Turkey is a fascinating and vibrant market in these times of gloomy g
lobal recession, with a fast growing, stable economy, a high proportion of the labour force being young and well educated and a thriving tourist industry. [See “Sohret Pakis, Polin, Discusses the Future of the Attractions Industry in Turkey”]
Polin has enjoyed considerable success in recent years, notably with their game-changing themed King Cobra waterslide.
The Turkish waterpark and waterslide manufacturer has a new 30, 000 sq meter manufacturing facility under construction which is due to come online in 2014.
A day of presentations included the following:
- Baris Pakis (Polin) welcomed delegates
- Basar Pakis (Polin) spoke about Polin’s vision
- Kubilay Alpdogan (Polin) highlighted key industry trends
- Sohret Pakis (Polin)set out Polin’s very successful marketing strategy
- Fred Bouvard (Splashworld) discussed best practice for waterpark investment – “no financial people are gentle sharks!”
- Roger Currie (Aqua Leisure International) spoke about k
ey issues of waterpark development - Bruce McFarland (American Wave Machines) talked about AWM’s surf systems
- Manfried Meier (Kraftwerk Living Technologies) introduced waterpark cinema, Waterplexx 5D
Perhaps most interesting was the insight into key trends from Polin’s point of view:
- Signature slides, most notably the King Cobra, of which there will be 20 installed by the end of 2013, three of which will have alternative themes (see below).
- Theming:
- Slides – Polin are creating a King Dragon version of the King Cobra at the Great Mall of China, a themed slide for Cartoon Network AMAZONE and a Phinisi ship version for Bugis waterpark
- Waterparks – Cartoon Network AMAZONE an
d Ice Age (right)
- Glassy/translucent slides are popular, eg the Tai Po Aquatic Center (right) and Carnival cruise liners.
- Effects and technology integration, eg multimedia projections planned for Cartoon Network AMAZONE
- High capacity family raft rides
- Interactivity, eg splash battle and multilevel play structures
- Lower carbon emmission manufacturing
At the end of the conference program various awards were presented to Polin’s dealers and partners.
Most touching was the award presented to Enver Pakis (below), founder of Polin, by his three sons.
Despite international success Polin is at its core a family business and the conference had the feeling of a huge extended family reunion with a warm welcome to new members.
An elegant gala dinner in the evening featured live entertainment, including traditional drumming from the Polin team, and very energetic dancing which went on well into the night.
The next day delegates were able to visit Antalya Aquarium as well as two resort waterparks: Cobra Kingdom Waterpark at the Maxx Royal Hotel (below) and the Gural Premier Tekirova Waterpark Resort (above). The first glimpse of a gorgeous King Cobra close up did not disappoint.
So with a thriving economy and a booming attractions market, Turkey is one to watch. Polin’s warm hospitality made for a fascinating and memorable trip … and they can really dance too!
