Riding the wave!
Having started out producing water treatment systems more than 40 years ago, Van Egdom has grown into one of the market leaders in the water park sector. InterPark takes a look at its road to success
Today Van Egdom specialises in the turnkey development of water attractions and interactive water play facilities. Whether it involves the realisation of a complete water park, an interactive water playground or an individual water ride for an amusement park, it is always ready to inspire with themed parks and playgrounds.
 
Having founded the company in 1965, Mr Van Egdom took his first steps into the water park sector in 1978 – introducing water slides to the European market – although the water systems side of the business is still going strong today, with the company designing, manufacturing and installing state of the art solutions with automated monitoring controls and cost effective operations.
 
The company remains a family owned business and has gone from having 10 employees to around 60, with all the design and development expertise and production facilities in-house. It has a growing network of affiliated partners and has become one of the market leaders in Europe, having integrated slides into the core of the business and having more than 5,000 installations in over 35 countries.
Speaking with business development manager Lars Lenders, in particular with regard to trends within the sector, it would seem that theming and custom installation is currently a big trend, with turnkey projects also increasing.
 
“On one hand the end user wants more and more thrilling experiences but at the same time they want a family experience where there are attractions in a water park for every member of the family,” said Lenders. “They are now looking for a total experience.”
 
Having developed a looping water slide, complete transparent slide parts, 3D special effects in water slides and unique water play features, Van Egdom is keen to show these innovations off around the world. To this end, while some companies might cut back on the number of trade shows they exhibit at during these tough times, Van Egdom shows no sign of slowing down, confirming its appearance at shows in key markets such as DEAL in Dubai, AAS in Seoul, Korea, EAS in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Racreatievakbeurs Hardenberg, Netherlands.
 
The biggest challenge for many companies within the water park and amusement sector over the next 12 to 18 months will be surviving, but Lenders seems to have a more positive outlook on things, telling InterPark that the biggest challenge for the company will be “developing durable and eco water parks,” surely a sign that the industry still has plenty to offer.