Park operators from water leisure facilities large and small, public and private, indoor and outdoor, spent two days visiting with vendors about new products and services designed to build their business and enhance operational safety. The trade show encompassed 100,000 square feet and more than 325 booths featuring innovative water leisure products from splash features to pumps to water coasters and enormous river rides.

“The WWA show was excellent for us,” said Joel Schafer, Big Squirt!  “This show provides a unique opportunity to spend quality, face-to-face time with our customers and new waterpark developers. No other show has as many qualified waterpark people. The attendees we spoke with are serious about their operations or new development. It’s a good environment to do business.”

“WWA ‘11 was great!  The networking events, lunches on the show floor and comfortable atmosphere make the show a very pleasant experience. I’ve always found the attendees to be top-notch decision makers who are interested in learning about products that will help their business grow.  That’s why the show’s a great match for our company and has been for over 20 years,” said Tommy Woog, Water Wars.

Thanks to a little help from Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, the WWA trade show floor transformed to a festive parade route at the end of day one—featuring a live jazz band, stilt walkers, walking heads, revelers and beads, beads and more beads. WWA Board Chair, Glenn Davidson presided as King of the parade, followed by Past Chair Chris Swartz and Vice Chair Jim Basala, all riding in floats leading attendees to WWA’s Annual Reunion Party.

The following companies were awarded for their creative and educational exhibits at the show:

• Best One-Booth Category: Mid-America Sales, Tustin, Calif.
• Best Two-Booth Category:  Lawson Aquatics, Naples, Fla.
• Best Four-Booth Category: Prominent Fluid Controls, Pittsburgh, Penn.
• Best Eight-Booth Category: WhiteWater West Industries, Richmond, B.C., Canada
• Best of Show: Water Technology/Neuman Group, Beaver Dam, Wis.

With 55 educational sessions and workshops featuring more than 110 speakers from elite facilities such as Great Wolf Resorts, Six Flags, Palace Entertainment, Noah's Ark Family Park, Hyland Hills Water World, Magic Waters Waterpark, Roaring Springs Waterpark, NRH20 Family Water Park, first-time attendees and seasoned veterans walked away with countless ideas to contemplate and implement for 2012.

“For someone with no waterpark industry experience or expertise, I found the classes, especially the Design & Development Workshop, to be extremely helpful. And everyone I had the opportunity to speak with was refreshingly open with their information and honest in their comments,” said Scott Cooper, developer and first-time attendee.

“The WWA Education Committee has two clear goals each year: identify new topics and ideas that will build attendees’ business; then find the best people in the industry to come share their best practices,” said Chris Landgrave, Deep River Waterpark & Chair of the WWA Education Committee. “Our attendees consistently tell us that education is what sets the WWA apart from other shows and they find great value in our program.”

“The presenters were well prepared for their topics and they encouraged input from attendees while they were presenting detailed procedures and processes. This just multiplied the ideas,” said Maria Meyers, Town of Duncan. “We wished we had brought more people because there was a wealth of information offered.”

“As usual, my attendance at the WWA Symposium & Trade Show was a valuable use of time.  Having the opportunity to exchange ideas and information with fellow colleagues who are passionate and educated always leaves me walking away with numerous ways to improve my facility,” said Glenn Haggarty, Gulf Islands Waterpark.

The WWA Board Awards recognize member contributions in a variety of areas significant to the industry’s success such as: dedication to guest and employee safety; excellence in leadership; innovation and creativity in designing new themes and attractions; and the development of standards that raise the bar for the industry overall.

WWA Hall of Fame: The WWA inducted four individuals into the WWA Hall of Fame, which honors the water leisure industry’s most important pioneers and innovators. This year’s honorees were:  Lee Hovis, Tolomato Community Development District  Gary Jackson, Stone Mountain  Gary Maurek, Hyland Hills Water World  Nick Scott Sr., Scott Enterprises

