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 Accesso Adds More to Mobile Platform Accesso, a ticketing solutions provider, brought its mobile application to this year’s Expo, highlighting its integrated approach to enhancing the visitor experience by combining content and commerce elements.
“One of the things we thought was strategic was getting into mobile marketing not just from a ticketing standpoint but also a content perspective,” said T.J. Christensen, director of business development. “From an attractions standpoint we can easily deploy a mobile application that is supported on the iPhone and Android, as well as a mobile-optimized website, and then tie commerce like mobile ticketing into it.”
Guests can view attraction schedules, buy tickets, receive push notifications, and utilize the GPS functionality to find their favorite attractions or locate facility services. Using the FriendFinder feature, guests can easily “see” and find each other when they’re in different places within an attraction.
www.accesso.com
 Alcorn McBride Creates iPad Apps, Two New Audio Products
Alcorn McBride, provider of show/media control systems, debuted two new iPad apps and two new audio products during IAAPA Attractions Expo.
One of the iPad apps works in conjunction with the V16 Pro show controller, allowing operators to view all the show control screens and have access to any functionality, “whether it’s checking your projector status, starting your show, turning on work lights after hours, basically any functionality your programmer builds in—you can use the iPad,” said Jeremy Scheinberg, CEO of Alcorn McBride.
The company also developed an app that controls lighting systems.
In the audio category, Alcorn McBride introduced Pro- TraXX and TourTraxx. ProTraxx is basically eight MP3 players in one box that can be allocated to different areas of a facility and can be controlled remotely. TourTraxx takes this same functionality and applies it to bus tours and can be connected with GPS and video content.
www.alcorn.com
 American Lighting Turns Walls into Attractions
American Lighting displayed its brand-new LED Wall Washers, which Sales Representative Nina Frieden said helped the company broaden its customer base to include more attractions and leisure destinations.
The Wall Washers consist of 36 DMX-compatible LED fixtures that can project up to 65 feet. Users can combine up to 30 Wall Washers and link controllers to allow for a synchronized lighting effect.
Wall Washers are energy efficient and low maintenance and can be customized to holidays, sporting events, or other theming. The fixtures can last up to 50,000 hours and are suitable for outdoor use.
www.americanlighting.com
 ATTI Lights Up the Trade Show Floor with Real Lightning
The ATTI (Applied Tesla Technology Inc.) booth was unmistakable on the show floor—it was the one with the real lightning.
Using high-voltage generators called tesla coils, ATTI can have a performer wearing a special suit actually “play” with the lightning generated, as part of a stage show. (The company demonstrated as much right on the show floor.) The company exhibited at Expo, pitching the product for inclusion in theme park and other attraction shows.
“We’re the only company in the world that’s insured for high-voltage special effects,” said Sam Barros, senior engineer for research and development. “We use controllable, predictable lightning effects.”
www.appliedteslatech.com
 Centaman Allows Operators to Monitor Reports from Phones
Building on its mobile solutions for consumers, Centaman, a provider of sales and enterprise solutions for the attractions industry, rolled out a mobile function for the owner/operator client.
Mo.B.I., the company’s new mobile reporting solution, allows busy business owners to access reports through an app for smartphones (including one specifically for iPhones and iPads), a mobile-based website, or text messaging.
“The segment we play into nicely is the owner/operator who’s got a park. It’s not a Six Flags, and it’s not a Disney that builds that stuff themselves,” said President/North America Mike Korbel. “The owner/operator can’t build that; they don’t have an IT department, so that was something that was driven by the level of customer we’ve been working with over the last year, and expect to continue working with.”
www.centaman.com
 Daniels Wood Land Makes Shooting Galleries More Dynamic
The Revolutionary Shooting Gallery by Daniels Wood Land puts a new twist on the traditional attraction with intensive, full-animatronic control systems, and the targets have multiple actuators for motion.
