IAAPA: In the Queue

More Member Benefits for You, or: What is Partnership Plus, Anyway?

2009-06-29T08:30:00.000-04:00

During the past six months, you may have noticed a new logo hanging out on the IAAPA home page. It links to a page that details IAAPA's "Partnership Plus" program—an intiative dedicated to providing members with even more products and services above and beyond what you've traditionally received with your membership.

Here are a few highlights from the program:

Webinars: My colleague, Linda Gerson, spearheads our monthly webinar program. These expert-led sessions provide members with much-needed information on topical issues. Members can participate in these sessions for FREE and can review the slides and audio for most sessions by logging in to the members-only section of the IAAPA web site.
Hot Off the Press: Colleen Mangone, IAAPA's new media relations manager, worked with our communications team to pitch two stories that have received postive national press for the attractions industry. You can read resulting coverage in The Washington Post, USA Today, and others!
FUNWORLD Collections: Members can now easily reference previous FUNWORLD articles with this series focused on a specific attractions market or discipline. The Waterpark Collection and Museum Collection are available now, with more to come!

And that's not all. You can review all the programs and discounts included with Partnership Plus and check in for weekly highlights our home page.

What do you think about this program? As always, I welcome your feedback and look forward to hearing from you: haulakh@IAAPA.org.

Webinar Tuesday: Waterpark Fundamentals

2009-06-25T10:02:00.004-04:00

During the next IAAPA webinar on Tuesday, June 30, at 2 p.m. EST, waterpark managers will be treated to a fast-paced session from three industry leaders on key operational topics.

Jason Arthur, director of aquatics for Great Wolf Resorts Inc., Bryan Nadeau, director of park operations at Aquatica by SeaWorld, and Scott Carothers, general manager of Wild Island Family Adventure Park will share insights and tips on training, operations, and revenue generation, because right now all facilities are faced with the challenge of operating leaner while still providing excellent guest service and family fun. In the Queue caught up with Carothers, who shared a sneak peek into Tuesday’s session.

What key issues will you and the panelists focus on during the webinar?
We’re going to do revenue generation, operational issues, and staff motivation. In working with IAAPA on this program, we wanted to offer something that operators could implement right away.

How can refining operations help parks during a tough economic year?
We’re all trying to run more efficiently while trying to generate more revenue and looking for new ideas to refocus our facilities. You can change your operation right now and overcome some of the things that are challenging us right now.

Who should log in to this webinar and why?
We’re covering three different tiers of content, so any level of operator or manager will walk away with something to take back to their waterparks. For example, any manager can use the training session to implement changes immediately without any costs.
Anytime you have an opportunity to have your staff gain knowledge, especially with a webinar, which doesn’t take a huge amount of time, it’s so important. You need to continue to learn and expand, and it’ll help the operation as a whole.

What tools and ideas can attendees expect to take away?
When we put this content together we concentrated on topics for managers. We’re assuming people are already in the game. Capital decisions have been made, and now we’re trying to focus on how you operate—how you relate to staff. We’re going to concentrate on what people can do right now to generate revenue, get through staff burnout, and deal with an operational or maintenance change.

To register for this webinar and to find out more about future sessions, click here.

Teen Workers in the Attractions Industry: Know the Rules

2009-06-23T11:05:00.000-04:00

School's out for summer, which means you're undoubtedly starting to see more kids visiting your facilities and probably more teens applying to work at them. Do you know the current labor laws in your state? What about federal labor laws?

To help you be sure, IAAPA once again has partnered with the United States Department of Labor to promote YouthRules!, an online clearinghouse of information concerning youth labor.

Since laws have the potential to change every time a legislature meets, and sometimes effective dates occur in the middle of the season, I encourage you to visit YouthRules.gov too brush up on state and federal laws concerning the hours teens can work and the kinds of jobs they can perform. There are also tips for avoiding workplace injuries and help for teens on how many hours they can work.

New this year is an online assessment so employers can verify they are in compliance with federal and state laws.

The attractions industry relies heavily on teens, both as employees and guests. Visit YouthRules and make sure you're up to speed with regulations regarding this important demographic.

More From FUNWORLD: Great Wolf's Training Philosophy and Program

2009-06-18T16:14:00.017-04:00

After researching waterparks with a plethora of amenities for June’s One-Stop Shop story, I wanted to know more about the people behind the services—the employees who can say that while they work at a waterpark, they also lead facility tours, tell bedtime stories, and act as a tech jockey at tween hangouts. So I talked to Great Wolf Resorts Vice President of Brand Melissa Wheeler (right). She’s been with the company all of its 12 years, and after participating in the opening of the Lodge in Wisconsin Dells, has worked closely with the operations team during 11 more resort expansions. In this interview, she gives me some insight on the secret to a successful staff and how to achieve uniqueness in each location. It makes sense why in 2003, Great Lakes Co. (which evolved into Great Wolf Resorts) won the IAAPA Spirit of Excellence Award for Best Employee Retention.

FUNWORLD: Tell us a little about how the staff’s training program is set up.
Melissa Wheeler: Our training program is called Wiley University—Wiley is Great Wolf’s mascot—and new hires go through about a day-long orientation program that teaches them our “family traditions” (standard operating procedures). This includes the history of Great Wolf, our values, culture, benefits to the job, and more. We call our employees pack members, and when they come on board, we want them to feel really comfortable in their environment.
After the initial orientation program, pack members break off into their respective departmental training sessions, which can last three to five days. Each department incorporates Great Wolf’s service standards—safety, quality, consistency, and fun—and then teaches the specifics of the job: perhaps a recipe for cleaning a room, or the nitty-gritty details of working behind the front desk.
If a new resort is opening, we’ll send in our S.W.A.T. team, which stands for Support With All Traditions. Those are members who have been with the company for many years at other properties. They’ll come to train the new hires and get them up to speed.

FW: How do you find your strongest employees and what are some of the recruiting methods you use?
MW: When we open a new resort, that’s when the energy comes in. Every resort hosts a three-day job fair before opening, and we fly in 25 pack members from our other locations who help existing directors. At our latest opening in Concord, North Carolina, 8,000 people showed up! We use a “right-fit” philosophy when hiring our talent that says they must be the right fit for the lodge and the job must be the right fit for the pack member. We want to make sure more than anything they have those bubbles—that passion and energy that radiates. That’s a hard thing you can’t really teach; but the skills are teachable. So we look for the individuals who have a motivation and passion for GWL. And because of that, some pack members have been with us since we opened.
You have to make sure you put your pack members first—your guest service will follow, and from that will come profit. By taking care of those individual employees comes top guest service.

FW: You’ve referred to the Great Wolf team as a “big family”—how do you build community and loyalty among this group of people? Do you let them add their own personal touches to their jobs?
MW: Each of our resorts forms their own employee-led committees. We have one called the Pride Committee where the leaders bring all the pack members together in a fun way for get-togethers, incentives throughout the year, bingo down at Bear Paw Sweets & Eats.
Through employee-based committees, they gain ownership through their goals. By letting go a little and allowing them to excel, it gives them more passion for the job and pride in what they’re doing.
Also, this summer we aligned with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America and each department is going to work with the local chapter. We’ll allow for complimentary overnight stays for bigs and littles, once they’ve been together for a year. But if they haven’t reached a year, they get to use the other amenities at the resort. And we encourage our pack members to become bigs. We’re opening MagiQuest here in Wisconsin Dells, and that will be a really fun activity for them.

