satisfied with.”Picsolve boasted 27 percent growth last year. It doesn’t hurt that the company exhibits impeccable customer service. Throughout the process of working with Picsolve, clients are in constant contact with technical advisers and creative professionals, who make sure the pictures are sharp, and the technology is working optimally. “What sets Picsolve apart is their attention detail, speedy response to faults, and superior knowledge in selling the best pictures quickly,” says Adrian Jones, group sponsorship manager of Tussauds Group. “Picsolve has built up a strong relationship with all of our sites.” >>>Jackson Digital The Mad Scientists Jackson Digital is without a doubt a top competitor in the digital ride photography realm. Just ask President and CEO Kevin Jackson himself, and he’ll tell you why: “I’m a mad scientist and I’ve been doing digital photography for 17 years,” he says unflinchingly, adding that he develops super-high-resolution photos at 36 megs per picture. “Most of my competitors produce at one meg per picture.” But Jackson doesn’t care about brand names or flashy advertising campaigns; he cares about delivering the best possible product to his clients. “I don’t want to be the K-mart or the Wal-mart of digital ride photography; I want to be the Neiman Marcus of digital ride photography.” Jackson Digital loans parks the hardware and the software in exchange for 30 percent of the sales. Part of Jackson’s formula for a high-quality photo system is ease of use. The trick with introducing new technology, in any industry, is training people how to use new software efficiently. In this case, Jackson has developed an interface whereby the employee at the photo kiosk can use a touch screen to select a photo and toggle between several photos, photo matrices, even photos from other rides. Jackson Digital also includes a central developing station— a popular trend at a number of parks—which is a one-stop shop for customers who might have purchased pictures and merchandise all over the park, but would rather not lug it around during the remainder of their visit. Like his formidable competitor Picsolve, Jackson has also gone three-dimensional, but not with just your standard-issue 3D photo. His 3D offerings include the stereogram, the product of two photos taken from each eye’s point of view. A special pair of glasses, different from the red/blue 3D glasses that are normally used, is required to view this photo. The standard 3D photo format is also an option. And while other companies are scrambling to find a suitable and safe way to provide digital video, Jackson has already tested this product. The camera would be placed in the front seat, as Jackson—agreeing with some of his competitors—says it’s just too complicated and unsafe to install cameras on every seat. Jackson’s clients include Dollywood and Warner Brothers in Australia, and the company is growing. “We often displace our competitors,” he says. “Each year sales have grown 10 to 15 percent.”