A week in Vegas: SpongeBob, IAAPA Summit and more!

SpongeBob's Crazy Carnival Ride blew the lid off Vegas with a March 1st opening date at Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. The stars aligned as IAAPA Summit was gearing up later that week, creating the perfect opportunity to tour the new interactive dark ride with industry colleagues, friends and business associates.

See here - Grand opening celebration!

The Summit is a chance for businesses to discover innovative new products, network, learn from keynote speakers, and go behind the scenes to explore world-class facilities. It's an opportunity to gain insight about what’s working for facilities and how to put those best practices in motion.

EDUTours began at the Allegiant Stadium - followed by SpongeBob's Crazy Carnival Ride, The Sphere Experience and AREA15.

IAAPA Honors was held following the Summit. A full day dedicated to outstanding projects and an evening to honor the people who've dedicated their lives to our industry's livelihood.

SDR's very own Karen Staley, VP of Global Sales facilitated an insightful panel discussion with the Best New Product winner, Hypershere 360 at SeaWorld.

PortAventura World won two Brass Ring Awards for their dark coaster Uncharted: The Enigma of Penitence. Best New Product: Major Ride/ Attraction (over $3M) and Best Integrated Marketing Campaign.

We also celebrated the SDR X DWL collaboration Treasure Hunt: The Ride, for winning a Brass Ring Award in the Family Ride category.

More on these award-winning attractions here.