Attractions industry leaders have been honoured at the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Brass Ring Award event which took place yesterday during the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2016 in Orlando, Florida.
The coveted awards are presented to amusement parks, water parks, zoos, aquariums, museums, family entertainment centers (FECs) and suppliers from around the world in recognition of excellence in food and beverage, games and retail, human resources, live entertainment, marketing, new products, and FECs.
The winners of the 2016 IAAPA Brass Ring Awards are:
Brass Ring Award for Top Family Entertainment Centers (FECs) of the World
International: Dreamland FEC, La Libertad, El Salvador
North America: Scene75 Entertainment Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Brass Ring Award for Food and Beverage Excellence
Best New Innovation in Food and Beverage:
“Swig n’ Sweets, ” Lagoon, Farmington, Utah, United States
Best New Menu Item:
- “King Size Shakes, “Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States
Brass Ring Award for Games and Merchandise Excellence
Best Plush Less than 1 Million Attendance:
- “Leo” soft toy, Leolandia, Bergamo, Italy
Best Plush More than 1 Million Attendance:
- “Shuffles the Emperor Penguin Chick, ” Sea World Australia, Queensland, Australia
Best Hard Good Item Less than 1 Million Attendance:
- “Yas Waterworld Dawwama” mug, Yas Waterworld, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Best Hard Good Item More than 1 Million Attendance:
- “Centennial Lion” ornament, San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California, United States
Best Apparel Less than 1 Million Attendance:
- “Love and Peace Rocks” eco-fashion t-shirt, Beach Park, Aquiraz, Brazil
Best Apparel More than 1 Million Attendance:
- “Batman Flat Brim Cap with Removable Mask, ” Warner Bros. Movie World, Queensland, Australia
Best Single Display Merchandising:
- “Explorer Dressing Room Display, ” Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico
Best Store Visual Merchandising:
- “LeoShop, ” Leolandia, Bergamo, Italy
Best Game Operation:
- Lagoon Games Department, Lagoon, Farmington, Utah, United States
Judges’ Choice:
- Vanadio Underwater Photography, Vana Nava Company Limited, Hua Hin, Thailand;
Brass Ring Award for Human Resources Excellence
Best Innovation in a Training Program, Class 1 Annual Attendance More than 1 Million:
- Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, Grand Prairie, Texas, United States
Best Innovation in a Training Program, Class 2 Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million:
- Somewhereland, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Best Employee Reward and Recognition Program, Class 1 Annual Attendance More than 1 Million:
- Parks and Resorts Scandinavia, Stockholm, Sweden
Best Employee Reward and Recognition Program, Class 2 Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million:
- Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico; www.africamsafari.com
Best Employee Engagement Initiative, Class 1 Annual Attendance More than 1 Million:
- Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, United States
Best Employee Engagement Initiative, Class 2 Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million:
- Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico
Brass Ring Award for Live Entertainment Excellence
Best Atmosphere/Street Show Performance/Act:
- “Sesame Street Funky Party, ” Universal Studios Japan, Konohana Ward, Osaka, Japan
Best Live Edutainment Show:
- “The Ed-ZOO-cation Team, ” Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States
Most Creative Sports/Stunt Show:
- “Kaleidoscope Spectacular, ” Ocean Park Hong Kong, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, SAR China
Most Creative Christmas Show:
- “Dollywood’s A Christmas Carol, ” Dollywood Theme Park, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States
Most Creative Halloween Haunt, Show, or Experience:
- “Supr’ice in the Haunted Castle, ” Europa-Park, Rust, Germany
Most Creative Show Featuring Animals:
- “Pets Ahoy, ” SeaWorld San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States
Most Creative Property-wide Event Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million:
- “Gilroy Gardens Lumination, ” Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park Inc., Gilroy, California, United States
Most Creative Property-wide Event Annual Attendance More than 1 Million:
- “Santa Allstar Christmas, ” Resorts World Sentosa, Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore
Best Theatrical Production Annual Attendance 250, 001-1 Million:
- “Phantasm-The Magic of Nick Norton, ” Silverwood Theme Park, Athol, Idaho, United States
Best Theatrical Production Annual Attendance 1 Million-3 Million:
“LEGO Ninjago & the Realm of Shadows, ” Legoland Malaysia Resort, Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Malaysia
Best Theatrical Production: Annual Attendance More than 3 Million:
- “Mickey and the Magician, ” Disneyland Resort Paris, Marne La Vallée, France
Best Male Performer:
- Nick Norton, Silverwood Theme Park, Athol, Idaho, United States
Best Female Performer:
- Anastacia Manoilo, Europa-Park, Rust, Germany
Spirit Award
The Spirit Award is given to the most outstanding person who works behind-the-scenes to support high-quality entertainment value of the nominating attraction.
