The 2015 IAAPA Brass Ring Awards winners, who were presented with their awards during last week’s IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, Fla., have now been publicly listed. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists!
BEST NEW PRODUCT AND IMPACT AWARD
- Major Ride/Attraction
First Place: Sally Corporation, Justice League: Battle for Metropolis 4D
Second Place: Mack Ride GmbH & Co KG, VR Coaster
- Water Park Ride/Attraction
First Place: ProSlide Technology, FlyingSAUCER/RocketBLAST
Second Place: WhiteWater West Industries Ltd., APX™
- Family Entertainment Center Ride/Attraction
First Place: Walltopia, Rollglider
Second Place: Skyline Attractions, LLC, Strike-U-Up
- Technology Applied to Amusements
First Place: WhiteWater West Industries Ltd., Slideboarding
Second Place: Neptune-Benson, Defender RMF System Controller
- Food Services
First Place: Syrup Systems, Inc., Roto-Molded Create-A-Cone Concept
Second Place: Dippin' Dots, LLC, Redberry Sherbert made with Sour Patch Kids
- Coin-Operated Arcade and Redemption Game
First Place: Innovative Concepts in Entertainment, Inc. (ICE), Angry Birds Arcade
Second Place: Daniels Wood Land, Inc., Coney Island Shooting Gallery
- Revenue & Admission Control/Wristbands/RFID Technology
First Place: Embed, SmartTouch Reader
- Services, Equipment & Supplies
Winner: Water Safety Products, Inc., The Big Easy Rescue Breathing Mask
Winner: Water Safety Products, Inc., Drain Easy Lifeguard Fanny Pack
- Best Concept
First Place: Mack Ride GmbH & Co KG, Power Splash
Second Place: Dynamic Attractions Ltd., SFX Coaster (Mission Ferrari)
IMPACT AWARD: Sally Corporation
TOP FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT CENTER (FEC) OF THE WORLD AWARD
Winner, North America: HeyDay Entertainment, Norman, Oklahoma, United States;
www.heydayfun.com
Winner, International: Kidz Kingdom FEC at Rainbow’s End Theme Park, Auckland, New Zealand;
rainbowsend.co.nz/rides/kidz-kingdom
GAMES AND RETAIL EXCELLENCE
Best Game Experience: “Kentucky Derby,” Gröna Lund Tivoli, Stockholm, Sweden;
Best Game Operator: Bashar Haj Basan, Skara Sommarland, Axvall, Sweden;
Hard Good More than 1 Million Attendance: “Harley Quinn 3-D Ceramic Mug,” Warner Bros. Movie World, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia;
Hard Good Under 1 Million Attendance: Noah’s Ark Plush with Removable Animals, The Holy Land Experience, Orlando, Florida, United States;
Merchandise Display More than 1 Million Attendance: “Lucky’s Toys,” Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, United States;
Merchandise Display Under 1 Million Attendance: “Redemption Center,” Kalahari Poconos Mountain Resort, Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania, United States;
Soft Good More than 1 Million Attendance: “Batman vs. Villains” Reversible Jacket, Warner Bros. Movie World, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia;
Soft Good Under 1 Million Attendance: “Bag to Life” Tote Bag, Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico;
FOOD AND BEVERAGE EXCELLENCE
Best New Innovation in Food and Beverage: “Fresh Made Churros,” Whiting’s Food, Santa Cruz, California, United States;
Best New Menu Item: “Makin’ Whoopie Pies,” Hershey Park, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States;
HUMAN RESOURCES EXCELLENCE
NEW AWARD - Best Employee Engagement Initiative Program More than 1 Million Attendance: Ocean Park, Hong Kong SAR, China;
NEW AWARD - Best Employee Engagement Initiative Program Under 1 Million Attendance: Hurricane Alley Waterpark, Corpus Christi, Texas, United States;
Best Employee Reward and Recognition Program More than 1 Million Attendance: Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington, Utah, United States;
Best Employee Reward & Recognition Program Under 1 Million Attendance: Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico;
Best Innovation in a Training Program More than 1 Million Attendance: N Kid Corporation, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;
Best Innovation in a Training Program Under 1 Million Attendance: Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico;
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT EXCELLENCE
Best Female Performer: Samantha Eberhardt, Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, United States;
Best Male Performer: Jesse Brown, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio, Texas, United States;
Best Atmospheric/Street Show Performance Act: “Cocoa Rhythm Factory,” Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States;
Best Edutainment Performance Act: “Opening Night Critters,” Busch Gardens Tampa, Tampa, Florida, United States;
Best Sports Show Performance Act: “Mission Ferrari,” FLPM/ Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;
Best Multimedia Spectacular: “Paint the Night,” Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland, Anaheim, California, United States; Hong Kong SAR, China;
Note: The following awards categories are broken down by the size of the production budget for the show.
