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IAAPA honors best new amusement products

2007-11-15

By Robert Niles: IntaRide, Vekoma and Zamperla today won awards for best new amusement products from The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions at its annual convention in Orlando. Here are the details about the awards of most interest to Theme Park Insider readers, from the IAAPA's press release (links added).

The Impact Award
The Impact Award recognizes the first place product determined to be the ultimate new product for 2007. The Comfyland Experience, from Comfy, won the 2007 Impact Award.

Best New Major Theme/Amusement Park Ride/Attraction
First Place: IntaRide – The ZacSpin Coaster. The coaster features freefall drops while ride vehicles constantly spin and change directions.

Honorable Mention: Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. – Suspended Family Coaster. Children and their parents ride in their coaster vehicle as it hangs below the track.

Kiddie Ride/Attraction
First Place: Zamperla, Inc. – Kang-A-Bounce. Riders sit side by side in a kangaroo’s pouch as it hops in a circle.

Technology Applied to Amusements
First Place: Sans Gear NZ Aktion AttracktioNZ - Krush Kushionz. An innovative air bag device allowing unrestrained aerial fun. www.sansgearNZ.com.

Honorable Mention: YourDay – YourDay. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology which records a guest’s day in the park and creates a personalized video of their experience.

The awards are selected from among new rides and products displayed on the show floor at the IAAPA's event.

Readers' Opinions

From steve lee on November 15, 2007 at 5:42 PM
I want a ZacSpin.

Someone get one for me.

From Eric Malone on November 15, 2007 at 7:05 PM
Never heard of YourDay before. Then again, I haven't heard of any of those things. I guess I might've if I strayed from Central Florida theme parks, but it's still interesting to hear about this kind of stuff.
From Robert Niles on November 15, 2007 at 7:07 PM
YourDay sounds like a service that was talked about on TPI a year or so back. It was at Alton Towers in the UK, I believe.

Otherwise, all this is new product stuff that hasn't been rolled out to parks yet. Look for them to hit parks in 2009, I suspect.

From Larry Zimmerman on November 16, 2007 at 2:19 PM
I'm still waiting for Dave Barry's "Drop of Death" coaster...
From Tony Stevens on November 17, 2007 at 5:46 AM
I can't wait for a zacspin to make its debut at a park.
From Erik Yates on November 17, 2007 at 7:58 AM
I saw some of the other winners, including the Best New Technology....very cool stuff. Here's a video we did for themeparkave.com
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xCp1zYRuEqk
From Claire Scaramanga on November 20, 2007 at 10:02 AM
YourDay launched at Alton Towers, the UK's largest theme park, in August 2007. The YourDay product is a personalized movie of a guest's visit to a park or attraction. The guest is offered an RFID wristband which is read by sensors on the featured rides and areas around the park. The personalized footage is stored and insert-edit into the 20 minute master movie for the guest to buy a unique souvenir DVD of their day out. The movie is created in under five minutes.

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