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Guest Article
Orlando’s Island H2O
Live!, developed by Encore Capital Management, is Florida’s most technologically advanced waterpark. It also exemplifies the importance of rapid, creative thinking and attention to detail when it comes to a pandemic and post-pandemic business approach.
Friday, 15 May, 2020, Florida’s governor announced that amusement venues and waterparks could reopen after submitting detailed Covid mitigation plans and with the support of local governments. Island H20 Live’s! leadership already had its extensive plan ready-to-go and submitted it to the region’s county manager the same day. Within three days, on Monday, 18 May, the waterpark secured approval from the county and opened just one week later in time for Memorial Day.
In addition to developing stringent coronavirus policies such as temperature checks, questionnaires for guests, social distancing markers, extensive cleaning and more, the waterpark’s leadership was already implementing smart, sustainable operational approaches when the pandemic hit. This included steps such as generating cost savings by sequencing the timing of rides in a logical, methodical manner. The waterpark avoids costly spikes in utility expenses by staggering ride operations that connect up-time to corresponding demand during operating hours. With the onset of the coronavirus, these same policies can be used to better manage guest flow throughout the day, aiding social distancing and supporting a better, safer guest experience. Other adjustments, such as modifying wave patterns in wave pools, significantly improve energy efficiency for traditionally costly wave generation. Island H20 Live! also dynamically adjusts thermostats in all buildings to match the in/out times of employee schedules.
The waterpark’s RFID guest wrist bands and associated rewards programme are other exceptional examples of creative thinking and the application of technology to provide an improved customer experience and loyalty while enabling more efficient management of park operations and costs. It’s also a means of supporting coronavirus programme goals and safety in terms of managing the flow of crowds and lines based on incentivising guests with points/rewards. There’s also great peace of mind in providing parents with a way to know in real-time where on the property their kids are located. The waterpark also benefitted from its wise sustainability planning in prior years when the time came to strategise for new financing. Ownership was able to tap into the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programme, authorised by each state to enable advantageous private financing of clean energy, resiliency and sustainability measures. In Florida, PACE financing was provided retroactively to fund sustainable efforts the waterpark took in prior years, such as energy efficiency, wind resiliency/
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safety and more. The PACE programme applies to new projects as well as retroactively. Once a PACE programme is approved at the state level, amusement venues may request that their city or county pass an ordinance approving the PACE programme for use within its boundaries. PACE is 100 percent long-term, fixed rate financing that is repaid by being collected as part of a property’s local tax bills.
While the pandemic has created extremely difficult challenges for the industry, it’s also the case that there are opportunities to overcome these challenges and come through this unprecedented era in a stronger long- term position. Sustainability practices, new technologies and creative approaches offer a win for waterparks and guests, and many of these efforts are both socially and environmentally responsible, which is the right thing to do and ultimately great business.
Sustainability practices, new technologies and creative approaches offer a win for waterparks and guests, and many of these efforts are both socially and environmentally responsible.
The
waterpark also benefitted from its wise sustainability planning in prior years when the time came to strategise for new financing.
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