November 5, 2025: Circle of control vs. circle of concern

Greetings,

For this week's opinion portion of the newsletter, I have several ideas and trends I've seen & heard since we chatted last week. These fall both within your circle of control (things you can do at your aquatic facility) and circle of concern (things you should be aware of such as market forces that may or may not impact your aquatic facility.)

I ended up on a Zoom with six European park operators. There were comments that reinforced market conditions in the USA I heard at WWA and align with what I'm seeing on the ground here in Canada.

1) Guest violence is growing across all types of amusement facilities and recreation events, and bystanders are nonplussed by it. Passengers during this train stabbing thought it was part of a Halloween event. Bottom line? People may not react like you expect them to during an emergency.

2) Some businesses refuse to implement surge pricing. Yes, they're aware of the opportunity cost. Yes, Europeans have completely different expectations in terms of how prices are built (no tips/service charges, tax built in) but long-term brand trust is more valuable than a single transaction in location where a poor economy is already impacting people every single day. This is kind of like how I've lost my desire to ever go back to Walt Disney World (WDW) again.

3) Discrepancies between weather apps are significantly impacting customer behaviour. I laughed because I thought this was just my household: the weather app on my husband's phone will show completely different temperatures & sun exposure from the weather app on my phone for no apparent reason, and which do we follow?! Operators reported guests have stopped prebooking or preplanning; it's not that they're trying to be spontaneous: people now wait & see until the morning of (to assess the weather), thus resulting in frequent same-day sell-outs and complaints about crowding because staffing can't be accurately forecasted in advance.

4) Halloween is becoming huge. Europeans are quite surprised by this ("this is not a holiday we've ever participated in"), but recognize the need to jump on board for 2026 because their customers are going elsewhere to spend big money. In just the last week alone I've heard of these events at aquatic facilities:
Fright Nights at Fresno's Island Water Park
Hallowizz by WaterWizz Water Park
HorrorLand Europe at Illa Fantasia Water Park
The devil's in the detailing at haunted Halloween car washes
Dream Glow at Wild Rivers Water Park
(not strictly Halloween, but relevant to the discussion)

I'm not suggesting your local community pool can spend $2m on a haunt, but it can be a launching point for more DIY events like a floating pumpkin patch or spooky tent with bowls of cold spaghetti ("brains") and wet grapes ("eyeballs"). The main takeaway is Halloween is a completely new revenue category from new-to-your-facility guests during potentially slow times like fall and evenings.

5) I shared how customers are sick of à la carte or unbundled pricing (hence why we don't charge for S&H on CPO class registrations). I stayed at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale recently. The base rate was $280 USD/night and there was a separate fee to sit in the first two rows of chairs by the swimming pool.

I'm not talking about a cabana or fancy lounger with umbrella, cushions, and food & beverage credit. I'm talking about the regular chairs by the pool at a non-premium resort in a non-premium destination mid-week in the off-season. This is the height of opportunistic, post-COVID "revenge travel" greed in my opinion, and not in line with market conditions (how people are feeling) about cost of living & disposable income in Fall 2025.

For the record: no one paid the fee - the chairs sat empty and guests like me were disgruntled by the experience! This is one reason why, in my opinion as someone who's been 10+ times, there's been such a dramatic drop in travel to Las Vegas before the current political climate. Nevada had to implement the Hotel Fees Transparency Act of 2025, requiring providers to include certain price information when displaying, advertising, or marketing lodging because it had become (in recent years) an insufferable bait & switch of fees for essential services: $30 wi-fi, $29.99 resort fee for base amenities, $10 cleaning fee to have maid service, $5 environment fee to have new towels, etc. all per person or per day!

What do you think? Have you seen any of these factors come into play at your facility or in your community? Hit reply and let me know.

I'll be attending the IAAPA Expo in Orlando next weekend. If there's any specific products you're wondering about, please let me know so I can request information on your behalf. I never disclose you or your interests, but I can find the booth and get literature without you having to open ourself up to an aggressive sales team who earns commission. I filmed a video about the experience last year.

Two new-to-me products I saw this week that I'll be looking into further at the IAAPA Expo:

1) Customizable custom acrylic inserts on splash pads (think the ads recessed under an ice surface) from Waterplay around spray jets. Even though the company is based relatively-nearby in Kelowna, BC it's easier to casually talk in person at IAAPA. I have questions about the feasibility of this item, especially as a retrofit, plus how slippery they get once wet.

