InterPark was present at the IAAPA Expo Europe held in Vienna and during the trade show we exclusively spoke to Berk Baltaoglu, General Manager Polin West Europe of Polin Waterparks, who has worked in the company since early 2008. The water park and aquarium manufacturer showcased their products and services at the Expo and Baltaoglu detailed the company’s growth and successes this year.

“During the Expo we have had very productive meetings with a lot of interest towards Polin. We are catering predominantly for the European markets offering a full tailor-made package to our clients. Both last year and this year have been a productive year for Polin with big projects in Europe and all over the world.”

Baltaoglu confirmed a major European project: “This year we are going to build a water park at Futuroscope. Also, our Stingray water slide attraction has been sold in three different countries, firstly in France, and then it will be installed in China and the third one will be in Vietnam.”

On the current trends of the industry and other future projects, Baltaoglu explained that “we are focussing very much on the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia, as it is the emerging market. We have four projects signed up for installations in that region.”

“During this Expo we have signed two big projects in Italy which have been given the green light after delays due to the funding of the Italian government. Both will be ready for the summer 2024.

“Indeed, the leisure industry is booming in general, and we are focussing on keeping up with product demand to satisfy our clients.”

Baltaoglu also added that Polin Waterpark is branching out from the traditional water parks and aquariums: “We are also focussing our efforts on hotels, camping and resorts. It depends on the size of the projects, but we are open to all scenarios.

“Polin are creating attractions with a small footprint with ‘instagrammable’ items where guests can take a photo with a notable feature to post online.”

On the pandemic, Baltaoglu said “It destroyed the landscape of our industry but moving out of it we have rejuvenated thanks to better solutions, client trust and guests spending more money in the leisure industry. According to statistics, it is far more difficult now for families to say no to their kids, so spending is up. But also, all the water parks are much more efficient with better online systems, access systems. 

“Most parks are getting 50% of their revenue online now therefore parks can touch and find their customers much faster than before and read the data, which helps Polin to analyse the data and make possible solutions. So, we have a new normal with greater efficient solutions challenging everyone to create better solutions and designing better water parks.”

Looking ahead to the IAAPA Expo in America, Baltaoglu revealed: “In Orlando we will be launching a couple of new products as well including artificial intelligence products.”

Finally, Baltaoglu spoke about Polin’s important sustainability programme. “Polin has launched a new sustainability programme called Bright, which by 2025 we will become net zero. We started this initiative 18 months ago, so we already had a good idea of how to be sustainable through our water attraction products. We are focussed on sustainability in our factories and in our transport. We are speaking with our clients to create as less energy-consuming products as possible in terms of mechanical appliances and water supplies.

“We are working alongside waterpark operators to build greener strategies based on several key performance indicators (KPIs) including a facility’s carbon footprint and emissions.”

Since its inception in 1972, Polin Waterparks has created more than 4000 projects in 116 countries. And judging by the trade show in Vienna, the Turkish water manufacturers continue to grow from strength to strength.

Image: Polin Waterparks