FW: How do you achieve the personal touch and the strong customer service that you want to be known for?
MW: The backbone to our philosophy is that of servant leadership and mentoring. We always want to ask employees, “How can we help you and make sure you have the tools to do your job to succeed?” Their supervisors should be asking “What can we do to help you provide your services?” And that extends to the corporate office, where people should ask each of the properties the same question: “How can we help you?” That philosophy runs all through the company, which is a hard mindset to accomplish.
We also did a workshop on signature service, where we stressed creating “Wolf moments.” Other companies might call these “touch points,” but it asks how they can put their own signatures or marks on the service they’re delivering. This allows pack members to come up with neat ideas.

For instance, one of the ideas that came from our Mason, Ohio, team was that when the wave pool goes off and there’s a howling sound coming out of the attraction, the lifeguards will do their own howls as well. I asked a pack member what he thought of the idea and he said, “Secretly I had always wanted to do that and now I just let it rip!” It’s fun to teach some of the job fair participants how to howl and to see the pack members go through the interview process. Random howling is definitely encouraged at our resorts!

FW: How do Great Wolf staffers come up with such creative ideas for amenities—for instance, your gr_8 space area is a tech haven for teenagers, with everything from laptop portals for Facebook viewing to karaoke and dances.
MW: Yeah, gr_8 space takes a different spin than the woods-theme and is geared moreso to engage the tween market. There’s a tech jockey that runs everything in that space, so kids can safely hang out and watch movies or share photos from their trip. [Editor's Note: Great Wolf's Grand Mound, Washington, location even has its own gr8_space MySpace page where kids can sign on, see pictures from recent events, and post comments.]
Luckily, we have a lot of people at our corporate office who are very creative. And along with brainstorming ideas, we monitor the trends from guests' feedback; our newer amenities are a result of the valuable feedback we’ve received over the years. We ask others, “What would make this amenity really cool?” And personal touches make all the difference. Like at our Scoops kids’ spa, you get an ice cream sundae with your manicure and pedicure. And they crown girls “Miss Great Wolf” and she gets to parade around the resort in a tiara. These places focus on strong educational elements for children, too. When kids are getting facials, they’re a little different from the adult treatment. Instead, they learn more about skincare and hygiene.
Our Cub Club is for little guests between the ages of 4 and 12 years old. We partnered with National Geographic Kids, so we have a lot of great education for them. Sometimes they get in before the waterpark even opens and learn about lifeguarding and what it takes to work at Great Wolf Lodge. We also have programs like “Bugs on a Rug” and “Backyard Birdies,” where they identify animals. The activities usually incorporate games, crafts, and food. And we actually just rebranded our Cub Club room last year, so now there’s an “educational story tree” where you can pull out a portion of the tree and learn about the rings on it. The folks running Cub Clubs are called Ambassadors of Fun and they’re passionate about the experience, bubbly, and excited about making something special for the kids.

FW: What valuable lessons have you learned from working at Great Wolf through the years and seeing how management works at so many resorts?
MW: I’ve learned we are a company of very talented people and when you trust in those people and utilize communication and organization, that’s the key to ensuring the entire team is moving in the right direction. When you’re all on the same page, you know you’re going to accomplish something great.
It’s a movement, and it’s very cool to see that happen. The secret ingredient to success at Great Wolf is the passion our pack members hold. It’s difficult to find and it’s what sets us apart. The evidence of our passion is found most at our openings—at our job fairs and our pep rallies. That really gears the members up and you see all the departments to skits featuring their signature howls. We know we have a lot of work to do but we might as well have fun while we’re doing it.

New Service from FUNWORLD

2009-06-15T16:38:00.003-04:00

The FUNWORLD team has rolled out a new service for you that we think you’ll like: FUNWORLD Collections.

We have gone through the past two years of the magazine and collected articles based on a constituency group or discipline topic and compiled them in a very easy-to-use interactive PDF. Currently, we have ones for museums and waterparks already compiled and ready for download.

To check out this new service, click here, and select your community (presently museums and waterparks are available), where you’ll see a link to the Collection. Once you download the PDF, click over to the Table of Contents, and use hand tool to quickly jump to the articles of your choice. New Collections will debut every month, so stay tuned to this space or the community pages for updates.

You can also e-mail us at funworld@IAAPA.org with questions or suggestions.

More from Asian Attractions Expo: Waterpark Trends

2009-06-08T10:52:00.005-04:00

IAAPA’s Asian Attractions Expo 2009 officially begins Wednesday at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Centre in Seoul, South Korea. As is the case with any IAAPA trade show, education plays a prominent role, and we’re highlighting a couple of this year’s speakers.

On Friday I posted an interview concerning waterpark safety. Today we’re featuring Young Ki Hong, formerly the chief operating officer of Ocean World in South Korea, who will speak Friday on waterpark trends in Korea.

In the Queue: What are some major trends in the Korean attractions industry right now? Young Ki Hong: There are three major trends right now:
1. Waterparks are the biggest trend right now; most new developments either are waterparks or include a waterpark.
2. More high-thrill attractions and world-class roller coasters are being added at major parks.
3. Live shows and parades are becoming more of a focal point at many parks. Lotteworld and Everland have particularly focused on this with spectacular fireworks, shows, and parades.

ITQ: What are Korean guests looking for specifically when they visit a waterpark? Hong: Guests are looking for a complete experience with things that will interest every member of a large or extended family. To achieve this, many companies are combining popular elements from Korea—such as a spa—with big slides, wave pools, and other elements that have been successful in other countries.

ITQ: You were with Ocean World during a huge period of growth—what about the facility excites you?
Hong: It is the first waterpark in Korea to feature such a heavy blend of international influence. It includes “extreme” rides typical of the USA, aesthetics and spa features of a traditional Korean-style waterpark, and some elements of Japanese spas, too. As part of the focus of more extreme attractions, it features eight-foot waves at the outdoor wave pool. The marketing campaign to accompany new attractions is also very exciting – it has generated a lot of national buzz, and attendance has increased dramatically.

ITQ: What key lessons will attendees learn at your session Friday at Asian Attractions Expo? Hong:
• Learn more about the different types of waterparks and particularly about what specific characteristics have been successful in Korean parks.
• Learn and understand why the Korean market is booming.
• Learn about trends in the waterpark industry throughout Asia. The rapid growth and success of waterparks in Korea have been remarkable and there are lessons from its development that could benefit other emerging waterpark markets around the world.

For more information on education at Asian Attractions Expo 2009, click here.

Asian Attractions Expo 2009: Waterpark Safety and Lifeguard Training

2009-06-03T17:45:00.003-04:00

IAAPA’s Asian Attractions Expo 2009 kicks off Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea, but a special pre-conference IAAPA Safety Institute is set for Tuesday. Yongpom Ho (his friends and colleagues call him “Yohan”) of international aquatic safety consultants Jeff Ellis & Associates will be one of the featured speakers during the daylong seminar.

