■Carrie Chan
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) presented the 2018 IAAPA Brass Ring Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 14 during IAAPA Attractions Expo 2018 in Orlando, Florida. The annual awards recognize amusement parks, water parks, zoos, aquariums, museums, family entertainment centers (FECs), and suppliers from around the world for excellence in food and beverage, games and retail, human resources, live entertainment, marketing, new products, and exhibits. The tradition of the brass ring, a term now synonymous with spectacular achievement, dates back to the 1800s. Rings were suspended above carousel riders — low enough for them to grasp, but high enough to pose a challenge. Skilled riders who grabbed a brass ring often earned prizes, including a free ride on the carousel. Most rings were made of iron, but a few were made of brass, so grabbing the brass ring was a valuable treat.
IAAPA Brass Ring Awards honor this tradition of reaching up and earning a prize by celebrating achievements of excellence throughout the global attractions industry. The IAAPA Brass Ring Awards are the most prestigious professional honors awarded to companies. The winners of the 2018 IAAPA Brass Ring Awards are:
Top Family Entertainment Center (FEC) of the World
Jake’s Unlimited; Mesa, Arizona, United States; www.jakesunlimited.com
Best Exhibit Exhibitor Awards 2018
Image Award
Innovative Concepts in Entertainment, Inc. (ICE)
Booth Size 100 – 199 Square Feet |
YourMapp
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VITO Fryfilter
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Booth Size 200 – 399 Square Feet
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Imagination Corporation
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WIPEOUT
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Booth Size 400 – 499 Square Feet
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Eleventh Hour
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S4 Lights
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Booth Size 500 – 899 Square Feet
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TAF USA - TRUSS ALUMINUM FACTORY
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Weber Group, Inc.
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Booth Size 900 – 1,200 Square Feet
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Dynamic Attractions Ltd.
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Legacy Entertainment
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Booth Size 1,201 and Larger Square Feet
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WhiteWater West Industries Ltd.
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Polin Waterparks
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Best New Product Exhibitor Awards
Image Award
Product: SlideWheel, Company: wiegand.maelzer GmbH
Major Ride/Attraction – Class A (Product cost of US$3 million or more)
First Place: SlideWheel (wiegand.maelzer GmbH)
Second Place: Single Rail Raptor Roller Coaster (Rocky Mountain Construction)
Major Ride/Attraction – Class B (Product cost of less than US$3 million)
First Place: Justice League: A Call For Heroes-Holovis Walkthrough Experience (Holovis)
Justice League: A Call For Heroes-Holovis Walkthrough Experience
Second Place: Skywarp (Skyline Attractions)
Kiddie Ride/Attraction – Class A (Standard Kiddie Ride/Attraction)
First Place: Oscar’s Wacky Taxi (The Gravity Group LLC)
Oscars Wacky Taxi
Second Place: C Car Town (Shenyang Chuangqi Amusement Equipment Co., Ltd.)
C Car Town
Kiddie Ride/Attraction – Class B (Coin-op Kiddie Ride/Attraction)
First Place: KidSim Simulator (Flags Industries)
Second Place: DIABOLO (Flags Industries)
Water Park Ride/Attraction – Class A (Product cost of US$2 million or more)
First Place: FusionFortress 17 (WhiteWater West Industries Ltd.)
Water Park Ride/Attraction – Class B (Product cost of less than US$2 million)
First Place: FlyingSAUCER 45 (ProSlide Technology, Inc.)
Second Place: Aqua Race Kart (Kart 1)
Aqua Race Kart
Patron Participation Ride/Attraction
First Place: HyperBowling (QubicaAMF Bowling Products)
HYPERBOWLING
Second Place: Gen8 Infinity Laser Tag System (Laserforce International)
Technology Applied to Amusements – Class A (Product or Service used by Consumers)
First Place: Electric C.P. Huntington Train (Chance Rides)
Electric C.P. Huntington Train
Second Place: DreamSet Headset (CAVU Designwerks)
Technology Applied to Amusements – Class B (Product or Service used by Facilities)
First Place: OverVue Arcade Game Analytics (New Vue Solutions)
Second Place: Vantage (WhiteWater West Industries Ltd.)
Merchandising & Retail Products
First Place: NXT, Capture - Facial Recognition (NXT Capture)
Second Place: Rubie’s Costume Company’s Jurassic World Inflatable T-Rex Costume (Rubie's Costume Co. Inc.)
Games & Devices – Class A (Arcade & Video Games and Equipment)
First Place: WWE Superstar Rumble (Andamiro USA Corp.)
Second Place: HOOPLA (SEGA Amusements International Ltd.)
HOOPLA
Games & Devices – Class B (Midway Games and Equipment)
First Place: Zombyte (Creative Works, Inc.)
Second Place: VRcade ATOM (VRstudios, Inc.)
VRcade ATOM
Best New Product Concept Award: Major Ride Attraction
First Place: Stormforce 20 (Ride Engineers Switzerland)
Stormforce 20
Second Place: Orbiter (WhiteWater West Industries Ltd.)
Best New Product Concept Award: Other Products/Services
First Place: Diving Theatre (VR Coaster GmbH & Co.KG)
Second Place: Ultrahaptics STRATOS Inspire (Ultrahaptics)
Best New Product Concept Award: Attraction First Place: Dynamic Duel Power Coaster (Dynamic Attractions Ltd.)
Dynamic Duel Power Coaster
Second Place: Atari Pong Cocktail Table (UNIS Technology (H.K) Limited)
Atari Pong Cocktail Table
※The article is published in the GTI Magazine Issue No. 171 in December 2018
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