TM & ©2018 Amusement Today, Inc. January 2018 | Vol. 21 • Issue 10 www.amusementtoday.com ! A blockbuster 2018 is coming NEWSTALK PARKS & FAIRS Page 2 Pages 35-44 Dated material. material. Dated RUSH! Thursday, December 21, 2017 December Thursday, BUSINESS, IAAPA NEWSPAPER INTERNATIONAL POSTMASTER: PLEASE Mailed Pages 29-31 Pages 45-61 PERMIT # 2069 # PERMIT FT. WORTH TX WORTH FT. PAID CLASSIFIEDS US POSTAGE US WATER PARKS Page 62 PRSRT STD PRSRT Pages 32-34 2 AMUSEMENT TODAY January 2018 NEWSTALK EDITORIAL: Gary Slade, [email protected] FLINT’S VIEW: Bubba Flint Safety is the hot topic AT's January 2018 issue kicks the new year off in grand style by featur- ing two big special-interest editorial features. Within the Business section on pag- es 49-60 is our annual 12-page recap Slade of the 2017 IAAPA Attractions Expo. AT had nine staffers on hand at the Expo this year, our largest effort ever, working hard to bring the news back to you in this issue. But the real focus of this issue is our Safety, Main- tenance and Education section found on pages 4-28. This 25-page feature is our largest ever and comes on the heels of our 73 total pages we delivered dur- ing 2017 that were dedicated to industry safety. AT has worked hard for the last 12 years to pro- mote safety within our industry, starting with our one lone AIMS News & Notes page, which continues INDUSTRY OPINION: Andrew Mellor, [email protected] to this day. That page helped open the door to our Onward and Upward at IAAPA Attractions Expo wide range of safety coverage through the years, as It seems a long time ago now, but event for the industry to savor. seen in this issue. as you will read elsewhere in this issue of I am still amazed each year at the in- Attendees came by the AT booth during the Expo, AT, the IAAPA Attractions Expo (IAE) held credible range of products and services and one theme was clear: safety and maintenance. last November in its established home of displayed on the trade show floor, as well Many would stop by, asking if we could help point Orlando once again proved to be a stun- as the plethora of seminars and education- them in the right direction. Questions ranged from ning — and record-breaking — event for al sessions on offer provide another impor- the industry. tant element to the week’s activities. The waterslide paint, to maintenance training, to hard-to- The ongoing strength and success Mellor many networking and social occasions also find replacement parts for older equipment to even that the industry is enjoying, and which offer yet more opportunities for attendees. how to keep bathrooms clean. Somehow it seems it has done for some years now, was reflected in For many it’s quite simply a must-attend event. the AT booth became the point of contact during the the number of registered expo attendees which That said, IAAPA’s other trade shows — Euro according to the organizers hit the 39,000 figure Attractions Show (EAS) in Europe and Asian At- show when attendees could not find their answers. for the first time ever. With 25,300 of those being tractions Expo — are also proving to be highly As our four big safety seminars get underway in buyers, this marked a 12 percent increase in buyer successful events in their regions, particularly EAS the next 60 days, we would love to hear from you, attendance over the previous year’s event — a fact which continues to grow year after year. Indeed, I the safety seminar attendees and instructors, with that would make any show organizer justifiably believe the success of this show is such that quite proud. a number of European operators don’t necessar- any theme/problem that seems to be everyone's I’ve been attending IAAPA, as it is still known ily feel the need to travel stateside every year to hot topic for discussion. Email the topic that would by the majority of us in the industry (although IAE visit IAE, and for the past couple of years this has would like to share with others to: gslade@amuse- is beginning to catch on) for many years, and, rath- certainly been commented on by some exhibitors menttoday.com. If a solution is provided with the er unbelievably, this was my 36th visit to the show. at the Orlando show. It will be interesting to watch topic even better! It’s obviously changed dramatically in all that time, this over the coming years to see how EAS contin- and IAAPA the association should be congratu- ues to develop and what impact, if any, it might We wish you all the best for a safe 2018 season! lated on once again providing such a wonderful have on IAE. Call (817) 460-7220 for advertising, circulation or editorial inquiries Amusement Today is an independent, privately- Founder, Publisher and Editor Special Projects & Editorial Monthly Contributors owned trade newspaper published 14 