In the Queue asked Yohan a few questions about waterpark safety as a primer for his presentation next week:

In the Queue: Can you give an example of a waterpark safety topic you will address in your Expo session and explain why it is an important topic in Asia?
Yohan: A key for operators is understanding a lifeguard’s job and what it can and should include, as well as the importance of specific, detailed training. The issue is quality—not quantity—of lifeguards.
Part of what Jeff Ellis & Associates focuses on is how to properly scan the water so lifeguards will see the guest who is in trouble. If the guard does not see the person, then they cannot rescue him.

ITQ: What is the best way for new park developments to ensure a safe environment for the future? Yohan: Safety experts should be involved from the design and blueprint stage to develop a park that can balance aesthetics with safety. For example, lifeguard stations are then placed in the ideal locations, and the safest non-slip materials are chosen for walkways right from the start. If parks don’t do this at the beginning of the design stage, then they may need to spend a lot more money further down the development line to address these fundamental issues.

ITQ: What can guests do to create a safer experience? Yohan: The majority of drownings occur in children ages 3-6. At those ages, the parents often stop watching their children quite as closely, so those kids are most likely to walk away from their parents and become lost in the crowds. Parents might also let siblings watch them, and those brothers or sisters may not be reliable or old enough for that responsibility. That is where lifeguards are most important, and where is it most important to watch the water properly. However, parents still play a huge role; they must teach their children about water safety and monitor their youngsters at all times.

The Asian Attractions Expo IAAPA Safety Institute is included with general conference registration, but space for the special pre-conference program is running out. Please go here if you’d like to attend. You can also register on-site at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Centre Tuesday.

June's FUNWORLD: OCT and More …

2009-06-01T15:35:00.000-04:00

The June issue of FUNWORLD is out, and we're excited to feature OCT Group's Ren Kelei on the cover. The cover story gives a broad look at China's theme park empire—past, present, and future—and examines what makes the company so successful.

Also in this issue:
• I have a piece on how attraction merchandisers incorporate current fashion trends into their own lines to make their merch more appealing to the hip set.
• Departments Editor Marion Hixon offers up a series of profiles on waterparks that offer guests a more complete, resort-type experience.
• Contributor Lisa Anderson Mann examines how attractions can fine tune their water systems to save as much water as possible. (As far as I know, this is the first FUNWORLD article to investigate methods for saving water on urinal flushes.)

Thanks for reading. If you have comments, suggestions, or questions about anything FUNWORLD-related, always feel free to e-mail me.

More from May's FUNWORLD: Madame Tussauds Waxes On

2009-05-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

OK, we all know they’re not real, but the depictions inside Madame Tussauds Wax Museum sure are convincing; guests can’t help posing and interacting with the figures (to the right, the real Jonas Brothers band members pose with their wax counterparts). Before I even started working for IAAPA, I was mesmerized by the museum’s coupling of history and fun, so it was an extra special treat to interview Shameka Lloyd, the marketing manager at Madame Tussauds in Washington, D.C., for May’s Quick Hits. Below is an extended interview with Lloyd on how the museum utilizes its features to draw in customers.

FUNWORLD: How does Madame Tussauds extend beyond a museum to become an interactive attraction?
Shameka Lloyd: Unlike a traditional museum, Madame Tussauds DC (MTDC) is highly interactive—nothing is kept behind glass, rope, or stanchions. We invite our guests to touch the lifelike wax figures and actually get a sense of what it would be like to stand among such great historic icons in the world of politics, music, film, sports, and more. We also allow guests to capture their visit by taking photos, which is typically taboo in most museums. Visitors can sit next to President Abe Lincoln in a replica of his box at Ford’s Theatre, or sit on an actual bus seat next to the mother of the modern civil rights movement, Rosa Parks. Visitors interested in pop culture, celebrity, and sports can dance with Beyonce, be proposed to by George Clooney, or stand toe-to-toe with Evander Holyfield.

FW: You’ve said that launching new figures is one of your favorite parts of the job—what will MTDC introduce next?
SL: New figure launches are definitely one of the most exciting elements of this job. Since we are still a fairly new attraction (less than two years old), we rely heavily on building greater brand awareness through our public relations efforts by launching new figures.
Typically, who we launch is kept secret until the last possible moment, but the media was savvy enough to get wind that Madame Tussauds had a wax figure of First Lady Michelle Obama (left) in production. After launching Barack Obama in February of 2008, it was a natural fit to add Michelle Obama, given the historic nature of her new claim to fame as the first African-American First Lady, not to mention her enormous influence as a style maven in the world of fashion. She is very relevant to our attraction in terms of what is new and current. MTDC always wants to be forward thinking with the individuals we select to immortalize in wax—it’s part of our tradition, which is more than 200 years old.

FW: Tell us about some of the special events MTDC has hosted and how you put a twist on the experience.
SL: MTDC hosted several parties during our first year and each was very different. One group from the hotel management industry was brought over by bus and enjoyed a fun evening of heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks, pictures with President Obama in his Oval Office (or his wax likeness and a replica of the Oval Office), and a souvenir of their own hands immortalized in wax.
Another group from the financial industry wandered around the attraction while dining on a buffet dinner and sitting with their favorite A-lister, U.S. President, civil rights leader, or sports figure. The attendees admitted it was difficult to decide where they wanted to be seated, but were all smiles during the event.
DC Lottery invited their 150 top clients to launch its “Pathway to Change” event. Guests were each presented with a Black History month poster which honored Dr. Martin Luther King and President Barack Obama among many other African-American icons. They were served light snacks during the two hour affair.
During the presidential election, student groups loved to see the great figures we have, and their teachers enjoy the opportunity to let them learn about famous icons—past and present—while enjoying a fun scavenger hunt. They also celebrated with a pizza party, which helped them save time during their day touring.

FW: What advice can you give to attractions holding such events and what lessons have you learned from planning for these?
SL: I’ve learned to be flexible and know your audience. Someone from the museum meets and discusses goals and objectives with each group’s meeting planner to ensure we know who their clients are and what objectives they have for the event. Then we match that with our everyday operations to provide them with a personalized experience. All have bee pleased with our results!

'Manta' Glides into SeaWorld Orlando

2009-05-21T15:54:00.003-04:00

“Manta” may be SeaWorld Orlando’s newest attraction, but the flying coaster looks and feels like it was part of the park’s foundation plan, so seamlessly is it integrated into its luscious surroundings.

The ride makes its presence known, that’s for sure, as it swoops right by the midway at the end of the park’s entrance plaza and dips its wing into a lagoon as jets spurt water high into the air.

“We wanted it to clearly be SeaWorld when you walk in that gate. Here’s a thrilling ride, but here’s how we make it SeaWorld,” Brian Morrow, the park’s director of design and engineering, told me this morning during “Manta’s” media preview day. The ride’s been in soft opening for several days now, but tomorrow marks its official grand opening.

