To support its recently unveiled waterpark and amusement park management software, WhiteWater has created a new subsidiary and hired a new president for that entity.
Last November, the company rolled out Vantage, a software that provides operators with data and metrics on customer activity and operations, and that empowers guests to customize their own experiences.
Vantage captures all of a venue’s visitor and operations data to give operators real-time insights to respond immediately to conditions, and analyze trends, while empowering guests to personalize their experiences.
Vantage functions as a subsidiary to WhiteWater, operating out of its headquarters in Richmond, B.C., Canada. To head this group, the company has hired technology veteran Philip Edgell as president.
“We are extremely happy to have someone with Phil’s impressive experience on board. He is the technology leader needed to ensure that the potential of Vantage is delivered rapidly to market, establishing Vantage as the originator of truly integrated, cutting-edge parks of the future,” says Geoff Chutter, President and CEO of WhiteWater.
Edgell most recently headed sales operations as global vice president of the well-known Canadian social media management site Hootsuite, a position he held for two years. Before that, he was with Long View Systems, an information technology services and solutions company, where he held several titles over 15 years. He most recently served as vice president of operations. While there, he helped the company grow from a 30-employee, $5-million company to a firm generating $400 million in revenue and employing approximately 1,200.
“It’s extremely exciting to be able to merge something as fun as the amusement park and waterpark industry with the passion that I have for technology,” Edgell said. “Bringing those two together... it’s going to be a really fun ride. I’m looking forward to it.”
Aaron Mendelson will serve as Vantage’s director of customer success and product innovation.
The Vantage system helps operators view a property’s activity in real time to detect trends, customer preferences and problems so the staff can respond immediately to situations that call for it, and make plans for the long term.
“It’s both a mix of existing and new technologies that come together in a single solution that has this virtuous circle of driving an enhanced guest experience while providing operational data that helps people run their park better, which in turn helps make better decisions about how you enhance the guest experience,” Edgell said.
Customers may be able to enhance their experience by activating music or lights on a waterslide through a user app, Edgell explains. On the more practical side, waterpark management can link the RFID wristbands to credit cards or locker systems to simplify the logistics of getting around the waterpark.
The software is primarily targeted at the waterpark and amusement park industries, however Vantage expects to expand its client base in the future to include other types of venues, such as museums, smart buildings, senior-care facilities and other fixed environments, Edgell said.
However, this year Vantage will focus on the waterpark industry, primarily using the system as a differentiator for WhiteWater clients. In 2020, the company may begin looking outside waterparks and amusement parks, Edgell added.
Vantage’s first customer, H2O Live at Margaritaville Resort in Kissimmee, Fla., will go live this spring.
