Fibrart is one of the few companies in the world with hands-on experience in managing and operating water parks, as it has actively participated in the management and administration of water parks, accumulating years of experience in the handling and operations which are necessary to conduct a new project or improve an existing one.

Some important points for operating a water park is having the best specialized personnel, motivated and trained, as well as perfect planning of maintenance and operations of the peak demand to always have the installed park capacity at the same level as the demand.

Nowadays there are good tourist administration schools which allow you to access young personnel with specialized studies in hospitality and entertainment, who can further specialize and make their career in water parks and for this reason there is no problem in acquiring young and highly trained personnel. This enables you to meet any public demand in any circumstance, as well as deriving the best possible benefits from your park.

Because a water park is a business which always navigates the waves, its personnel should be qualified, be able to swim and be trained in handling a crisis, able to conduct CPR (cardio respiratory aid) and create a sense of calm in any storm without the need of being the boss.

For the above reasons you should be strict in the rules, as accidents are the worst possible business card for a park and rules are the only thing which protects the users, personnel and business from trouble, therefore the most intelligent thing to do is have the most efficient and objective rules of conduct and see to their fulfillment at all times.

This is regardless of whether the business is a large water park, a resort hotel or a water area within an event room, the risk is the same for any user and therefore the supervision and administration of the risk cannot be simply delegated to the user because his interest are not in line with those of the business.

Having said that it is very important to continually listen to the client and create channels of communication, which can be opened widely thanks to social media, exit interviews and suggestion boxes. Closing communication with the park’s users is the first step to closing your business.

Speaking of closing your business, for the majority of parks there is a great difference between high and low season, so much so that currently many parks close for the low season, which creates the perfect moment to start the projects which cannot be done in regular season such as: adapt or remodel entire sections of the park, hotel, condo, spa, etc… as well as a construction of a new attraction for the coming season (contact us and we will surely give you some ideas…).

And finally a very important part of the park’s operations is its promotion, for the coming season, the high season (the long weekend, vacation or festivities) and even for the low season so that it can be used for private closed-door events where the open spaces and shadowy attractions are a good option for both private and public events which interfere less with your regular customers. Constant promotion and the use of social networks to maintain the connection of the users with our park, hotel, club, spa, event room or any other type of business.

The operation of a park will never be boring, but regardless of whether it is a large water park or just a business with a small water section the purpose will be to make the people come, have fun and stay for as long as possible thanks to good attractions and personal service which will make people recommend us to more visitors and create a positive brand which can be maintained for a long time in the water entertainment market.

Fibrart has had the honor to accompany a great number of entrepreneurs in the development of new parks and spas in Mexico, USA, Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Africa. With more than 30 years on the market we can offer to the client the best methodology for his park to be a commercial success. Given that it is true that having the best attractions helps, having a better plan than your competition does too, because it is good planning that helps you define your target market and makes you have better attractions, at the same time keeping you focused on not wasting resources in looking for attractions and publics which will not necessarily be your future client.

Usually it all starts from a simple idea, “I want to have a water park…”. However the majority of the new parks confront a different market in comparison with the market encountered by the first spas, hotels, resorts or recreation centers, because the malls were not so developed, the vacation centers and many other attractions such as the Family Entertainment Center (FEC), which currently compete for water park clients within the beach vacation centers. However thanks to the fact that in general the world economy has grown and with it family income, new attractions could be developed, as the expenses on entertainment have risen with each decade notwithstanding depressions and economic crises.

But when a visitor wants to spend on access to a water park, how many would go to the park, what would it have to have for them to be willing to pay more; are the questions that can be answered by a market study which delivers different answers depending on the site, regional economy, culture and social situation. But it is starting with the market study which gives us an idea of how many people would be willing to go to a water park and how much they would be willing to pay, depending on the services provided. This determines for us the size of the park, as well as the type of attractions that can be included depending on the cost of the entrance ticket which will give us an operational cost parameter, which cannot be exceeded.

Once the size and level of the park we can construct is determined Fibrart facilitates for the future owner of the park the experience of choosing attractions, location and space between his available options, in such a way that he can plan to leave the park to his children and they can consequently leave it to his grandchildren.

Once the attractions are determined we can calculate the initial investment, as well as the operational cost, and the income of the park through ticketing, internal consumption, promotion, events and interchanges with other organizations through sponsoring.

Fibrart offers advice in the handling and development of any water park, section, or expansion you would like to conduct, so that the owner has the confidence of knowing that besides obtaining the best attractions, he made the best choice in commercial and image terms for the long term of his park.

Fibrart actively collaborates in the construction of new water parks through its designs and advice to the owner of the project. Fibrart provides detailed and schematic construction parks of hydraulic facilities so that the client may choose with whom and how to construct the new park or infrastructure for his new water attraction. Fibrart can actively advise on the general construction of your water project, but it is always the client who decides how to conduct the project designed by Fibrart.