“Manta” is actually two attractions in one: There’s the Bolliger & Mabillard flying coaster, obviously, but before guests get on the ride, they file through a queue that’s actually an exquisite aquarium. Guests that don’t want to test their mettle on “Manta” can skip the line and enter on the other side of the tanks for an entirely separate aquarium experience. There are more than 3,000 animals swimming through 250,000 gallons of water in the attraction, including one spot where guests look straight up through a viewing window to see the underside of rays as they glide past.

“We looked at what we’d done in the past, threw that away, and started over,” Morrow said of the aquarium. “We’ve reinvented the aquarium experience at SeaWorld. No longer are there big 20-foot-wide corridors with carpet and walls—it’s not that. It’s unique and special.”

The coaster's pretty special, too. For those that may not be familiar with a “flying” coaster, it means guests ride beneath the track in a headfirst prone position, as if they are actually flying, Superman-style. “Manta” opens with a 140-foot climb before diving 113 feet back toward the ground. It then rises again, offering a nice little pop of weightlessness before plunging into its most extreme element: the pretzel loop.

The pretzel loop is a drop where, at the bottom, the track tucks under itself so riders end up “on their backs” before coming up the other side. Because of the facedown positioning on a flyer, you can see the loop below you as you come up on it; every lap I took on “Manta,” I distinctly heard squeals of anticipation before the loop—once you hit it, well, it's hard to hear what everyone else is doing over your own shouting.

On “Manta,” though, the pretzel is just one of several elements that leave people buzzing afterward (I know from personal experience). After a brief midcourse break run, “Manta” zooms out in front of its main building, to the aforementioned lagoon across from the entrance plaza. Here the train swoops down toward the water and banks to the right, skimming across the water. As it pulls out of that move, the train skirts within three feet of a waterfall cascading off the queue building (when you’re on the ride, it feels like about three inches separate you from the waterfall); Morrow calls this maneuver the “Manta Kiss.” “Manta” then makes one last inline roll before diving back to the ground and then careens into the final brake run.

It’s a rush—and one you can actually kinda control. Riding up front offers a slightly more serene experience; hanging out in the back is full-on speed all the time—cresting the lift hill feels almost like a launch coaster from back there.

SeaWorld officials are understandably thrilled with their new attraction. “It’s a home run for us,” Morrow said.

I’ll have more on “Manta” in the August issue of FUNWORLD as part of our annual New Rides and Attractions special section, which highlights several of the biggest and brightest new additions to the industry from around the world. I’ll leave you with this interesting little tidbit of info, though:

In a way, “Manta” has been around since the beginning of the park—part of it, anyway. Several of the gorgeous trees that now surround the ride have been around since SeaWorld opened. According to Morrow, they were originally in an attraction called “The Rainforest,” that has since closed. The trees were moved to a nearby tree farm, then brought back into the park for “Manta.”

Sorta closes the circle, don’tcha think? Morrow certainly does. He called "Manta" "the next generation of thrills and animal experiences at SeaWorld."

For more on “Manta,” visit www.divedeepflyhigh.com.

There's Wet, and Then There's … Drenched

2009-05-19T20:37:00.003-04:00

I'm in Orlando this week for the grand opening of SeaWorld's "Manta" roller coaster. More on that in a few days.

Since I'm here, I dropped by Universal Orlando this afternoon to get a look at the progress on the Studios' new coaster, "Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit," as well as the construction for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter over at Islands of Adventure.

A few thoughts on each:
• "Rockit" is going to provide tremendous views not just from inside the Studios, but especially, surprisingly, outside. It comes right past the Blue Man Group theater and out to the main sidewalk beside the big Studios entrance. The track makes some twisty maneuvers right there in front of everybody—you can even see the loading station. It should be the equivalent of a big sign that reads: "See those turnstiles over there? Go through them and get over here."
• The Hogwarts castle building back near the Jurassic Park section of IOA is just gigantic—and it doesn't even have any towers on it yet.

The real reason I'm writing, though, is to tell you it's absolutely POURING in Orlando today. The locals tell me they're pretty happy (with apologies to tourists), because it hasn't rained much at all for awhile and they're desperate for some sky liquid. Still, this is a lot of rain—you know, the raining-so-hard-it's-bouncing-off-the-street-type downpour.

Your humble correspondent decided to head out into the storm anyway, armed only with a windbreaker and an umbrella (ponchos rarely work for my 6-5 frame). I'm here, I have spare clothes, how bad could it be?

Uh, bad.

I was soaked from the knees down in five minutes; from the waist down within about 15. After taking a look at the "Rockit" track and wandering by "The Simpsons Ride" (50-minute wait! Yes, that ride's a hit, in any weather), I hid out in the Hard Rock Cafe for awhile as the rain died down. It was just kinda sprinkling when I went over to IOA.

In all my visits to that park, I've never ridden "Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls," because I'd heard it's a water ride in the true sense of the word—it gets you wet—and I've never been in a position to get soaked. Well, what better time than now? I was already drenched, so I presented myself before the friendly employee at the front of the queue:

"Can I get any wetter than this?" I asked.

"Well, I don't want to say no, and I might want to say … yes," he gamely replied. "But if your feet are already wet, you might as well."

So I might as welled.

Let me tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, I now know there's "rain wet," and there's "water ride wet." I walked off that ride soaked—and it wasn't even the big final hill, I don't think, that really did it, but one of the little ones inside the structure which sent water pouring over the sides of my boat.

On my way out, I went back over to the nice fellow in front of the queue to let him know he now has his answer: You may think you're drenched, but a good water ride—like, for instance, "Ripsaw Falls"—can always get you, uh … drencher.

CoCo Key's Keys to a Successful Marketing Campaign

2009-05-18T08:30:00.003-04:00

Today CoCo Key Water Resorts launches a new marketing campaign targeted at the YouTube generation. The indoor waterpark company is asking its customers to submit their own versions of CoCo jingle as part of a nationwide contest. Finalists from each of the company's 10 resorts will be posted online June 19, and the winner—as selected via online voting—will be featured in a real commercial later this summer.

You can find all the details about the contest here. In the Queue recently asked CoCo's corporate director of marketing, Michelle Hoffman, about the promotion and what she hopes to achieve with it.

In the Queue: How does this promotion work?
Michelle Hoffman: CoCo Key Water Resort is looking for the most creative rendition of its jingle for a chance to be in an upcoming commercial. Sing, dance, hula hoop—the most creative entry as voted on by America will win.

ITQ: What made you decide to go in this direction?
MH: CoCo Key is a fun place for families to escape their everyday lives. We are always looking for new and exciting ways for guests to interact with our brand while having a good time.

In the Queue: Have you done anything like this before?
MH: CoCo Key hosted the "Ultimate Staycation Challenge" in 2008 and consumers loved it! It gave them a chance to express the most creative way they have “staycationed” in the past for the chance to win the ultimate staycation—a trip to CoCo Key.

ITQ: What do you hope to accomplish with this idea?
MH: We want to interact more with our consumers. When they think of fun, we want them to immediate think of CoCo Key.

ITQ: How much time/energy do you anticipate the contest taking over the next month?
MH: We started implementing our plans for the jingle contest in early 2009. We will be hosting open auditions at the end of May and voting in June/July. It took some time to put the program together initially, but now, executing the program is more fun than work!

