Photo TR: IAAPA 2006

For those who really don't know...the man on the left is Walter Bolliger

That man is a total player, see?:

Colin C

I Really have to go to iaapa someday. Looks nice and the amusement business is what i'm after. Don't you have more foto's? I enjoyed them.

I am big dork! But I love this game! SOOOO MUCH FUN!!! Even when your drunk!

FLAMIN' FINGER!

I would love to go to that, check out a bunch of the new rides that would be coming out the next year, do you know if you need to be part of the media to go to this thing? I'm an ACE member but I haven't heard of an event that goes to the IAAPA yet.

I agree with everyone on the B&M issue about how that dont come up with new ideas lately. i think that they should come up with some new ideas for new coasters cause there last design was a flying coaster which is like 4 years old now.

I'm just curious, how many new ways to ride a coaster do we really need? Are you expecting to be hanging from your ankles while you negotiate a suspended track? Or how about by your neck......they could call it Noose: The Coaster.

they need to stay ahead of the game if they want to last cause who knows how long people are really going to want hyper, floorless, flying, etc. coasters in the future

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that people will continue to flock to a beemer of any design, and the major parks are well aware of this. B&M is like the Honda of the industry. While Intamin does an excellent job of covering a wide array of thrill rides, B&M knows their bread and butter. It's like the Civic. Honda realized early on that they had a winner on their hands, and rather than put the award winning models on the shelf with all their trophies, they continued to simply improve upon it. Year after year, they have simply introduced a slightly better model. The result: countless years of it being the world's best selling small to midsize car.

The same applies for B&M, and they understand this concept. The only reason they've been knocked lately (think Hydra, Silver Bullet, Patriot) is because their customers haven't been willing to be creative enough in their coaster designs. Some examples of creativity.....Sheikra, Black Mamba and SFOG's Goliath. It's the same basic concept as RCT. Tunnels, trees, water, etc. are simple sollutions to heighten the thrill and excitement factor. They're the same B&M elements you feel are old, yet the aforementioned three examples were critically acclaimed.

Also, they are proven efficient people-eating machines. I can't imagine too many big park chains lining up to purchase the next unproven gimmick coaster if Intamin, GCI, GG, and B&M are available and afordable. And as far as Vekoma goes.....yes, from the reviews I've read, it appears that they've improved a bit. However, beyond the good reviews Kumali received over the summer, I can't remember too many huge crowds rushing out to ride the next big Vekoma.....other than Everest. And speaking of which, that's another coaster that proves my earlier point about theming and surroundings. Put that thing in the middle of nowhere, and it's just a smooth Vekoma......yawn. Put a $100 million mountain around it, and it turns heads.

Griffon, Hollywood: The Ride (or whatever it's being called), and the upcoming Hard Rock Park beemer with a supposed on-ride audio system......yeah B&M should really watch their back. Those sands of the hourglass are slipping away on their reign.

Scott "yep, another boring day at work" B.

^Exactly.

Does B&M need to come up with new ideas or do other companies need to hold the phone? I have to side with Walter Bolliger on this with what he said in his interview with Thrillnetwork and that there is still so much to be done with what they already have. There are some pretty crazy designs these days, like the 4th dimension, but is it completely necessary yet? I know there are still tons of things I'd like to see B&M do with what they have. If anything, I'd just like to see them play around a little more with launching their coasters.

Hey, do you have a link to that interview? I tried searching the In the Loop archives but I would have to download and listen to all the IAAPA ones to figure it out.

And I do think there does need to be innovation. Just not innovation that comes too soon. X was built way too tall and had too many problems and it was pushing it to have a 200ft prototype ride.

Here it is:

www.thrillnetwork.com/stories_view.php/978/interview_walter_bolliger.html

"I think we need to be careful in the design," Bolliger said. "We need to have something very well balanced. What's important is good balance and the ride experience. I think there is still a lot which can be done with coaster design."

Oh yeah, I've read that before I thought there was an interview with him done on In the Loop since there is a picture of Mr. Bolliger a few pages back, the picture being in this topic, and of him sitting at a table with the In the Loopers.