- Gizmo Ng Tung Shuen, Ocean Park Hong Kong, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, China
Most Creative Multimedia Spectacular
- “Ignite the Dream: A Nighttime Spectacular of Magic & Light, ” Shanghai Disney Resort, Shanghai, China
Excellence in Marketing
- Best Digital Marketing Campaign All Classes: Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Best Integrated Marketing Campaign All Classes:
- Liseberg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Best Outdoor Advertisement All Classes:
- Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico
Best Public Relations Campaign:
- Class 1Â Â Scene75 Entertainment Center, Dayton, Ohio, United States
- Class 2Â Â Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico
- Class 3Â Â The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom, Lake George, New York, United States
- Class 4Â Â Ripley Entertainment, Orlando, Florida, United States
Best Radio or Streaming Audio Commercial:
- Class 1Â Â Adventure City, Anaheim, California, United States
- Class 2Â Â Utah’s Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Class 3Â Â Knoebels Amusement Park, Elysburg, Pennsylvania, United States
- Class 4Â Â Morey’s Piers and Beachfront Water Park, Wildwood, New Jersey, United States
Best Social Media Campaign All Classes:
- Kolmården Wildlife Park, Kolmården, Sweden
Best Television or Digital Video Commercial:
- Class 1Â Â Silver Dollar City’s White Water, Branson, Missouri, United States
- Class 2Â Â Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus, Ohio, United States
- Class 3  Kolmården Wildlife Park, Kolmården, Sweden
- Class 4Â Â Lagoon, Farmington, Utah, United States
Brass Ring Award for BEST NEW PRODUCT
The Best New Product Exhibitor Awards recognizes the best new products or services in the amusement parks and attractions industry.
Major Ride/Attraction – Class A (Product cost of US$3 million or more)
- First Place: Mack Rides GmbH & Co. KG – Booth 2269, PowerSplash
- Second Place: Intamin Ltd. – Booth 3824, Taron
Major Ride/Attraction – Class B (Product cost of less than US$3 million)
- First Place: DOF Robotics – Booth 1390, Hurricane VR 360
- Second Place: ABC Engineering AG – Booth 3049, Thrill Ride “Tourbillon”
Kiddie Ride/Attraction
- First Place: Skyline Attractions, LLC – Booth 5429, Crazy Couch
- Second Place: The Gravity Group, LLC – Booth 3813, Timber!