ITQ: What will make this effort a success for you?
MH: Again, we want to interact with our consumers and be a part of their summer plans for family fun.
More specifically, our goal was to be at 1,000 Facebook friends prior to the official launch of the contest today, and 5,000 friends by the end of summer. As of May 11, we were already at 1,000 fans.

ITQ: How does this promotion fit in with your other social media endeavors?
MH: CoCo Key launched its social media efforts in full force at the end of April. The jingle contest gives us an additional topic to talk about casually with our consumers. It’s also a great way for us to communicate all the exciting opportunities we have to offer this summer, which includes our jingle contest and the new GetWetAWay program, which is our take on the “staycation” concept. It’s all about vacationing close to home at an affordable price.

Great Guest Service: Monterey Bay Aquarium

2009-05-14T17:00:00.001-04:00

During the next IAAPA webinar, May 20, at 2 p.m., David Rosenberg, director of Monterey Bay Aquarium, will discuss the aquarium’s Guest Experience Division, a new model that blends education, mission, and entertainment. In tough times, it’s more important than ever to ensure your guests are happy and served well by your team. This model highlights a collaborative approach within the organization that offers guests a level of service beyond the basics. Here’s what Rosenberg had to say about the program and the upcoming webinar:

In the Queue: What aspects of the Guest Experience model will you focus on during this IAAPA webinar?
David Rosenberg: We will discuss the many ways we exceed guests’ expectations after they enter the aquarium. Everyone expects to see animals and receive a basic level of customer service. However, we provide compelling interpretation, live programs, unique staff interactions, and impromptu opportunities for guests to interact within our exhibits. Our guests quickly realize there is more to experience than what they anticipated when they first purchased their tickets.

ITQ: Why do you think a focus on customer service is so important during a tough economy?
DR: We have found that any negative experience during a visit has an impact on all other aspects. If someone receives poor customer service, or no service, they are more hesitant to engage in other opportunities throughout the facility. Likewise, our aquarium relies on communicating the deep knowledge of our staff and volunteers. If a guest receives a lack of customer service, they will not seek out communication opportunities during their visit. This ultimately leads to a lower perception of satisfaction.

ITQ: Who should log in this webinar and why?
DR: Our session will be good for all levels within an organization. We hope to spark some new ideas, or help re-enforce some concepts that are already in place. Since we will focus primarily on front-of-the-house operations, this will benefit managers who oversee mid- to large-scale operations.

ITQ: What tools and ideas can attendees expect to take away?
DR: We will discuss three primary areas:
1. How we organized our operation to achieve maximum guest contact and the ability to enhance the guest experience.
2. How many programs and staff/volunteer training, including live theatrical shows, adds up to exceeding guests' expectations and building overall perceived value.
3. Some best practices that our gift and bookstore uses to achieve continued sales growth.

To register for this webinar and to find out more about future sessions, click here.

Safety Update: CPSC Noms, Safety Week, and More

2009-05-13T09:00:00.003-04:00

President Obama announced he will nominate two individuals to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Inez Moore Tenenbaum will be nominated as the chairman of the CPSC and Robert Adler will be nominated as a commissioner. The word around town is Obama wants a full commission (five members) in place by August. This is important because these new commissioners will almost certainly be involved in ongoing implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvements Act (CPSIA), Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Sfety Act and other consumer protection issues facing the attractions industry.

Tenenbaum's background is mostly in education (having recently served as superintendent of education for South Carolina), health care, and the environment. Tenenbaum ran unsuccessfully against Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) in 2004.

Adler is a consumer protection veteran, serving in positions both within the CPSC and on the House Energy & Commerce Committee (which has jurisdiction over the CPSC) before joining the faculty at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to teach consumer protection, product liability, ethics, regulation, and negotiation at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. Adler is a member of the board of directors of the Consumers Union and served on the Obama transition team for the CPSC.

In other safety news, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business will hold a hearing Thursday (May 14), examining the challenges faced by small businesses in complying with the Consumer Product Safety Improvements Act. I'll be monitoring the hearing to see if anything comes out that could offer some relief to IAAPA members trying to comply with the CPSIA.

Finally, as the summer season starts to pick up, I hope you'll think about incorporating some of our safety education programs into your park's lineup. Attractions Safety Awareness Week (May 30-June 7) is a great way to showcase the diligence that goes into creating the safe fun found at amusement parks, waterparks, and other attractions. Take 25 (May 25) is a program aimed at increasing awareness of children's safety issues. Information on both programs, including tips and resources, is available on our web site.

Hope everyone has a fun, safe summer!

More from May's FUNWORLD: Zoomars Expands the Petting Zoo Sector

2009-05-12T10:54:00.000-04:00

A big perk to my job is learning about unique attractions I never would have come across had I not gotten to interview operators for FUNWORLD. One of those is Zoomars, a mini-farm turned full-scale children’s petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano, California. Here’s an extended version of May’s Q&A with co-owner Carolyn Gonzalez. (Below: Omar and Carolyn Gonzalez, Zoomars' owners, with previous owners Gil and Millie Jones, Jones Family Mini-Farm)

FUNWORLD: What challenges have you faced while growing Zoomars?
Carolyn Gonzalez: Uncovering a petting farm in one of the most glitzy counties in the country was the perfect platform to create something really special. The unexpected surprise was the amount of support we received from the community. Families who had been taking their kids here for years were so happy we “saved the farm” that we were soon labeled town heroes. Still, it was challenging to figure out how to modernize an old barnyard in need of serious repairs without diminishing the “good old-fashioned” feel. It was in need of serious repair and many of the animals were in poor health. We had over 100 meetings with city planners, council members, and committees before we could even paint the barn. Also, I knew I had to change the name to better represent the attraction that it was. The careful re-branding of a 20-year-old establishment was two-fold and has taken time to catch on. Townspeople still call it “the farm,” but it gets them here.

One of the greatest rewards is when my visitors tell me they remember taking their children here and now get to take their grandchildren. They always say, “Thank you for saving the farm. We need more wholesome places like this.” Being able to continue the tradition the Joneses started has been a real honor.

Like big parks, our main focus is on safety. Animals are unpredictable and we take pride in being overprotective of both our visitors and animals. We have zookeepers on guard at all times, showing guests how to properly pet and feed the animals, and group visits require a lesson in animal behavior and handling before entering the pens.

FW: How do you balance running a business with maintaining a familial staff?
CG: Caring for all these animals means surrounding yourself with a caring staff. I do little things to motivate my team and keep the lines of communication open. Showing appreciation is key, especially when it’s sincere and heartfelt. My staff knows if the zoo succeeds, so do they. The concept sounds simple, but it’s not always apparent and it’s only attainable if people really love what they do. It’s a delicate balance to be the boss and maintain friendships with my small staff, but we work it out.

FW: What program has been your biggest success story?
CG: Our birthday party business has grown tremendously from three each month to 30! And our online reservation system was a huge move. We continue to grow by offering an outdoor experience surrounded by sweet-natured animals and a staff with a “whatever-it-takes” attitude to create the best birthday ever. We’ve learned to keep our party packages affordable. Originally we had only one party area that would be rented all day. I created two more and doubled up on time slots after discovering that people just needed a few hours, anyway. Now we can handle up to six parties a day—some weekends selling out!