Finishing the process of designing a new park, the client of Fibrart has general plans of the location of general infrastructure of the whole park, such as parking lots, bathroom modules, locker rooms, sales points, offices, trails, ticket booths, green areas and attractions. Fibrart also delivers detailed plans for construction of contracted attractions, such as wave pools, wild rivers, slide towers, kids’ areas and dry rides. With these plans the client can hire an architect’s office and detail his project for which fibrart was hired to execute it on his own or with his preferred contractor.

Usually, the client coordinates the development of the project with different suppliers dedicated to their area of specialization, as is the case of Fibrart for water attractions, pool equipment and finishing and filtering equipment, general construction and furnishings. He can also use a general constructor who will develop the vision of the owner of the works.

Currently it is common to develop the parks with a minimum grade of theming which makes the construction, which is already quite big, with artistic details which are not very common in many parts, such as artificial rock which is a common element in theming and environmental setting of parks in current times. Likewise big signs and ever-more abundant vegetation create a great challenge for the older parks with large concrete esplanades which used their attractions as nearly the only element of entertainment in their park. Today the environmental setting, the service and the attractions make one team in order for the visitors to come to the park, to stay for longer and to spend more in food and drink, as well as souvenirs and other services.

Materials

In general the parks have an average life of over 100 years, for which reason their construction should be in accordance with this time lapse. Concrete and steel are the most popular items in present times while plastics such as fiberglass, which make up the majority of the attractions, gain ever more traction thanks to its flexibility in construction and short construction times.

Fibrart always recommends using stamped concrete in the majority of facilities such as trails, squares and parking lots, as well as pools, and in some towers and facades. The choice of concrete over steel in the towers of ride exits is down to development time, because it takes more time to build a tower with concrete than its equivalent in steel, while in many places concrete is a great deal cheaper than steel. The columns and supports of the rides are better done in steel for their flexibility in modifications and corrections at the time of installing, furthermore their usual quantity, isn’t greater than that of the exit tower.

Preformed plastics are a tendency which was seen in an industrial way (above all in petroleum platforms) and is currently seen in many towers owing to its durability, ease of change per section, the characteristic of not splintering as does wood, and can look like wood, rock or ceramics without the high cost and furthermore it is not a thermal or electric conductor, which is very important in the water industry. Thus besides steps it will increasingly be seen in rails, stairs, mobile sales points, announcements, furniture (benches, tables and lockers) and of course themed decoration.

Steel is a nearly inseparable companion of water attractions, fibrart recommends to always use steel galvanized in hot material and maintain a maintenance program at the site of the park. Many parks decide not to paint the steel and leave the galvanized steel in plain sight, however if the steel is in contact with water it should be covered with special paint to avoid water contamination and protect the steel from corrosion and chemical wear. Independently from the brand of the paint used it is recommended to use several layers of protection against UV, corrosion and chemicals such as chlorine and water minerals.

Safety

Water parks are companies which owe a great deal of their profitability to the image they have, for which reason avoiding accidents since the start of construction is the goal to maintain a good image in the community. Less shallow pools, with adequate drainage and water suction, apart from appropriate arresters which protect the visitors and well-located and safe power outlets to greatly reduce the normal risks in a park, however the main accident in a park or water attraction is a blow due to slipping on polished surfaces, for which reason surfaces with good traction are an option, if not a priority for any park, spa, hotel, resort, recreational center, public or private pool, swimming school and even a commercial center.

Green construction

Green focus in the construction of water parks is getter ever more popular and cannot be ignored by the current parks which faced with each extension or refurbishment should try to include ecological elements of energy use reduction, leveraging resources through their reuse and handling of waste generated by the park.

Using plastic recycled material, constructing with earth walls and materials fetched from nearby reduces the carbon footprint of your park or water section and benefits your image and the welfare of everyone.

Many of the walls or divisions can now be generated by green walls with regional plants and using lagoons with water plants which filter the water rather than normal treatment plants are the elements that the park can leverage as an example for its community.

An important part of the operating cost of a park is electrical energy, which can be generated with solar panels or at least you can use solar panels to heat the water; these panels currently have an accessible price and can be integrated architectonically into the design of the terraces and roofs of buildings such as restrooms and locker rooms, reducing the cost and giving your business a note of social responsibility.

Summary

There are regions which have strict design rules such as Europe and countries associated with the European community or the United States, with construction codes that vary a lot depending on the state, however both the AST of the USA and the UEN of Europe and many guidelines such as those on the local level are good references for construction, which will help in the future against lawsuits concerning your parks and attractions.

Construct with the best possible materials to leave your project not just for current administration, but also for future generations and if possible, leverage solar light, wind, recycled materials and use the biggest possible number of vegetation, in order to have a park for future generations, respected by the community and appreciated by its users.

