Brass Ring Awards 2021 given out to IAAPA Exhibitors

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Lego Factory Adventure Ride, one of the awarded rides (© Ryan Painter)

Aside from introductions to new ride systems and dark rides, a staple of the yearly IAAPA Expo Trade Show is the announcement of the winners of the Brass Ring Awards for the presented exhibits and products. The famous award, named after the brass ring that could be won by riding vintage carousels and afterwards be exchanged for a free ride, is given to those who are considered to be most innovative and is, according to IAAPA, a ”symbol of achievement”. Following up on the given out awards for parks earlier this month, a total of 30 exhibitors were presented with an award in the category for Best New Product (15 subcategories with first and second place) and another 10 for Best Exhibit (5 subcategories with first and second place). In total, 3 were related to dark ride developments.

Vekoma was awarded in the category Best New Product: Major Ride/Attraction – Product cost of more than US$5 million for their new generation of flying rollercoasters. There is currently only one in operation: F.L.Y. in Phantasialand (Brühl – Germany). This rollercoaster has a short dark ride part before its first launch and qualifies as a semi-dark ride.

The second place in this category was presented to Holovis for their work on Lego Factory Adventure Ride at Legoland New York (New York – United States). The ride is the first to implement HoloTrac technology to transform guests into Lego Minifigures of themselves and mimics their movements in real time. “So excited to be presented with a Brass Ring award for our work on the LEGO Factory Adventure Ride that opened at Legoland New York this year”, states the company on Twitter.

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Vekoma’s flying rollercoaster in Phantasialand (© Dark Ride Database)

First place for Best New Product: Major Ride/Attraction – Product cost of US$2 to US$5 million was awarded to Triotech for their innovative Hyper Ride system, which was recently announced. It is another step in the development of the motion-based ride vehicle and offers more extreme motion options. The first installation is planned for Clifton Hill (Niagara Falls – Canada) and will be known as “Carnival Chaos Hyper Ride”. “For Triotech this is an amazing recognition for the hard work and creativity of our dedicated team” says Ernest Yale, President and CEO of Triotech in a press-release, “We aim to create attractions that are unique and fun for guests while providing a sound investment for operators. Hyper Ride hits the mark in that regards.” The company also won the second place for Best Exhibit: 1,201 and Larger Square Feet for their booth where they presented a prototype of the Hyper Ride.

First place for the Best New Product Concept was awarded to Alterface for their Action League-ride. “We at Alterface are extremely honoured to receive the Brass Ring Awards for Best New Concept ‘Attraction’.” tells Pim Dams, Sales Manager at Alterface, “Action League is a stand-alone attraction where the guests will experience a unique mix of tournament, interactive gaming and motion. Action League is able to be placed on a very small footprint and can reach a capacity of minimum 500 persons per hour. Again, we are very proud that we have won this award and can not wait to install it anytime soon!”

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Action League concept by Altercace (© Alterface)

Finally, Daniels Wood Land was presented with a Brass Ring Award in the category of Best Exhibit: 500 – 899 Square Feet. Their elaborately decorated exhibit was in the theme of the in development dark ride Treasure Hunt: The Ride, for which which Daniels Wood Land will produce much of the decor. The interactive dark ride, co-developed by Sally Dark RIdes, is planned to open in 2022 at Cannery Row (Monterey, California – United States) and features a pirate theme.

The full list of winners can be found on the IAAPA website.