FW: How do you advertise Zoomars, and what are your plans for the future?
CG: With every dollar going back into building the zoo, we have no money to advertise, so we attract new customers through community events and hosting events. We load up the animals and take them to every local event we can. We put ourselves out there wherever and whenever we can.

We also host a lot of events and donate party baskets to local charities and schools looking for auction items to raise money. We are hosting a fund-raiser for Project Cuddle, a wonderful organization that helps abandoned babies.

We primarily depend on word-of-mouth advertising. For many of our guests, all it takes is one of my pony walkers taking an extra minute to pose with their young rider for that oh-so-important “My First Pony Ride” photo (like the one to the left).

One of my goals is to create a learning center at the zoo and maybe find a sponsor to fund it. I want to educate kids through animals. By petting a baby goat and gently feeding her carrots, I see how the children open up emotionally, learning about respect, trust, caring, and love. They are not judging or being judged. And all this happens organically without them even knowing it. Kids today are growing up in a fast-paced, complicated world that’s kind of scary. Animals make us more human—something I think we all need a little more of these days.

Also, I just finished hosting a "tweener show" for Pets.TV, a new web channel. It was so much fun and I think there may be more of this kind of thing in our future. Who knows, maybe we’ll even have a TV show one day!

FW: Tell us about your introduction to the attractions industry and what you enjoy about the business?
CG: Coming from a career in the pet industry, running a petting zoo sounded similar, but I soon found myself feeling like Alice in Wonderland in the wondrous world of the attractions business. It was a bright new challenge for me and I’ll never forget walking into my first IAAPA show a few years ago; there I got my first taste of what the industry was about—I was so excited to embark on this journey.

I scraped together money to attend after we had just spent every cent we had and maxed out our credit to buy the zoo. Looking back, going to that show was the smartest thing I ever did. I attended Frank Price’s Birthday University and came back with a new focus on increasing my party business. It’s been the key ingredient to our success. Thanks, Frank!

One thing I really love about my attraction is that it’s pretty easy to satisfy the needs of our market, which are “little ones,” ages 2 to 7. Just give a 4-year-old a basket of carrots and a baby bunny and it’s a joyous moment no mechanical ride or video game can match. I really love this business and love what I do; and I’m just getting started—I may not have a roller coaster, but I sure feel like I’m riding one!

Travel Matters

2009-05-11T10:05:00.000-04:00

This week, hundreds of cities, states, and businesses across the United States will participate in National Travel and Tourism Week, organized by our friends at the U.S. Travel Association. National Travel and Tourism is an industry-wide effort to promote the economic, cultural, and social benefits created by travel and tourism to policymakers, the media, and the public.

This year will mark the 26th annual Travel and Tourism Week, but U.S. Travel has planned some fresh new events to coincide with the occasion. The first U.S. Travel Rally Day will be staged in multiple communities nationwide tomorrow with members of local government, businesses, and tourism bureaus uniting to promote the "Meetings Mean Business" and "Travel Matters" messages.

U.S. Travel has prepared a "tool-kit" and has many resources available (including that nifty graphic on the right) to help you organize a rally or recognize Travel and Tourism Week at your facility. You can even look up your city to see if a rally is already planned. Scanning the list I saw both the Orlando/Orange Country CVB, which hosted us at IAAPA Attractions Expo 2007 & 2008, and the Las Vegas CVA, which will play host this November to IAAPA Attractions Expo 2009.

If you participate, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail and tell me about your experience. I'll make sure it gets passed along to U.S. Travel. Have fun!

Snapshot: The Korean Attractions Industry

2009-05-07T15:45:00.004-04:00

As part of our marketing outreach for Asian Attractions Expo 2009, which runs 10-12 June in Seoul, my colleague Linda Gerson and I made the journey to South Korea to visit a number of parks and resorts and invite their officials to the show. The trip proved a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the industry in the region.

What an experience and what a beautiful country. We couldn’t have been welcomed with any greater hospitality. And, the food! Yes, the food. (How is it that all of my blog posts include some reference or another to eating?)

I hope everyone coming to Asian Attractions Expo 2009 will take an opportunity before or after the show to experience the vibrant industry in Korea. The parks we visited were incredible and the people are so passionate about the business.

There was major construction at Ocean World waterpark at Daemyung Resort that was impressive in its scope and innovation. And you should see their spa!

Everland was humming along with bus after bus of school groups—and adults excited as if they, too, were still in school. Everland’s safari adventure was truly thrilling.

Yongpyung Resort was between ski season and waterpark season and still packed in visitors and resort guests. The facility is so incredibly beautiful with chalet-style timeshares and the Arctic-themed Peak Island indoor waterpark. And, Seorak Waterpia has the most unique outdoor spa baths and wave pool.

Lotte World offered great fun, an entertaining show, and delicious ice cream cones as we watched the crowds enjoy indoor rides and ice skating. Finally, Seoul Land and Seoul Grand Park were just pristine. Surrounded by mountains and full of flowers, this park was a sight to see in the spring.

More to come on our adventures in Korea as we met with industry leaders and Asian Attractions Expo 2009 speakers in advance of the show!

Update: Single Riders for GKTW

2009-05-06T11:43:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago I posted an item about the Single Riders event at Kings Dominion in Virginia to benefit Give Kids The World. Well, the results are in, and the Coaster Crew (the enthusiast group who hosted the event) raised more than $3,000 for the beloved Florida charity.

As a recap: Coaster Crewers, along with fellow enthusiasts the Coaster Zombies, sought pledges for how many laps they could make on four Kings Dominion coasters on Sunday, April 26. The enthusiasts waited by the loading platform and when a single seat came available, they filled it.

When everything was done, the Single Riders took more than 400 trips around the tracks. Impressive! The results bring Single Riders' total donations to GKTW to approximately $12,000.

2008 IAAPA Year in Review Now Online

2009-05-01T10:45:00.000-04:00

To read all about the association's events, programs, and activities from 2008, download the 2008 Year in Review (and reports from previous years) by clicking here.

Swine Flu Info

2009-04-29T10:43:00.002-04:00

Yesterday IAAPA posted a list of resources for swine flu information. You can find that page here.

May FUNWORLD: Religious Attractions

2009-04-28T16:19:00.000-04:00

The May issue of FUNWORLD is out, and you can find it either in your mailboxes (already? soon, hopefully?) or online via the magazine's digital edition.

This month's main feature is actually a two-part package examining religious-themed attractions from around the world. The cover story is a Q&A with Maria Ferro of Tierra Santa ("Holy Land") in Argentina; she discusses, among several topics, the park's history and how although it is a Christian-based facility it caters to a wide range of religions.

The second half of the combo, from News Editor Keith Miller, examines other religious-themed attractions from around the world, highlighting how they present themselves to the marketplace, and the unique challenges this particular industry segment faces. On a related note: While we were visiting Kings Island for "Diamondback," Keith and I got a chance to check out the Creation Museum in Kentucky; one of Keith's excellent observations was how prominently the museum features dinosaurs in its exhibits and marketing—as he said, what better way to grab kids' attention?