“We can program our targets to rotate through a range of responses and give a range of sound effects so the shooter sees and hears something different every time,” said company president Ron Daniels. “Our shooting galleries are an interactive ‘Country Bear Jamboree.’” It’s also the first shooting gallery to feature targets that heckle the shooter and crack jokes, he said.
www.danielswoodland.com
 Dietrich Offers Two Coasters for the Price of One Footprint
Coaster designer Jordan Dietrich unveiled a new type of coaster he dubs “Type 2,” where two complete sets of track are attached to a single spine, allowing one mile of track to be placed on half a mile of spine.
This allows two trains to run along a single spine simultaneously and even pass each other at thrillingly close range. Additionally, the two tracks can be designed to separate and run along separate spines and then come back together again.
 Fish Face Photo Booths Adds Twist to a Traditional Product
Guests can get the time-honored experience of enjoying a vintage-looking photo booth, but also share the photos virally within seconds with Fish Face Photo Booths. “You’re able to get in the booth, get your photo copy, but also e-mail them right away,” said company representative Beth Johnson. “What we wanted to do was keep the vintage classic look of the booth while updating it with e-mail capabilities and wireless capabilities.”
The product also features a patent-pending lift system that makes the booth easily portable. A hydraulic system is easily activated so the unit lifts. Operators can move the booth around on the attached wheels. The booth can also be custom designed to match a park or design.
www.fishfacephotobooths.com
 JackJaw Makes Pulling Stakes Easy
For years, the task of removing large stakes sunk deeply into the ground has been a major headache—and backache—for tents and inflatables. But now, JackJaw Extractors has made this task incredibly easy.
JackJaw’s patented jaw mechanism provides a positive grip that prevents the stake from slipping and also prevents injury to the users. By utilizing a fulcrum, when the user presses down on the JackJaw’s “lever,” the leverage created easily pulls the stake out of the ground. So, just 100 pounds of force pushing down on the lever creates an incredible 1,600 pounds of pulling power on the stake.
There are 11 different models, including one designed to pull stakes out of concrete.
www.jackjaw.com
 Kidspotter Develops High-Tech Child-Finding Device
Kidspotter is making its debut in the U.S. market with its high-tech kid-finding wristband. The product is equipped with GPS technology for outdoors and a technology called Zigbee, which locates children indoors.
Behind the scenes is where things get interesting, said Director Liam Darling, using the example of when a child is separated from both parents but neither parent is aware because they are in different locations. “We set up breaks in patterns for things that might occur. If a child walks outside a boundary, we raise an alert,” Darling said. “If he goes to the back of house, we raise an alert. So it’s not really just tracking; it’s total security for a theme park.” www.kidspotter.com
 Kwik-Covers Makes Going Green Easy
Rather than spending $80 on a new blue recycling can or having to routinely purchase another recyclable box, park operators have the option of using Syracuse,New York-based Kwik-Covers’ new product. The company will soon offer an inexpensive, reusable alternative for facilities looking to go green, saidDave Puglisi, the company’s sales and warehouse manager.
Kwik’s “recycle” PVC cover turns any 33- or 55- gallon trash receptacle into a recycle bin for bottles, cans, or glass, he said. The blue cover, marked with the universal white recycle logo, simply stretches over a facility’s exiting can.
www.kwikcovers.com
 Lazer Frenzy Unveils Double Maze
Lazer Frenzy, IAAPA Attractions Expo 2009’s Best New Product for FEC Ride/Attraction, has expanded its available line to attract a wider array of facilities, said Armando Lanuti, creative experience broker for Creative Works Theme Factory.
The double maze package allows for heavier theming and story line games, while the dueling maze package, which features two mazes side by side, lets players directly compete against each other. There’s a built-in viewing room for people to see both mazes and a window between them, so the players can size up and playfully taunt their competitors. “That gets the excitement level going,” Lanuti said.
www.lazerfrenzy.com
 Lo-Q Brings Virtual Queuing to Waterparks
Lo-Q, developer of virtual queuing for amusement parks, rolled out a new system for waterparks. Said the company’s founding director, Leonard Sims: “It allows 100 percent of park guests to avoid standing in line.”