Best Overall Production, $25,000 or Less: “Humanimal,” Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico;
Best Overall Production, $25,001–$50,000: “Dr. Fright’s Dead Man Party,” Six Flags Over Georgia, Austell, Georgia, United States;
Best Overall Production, $50,001–$100,000: “Flash Band Beat,” Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan;
Best Overall Production, $100,001–$200,000: “Surpr'ice with the Gods of Greece,” Europa-Park, Rust, Baden, Germany;
Best Overall Production, $200,001–$400,000: “Spook Me! The Europa-Park Musical,” Europa-Park, Rust, Baden, Germany;
Best Overall Production, $400,001–$700,000: “Dollywood’s A Christmas Carol,” Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States;
Best Overall Production, $700,001– $1 million: “Life,” Kolmården Wildlife Park, Kolmården, Sweden;
Best Overall Production, More than $1 Million: “King Triton’s Concert,” Tokyo DisneySea, Chiba Prefecture, Japan;
MARKETING EXCELLENCE
Digital Marketing Campaign: Wuhu Fantawild Resort, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China;
Integrated Marketing Campaign: Gröna Lund Tivoli, Stockholm, Sweden;
Outdoor Advertisement: Xcaret, Cancún, Mexico;
Best Social Media Campaign: Heineken Experience, Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Some marketing awards are divided into the following class distinctions: Class 1: Family Entertainment Centers (FECs) and attractions with annual attendance less than 250,000, Class 2: Zoos and Aquariums, Class 3: Amusement Parks and Attractions—including Water Parks—with annual attendance of 250,001-1 million, Class 4: Amusement Parks and Attractions—including Water Parks—with annual attendance of more than 1 million.
Public Relations Program Class 1: Reunion Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States;
Public Relations Program Class 2: Dolphin Discovery, Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico;
Public Relations Program Class 3: Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park, Denver, Colorado, United States;
Public Relations Program Class 4: Gröna Lund Tivoli, Stockholm, Sweden;
Audio Commercial Class 1: Cliff’s Amusement Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States;
Audio Commercial Class 2: California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, United States;
Audio Commercial Class 3: White Water Bay, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States;
Audio Commercial Class 4: Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas, United States;
Digital Video Commercial Class 1: Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, United States;
Digital Video Commercial Class 2: West Midland Safari Park, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom;
Digital Video Commercial Class 3: Silverwood Theme Park, Athol, Idaho, United States;
Digital Video Commercial Class 4: Europa-Park, Rust, Baden, Germany;
BEST EXHIBITS AND IMAGE AWARD
100 - 199 square feet
First Place (tie): Honolulu Hot Dog & Chalk Twins
200-399 square feet
First Place: Eleventh Hour
Second Place: BobbleShop
400 - 499 square feet
First Place: Monster City Studios
Second Place: Weber Group, Inc.
500 -899 square feet
First Place: Dippin' Dots, LLC
Second Place: LifeFormations
900 -1,200 square feet
First Place: WhiteWater Attractions
Second Place: Dynamic Attractions Ltd.
1,201 square feet and larger
First Place: Extreme Engineering
Second Place: SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment
IMAGE AWARD: Daniels Wood Land, Inc.
