Quassy Amusement Park Wins Three International Awards

11/22/2005

ATLANTA - There was an extreme makeover in cyberspace at Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Conn., this year and the family-owned facility was recognized for its efforts. The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) honored Quassy with three Brass Ring Awards at IAAPA’s Annual Conference and Trade Show at the Georgia World Congress Center here. Quassy won the honors for its redesigned Web site, 2005 Media Kit and 2005 color brochure. The Brass Ring Awards were presented Nov. 15 during a standing-room-only gathering in the Georgia Ballroom. “Just back from IAAPA, we are honored for being recognized by our peers with three Brass Ring Awards,” said George Frantzis II, co-owner of the lakeside facility, who attended the six-day conference with more than 25,000 other industry officials from throughout the world. “It is great that our Web site, media kit and brochure were recognized. These awards are indicative of the product and service we strive for in all of our endeavors,” he added. Also in attendance at the conference were Quassy co-owners John Frantzis and Eric Anderson. IAAPA’s Brass Ring Awards is an annual competition that recognizes excellence in marketing for amusement facilities worldwide. The awards recognize originality, creativity and excellence in marketing among professionals in the industry. Quassy captured the awards in three of the seven categories honoring amusement/theme parks with annual attendance of up to 250,000, making the family-run park one of the big winners of the evening. Web Site Honors The park’s Web site - www.quassy.com - received an extreme makeover earlier this year as Quassy officials decided to add a new catered outing section to the site as well as a complete outline of its comprehensive educational programs. In addition, more photos and the park’s first Web-based video were attached to the site, giving surfers a better overview of the 20-acre property. The park also offered on-line ticket purchases for the first time during the 2005 season, which afforded guests an additional convenience before their visit. Quassy’s Web site was developed by Innovative Internet Marketing Solutions of Wallingford, Conn. The video segment was produced by Northern Lights Communications of Bristol, Conn., which also produces the park’s television commercials. Media Kit Quassy’s award-winning media kit was produced in-house and contained dozens of photos, two feature stories as well as background information about the 98-year-old property. Photos were all referenced as hard copy thumbnails for editors to easily access on an accompanying compact disc. Stories also appeared in hard copy as well as on the CD. A separate catered outing CD accompanied printed materials pertaining to group functions at Quassy. The CD contained the video segment which appeared on the Web site plus additional information for groups interested in catered outings. All printing - including CD replication - and packaging of the media kits was done in-house, as was the park’s photography. The entire media kit was available in hard copy or via e-mail. Color Brochure Quassy’s award-winning brochure was also designed in-house and printed at Cenveo of Waterbury, Conn. The four-panel brochure featured a dozen photos from throughout the park, map, special events calendar, directions, rates and complete operating schedule. For the first time, the park’s major sponsors were also acknowledged in the brochure. Ron Gustafson, the park’s director of public relations and photographer, accepted the three awards on behalf of Quassy. “The 2005 Brass Ring entries displayed amazing creativity and conceptual development,” said J. Clark Robinson, IAAPA president and CEO. “This year we saw entries from all sizes of parks and attractions from around the globe. Many featured sponsorship partners, which is a great way to enhance and stretch your marketing dollars.” Quassy features more than two-dozen rides and attractions, redemption arcade, restaurant, beach, “Saturation Station” interactive water play area and entertainment. For more information visit www.quassy.com or call 1-800-FOR-PARK. The 20-acre facility is located on Route 64 and will celebrate 98 years of family fun in 2006. IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities worldwide. The organization represents more than 5,000 facility, supplier, and individual members from more than 85 countries. IAAPA strives to help members improve their safety, efficiency, marketing, and profitability while maintaining the highest possible professional standards in the industry. For more about IAAPA visit www.iaapa.org ---30--- With Brass Ring Awards logo and Quassy Amusement Park marketing sample photos Award-Winning Brochure The cover panel of Quassy Amusement Park’s 2005 color brochure is shown in this photo. The brochure won an international Brass Ring Award. Photos Tell The Story The photo page of Quassy Amusement Park’s award-winning 2005 color brochure is shown above. Compact Disc Label Quassy Amusement Park produced two compact discs for distribution in 2005. Above is the label which appeared on the disc which contained stories and photos for media use.