SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Each year, the Spirit of Excellence Awards recognize outstanding HR and training programs. This year, a new category of Best Employee Recruitment Program has been added to recognize the particular challenges of hiring the right person for every job.
2009 Categories:
- Best Employee Recruitment Program – NEW in 2009
- Best Employee Recognition Program
- Best Safety Awareness Program
- Best Orientation Program
- Best Guest Services Training Program
- Best Supervisor Training Program
Deadline September 14, 2009
Online Entry is required - Click here to enter.
Any supplemental items must:
1. Be received by the September 14th deadline
2. Contain 3 complete sets of all materials
3. Clearly reference the Company, Contact person, and entry category of the Online Entry that the materials are supplementing.
4. Be mailed to:
IAAPA
Spirit of Excellence Awards
1448 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Items shipped COD will not be accepted.
Incomplete items will not be considered by the judges.
Spirit of Excellence Awards & Souvenir Awards Winners will be announced together in Las Vegas at the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2009 in one exciting session. Join our expert industry panel representing Human Resources, Retail and Visual Merchandising as they present this year’s award winning programs. Hear from some of our industries leading member facilities about what it takes to develop award wining teams and products. This is both an educational and entertaining awards event, that you will not want to miss as you learn about the latest Retail and Visual Merchandise winning strategies, as well as what makes the worlds best Recruitment, Leadership, Customer Service, Safety, Orientation and Employee Recognition programs.
2008 Spirit of Excellence Award Winners
Winners were announced at the IAAPA Attractions Expo
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 in conjunction with
The World's Best Training Practices session.
The Spirit of Excellence Awards honor IAAPA members who are committed to excellence in training and professional development. From customer service training to employee recognition programs, the Spirit of Excellence Awards tell the world that you have the best team of talent in the business.
Award Categories
Category 1 “Best Employee Recognition Program”
-- Winner: SeaWorld San Diego
Category 2 “Best Safety Awareness Program”
-- Winner: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Category 3 “Best Orientation Program”
-- Winner: Morey's Piers & Beachfront Waterparks
Category 4 “Best Guest Services Training Program”
-- Winner: Warner Village Theme Parks
Category 5 “Best Supervisory Training Program”
-- Winner: Wild Wadi Water Park
Left to Right: Shaun McKeogh, Warner Village Theme Parks; Corrine Brindley, SeaWorld San Diego; Dino Fazio, Morey's Piers; Marius Van Deventer, Wild Wadi Waterpark. Not Pictured: Janet Miller, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Best Employee Recognition Program:
SeaWorld San Diego in San Diego, California, United States, won the Best Employee Recognition Program category. Their program, “Gratitude for Attitude,” rewarded employees with more than 130 raffle prizes after recipients earned Gratitude Cards for exhibiting the park’s standards. Workers were also nominated as World Class Service Members, with six winners receiving a prize. At completion, SeaWorld San Diego saw a 36 percent increase in positive guest comments, exceeded all safety goals, and retained more than 350 additional seasonal employees.
Best Safety Awareness Program:
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, won the award in the Best Safety Awareness Program category. The zoo included the tenants of “Safety, Secure, Sort, Sustain, and Sweep” in their “Five Safety Secrets” theme. Training staff engaged employees with video-, written-, and hands-on training, while covering topics such as CPR, Automatic External Defibrillator use, emergency action plans, and respirators. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo measured its success in a stellar emergency response record. They also achieved zero on-the-job accidents.
Best Orientation Program:
The winner of the Best Orientation Program category was Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks located in Wildwood, New Jersey, United States. In its “Moreyentation” program, the company combines basic-knowledge like park history, procedures, and guest interaction, with energetic trainers and tools like Game Show Pro, which involves testing trainees in a game show setting. The program generated a 20 percent increase in positive guest comments at Morey’s Piers.
Best Guest Services Training Program:
Warner Village Theme Parks (WVTP), a subsidiary of Australia’s Village Roadshow, in Gold Coast, Australia, won the Best Guest Services Training Program category with its “Be Our Guest” service philosophy. The program utilizes a multi-step process of “Welcome, Listen, Suggest, and Close.” WVTP has incorporated this philosophy since 2007 at its multi-park properties, measuring its success with a mystery shopper program, which identified a rise in guest satisfaction ratings throughout the parks.
Best Supervisory Training Program:
Wild Wadi Water Park, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), won the Best Supervisor Training Program category with its nautical-themed “S.S. Wild Wadi Walk the Plank Petty Officer Induction Program.” During the one-week management initiation, trainers educate and test new employees on leadership. Employees emerge from the program a “Master,” “Commander,” “Captain,” or “Skipper.” The 79 graduates of the program developed a “family bond” with each other, gained an understanding of colleagues’ responsibilities, and the program garnered a 100 percent satisfaction rating.
Some Past Winners include;
Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio. USA
CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario. Canada
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. USA
Legoland Califormia, Carlsbad, California. USA
Morey's Piers, Wildwood, New Jersey. USA
Playland Parkway, Rye, New York. USA
Ontario Place, Toronto, Ontario Place. Canada
Sentosa, Singapore. Singapore
Warner Village Theme Parks, Queensland. Australia
Wildwadi Waterpark, Dubai. UAE
Click below for more information about past Spirit of Excellence Award winners.
2004 Spirit of Excellence Awards Winners
2005 Spirit of Excellence Awards Winners
2006 Spirit of Excellence Awards Winners
2007 Spirit of Excellence Awards Winners
2008 Supporting Organization: Amusement Advantage Mystery Shopping Services.
The Spirit of Excellence Awards is a program of the IAAPA Human Resources Committee. IAAPA gratefully acknowledges the efforts and contributions of the 2008 IAAPA Human Resources Committee Members.
Thank you to all of the IAAPA members who entered and participated in this year's Awards. Please check this webpage in the spring for information about submitting entries for the 2009 Spirit of Excellence Awards.
If you have questions, please contact Linda Gerson at Lgerson@iaapa.org. To view a sample 2008 entry form, click here (note: entry requirements may change - be sure to check back in the spring for the 2009 form).