The May FUNWORLD also has a story updating the Hard Rock Park saga, which is now known as Freestyle Music Park. I interviewed Steve Baker of Baker Leisure Group, the managing company of the rebranded facility, and picked his brain about how the ownership team came together and how they plan to make the park a success.

The new issue also features:
• Our Digital World column, this time focused on how to keep web surfers from leaving your landing page.
• A Game Report from the ASI show.
• The first FUNWORLD crossword puzzle! How closely have you been reading lately?

Riding Coasters for a Good Cause

2009-04-23T17:00:00.001-04:00

This weekend a few coaster fans are going to spend a day at Kings Dominion in Virginia taking as many laps on roller coasters as they possibly can.

What's so special about that? Well, these specific fans are riding for a very special cause: Give Kids The World.

On Sunday the Coaster Crew will hold its third annual Single Riders event at KD. Two-person teams will set up shop on the loading platforms of four coasters and wait for single seats to come available on the trains. The Crewers will then fill the empties, riding as many times as they can throughout the day. Each member has recruited sponsorship commitments on a per-lap basis, so the more rides they take, the more money they'll earn for GKTW.

"It's just a testament to the creativity that occurs when people embrace our mission and apply that passion to what they do in their everyday lives," said Pam Landwirth, president of GKTW, about the Coaster Crew members. "It all helps [financially], and it will generate awareness for the Village. It's fabulous."

The Single Riders event already donated nearly $9,000 to the charity in its first two years, and the group hopes to raise $4,000 this weekend. For more information on Single Riders click here, or to make a donation, click here.

To find out more about why GKTW is such a worthy cause, visit the organization's official web site. It'll take you, oh, about 1 second to understand why the place is so incredible.

Cleaning House: An extended FUNWORLD interview with Bradley Drury of Hydro Systems

2009-04-22T16:35:00.000-04:00

For our April Quick Hits, I interviewed Bradley Drury, project manager at Hydro Systems, about the company’s new ICS 8900 series (being used at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, at right), and learned more than I ever imagined about the technical aspects of cleaning public areas. He filled me in on how it’s done right, how it’s done wrong, and all the different areas that need cleaning. Here’s an extended portion of our conversation.

On how Hydro Systems got into the attractions industry: “We launched the ICS 8900 system in fall of 2007. Last year was our first full year of marketing, and our original target market was education and health care—that still represents the bulk of our sales. The more we got involved, the more we realized the theme park market would be a good fit. By the time we formed our relationship with Six Flags, it was the end of the season.
Then we decided to become members of IAAPA because when we looked at industries that were making use of the ICS—people buy them for two different reasons: looking to improve their productivity or looking to improve their sanitary standards and the ICS will do both.”

On the common challenges and issues of cleaning public areas: “Restrooms are the number-one source of complaints that facility managers continually struggle with. Nobody wants to do it so they get in and out of there as quickly as possible. If you’re not careful, you’ll get someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing when they clean and it won’t get done properly.
The benefits of touchless cleaning is that it takes an unpleasant task and makes it much less of a demotivator—it’s far more likely that it’ll get done properly and it also helps control staff turnover. There’s undoubtedly a cost benefit associated with training staff and reducing the turnover in that specific area.
What’s unique to the environments which need the most cleaning—parks, cruise ships, and fitness facilities, for example—is that each has a high occurrence of multiple people sharing the same facility. A lot of people will use the same shower or exercise equipment and that’s where staff outbreaks tend to occur.
If the technology and chemicals exist, why are there still outbreaks? We believe it’s because the tools are available but people don’t use them properly. Since our product is easy to use and not unpleasant, people tend to use it properly—allowing the appropriate dwell/contact time between the chemical and the surface (i.e. not wiping it off immediately). With traditional cleaning, people don’t allow that—most chemicals need a dwell time of at least five minutes.”

On how the ICS 8900 Works: “Hydro Systems is a manufacturer of chemical dosing and distributing systems. Ninety-nine percent of the products we sell get mounted on the wall, so we thought, ‘Let’s take that technology and put it in a mobile system.’
Staffers can wheel the ICS to where they want to clean and not the other way around. In less than a second, the ICS coats the entire surface through a spray gun attached to a pressure hose. Fill it up with fresh water and up to four cleaning chemicals—detergents, degreasers, sanitizers, etc.—and meanwhile, water is the only liquid that enters or leaves the water tank—it’s always fresh for the rinse setting. The cart does the work of what many parks are already trying to do with hand sanitizer stations. Most of the time, after dispensing the cleaner, the surface can air dry—what’s dispensed is a fine mist, not soaking water. Rides that have recently been cleaned don’t need to be out of commission for a while. You can use the ICS wherever you currently use a mop or a spray bottle: tile, metal, etc. There’s an advantage for us in not selling the chemical—it doesn’t require the facility to change their chemical provider. There’s no re-training of different chemicals. Whatever they’re comfortable with, they can stick with. Our inspiration was to bring the dispenser to the dirt.”

Learn more about Hydro Systems at www.hydrosystemsco.com.

'Diamondback' Slithers into Kings Island

2009-04-21T10:00:00.001-04:00

I was at Kings Island (located outside Cincinnati) over the weekend for the premiere of "Diamondback," the park's massive new steel coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard, and was pleased with everything I saw.

First, the coaster: It's huge and fast (duh—it's a B&M hyper), topping out at 230 feet and 80 miles per hour, with 5,282 feet of track and an estimated hourly capacity of 1,620 riders (if you want the full stats breakdown, click here).

Of particular note is its new-style trains, which follow last year's "Behemoth" at fellow Cedar Fair-owned park Canada's Wonderland. The seats are the same as other B&M hypers—with the signature T-bar restraint across the rider's lap—but their orientation is new. Instead of four straight across, the two middle seats are moved "forward" on the car for a staggered effect (there's a good rendering here).

Walter Bolliger, on hand for the opening, told me the idea behind the new trains is to bring more equanimity to every spot on the train by attempting to give the people in the middle two seats as good a view as the people on the outside. I always assumed this meant out the sides, since now there isn't anyone next to you when sitting in the middle. What surprised me was how well the entire field of vision is improved, because with the two seats directly in front of you also moved forward and no longer right in front of your face, you have angles diagonally out the front never possible before. Of course nothing compares to the front seat, but the experience is much more like riding in the front than I expected.

And there's more: The two "rear" seats on each car are still plenty close enough to converse with your riding partner easily, and by breaking up the rows of four into rows of two, loading efficiency is now exactly like traditional two-across trains (the station queues are for every two seats, not four as in previous B&M hypers).

The new seating arrangement also meant, of course, a longer train. Bolliger said his team studied this long and hard to see how it would effect the experience, and said the added benefit is even more air time now. I didn't know how that could be possible on a type of coaster already certified as a flotation device, but it's true; it's tough to compare coaster-to-coaster when the layouts are so different, but it sure felt like a ton of hang time on "Diamondback."

