WWA attendees flooding into Vegas for 44th annual convention

AT: Pam Sherborne

psherborne@amusemaenttoday.com

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Attendees to the 44th annual World Waterpark Association Symposium and Trade Show, set for October 8-11, will be greeted with an abundance of workshops, educational sessions, social events, networking events and a trade show full of suppliers showcasing their latest products as well as existing popular products.

The 2024 event take place at the Paris Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The trade show runs 12:30 - 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9, and 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 10.

“We expect a strong turnout for this year’s show,” said Rick Root, WWA president. “Not only do we have an exciting and inspiring educational program and sold-out trade show to offer our attendees, but our host city is one of those locations that just brings something special to the table.

“Las Vegas is our attendee’s favorite city for good reason,” he said. “With so much going on from sunup to well past dark, attendees are guaranteed to take home fresh ideas, new products and plenty of memories of time spent with their WWA friends and colleagues.”

Root said the trade show exhibit hall is sold out. The hotel room block at Paris Las Vegas is sold out, and rooms at the secondary hotel, the Horseshoe Las Vegas, will sell out.

“Our pre-show registration was trending ahead of our 2022 show at Caesars Forum and Harrah's,” Root said. “It’s clear that our members value their time together and look forward to joining their colleagues as they begin planning for the 2025 season.”

In addition, Root said they have taken advantage of the location by hosting some great networking events, including the Annual Golf Tournament taking place on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the Arroyo Golf Club.

The popular Annual Reunion Party will take place at Cowabunga Canyon on Wednesday, Oct. 9. At this event, attendees will be able to mingle with hundreds of innovators who are taking the industry to the next level, all while enjoying behind-the-scenes time at this beautiful water park venue.

“We’re so appreciative that the Pyek Group will be hosting our Annual Reunion Party at Cowabunga Canyon this year,” Root said. “The party they hosted at Cowabunga Bay in 2022 was one of our attendees' all-time favorite social events, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for this year.

“Nothing makes operators and suppliers happier than seeing water park attractions live and in-person and hearing answers to operational questions during behind-the-scenes tours of new facilities,” Root said.

Plus, we’re giving our attendees a special night on their own to grab some of their favorite WWA friends, get out and explore all that Vegas has to offer, including amazing cuisine, tremendous shows and exciting nightlife options that you cannot replicate anywhere else.

Even though the WWA event officially kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 8, several programs are starting on Sunday, Oct. 6:

•The Aquatic Facility Operator Certification Course. This two-day program is presented in conjunction with the National Recreation and Park Association. It wraps up on Monday afternoon, Oct. 7.

•The Certified Pool Operator (CPO) Certification Course. The Pool and Hot Tub Alliance’s two-day workshop is designed to provide the knowledge necessary to operate and manage public pools and spas. The CPO class is widely accepted by health departments and fulfills the local and state requirements for certification for pool service technicians as defined in many states. It wraps up on Monday, Oct. 7.

•Ellis & Associates Lifeguard Instructor Licensing Program. The company will conduct this Lifeguard Instructor Licensing program at a location off-site at a local client facility. This is a three-day program and will conclude on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

The two-day StarGuard Elite Lifeguard Instructor Development Course will begin on Monday, Oct. 8, and wrap up Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Several WWA University courses are set to run on Tuesday, Oct. 8:

•The WWA University: Waterpark Design, Development & Expansion Workshop is an optional event that brings together leading industry development experts, and licensed design professionals.

•WWA University: Ready, Set, Go! A Guide To Getting Started Workshop. This workshop is a practical guide for the first-time water park operator or those new to management positions.

•WWA University: Waterpark Maintenance School. It will feature top industry experts presenting topics designed to help water park operators improve their maintenance programs.

Also on this day is the WWA Advanced Water Quality Certificate Course. Water parks place a very high workload on most water treatment systems, including water collection, re-circulation, filtration, chemical control and chemical feed that demands.

According to Root, one of the things WWA’s attendees anticipate most is the show’s extensive education program. This year’s show is again the largest water leisure education and training program anywhere and takes place over four days and features some of the industry’s most experienced operators, developers and suppliers.

“We’re excited to share this year’s educational program with our attendees,” Root said, “We’ll be hosting more than 115 speakers who will discuss a variety of core and advanced topics in more than 40 educational sessions, panels and round tables.”

WWA’s educational program features the most comprehensive, water park-specific content available in the world today. Attendees can expect to take home the latest ideas on safety, operational trends, hiring, revenue generation, employee development, marketing and much more.

Two highlights within this year’s program are the Keynote Sessions. First up, on Thursday, Oct. 10, is Darren LaCroix, who in his session, All In! One Decision Changes Everything, will share the secrets of resiliency, humor and fully committing to important goals and the opportunities this formula will yield in one's personal and professional life.

Then on Friday, Oct. 11, former NASA engineer Maureen Zappala is sharing ways to overcome Imposter Syndrome to move ahead without feeling like a fraud. In her session, Confidence Is Not Rocket Science, Zappala will share her powerful strategies that can be useful to recalibrate thinking.

Additional session highlights include Leveraging CRMs And Customer Data; Good, Bad, And Challenging Guests - Navigating The Exceptional And Exceptions; Influencer Marketing: Reaching Engaged Audiences And Maximizing Your Partnerships; Food And Beverage Trends 2024; Aww CRAP... Now What!?; Now And Beyond: Future Proofing Your Waterpark; Ecology vs Economy: Can Waterparks Really Conserve Water?; Mastering Group Sales for Waterparks; Optimizing Revenue And Customer Experience With Dynamic Pricing; Unleashing The Magic: Mastering The Mascot; Employee Engagement And Incentives On A Budget.

Committee meetings are set to run on Wednesday morning.

Root said this year the WWA will be hosting more than 320 booths on the trade show floor, many of which will be showcasing new products, solutions and services that can help water park owners and operators achieve their goals more effectively and efficiently in 2025.

“WWA exhibitors are always motivated to spend quality time with those who walk the show floor,” Root said. “They are ready to craft real-world solutions to problems an operator might be facing. We also anticipate the new ride innovations that keep our industry moving forward to make their debut at the WWA Show, just as they have for the last four decades.”

The new parks and expansion projects taking place in the water leisure industry are truly remarkable, said Root. They are bringing wholly unique experiences to the waterpark industry.

“The continued growth of surf attractions and facilities is also exciting,” he said.

Some highlights of recent water park development include Aquascope at Futuroscope, Poitiers, France; Blue Surf Bay, Blue Springs, Missouri; El Dorado Park, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Meryal Waterpark, Lusail, Qatar; OKANA Resort, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Rise of Icarus at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin and Thrill Island Water Park on Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of The Seas.

Also during the WWA convention, the Board of Directors Award will be presented. Award categories include the Executive Board Award, Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award, Al Turner Memorial Commitment to Excellence Award, Leading Edge Award, Wave Review Award, Chris Stuart Emerging Leader Scholarship Award and the annual WWA Hall of Fame inductions.