Orlando, Thursday, 28 August 2025.
At IAAPA Expo Orlando last November, Vekoma and WhiteWater showcased product updates clearly aimed at accelerating operators’ path to revenue. Vekoma previewed a “surprising” coaster concept that pairs modular construction with explicit capacity increases and shortened lead times, targeting regional parks and resorts that need scalable, lower‑risk investments. WhiteWater revealed footprint‑efficient attractions and circulation‑engineered elements that boost throughput while offering turnkey packages to simplify build and cut operational cost. The most intriguing detail: Vekoma’s concept links modularity directly to measurable capacity gains and faster delivery, signalling suppliers are prioritising install flexibility and hourly throughput as commercial selling points. For retail and attractions professionals, these launches foreshadow a 2025 market where product families emphasize rapid deployment, predictable returns and reduced construction complexity—key considerations when planning capital programmes and guest‑flow optimisation.
WhiteWater’s IAAPA Expo Reveal: space‑efficient, circulation‑first water elements
At IAAPA Expo Orlando, WhiteWater positioned its new product slate as an invitation to ‘rethink’ the modern waterpark—promising attractions that blend slides, rides and interactive play to maximise limited footprints and extend guest sessions [1]. The company framed these developments not as single headline slides but as integrated packages that prioritise circulation engineering—design choices that, according to WhiteWater’s public release, target measurable throughput and longer on‑site dwell times by combining attraction variety with compact layouts [1]. These claims were presented as part of the company’s IAAPA exhibition programme, where attendees could preview three products shortlisted for Brass Ring Awards and see ‘never‑before‑seen’ experiences promoted across multiple WhiteWater booths at the show [1].
WhiteWater’s messaging at the show emphasised a deliberate trade‑off: instead of increasing ride scale, the supplier prioritises footprint efficiency and engineered guest flow to lift hourly capacity, a strategy intended to lower construction complexity and operational cost per rider [1]. That approach relies on modular attraction families and combinations of small‑to‑mid sized slides and play elements configured to create continuous circulation loops—an engineering response to operators who need high throughput in constrained sites. The company’s release specifically described the new products as fusions of slides, rides and play that maximise space and increase capacity, language indicating a design focus on compact, multi‑use elements rather than single high‑footprint anchors [1].
Vekoma’s ‘surprising’ coaster concept: modularity and predictable delivery (reporting caveat)
Industry reporting around IAAPA also referenced a Vekoma preview of a ‘surprising’ rollercoaster concept that links modular construction with capacity improvements and shorter lead times for regional parks and resorts—a commercial pivot toward scaled, lower‑risk capital projects that can be deployed quickly [3][4]. It is important to note a sourcing limitation: the specific Vekoma product claims summarised in trade coverage quoted in industry roundups were not accompanied in the supplied material by a direct Vekoma press release or technical spec sheet in this dossier; therefore any detailed engineering assertions about train design, block‑section counts, or precise capacity metrics cannot be independently verified here [alert! ‘no primary Vekoma technical specification provided in the supplied sources’] [3][4].
Why operators care: time‑to‑revenue, capacity per square metre and turnkey simplicity
Operators at the show repeatedly cited speed of delivery and predictable returns as decisive procurement factors for 2025‑era projects; suppliers’ emphasis on modular product families and turnkey park solutions speaks directly to those commercial priorities [2][1]. WhiteWater’s publicly stated goal—to deliver attractions that reduce construction complexity while increasing session length and throughput—maps to operators’ need for faster time‑to‑revenue and lower operational overhead for waterpark investments [1][2]. The IAAPA event framework and exhibitor resource channels make clear why suppliers use trade shows to test such value propositions: the Expo remains the industry’s central marketplace for procurement and partnerships, bringing together manufacturers, operators and planners in a concentrated sales cycle [2][3].
Bronnen