A couple more items and then I'll stop babbling about this coaster:

1. Bolliger loves how the ride interacts with the terrain. Take a look at the layout; once the train hits that third hill and takes a left turn, imagine that entire section of the track in a wooded area. The trees weren't full yet, but once they are I imagine that'll be a great trip reminiscent of "The Beast." The splashdown effect finale is also quite eye-catching from the midway—that plume gets up there. Of course, it's not like you can possibly miss "Diamondback"—it's effectively rearranged the Mason, Ohio, skyline.

2. Speaking of "The Beast," the classic celebrates its 30th birthday this year, and KI officials are hopeful "Diamondback" will reprise the venerable wooden coaster's role as a national calling card.

“Some years feel special, and this is our special year,” said Kings Island VP and GM Greg Scheid. “It’s been 30 years since ‘Beast’ opened. ‘Diamondback’ will be right on the tails of ‘The Beast’ and I think we’re going to have a new fan favorite here in the park.”

Scheid told me he hopes the new coaster “can offset the downturn in the economy. This coaster can maintain or improve our attendance this year.” KI spokesman Don Helbig also referenced "The Beast" when discussing "Diamondback," saying: “It took Kings Island from a regional attraction to nationwide, where everyone wanted to come just to ride ‘The Beast.’ We’re getting that same kind of feedback throughout the winter and early spring.”

Uh, yeah. Kings Island was mobbed Saturday on its season-opening day, with obvious attention focused squarely on the new coaster. The sign at the start of the queue says the wait from that point is 120 minutes; the line went way beyond that all day, stretching at least another hour's worth back onto the midway (they brought in stiltwalkers to entertain the crowd).

In a cool marketing touch, Kings Island gave away "First Rider" T-shirts to the first 10,000 people on "Diamondback" Saturday (the first couple hundred were even numbered on the back); it didn't take long before the "Diamondback" logo was visible on moving bodies all over the park.

I wore mine the next day for the flight home from the Columbus airport, about 75 miles from Kings Island. As I was walking through the metal detector at security, of all places, the screener spotted my shirt and asked me about the coaster—just a small testament to the reach Kings Island officials hope this big snake of a ride will have.

More from April's FUNWORLD: A deeper look at the waterpark industry

2009-04-20T14:00:00.001-04:00

For our waterpark industry report in April’s FUNWORLD, I interviewed George Rohman, operations manager at Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks in Wildwood, New Jersey; Andy Maurek, assistant manager of safety operations at Hyland Hills Water World in Denver, Colorado; and Scott Carothers, general manager of Wild Island Family Adventure Park in Sparks, Nevada. Here’s their extended comments on the 2009 outlook of the waterpark industry and topics ranging from finances to hot new food items.

FUNWORLD: With the current 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 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 mid-week business is an important component in our growth strategy.
Maurek: We’re definitely tightening our preseason spending by holding back on a few annual purchases—computers and small infrastructure items—and we’re holding prices, which we were originally raising. To draw guests, we’re looking into viral marketing but may wait a year depending on computer purchases.
Carothers (right): We have delayed our five-year growth strategy. We had planned the relocation of an existing ride, a new ride and tower, and the development of more deck space. All of that is now on hold until 2010. Here are a few cost-saving ideas we are thinking about or doing:

Reducing the number of hours we operate Monday through Thursday (keeping Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the same)
Staging the opening of rides and/or food outlets daily
Maximizing cost savings by installing LED lights throughout the facility
Working with vendors to lock in pricing on big-volume items for the summer season
Looking closely at all associated costs within our operation

We believe 2009 will be the season of value. Consumers will be driven even more by real value obtained with their purchases. We are continuing to add to our season pass Island Advantage program. Some of its advantages include: park entry 15 minutes early; real dollar discounts at our miniature golf, go-kart, and bowling FEC (before, after, and during our waterpark season); birthday and private cabana priority booking and discounts; VIP bounce back entries into the waterpark for their guests; and possible programming ideas such as swim lessons and day camps. We will also continue to drive our daily special promotions that package food and entry into affordable pricing for families.

FW: Do you see advancement in the waterpark resort industry in the near future?
Rohman (left): Absolutely—we 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.
Carothers: Not being directly involved in resort business I can only guess where advancements might come. Within our regional area, there have been numerous developments using the large resort/waterpark business model. Unfortunately they have all died in either the design stage and or the financing stage. With that said, there might be a shift from the large-scale indoor resorts to smaller, more niche-orientated ones. These smaller resorts could attempt to diversify their revenue stream from tourists to the local market with programming (swim lessons, day camps), birthday parties, and season passes. I believe you will also see year-round resorts and seasonal resorts being built or converted with solar and high efficiency standards.

FW: What seasonal staffing challenges have you run into in the past year, and do you have any new ideas to motivate and retain staffers?
Rohman: We do feel the current world economic environment may impact our international recruiting efforts this year, so we are monitoring them closely.
Maurek (right): 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 older employees can’t find their traditional positions, they come to us.
Carothers: 2009 will definitely be an employer's market. We feel the difficulty will be to find the right blend of young inexperienced employees we can mold for the future, and experienced older employees who can add to our employee depth. As far as motivation and retention, we have numerous programs based on what employees have told us they want (i.e. opportunities to grow or move up; added challenges and responsibility; money or gifts; and professional and social experience).

FW: What new trends do you see in ride design?
Maurek: We take into account factors of capacity, thrill, and target market; then we try to find the best ride to fit whichever category we’re trying to service.
Rohman: Recently, it seems attractions offering an interactive experience for an entire family are growing in popularity. Multilevel 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, tornadoes, mammoth rivers, etc.) are popular as a complete family attraction experience.
Carothers: I fully agree with George and Andy here. We are also spending money on the general appearance of our slides—sealing leaking seams and joints, repairing the fiberglass, and changing the color of one of our older rides. With our “added value” theme this year, we believe our new rides or attractions need to provide a true family experience. So from upgrading our private cabana area to selecting a new capital project we are constantly asking ourselves “Will a family remember, enjoy, and see the value of this ride, attraction, or service?”

FW: What about food and beverage trends?
Carothers: We are opening a new food outlet that will specialize in a healthy menu. All items will be a la carte and include: kid-sized chicken and rice bowls; peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; ham and turkey sandwiches; granola bars and light snacks like Cliff bars, Powerbars, and Luna bars; all types of fruit, including frozen grapes; water and other non-sugar specialty drinks, and no-calorie sodas.
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 kid’s bag with a temporary tattoo—a big hit which may work well for everyone.

FW: What advice do you have for operators cutting costs, and is there anything you're looking forward to about the 2009 summer season?
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 can—it is your next biggest expense. Talk with your energy company before you buy motors, lights, heaters—anything that uses energy. They can give you the best advice on saving money and possibly give you energy rebates.
Carothers: I would also look at your media budget and see if you are getting “value added” items in your buys. Consider using a media buyer who can place you into their pool of buyers—this will help in negotiations and a reduction of costs. As Andy says: stay in tune with the industry; constantly think and search for ways to be creative. Be able to talk about any part of your operation and/or park at any time—you never know who might give you an idea to try.