Fibrart has personnel dedicated to the design of parks with more than 15 years of experience and this experience makes all the difference when choosing the indicated attractions, distributing them in a balanced way in the terrain and integrating all the necessary elements in order for your park design to provide the greatest possible satisfaction to your visitors and at the same time in order for it to be a money making machine, smoothly and without delays.

The design of a new park or a water section within a theme park, hotel, resort, recreational center, party hall, roofed park or even in a swimming school depends above all on the balance of the available space, the needs of the client for whom the new park or section is dedicated and the dream or vision of the owner. Fibrart tries to balance these factors through a wide range of attractions and the broadest experience on the market.

After a chat with the owner and/or person(s) responsible for the project, Fibrart determines the space available on your terrain, the level of the park that the client wants and the target market, as well as the site and environment where the new water park would be built. With this information Fibrart can choose the best attractions, create a master distribution of the park in order not to make mistakes in the future, which includes all the necessary infrastructure elements which a new park needs and at the same time a future development plan for the park.

Choice of terrain

Among the first parts which Fibrart considers for the design of a new park is the choice of terrain. Usually the owner has to consider various alternatives in order to choose where to develop his new water park, spa, recreation center or water section within his current hotel, resort, park, etc… A very simple way to consider the best terrain in the case of new parks is to take into account the following aspects and subscribe each one with a value as represented by their importance and create a comparison between the available options.

Water availability. If the park is based on water, you need a constant and above all reliable source of water. Municipal networks are not usually reliable, for which reason we recommend that the terrain have its own deep well to provide water, the quality and quantity can be administered through the filtering equipment and storage and treatment facilities, but above all there has to be a constant inflow of water.

Near population centers. Usually the target market of the spa will be no more than 2 hours’ drive from the park. The more population around the park the better, and depending on the quickness of the communication lines and the local culture, you can cover more population and therefore more clients.

Park access. The location of the park with respect to roads which connect you to your clients is also a valuable part to consider. The better the roads with more population the better for the project. It is also an advantage if the park is located by highways or avenues, due to ease of access and above all the visibility of attractions from the main road, which makes the park and its attractions into an endless neon sign.

Size and general form of the terrain. It is difficult to acquire rectangular or square terrain with elevation on the rim which lowers the cost of the towers for the main attractions, however it is the most recommended option. Due to its ease always a flat terrain is better than one with much elevation (ease of construction) and a terrain with a square form is better than one which is rectangular or trapezoidal, as the distribution in the design will be balanced and it will reduce the walking distances for the clients.

Permits and licenses. Finally an important paragraph is that the project be able to be built where constructions permits and park creation permits are welcome. There are governments, civil associations (NGOs), neighbors and many other stakeholders who can block or at least make life very difficult for a water park project, for which reason we always recommend that the client conduct the project in a place where it will be facilitated through permits and licenses, and where it can have a positive influence.

General distribution

With the terrain plan we can start to distribute in a general form the location of the park access, space for the parking lot and location of the attractions. This part is very important because it defines the fork in which the park will be operating and how it will grow, therefore in the part of the general design grow space should be defined both of the attractions as of the base infrastructure of the new water park, such as the green area, parking lot, sales points, warehouse, operation and maintenance entrances, electrical and hydraulic installations.

Once the general distribution is defined, the parking spaces are detailed, as are the green spaces, towers and pools, sales points, trails and distributors, warehouses and offices, etc. This in general is the base to details the second important part which is the addition of attractions.

Choice of attractions

Fibrart has one of the broadest catalogs of water attractions to develop your park according to the vision of the owner. Fibrart usually develops complete projects and the client chooses which attractions to use for the opening of his park independently from the recommendations given to him by Fibrart in order to develop his water park. The usual recommendations are to have the best possible kids’ area and to have a solid project of a tower with various slides and finally to have a wave pool which can reliably provide service.

Location of the attractions

Once the attractions are chosen and the general distribution of the park is set, the attractions are located by importance and ease to develop as the project advances. In general the kids’ area can be chosen from various options, ranging from traditional construction, theme construction to simple or themed multi-levels.

The pools are an indispensable part and the prime attraction of nearly all the older parks and spas, where water attraction per se does not exist. Currently there is a tendency for the pools to be shallow, with less water volume to reduce filtering cost and at the same time they are equipped with attractions such as fountains, waterfalls and slides in order to maintain the pools active and fun. Finally there are wave pools and slow rivers which, if you decide to open a park with a wave pool, it is generally situated in the center due to the quantity of persons who cluster around it.

The slides are the most visible attractions in the park, due to their size, height and are one of the few architectonical or engineering works used exclusively for fun. Fibrart uses a wide range of slides, ranging from the most basic body slides, all the way to bigger raft or multi-line slides with aquatubo, which will give you a high portent and fun image for your park. These attractions should be preferably located in sight of the general public and from outside the park in order for them to function as the prime promoter of your water park, hotel, resort, spa, recreation center, public or private pool and swimming school or party hall.