Board of Directors Awards: The WWA Board recognized the exceptional accomplishments of 27 recipients in 2011 including:  Executive Board Award: Roger Currie, Aqua Leisure International, Gomshall, Surrey, United Kingdom; Judith Leblein Josephs, Judith Leblein Josephs Enterprises LLC, Wayne, N.J.; Alan Mahony, MAHONYdmc, Banglamuang, Chonburi, Thailand  Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award: Lulu Cisneros, Lulu Cisneros Educación Acuática, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; Pool Safely Campaign, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bethesda, Md.  Al Turner Memorial Commitment to Excellence Award: Sam Haynes, Blue Bayou Water Park, Baton Rouge, La.; Danny & Janis Keim, Cape Coral, Fla.  Industry Innovation Award: Kathie Luecker, Lincoln Equipment, Inc., Concord, Calif.; Randy Neuman, Neuman Pools, Beaver Dam, Wis.; Robin Patrick, Water World, Dothan, Ala.; Splash Kingdom Family Waterpark, Canton, Texas  Industry Leadership Award: Beach Park Waterpark and Empex Watertoys for “Acqua Circo” at Beach Park Waterpark; CENTAMAN for Real-Time In-Park Count Video Technology; Disney Cruise Lines and Walt Disney Imagineering for “AquaDuck” on the Disney Dream; Evergreen Wings & Waves Waterpark – Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum for Integration of An Education and Aviation Theme in a Waterpark; Rapids Water Park and ProSlide Technology for “Rapids Racer” at Rapids Water Park; Spring Valley Beach Water Park and SplashTacular Entertainment for “360Rush” at Spring Valley Beach Water Park; Water Safety Products, Inc. for ValuStair™; WhiteWater West Industries Ltd. for the World’s First Acrylic Master Blaster on a Cruise Ship.”  Special Recognition: Mike Fijas, Safety Committee Chair, Raging Waves; Chris Landgrave, Education Committee Chair, Deep River Waterpark; Jessica Steinberg, Public Sector Committee Chair, Magic Waters Waterpark, Tiffany Woodward, Marketing & Communications Committee Chair, Jackson Street Holdings LLC/Wave Renovations LLC.

Wave Review & SWIM! Awards: Recipients of WWA’s popular Wave Review marketing competition and SWIM! (Superior Waterpark Inspiration and Motivation) Awards for Training and Supervision were also recognized during the General Session. Winners’ work represented successful marketing campaigns and training programs from facilities located in the U.S., Canada, U.A.E., Austria, Bahrain and Brazil.

Multi-category winners were: Wahooo! Waterpark Bahrain, Manama, Bahrain; Denton Water Works Park, Denton, Texas; Magic Waters Waterpark, Rockford, Ill.; Splash Kingdom Waterpark-Shreveport, Shreveport, La.; among others.  

“By sponsoring the WWA show, our sponsors help provide education and networking to park operators who in turn work to keep our industry strong, safe and profitable,” said Davidson during Wednesday’s General Session. “We truly appreciate their long-standing support of the Association and our industry.”

The 2011 WWA Sponsors included:

•Silver Sponsors – Aquatic Development Group, Convergence.net, Launch Logic, Neuman Group/Neuman Pools Inc., Van Stone Conveyor and Water Technology

•Bronze Sponsors – American Wave Machines, EBA Design, Empex Watertoys, Engineered Treatment Systems, Neptune-Benson, Polin Waterparks & Pool Systems, PurePlay and Water Slides de Mexico

•Cyber Café Sponsors – Center for Cultural Interchange, FunFormations by Fountain People, Water Odyssey/Fountain People and Water Slides de Mexico

•Beignets and Coffee at Keynote Session provided by IALDA

•WWA Lapel Pins provided by Zebec

•Registration System sponsored by Gateway Ticketing Systems

With a host city motto of “Let the Good Times Roll,” WWA attendees were in for some memorable networking events. “We knew we had a unique opportunity to capitalize on the energy of New Orleans when we were putting together our social events for 2011,” said Aleatha Ezra, World Waterpark Association. “It’s impossible not to have fun in New Orleans.”

Highlights of this year’s networking events included:

• WWA’s Annual Golf Tournament and Luncheon. Hosted by TPC Louisiana, home to the state’s only PGA TOUR event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. More than 70 golfers came together on a gorgeous day for a little golf, a few prizes and a tasty luncheon. Top prize went to winning team: Steve Brinkel, WhiteWater West Industries, Patrick Finnegan, WhiteWater West Industries, Joe Schmitz, Wilderness Resort & Ron Sutula, Schlitterbahn Galveston Island.

• WWA’s Annual Reunion Party. Following the parade off the trade show floor, WWA attendees enjoyed more live New Orleans jazz and reconnecting with industry colleagues after the first day of the WWA trade show.

WWA goes Parisian in 2012!

WWA announced it’s headed back to Las Vegas for the 32nd Annual Symposium & Trade Show Oct. 1-5, 2012. Few cities generate as much excitement for prospective attendees as Las Vegas. With more than 36 million visitors a year, there’s a very good reason why Las Vegas continues to build upon its reputation as a vibrant showcase for the extraordinary.