This is accomplished by giving guests a Lo-Q waterproof wristband when they arrive at the park. From that moment, guests earn time credits, called Q-credits, which are measured and displayed on the wristband’s LCD screen. Each park attraction posts the number of credits required in order to ride. The guests compare this number with their total, and when they’ve earned enough credits, they can ride.
Meanwhile, they can swim in a pool, lie out in the sun, or eat at a restaurant, all while clocking up credits—and spending money elsewhere.
www.lo-q.com
 Medialon Combines Safety and Show Control Systems in One Interface
Medialon, an audio/visual control solutions designer, showcased its Showmaster iPro, a show-control system that brings together safety systems and traditional show-control functionality. The company developed this product with Siemens, at the suggestion of a theme park design company, said Eric Cantrell, sales manager for Medialon.
“We’ve created a low-level shared memory application that allows the PLC programming to interact with the show control programming,” said Cantrell. “You could take track sensors from a roller coaster and have them trigger lighting effects that are programmed by your show designer as opposed to your PLC programmer, who are often very different types of personalities.
“The idea is to take what has traditionally been a safety system and a show control system … and we’ve built it all into one box with very intuitive interface for communicating back and forth between the two sides,” he said.
www.medialon.com
 Sega Showcases 19 Brand-New Games
Sega brought in 61 cabinets, featuring 19 brand-new titles. Some highlights include the latest “Rambo” shooter; the driver “Grid”—“a terrific piece”; and the 13th incarnation of “Super Monkey Ball”— “a must-have for any place with redemption,” said General Manager Peter Gustafson.
Obviously, the heated competition with the home video market is still an issue, but he remained confident in Sega’s wide array of new products.
“You’re not going to play that at home,” said Gustafson, motioning to the 936-pound Harley-Davidson deluxe riding game with a 55-inch LCD screen. “Video is not dead. There’s still a wow factor.”
www.segaarcade.com
 Spudniks Brings Fresh Flavor to the Potato Chip Concept
Michele Revivo’s love for potato chips brought her to the industry. “Potato chips are my favorite snack food, and they are North America’s favorite snack food,” she said. “I wanted a fresh concept, and I wanted to have the ability to mix and match flavors; I love to create new flavors.”
Spudniks manufactures bulk unseasoned chips and offers traditional (sea salt) and bold (spicy jalepeno) flavors in her line of 16 seasonings, as well as gluten-free and low-fat products. The chips are made with no MSG, preservatives, or additives, and they are seasoned on site and served warm.
www.spudniks.com
 Tiny Towne Puts Kids in the Driver’s Seat
Pierre Maalouf, founder and CEO of Tiny Towne International, has built a town that any kid would love. Kids learn to drive by practicing on a simulator until they’ve earned 120 points through safe driving. This accomplishment, along with answering 340 questions, earns them a “license.”
The kids are able to drive five models of small cars around the streets of a small town named Tiny Towne. When a kid sits down in a vehicle, he swipes a card that gives the car his/her driving history and, depending on the kid’s driving “record,” the car determines how fast he/she can drive— between 5 and 13 mph. If the kid gets pulled over by the police for running a stop sign or some other violation—yep, Tiny Towne has cops—the driver’s score is reduced and the child may be penalized by having to wait for a timer to count down a time penalty before driving again.
www.tinytowne.com
 TrioTech Offers an Intense Dark Ride Experience with a Small Footprint
TrioTech Amusement featured its XD Dark Ride at the Attractions Expo and touted the fact that, unlike some traditional dark rides, it doesn’t take up thousands of square feet or cost millions of dollars.
“We’ve created a virtual dark ride, a simulation, but with very intense, full motion,” said Ernest Yale, TrioTech’s founder and CEO. “It’s like an Xbox 360 on a large screen that’s actually curved, and one of its big advantages is that it can be upgraded multiple times a year.”
The XD Dark Ride is interactive, utilizing what Yale described as “very fast guns,” and at the end of the experience, riders’ scores are shown on their ride photos. He said that even the smallest XD Dark Ride system has a capacity of 80 to 110 guests per hour.
www.trio-tech.com
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