The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) presented its annual Brass Ring Awards on Wednesday, November 14, during IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando.
As always, the winners were wide-ranging from across the industry. Here's who and what won.Top Family Entertainment Centre (FEC) of the World
- Jake’s Unlimited, Mesa, Arizona, USA
Food and Beverage Excellence
- Best New Menu Item – Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million: Poopies and Poopcakes, Skånes Djurpark, Sweden
- Best New Menu Item – Annual Attendance More than 1 Million: Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Bowl, Palace Entertainment, Newport Beach, California, USA
Games and Retail Excellence
- Best Plush: Gillie Guinea Pig Plush, Zoomars Petting Zoo, California, USA
- Best Apparel: Killer Croc Flat Brim Cap, Warner Bros. Movie World, Gold Coast, Australia
- Best Hard Good Item: Light Up Slinky Dog, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World, USA
- Best Store Visual Merchandising: Europa-Park Factory Shop powered by Majorette, Europa-Park, Germany
Human Resources Excellence
- Best Employee Engagement Initiative – Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million: Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls, Canada
- Best Employee Engagement Initiative – Annual Attendance More than 1 Million: Dolphin Way at Work, Grupo Dolphin Discovery, Mexico
- Best Employee Reward and Recognition Program – Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million:
Skånes Djurpark, Sweden
- Best Employee Reward and Recognition Program – Annual Attendance More than 1 Million:
Denver Zoo, USA
- Best Innovation in a Training Program – Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million:
Skånes Djurpark, Sweden
- Best Innovation in a Training Program – Annual Attendance More than 1 Million:
Hersheypark, USA
Sweden's Skånes Djurpark –winner of multiple Brass Ring Awards
Live Entertainment Excellence
- Best Atmosphere/Street Show Performance/Act: Sesame Street Party Parade, SeaWorld San Diego, USA
- Best Performer: Sabrina Marlene, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, USA
- Best Live 'Edutainment' Show: Ocean Resistance, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, China
- Best Theatrical Production: Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million: Favola, Leolandia, Italy
- Best Theatrical Production: Annual Attendance More than 1 Million: Beauty and the Beast, Disney Parks Live Entertainment, USA
- Most Creative Christmas Show: The Enchanted Journey, Hersheypark, USA
- Most Creative Halloween Haunt, Show or Experience: Hell’s Grand Finale, Ocean Park, Hong Kong
- Most Creative Multimedia Spectacular: Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland, Japan
- Most Creative Property-wide Event: Annual Attendance Less than 1 Million: Vivid Festival at Luna Park Sydney, Australia
- Most Creative Property-wide Event: Annual Attendance More than 1 Million: Summer Carnival 2018, Ocean Park, Hong Kong
- Most Creative Show Featuring Animals: Pets Rule, SeaWorld San Diego, USA
- Most Creative Sports/Stunt Show: Cirque Electrique, SeaWorld San Diego, USA
Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns – winner of a Brass Ring Award for best PR campaign
Excellence in Marketing
- Best Digital Marketing Campaign: The Poopie Movie, Skånes Djurpark, Sweden
- Best Integrated Marketing Campaign: Ocean Park Hong Kong Drink’N Music Fest 2018
- Best Outdoor Advertisement: Your Visit Protects Wildlife, Africam Safari, Mexico
- Best Public Relations Campaign: Launch of Haunted Mine Drop, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, USA
- Best Radio or Streaming Audio Commercial: Time Traveler, Silver Dollar City, USA
- Best Social Media Campaign: The Poopie Movie, Skånes Djurpark, Sweden
- Best Television or Digital Video Commercial – Annual Attendance Less than 250,000:
Xenotes Live, Mexico
- Best Television or Digital Video Commercial: Annual Attendance 250,000 – 1 Million: Spökjakten, Furuvik Djurpark, Sweden
- Best Television or Digital Video Commercial – Annual Attendance More than 1 Million:
Lagoon: Summer Daze, Lagoon Amusement Park, USA
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.- Ulrich Grawunder, Europa-Park, Germany
IAAPA Attractions Expo – Best Exhibitor Awards
Legacy Entertainment's award-winning booth
Image Award
- Innovative Concepts in Entertainment
- First Place: YourMapp
- Second Place: VITO Fryfilter
- First Place: Imagination Corporation
- Second Place: WIPEOUT
- First Place: Eleventh Hour
- Second Place: S4 Lights
- First Place: TAF USA (Truss Aluminum Factory)
- Second Place: Weber Group
- First Place: Dynamic Attractions
- Second Place: Legacy Entertainment
- First Place: WhiteWater
- Second Place: Polin Waterparks
The SlideWheel by wiegand.maelzer
IAAPA Attractions Expo – Best New Product Awards
Impact Award- SlideWheel, wiegand.maelzer
- First Place: SlideWheel, wiegand.maelzer
- Second Place: Single Rail Raptor Roller Coaster,Rocky Mountain Construction
- First Place: Justice League: A Call For Heroes walkthrough experience, Holovis
- Second Place: Skywarp, Ride Entertainment, Booth 5720
- First Place: Oscar’s Wacky Taxi, The Gravity Group
- Second Place: C Car Town, Shenyang Chuangqi Amusement Equipment Co
- First Place: KidSim Simulator, Falgas
- Second Place: DIABOLO, Falgas
- First Place: FusionFortress 17, WhiteWater
- First Place: FlyingSAUCER 45, ProSlide Technology
- Second Place: Aqua Race Kart, Kart 1
- First Place: HyperBowling, QubicaAMF
- Second Place: Gen8 Infinity Laser Tag System, Laserforce International
- First Place: Electric CP Huntington Train, Chance Rides
- Second Place: DreamSet Headset, CAVU Designwerks
- First Place: OverVue Arcade Game Analytics, New Vue Solutions
- Second Place: Vantage, WhiteWater
- First Place: VITO oil filter system, VITO Fryfilter
- Second Place: Create-A-Cone Trike, Syrup Systems Inc.
- First Place: NXT Capture - Facial Recognition, NXT Capture
- Second Place: Jurassic World Inflatable T-Rex Costume, Rubie's Costume Co
- First Place: WWE Superstar Rumble, Andamiro USA Corp
- Second Place: HOOPLA, Sega Amusements
- First Place: Zombyte, Creative Works
- Second Place: VRcade ATOM, VRstudios
- First Place: HiLight JellyFish, AirDD
- Second Place: National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey, Falcon’s Creative Group
- First Place: RLR with LED, Safe-Strap Company
- Second Place: Restroom Feedback Surveys, Avius
- First Place: Stormforce 20, Ride Engineers Switzerland
- Second Place: Orbiter, WhiteWater
- First Place: Diving Theatre, VR Coaster GmbH
- Second Place: Ultrahaptics STRATOS Inspire, Ultrahaptics
- First Place: Dual Power Coaster, Dynamic Attractions
- Second Place: Atari Pong Cocktail Table, Unis Technology
Why the Brass Ring?
The tradition of the brass ring, a term now synonymous with spectacular achievement, dates back to the amusement industry in the 1800s. Rings were suspended above carousel riders — low enough for them to grasp, but high enough to pose a challenge. Skilled riders who grabbed a brass ring often earned prizes, including a free ride on the carousel. Most rings were made of iron, but a few were made of brass, so grabbing the brass ring was a valuable treat.
