Chris Perry wrestles alligators on
Epic Attractions / PHOTO: Courtesy of Travel Channel
At the start of the year, WhiteWater West named waterpark veteran and TV host Chris Perry as the company’s new executive vice president of strategic partnerships.
Anyone who’s tuned into Epic Attractions on the Travel Channel will recognise the fearless host – whether he’s harnessed to the top of Cedar Point’s Millennium Force performing the safety checks, or freefalling on a 80kph (50mph) waterslide in Area 47.
Aside from his TV fame, Perry has worked in the waterpark sector for years, a passion he inherited from his father.
“My father ran aquatic facilities when I was young,” Perry says. “I grew up around the pool doing everything from picking up garbage, to cleaning toilets, to selling season passes until I eventually became old enough to become a lifeguard.”
His experience led him to Wild Wadi, where he stayed for 15 years, eight as general manager. He oversaw the waterpark and aquatic safety for a number of hotels around the world. While there, he led his team to several industry awards and oversaw the waterpark becoming ISO and Green Globe certified.
In his new job at the Canada-based waterpark supply and design firm, Perry is taking on a more strategic role, focusing on building relationships with existing clients and partners as well as finding new business avenues. He’ll also be looking for ways WhiteWater can improve the service it provides to operators and the overall experience for guests.
“WhiteWater’s vision is to ‘create play experiences that wow the world’,” Perry says. “The company really wants to be the best. Coming from many years as a waterpark operator, I’m in an interesting position to help WhiteWater understand what clients want and what they need to do in order to deliver these ‘wow’ experiences. I’m only interested in being with a company at the leading edge, so WhiteWater is a perfect match for me.”
Although there are no current plans to produce a second season of Epic Attractions, Perry and the Travel Channel have been discussing possible collaborations in the future. We’ll have to wait and see if it will be as hair-raising.
“The scariest thing I did for Epic Attractions was being in the water with the alligators at Gatorland in Orlando,” he says. “I was thigh-deep in water with the general manager and we were feeding the gators, with no real escape route if something happened. I think my producers were just as nervous as I was.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2016 issue 2
Promotional feature: IDEATTACK
IDEATTACK’s new project in Hainan, China,
introduces the storytelling elements of a
theme park to the oceanarium concept
Science Museums: Shaping Tomorrow
Brazil’s Museum of Tomorrow uses
constantly updating, real-time digital
collection to communicate with visitors.
We met members of the team
Promotional feature: EAS
This year, the Euro Attractions Show is
coming to the Spanish city of Barcelona
Disney Special: Shanghai Disney: The Best Yet?
As Disney opens its first resort in mainland
China, our special feature examines its
business model, its potential impact and
the modernisation of the Disney castle park
New Openings: Space Inversion
A new contemporary museum district
in the Netherlands – Museumplein
Limburg – features a science centre,
a design museum and an inverted
planetarium. We take a closer look
Promotional feature: Polin
Polin’s patented technologies, extensive R&D and creative flair have made it one of the world’s leading waterpark design and manufacturing companies
Waterparks: Taking the Plunge
Waterpark suppliers constantly develop
their product offers. We dive into the
world of waterpark R&D to find out more
Zoos & Aquariums: The Long Game
UK safari park Longleat is undertaking a
decade-long upgrade that starts by going
back to its roots. As the attraction turns
50, CEO Bob Montgomery explains how
he’s bridging the past and the future
Chris Perry wrestles alligators on
Epic Attractions / PHOTO: Courtesy of Travel Channel
At the start of the year, WhiteWater West named waterpark veteran and TV host Chris Perry as the company’s new executive vice president of strategic partnerships.
Anyone who’s tuned into Epic Attractions on the Travel Channel will recognise the fearless host – whether he’s harnessed to the top of Cedar Point’s Millennium Force performing the safety checks, or freefalling on a 80kph (50mph) waterslide in Area 47.
Aside from his TV fame, Perry has worked in the waterpark sector for years, a passion he inherited from his father.
“My father ran aquatic facilities when I was young,” Perry says. “I grew up around the pool doing everything from picking up garbage, to cleaning toilets, to selling season passes until I eventually became old enough to become a lifeguard.”
His experience led him to Wild Wadi, where he stayed for 15 years, eight as general manager. He oversaw the waterpark and aquatic safety for a number of hotels around the world. While there, he led his team to several industry awards and oversaw the waterpark becoming ISO and Green Globe certified.
In his new job at the Canada-based waterpark supply and design firm, Perry is taking on a more strategic role, focusing on building relationships with existing clients and partners as well as finding new business avenues. He’ll also be looking for ways WhiteWater can improve the service it provides to operators and the overall experience for guests.
“WhiteWater’s vision is to ‘create play experiences that wow the world’,” Perry says. “The company really wants to be the best. Coming from many years as a waterpark operator, I’m in an interesting position to help WhiteWater understand what clients want and what they need to do in order to deliver these ‘wow’ experiences. I’m only interested in being with a company at the leading edge, so WhiteWater is a perfect match for me.”
Although there are no current plans to produce a second season of Epic Attractions, Perry and the Travel Channel have been discussing possible collaborations in the future. We’ll have to wait and see if it will be as hair-raising.
“The scariest thing I did for Epic Attractions was being in the water with the alligators at Gatorland in Orlando,” he says. “I was thigh-deep in water with the general manager and we were feeding the gators, with no real escape route if something happened. I think my producers were just as nervous as I was.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2016 issue 2
Promotional feature: IDEATTACK
IDEATTACK’s new project in Hainan, China,
introduces the storytelling elements of a
theme park to the oceanarium concept
Science Museums: Shaping Tomorrow
Brazil’s Museum of Tomorrow uses
constantly updating, real-time digital
collection to communicate with visitors.
We met members of the team
Promotional feature: EAS
This year, the Euro Attractions Show is
coming to the Spanish city of Barcelona
Disney Special: Shanghai Disney: The Best Yet?
As Disney opens its first resort in mainland
China, our special feature examines its
business model, its potential impact and
the modernisation of the Disney castle park
New Openings: Space Inversion
A new contemporary museum district
in the Netherlands – Museumplein
Limburg – features a science centre,
a design museum and an inverted
planetarium. We take a closer look
Promotional feature: Polin
Polin’s patented technologies, extensive R&D and creative flair have made it one of the world’s leading waterpark design and manufacturing companies
Waterparks: Taking the Plunge
Waterpark suppliers constantly develop
their product offers. We dive into the
world of waterpark R&D to find out more
Zoos & Aquariums: The Long Game
UK safari park Longleat is undertaking a
decade-long upgrade that starts by going
back to its roots. As the attraction turns
50, CEO Bob Montgomery explains how
he’s bridging the past and the future
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