2) Customizable accessibility ramps from manufacturers like Excellent Systems (h/t to Tanya for sending this to me~!) I know not everyone uses Instagram, but this is an excellent video showcasing how a small product solves a very big problem. The reason I'm always linking to Instagram is it literally is the best user generated connect (UGC) about some products that manufacturers themselves don't seem to know how to market.

Also, if I can add: my husband has very limited mobility at this point and walks with leg braces, a cane, and needs handrails to brace himself across height/floor transitions. As an able bodied person, I routinely now see hostile architecture everywhere when we try to plan an outing to a new place. Respectfully, it's not only about wheelchair users, but if you solve your facility for a wheelchair, it will solve for walking aides, strollers, etc.

As always, I have thoughts on most of the industry articles I'm sharing, but I'll keep it brief to respect your time.

This indoor Michigan waterpark is making a splash this winter with seasonal passes
This is SUCH a smart idea! We consistently see a drop in attendance at indoor aquatic facilities in Canada over the winter months. What a neat way to get new users through the doors during otherwise slow times.

Mom who didn't notice child nearly drowning in Windsor Locks hotel pool turns self in, police say
I don't typically like the idea of charging parents, however this situation has a much higher level of detail whereby video surveillance shows bystanders repeatedly told the mom to watch her child prior to the incident in question. Most of these reports don't give us any context or situation about what happened immediately prior to the drowning incident.

New PD report details what led up to boy’s drowning at Chandler city pool
"According to the report, at any given time, 12 lifeguards are on duty and six are on break."

Home fined after two disabled residents drowned
Content warning - this story is absolutely appalling.

Yellowknife recreation facilities to be renamed in Naka Power deal

Could carparks save our waterparks? South Coast’s Jamberoo is about to find out
There was a huge conversation at WWA about using parking lots to generate revenue: food truck rallies; swap meets; trunk or treat; Christmas markets or drive-thru Santa; matchbox derbies; etc. Theoretically anyone can make money on their parking lot after hours.

Vernon to be without an indoor pool for months as part of transition to Active Living Centre

Disney clarifies rules for major theme park service after abuse
This echoes an ongoing conversation in Canada about the lack of consistent licensing for service animals and some people abusing the system by taking pets into public spaces.

Seminole County allows controversial front-yard pool construction to continue
Will this be a drowning hazard?

Underserved girls receive free swim lessons to combat drowning disparity

GIAC Pool to Become Year-Round Enclosed Facility with $13 Million State Investment
A trend we're definitely starting to see as organizations don't have money to fund a new facility, so they look to extend the usage/access beyond just the summer.

Parents who lost their toddler to drowning are opening a swim school in N.J.

The Man Who Held His Breath for 24 Minutes
Click here if it appears paywalled for you. I hate freediving content, but we need to be aware of what's trending in the media at large because lay swimmers may attempt these practices at our facilities.

Kona Big Wave, Mikey February Ride the Artificial Wave Pool Movement (and so Should You)

North Jersey homeowners' group faces wrongful death lawsuit after biathlon drowning
Click here if it appears paywalled. As we've discussed with Dr. Katie Cleasby here and here: ad hoc community and/or open water events require unique lifeguard systems and more preparation than the average event organizer realizes!

Commentary: Minnesota health department overreach turns private pools into public property

Vernon to be without an indoor pool for months as part of transition to Active Living Centre

Tragedy as British girl, three, loses fight for life two weeks after she was pulled unconscious from Greek hotel pool
Drowning statistics are not 100% accurate because in-hospital fatalities from the complications related to drowning are not tracking as drowning fatalities. Estimates suggest this type of death is happening a lot more than people realize.

AITAH for suing my cousin for 6K to pay for my hearing aides after he threw me in the pool
We just need to stop throwing/pushing people into pools, period! It's not funny or safe.

Prince George, B.C., mayor wants city to reconsider 2-year-long closure of aquatic centre and Editorial: Costly public pool problem could have been avoided

Braintree swimming pool hosting free giant inflatable session
Great idea! Aquatic managers consistently tell me they don't know how to increase attendance for their inflatables. Hosting a free intro event is an obvious solution!

Victoria taking over YMCA as temporary pool during Crystal Pool renovation

County Council to look at Maui’s high drowning rate

Planned pool upgrades would allow it to host sanctioned swim meets

Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.

PS. Due to tech issues (I had to rerecord it 😭) the audio version of last week's newsletter will be released tomorrow/Thursday under the Live tab on our YouTube Channel.