Daniel Watkins owns and operates GC Wake Park and GC Aqua Park – two industry-leading venues for water-based entertainment in Australia. As a 3-time wakeboarding World Champion, Daniel had the vision to build a world-class wake park on the Gold Coast. After opening the wake park seven years ago, Daniel then seized the opportunity to purchase the aqua park. Now, the business serves thousands of guests each week across both locations.

Before switching to ROLLER, Daniel was piecing together multiple software systems, including FareHarbor and Smart Waiver. He identified the need for an all-in-one system to simplify and streamline operations as the business began to scale. ROLLER stood out in the market because of its integrated waivers and potential to increase revenue by boosting sales and saving time for staff. 

Now, as Daniel puts it, “We’ve got a great software system that we can grow with.” ROLLER gives its customers the option of applying online booking fees to help cover their operational expenses. Daniel notes that the cost of the ROLLER's aqua park management platform is entirely offset by these online booking fees, which helps them maximize online revenue. “With the booking fee, ROLLER is free for us,” Daniel says.

Becoming the world’s largest aqua park 

Today the business is thriving more than ever. They've more than doubled the capacity of the aqua park from 200 to 420 people, something no other park in the world has been able to do. “We’re now the biggest aqua glide park in the world,” states Daniel.

ROLLER’s simple capacity management and ticketing functionality, they’ve expanded the park and its attractions to accommodate a higher volume of guests, and they now have six ticketing tills at venue entry so they can process more ticket sales and check in more guests in the same amount of time. ROLLER’s simple, intuitive point-of-sale technology helps them streamline this process. “How quick it is to sign someone in at check-in is a real positive,” comments Daniel.

The venue’s growth ambitions don’t stop here – they plan to grow the business by 30% in the next few years. They are considering adding new experiences and activities for guests and looking for ways to reduce overheads to continue to grow efficiently into the future. Thanks to his close relationship with ROLLER and his dedicated Account Manager's support in helping solve his business challenges, Daniel can step back from day-to-day operations and invest time in business growth. He says, “ROLLER gives me the time to step back and say; what’s next?”

Catering to different target audiences 

The target audiences of GC Wake Park and GC Aqua Park are quite different, requiring a tailored product offering to meet their needs. ROLLER’s flexible product options – from session passes to packages to memberships – allow Daniel to do just that. The aqua park is all about family fun, catering to kids around ten years of age with a focus on party bookings. Meanwhile, the wake park serves an audience that’s atypical for most leisure and attractions businesses, servicing skilled wakeboarders as well as casual visitors. The wake park has a strong focus on memberships to allow guests to hone their skills, with around 350 active members.

Daniel’s close connection to other operators in the wake and aqua park industry also helps him serve the unique needs of his guests. Rather than seeing each other as competitors, fellow operators support each other as a community to share learnings and tackle challenges facing the industry. “We’re all friends, and we get together to talk about events that are coming up and how we can collaborate,” says Daniel.

Increasing online reviews by 567% with Guest Experience Score

In a digital age, online reviews significantly influence the reputation and success of any business. Daniel’s parks use ROLLER’s Guest Experience Score to fuel business growth by increasing positive word of mouth and online reviews. The GX Score is a guest feedback tool that automatically sends post-visit surveys and prompts guests to share their thoughts on public review sites.

For Daniel, this is one of the key ways that ROLLER delivers a return on investment. In 2022, the GX Score helped him to increase the number of Google reviews for the aqua park from 600 to 4,000, a staggering 567% increase! While the quantity of reviews is impressive, the quality of the guest experience at the park is equally notable, with a stellar rating of 4.9. 

This isn't just a testament to the business’s commitment to guest satisfaction; it's a strategic move that boosts their organic marketing activity and improves their bottom line. With this level of traction on Google, it’s easier for new guests to find out about the park online, and the business doesn’t need to spend as much on paid advertising. "Now that we've got so many reviews on Google, our ad spend is decreasing, and our clicks are increasing,” says Daniel.

Riding the wave of success

So, what's on the horizon for GC Wake Park and GC Aqua Park? They’ve just won a bid to host the Wakeboard World Championships for 2024 and 2026, a credit to the world-class facilities at the wake park. With ROLLER as their partner, there's more growth, innovation, and water adventures ahead.

Get in touch to learn more about how ROLLER can help you grow your business.