Volume 1, No. 19. October 19, 2001
Show business
Audiences at seminars were sparse.
Traffic in the exhibit hall aisles could be counted on two hands for much of
the two-afternoon trade show. For some vendors, hours went by without a single
visitor at their booths. World Waterpark Association officials said that while
overall attendance was down less than 14 percent over their 200 show, attendance
among facility members was down 19 percent.
Yet, almost everyone was pleased. Organizers and vendors alike considered the
21st Annual WWA Symposium and Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, last week a success.
True, many came into the show with low expectations, and exceeding those expectations
could have led to a relative sense of success. However, several expressed optimism
for the state of the industry based on activity at the show. "(The year) 2002
will be a great year if any business happens internationally," said David Orr,
vice president of Amusement Leisure Worldwide, who added that on the week of
September 11 his company sealed a half million dollars of new business. "Leisure
and entertainment is going to happen."
It may not happen in the industry's traditional venues, but this year's edition
of the WWA Show indicated more than any previous show that the waterpark world
is realigning in facility types, ownership and opportunities. Municipalities
continue to get into waterpark operations in increasing numbers, and resorts
have fully emerged as the next growth sector as more hotels build indoor parks.
Visionaries are also thinking smaller in terms of venue scale, said Chuck Neuman,
president of Water Technology. "Financing may be an issue, insurance may be
an issue, but overall people are optimistic," he said. "Right now we see a lot
of options, and people are not giving up."
Both Neuman and Orr said they did good business at last week's show. "We got
a number of projects," Neuman said. Said Orr: "We were busy the whole time.
We didn't quit. We had a good show, and that's not b.s." Their sentiments were
echoed by Michael Turner, director of sales and marketing for Gateway Ticketing
Systems. "Quantity was down, quality was up," he said. "We were down dramatically
on quantity of traffic, but I was impressed with the quality. There are still
projects on the table to be built, and I'm very optimistic about our future."
Perhaps, too, the show proved that bigger is not always better, as far as attendance.
The general travel trepidations of the past few weeks on top of the global economic
sluggishness of the past two quarters forced facilities to cut back on the number
of people they sent to WWA. Consequently, the shoppers who did trawl the trade
show floor were truly serious buyers and decision makers. Though they may have
felt lonely at times, several vendors expressed appreciation for not having
to expend their energy and time delivering their messages to a superfluous herd.