times Gary Slade • (817) 460-7220 x3 Jeffrey Seifert • (817) 460-7220 x2 Dan Feicht, Bubba Flint, Andrew Mellor, per year by Amusement Today Inc., P.O. Box [email protected] [email protected] Richard Munch, Janice Witherow 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005. Print issues are $50 per year and are mailed Presort Standard Postage (permit No. 2069) Pre-Paid Fort Worth, Accounting & Classified Social Media & Editorial Print Issue & Extra Extra Texas. The entire contents of this newspaper, Sammy Piccola • (817) 460-7220 x1 Dean Lamanna Desktop Edition Production and its related websites, are Copyrighted and [email protected] [email protected] Website Maintenance Trademarked 2018 by Amusement Today Inc., John Robinson • (513) 256-1441 all rights reserved. Assistant Office Manager Editorial [email protected] Savannah Breen • (817) 460-7220 Tim Baldwin Address: P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas [email protected] [email protected] Association Memberships 76005-5427, USA AIMS International, ASTM, IAAPA, IISF, IRT/ Deliveries: 2012 E. Randol Mill Road #203, Advertising B. Derek Shaw • (717) 650-8330 iROC, NAARSO, NEAAPA, NJAA, OABA, Arlington, Texas 76011, USA [email protected] PAPA, PACE, TTIA, WWA Phone: (817) 460-7220 Sue Nichols • (615) 477-5432 [email protected] Fax: (817) 265-NEWS (6397) Pam Sherborne • (615) 308-3310 Industry Affiliated Charities Websites: www.AmusementToday.com, [email protected] Give Kids the World Village, Morgan's Wonderland, www.GoldenTicketAwards.com National Roller Coaster Museum & Archives January 2018 AMUSEMENT TODAY 3 CHARACTER CORNER MINUTE Schatze, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Schatze, Schlitterbahn DRILL Waterpark’s canine mascot, 2 AT: Janice Witherow appeared in 2007 at the original Schlitterbahn New Braunfels water park. One of the ‘bahn’s graphic designers, Jen Rhodes, had made some sketches using her Dachshund, Olive, as inspiration. The retail director saw the sketches and decided to create a plush toy named Schatze. One year later, Schatze got his own play area when Schlitterbahn opened Schatze’s Central Park, a water playground specifically designed for children. It is here that Schatze makes Christian Dieckmann of 3D Live. COURTESY 3D LIVE appearances and interacts with the children and Christian Dieckmann, 3D Live families enjoying Christian Dieckmann found his way to the Finish this sentence: my office is … central park. amusement industry after working for a compa- Wherever my cellphone and laptop happen CARTOON BUBBA FLINT; ny that advised Fortune 500 clients on strategy, to be. HISTORY JEFFREY SEIFERT operations and due diligence. He brought that expertise to 3D Live, a California-based group All-time favorite meal: Rouladen, a pioneering the future of large-scale immersive traditional German dish with bacon, onions, entertainment with its “holographic” 3D LED mustard and pickles wrapped in sliced beef. screens, which have been featured in attrac- tions, live shows and concert tours. Christian is The last bet I made was … Buying described by colleagues as driven, passionate cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum — and collaborative, and on a personal level as a so far so good! family guy who is just plain fun to be around! If I could do anything when coming home Title: Chief Strategy Officer. from work, it would be … Reading a book to my 6-year old son and Number of years in the industry: Four 4-year old daughter, or better yet, having them read one to me. Best thing about the industry... Doing “market research”, i.e., touring rides What is your definition of fun? Being deeply and attractions all over the country. engaged, physically, socially, intellectually or emotionally in an experience. Favorite amusement ride: Mass Effect: New Earth at California’s Great America. If you could have a home with the most beautiful view in the world, where would it If I wasn’t working in the amusement be? Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. industry, I would be … Tethered to a desk poring over spreadsheets and arcane financial The last time I was really surprised was … documents. When I found out that my wife was pregnant with our third kid! Biggest challenge facing our industry: Keeping the guest experience fresh and I feel most comfortable wearing: Flip flops. exciting as consumer tastes and expectations evolve. I know I need a vacation when … I start having dreams about work. The thing I like most about amusement/ water park season is … New ride debuts. The news topic I am most tired hearing about would have to be … My New Year’s Resolution: Hit the gym! I don’t even know where to start here… On Super Bowl Sunday, I will be … Do you prefer salty or sweet treats? Eating and drinking way too much.