Vancouver, Canada – At this year’s IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida, WhiteWater was honoured with three prestigious Brass Rings—awards that celebrate “achievements of excellence throughout the global attractions industry.” The company’s racing slide, “Blasterango Battle,” won Best New Product for Water Park Ride/Attraction, while Virtual Pass Processing by Vantage won Best Product or Service Used by Consumers. Vantage was also crowned with the coveted IMPACT Award, chosen from all winners of the best new product or service categories.
Blasterango Battle—Two Water Park Favourites in One Epic Ride
A fusion of two Master Blaster lanes in a conjoined flume and two Boomerangos, Blasterango Battle already drew a viral amount of social media attention as “The Edge” in its first season at Soaky Mountain Waterpark in Tennessee.
This exhilarating dueling water coaster has riders racing through a multitude of sensations—from mega drops to uphill blasts, from extreme Gs to zero G, from separated dark flumes with bursts of AquaLucent colours to fun sound and light effects that intensify the competition. It is not only a fun adventure for the guests, its side-by-side Boomerango walls create a theming opportunity that serves as the perfect billboard both online and offline.
While Blasterango Battle is a sensational ride for guests, it is also engineered with the operators in mind. This water slide is built with features such as the Smart Blast technology to save water and energy, removable floor panels for easy access to maintenance, and RTM fiberglass parts for a longer lifespan.
IMPACT Award-Winning Virtual Pass Processing by Vantage
Vantage, WhiteWater’s software arm, introduced an automated season pass processing system that simplifies the procedure for both guests and operators, thus eliminating the long lines at the beginning of a park’s season as well as friction throughout. First implemented at Island H2O Water Park in Florida this year, the feedback for this new feature has been enthusiastically positive.
This was because the process replaced the previous manual method of queuing at the ticket office to redeem the voucher purchased online, followed by pen and paper forms, taking a photo, and issuing a physical card.
With Vantage, the mobile app takes care of data and photo upload and delivers a season pass right to the guest’s phone in a process that takes just minutes, not hours. This not only makes acquiring a season pass more enjoyable, it also collects proper data to personalize the guest experience and provide the operator with actionable insights.
This process, in the opinion of IAAPA Brass Ring Award judges, “will have the most impact on the attractions industry.”
“We’re very proud of the team, and we’re very proud of everyone at WhiteWater to make Vantage successful,” said Michael Jungen, President of Vantage.
“These award-winning products have one thing in common: whether physical or digital, they offer a great experience for guests,” said WhiteWater President, Paul Chutter. “At the same time, they consider operator demands, such as saving operating costs as well as time and staffing needs. From product management to project management and installation, we are all very honoured to have our expertise and hard work recognized by the industry.”