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Maggie Blackert, editor, Waterpark Report
IAAPA Orlando 2003 was another exhilarating and educational experience for thousands of waterpark members and suppliers.
While the trade show floor was livelier than ever and waterpark suppliers’ exhibits often offered Standing Room Only, the educational sessions and waterpark events were exceptionally well attended and provided new and exciting material. Here are some highlights:
Educational Sessions
Engineering and the Eye
The safety of our guests is always the top priority at our facilities, and few guests realize all that goes into ensuring their safety and security in and out of the water. What park guests do see are lifeguards. Skilled, certified, and suited up, the lifeguard should make everyone in and around a pool feel secure. But if a lifeguard does not see the swimmer in trouble, nothing else matters.
|In Engineering and the Eye, Dr. John Hunsucker, president of the National Aquatic Safety Company, addressed a large audience on the science behind the single most important function our lifeguards have—seeing the person in trouble. Everything else involved in a rescue follows that.
Dr. Hunsucker explained the design of the eye and the conditions under which a guard can best view a victim. Using the seminar information, facilities can be better prepared to plan staffing and rotations to best protect their guests. Some of his key points included:
• Factors that reduce the ability to see are stress, fatigue, glare, drugs/alcohol, boredom, and any stimuli that might impact respiration or circulation. Look for signs of these stressors.
• Stress is more fatiguing than exertion.
• Eyes will narrow in bright light. Lifeguarding zones should be planned to avoid combinations of bright sunlit areas and shadowed areas.
• Bright light damages the eye and creates glare. Lifeguards must wear polarized sunglasses.
• Lifeguards should be trained on what to look for during a rescue. Interactive drills are important. A victim will not always be easy to spot.
• The most dangerous times in the park are at opening and closing because a lifeguard will not expect to see a victim at those times.
• Elevated chairs help reduce fatigue. The most natural position is looking down 15 degrees and straight ahead.
• Reinforce scan times and make sure guards’ heads are moving when scanning.
• Without exception, stations should change every 30-45 minutes.
• Training is the secret to success. Measure performance and let them know their results. What gets measured gets managed.
U.S. Waterparks Road Tested
The Waterpark Lounge was packed as Dr. Grant Goold, president of Goold Associates, presented the methodology for analysis of his 2003 cross-country waterpark expedition. He and his his wife and five children, all waterpark aficionados, set out last summer on a 35-day, 21-facility fact-finding mission. Dr. Goold explained the criteria used for the park evaluations and proudly reviewed the findings, peppering his remarks with the recounting of his children’s antics and commentary.
Overall, the parks’ scores were high, but Dr. Goold presented some concerns that facilities may want to review. For example, do the uniforms and personal grooming of your staff present the right image? Are you greeting guests in the entrance queue with an audio or video message—or better still, with a friendly staff member? How’s your safety signage? Do you have sufficient comprehensive maps? Do you have enough shaded or covered areas and lounge chairs?
Dr. Gould emphasized that the parks he visited exhibited an “overwhelming emphasis” on park safety and guest satisfaction, and that based on staff comments and customer service ratings, the facilities are doing a wonderful job in training. He added that he was impressed with the attitudes, dedication, and commitment of the people in the waterpark industry and expressed his pleasure and gratitude for his participation in it.
Planning in Uncertain Times
In this session, three living legends imparted their thoughts on the future of our industry, and the room was jam-packed. Marty Sklar of Walt Disney Imagineering and Harrison “Buzz” Price, inventor of feasibility economics for the themed entertainment industry, shared the stage with the father of waterparks, George Millay. Millay, who is best known as the inventor of two classic genres of our industry—Sea World, the first marine park, and Wet ’n Wild, the first waterpark—offered advice and direction to the waterpark makers of the world.
Millay cited two areas he foresees as prime opportunities—our riverfronts and harbors. There are a few developed with restaurants and an aquarium or a stadium, but too many waterfront locations have been neglected by our industry. They often suffer from physical decay and financial insolvency, and many are stand-alone attractions that need the support of small, complementary attractions that would appeal to a broad base.
Millay said possibilities to resurrect these facilities with an infusion of fun, aquatic-oriented attractions abound. It is an opportunity that he is excited about, and he advises young industrious minds to take a good look at our waterfronts because “there’s gold in them-thar waters.”
Millay’s second prediction is that the season of some U.S. facilities should and will double in length. Instead of operating a 100-day summer season and closing for the winter, he predicts a new species of park—the winter-summer park, which would close only between the seasons to gear up for the upcoming season. With the fabrics and garments available for warmth and comfort, it’s time to get people and their disposable cash out of their houses again for some winter family fun.
Waterpark Events
Waterpark Tour
Orlando’s most unusual water experience, Discovery Cove, accommodated several hundred waterpark tour attendees before opening for the day’s normal operations. The IAAPA morning-trippers were treated to continental breakfast fare upon arrival, followed by a tour of the swimming areas, aviaries, lush tropical landscaping, and operation facilities.
Throughout the tour, guides discussed the training, care, and feeding of the various sea life and exotic birds and animals, as well as maintenance procedures, guest services, and park policies. The 33-acre facility is home to 350 species of fish, including tropical fish, stingrays, barracuda, and sharks.
The park’s most notable draw is its Swim with Dolphins activity. For an additional fee, guests view a four-minute video meant to instill a feeling of kinship with the dolphins. During the swim, the park takes photographs of guests and their interactions with the animals and displays them for purchase in a gallery not far from the gift shop. The shop also offers a range of keepsakes, from logo merchandise to upscale apparel, home furnishings, and fine jewelry. Discovery Cove is open year-round from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and accommodates up to 1,000 people a day.
Waterpark Social
The fun was nonstop at Wet ’n Wild Orlando on Friday evening, where hundreds of partiers gathered for the Waterpark Reception. The by-invitation-only event held true to its promise of providing a light-hearted atmosphere of friendship, food, and music for waterpark operators.
A short ceremony took place in which the Waterpark Committee members acknowledged the sponsors of the event and honored Committee Chair Trey Smith and IAAPA VP for Membership Marketing Ana Elisa Benavent for their tireless work and dedication. The Waterpark Reception was made possible thanks to the sponsorships of Big Squirt!, Van Stone Conveyor, Inc., Mathews Paint Company, and Water Safety Products, Inc.
Awards
A number of waterparks and waterpark suppliers were recipients of awards presented for marketing and advertising, human resources, merchandising, and exhibits. This year the IAAPA Impact Award for the best new product at the trade show was presented to ProSlide Technology for the Tornado water attraction, the extreme tubing water slide. The ride, installed at four East Coast and Midwest waterparks for the 2003 season, uses the company’s Cloverleaf Tube, which won last year’s IAAPA Impact Award.
Regional Workshops
The Waterpark Committee has developed “Tools of the Trade,” a program with an educational component and networking opportunity for supervisors and staff unable to attend the IAAPA Convention and Trade Show. Each program is presented regionally and topics vary to suit the region. Please contact the IAAPA Education Department if you have an interest in hosting or attending “Tools of the Trade.”