Water Park Ride/Attraction – Class A (Product cost of $2 million or more)
- First Place: Aquatic Development Group, Inc. – Booth 2646, Breaker Beach™
- Second Place: Polin Waterparks – Booth 1378, Space Race
Water Park Ride/Attraction – Class B (Product cost of less than $2 million)
- First Place: WhiteWater – Booth 2037, 2240, Mat Blaster
- Second Place: ProSlide Technology, Inc. – Booth 5140, FlyingSaucer 30
Patron Participation Ride/Attraction
- First Place: Spectrum Sports Int’l– Booth 5110, Klime Wallz Mobile Edition
- Second Place: Dodgeball2You– Booth 1657, Dodgeball2You Mobile Dodgeball Arena
Technology Applied to Amusements – Class A (Product or service used by consumers)
- First Place: Holovis Attractions – Booth 778, Battle for Cedar Point: The Augmented Reality Experience
- Second Place: Team Lab Kids – Booth 4256, Sketch Aquarium
Technology Applied to Amusements – Class B (Product or service used by facilities)
- First Place: WhiteWater – Booth 2037, 2240, Smart Blast
- Second Place: Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. – Booth 4847, Galaxy Connect
Food Services
- First Place: Syrup Systems, Inc.– Booth 3275, SnowMax Ice Shaver
- Second Place: Beverage Solutions Group, LLC – Booth 636, Beverage Solutions Group Creamer and Sugar Station
Merchandising and Retail Products
- First Place: Big T Toys & Sports – Booth 2115, Plush Surfboards
- Second Place: Waterloo Tent & Tarp Co., Inc. – Booth 2600, 2604, Air’ Lounge
Games and Devices – Class A (Arcade and video games and equipment)
- First Place: Apple Industries, Inc. – Booth 1600, Face Place Photo Studio Deluxe
- Second Place: Team Play, Inc. – Booth 2000, Launch Code
Games and Devices – Class B (Midway games and equipment)
- First Place: Bob’s Space Racers, Inc. – Booth 2615, 2815, 7640, Pixel Water Gun Fun
Shows/Productions, Theatrical Equipment, and Supplies, Displays and Sets
- First Place: JRA – Booth 1369, Independence Plaza
- Second Place: LCI Productions LTD. – Booth 258, Cheddar Gorge: Headhunters
Services, Equipment, and Supplies
- First Place: Water Safety Products, Inc. – Booth 4269, FlipEasy Rescue Tube Pack
- Second Place: Redemption Plus – Booth 1300, Redemption Plus Merchinsights Program
Best New Product Concept Award
The Best New Product Concept Award is given to a new product that has yet to be sold or installed in a facility, and is debuting at IAAPA Attractions Expo.
- First Place: Dynamic Attractions Ltd. – Booth 1078, Dynamic Motion Theater
- Second Place: Mack Rides GmbH & Co. KG – Booth 2269, X-treme Spinning Coaster
Impact Award
The Impact Award recognises the best new product or service in the amusement parks and attractions industry.
- JRA – Booth 1369, Independence Plaza
Brass Ring Award for BEST EXHIBIT AT IAAPA ATTRACTIONS EXPO 2016
The Best Exhibit Awards recognize the best booths on the IAAPA Attractions Expo trade show floor based on booth design, branding, staffing, and overall appeal.
Booth Size 100 – 199 Square Feet
- First Place: Imagination Corporation – Booth 2159
- Second Place: Italian Chocolate Twister LLC – Booth 331
Booth Size 200 – 399 Square Feet
- First Place: Truss Aluminium Factory – Booth 6141
- Second Place: Artistic Contractors, Inc. – Booth 180
Booth Size 400 – 499 Square Feet
- First Place: Eleventh Hour – Booth 495
- Second Place: BeaverTails USA Inc. – Booth 831
Booth Size 500 – 899 Square Feet
- First Place: Empex Watertoys – Booth 3406
- Second Place: Tree-Mendous Aerial Adventures – Booth 1778
Booth Size 900 – 1, 200 Square Feet
- First Place: Creative Works, Inc. – Booth 3671
- Second Place: GGE Entertainment + Design – Booth 1373
Booth Size 1, 201 and Larger Square Feet
- First Place: Extreme Engineering – Booth 3265
- Second Place: Daniels Wood Land, Inc. – Booth 1060, 1062
Image Award
The Image Award is given to the best exhibit based on booth design, branding, staffing, and overall appeal at IAAPA Attractions Expo.
- Dynamic Attractions Ltd. – Booth 1078
The 2016 IAAPA Brass Ring Awards ceremony was sponsored by Silver Sponsor Holy Land Experience, and Supporting Sponsors Ocean Park Hong Kong and RWS & Associates.