2016 Year in Review

2016 Will Be Gone In A Flash

The holidays bring about a time for us all to hit the reset button at Chance Rides.  Our factory is closed between Christmas and New Years so that we may spend a little extra time with our families, perform some building maintenance and get prepared for the demands of the upcoming spring deliveries.  Before we start shutting down for the year I want to take a moment to look back on the year we've had.  

Gone But Never Forgotten

First I will address what was clearly the most difficult part of our year.  The passing of our beloved president Michael Chance was a huge shock to all of us.  At IAAPA this year we gave our customers, colleagues and friends an opportunity to write down their memories of Michael to share with the family.  Those memories were collected following the show and shared with his family during their Thanksgiving gathering.  It has been an honor to see, hear and feel just how loved Michael was among this industry.  

Asian Expo

The first big trade show that Chance Rides participates in every year is the Asian Expo.  This year the event was in Shanghai.  It was well traveled and our sales team managed to gather many leads on custom carousels, flat rides and C.P. Huntington trains.  We will be exhibiting at AAE 2017 next June in Singapore.  

AZA 

In September our show focus moves to the animals.  The Association for Zoos and Aquariums is a great partner to Chance Rides and we exhibit at their trade show so that we can educate zoos and aquariums on ways to add revenue producing attractions to their facilities.  In 2017 we will be installing new carousels and trains at the Mesker Park Zoo, and the Ecotarium as well as several other opportunities still pending. 

IAAPA

For the amusement industry our largest and most productive trade show of the year is the IAAPA Expo held every November in Orlando, FL.  We send a full team of executives, sales managers, engineers and marketers to meet, greet and promote all that Chance Rides has to offer.  As the largest ride manufacturer in North America it is difficult to tell our story in one show floor but we do our best to take a sampling of our latest and greatest offerings.  This year we had on display our renovated Zipper ride seat that now features an over-the-shoulder harness and a clear-view door.  We also had the pleasure of working with SeaWorld to unveil one of their newest rides the Ocean Explorer.  In the booth we displayed a scale model of the ride vehicle that is still in development at the factory to incorporate some all new technology. The ride will be an interactive experience for the guests and SeaWorld will use it as a fun way to educate their guests on the wonders of the ocean. And we are expanding our Ferris wheel offering including 2 more wheel sizes that will feature enclosed cabins for an observation experience.  In our booth we had on display the gondola for the DGW 35 and the DGW 45 named for being 35 and 45 meters tall, respectively.
The show was successful for us in capturing many new leads and completing some deals in progress.  We look forward to all that 2017 has to offer.

SLA Tradeshow

We return from IAAPA in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of our families and then turn back around to Las Vegas where we attend the Showmen's League of America trade show.  The SLA show is a much more intimate experience than IAAPA and it is a chance to spend time with carnival operators that either don't attend IAAPA or don't have time to see every manufacturer there.  The event is held in the convention center at the Bally's hotel and allows for several vendors to set up in small booth with just a table and chairs.   This event gave us even more people that are interested in the redesigned Zipper seat as well as a few of the other classic Chance portable rides.  We also have a couple of opportunities that we are exploring with the new enclosed gondola wheels (DGW35 & DGW45).  

We will finish 2016 strong and come back refreshed after an extended break with the family so that we can hit all of our pending spring deliveries.  We look forward to working with you in 2017 and beyond. 

Zipper Transformation - Post 11 - August 11, 2016

YOU KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD DAY WHEN YOU HEAR - 

"Calling all riders, all riders to final assembly!!"

That's right, the latest Zipper rebuild was completed this week and the employees at Chance Rides got to be a part of the final test runs before it left the factory.  Below are a few photos of the last few steps and some from the first riders.  Look for this new Zipper to be on the Midway at the New York State Fair August 25th - September 5th.

The final product!

Zipper Transformation - Post 10 - July 28, 2016

GIVE ME A Z - Does anyone see a Zipper happening? 

We are getting closer and closer to putting all the final pieces back together on the Zipper.  Very soon we will have riders trying out this new ride.  Take a look at a few of the progress shots below. 

 

 

 

Keep up with the progress here and look forward to seeing this new beauty on a midway near you soon!

Zipper Transformation - Post 9 - July 15th, 2016

More Paint = More Progress

That's right, we have one rebuilt Zipper that just left our factory over the weekend to meet its owners in California so the next in line is moving closer still to completion. 

This is the trailer being prepared for paint

And next up is what we call FINAL ASSEMBLY

Here the main body waits for the rebuilding process

 

And no Zipper would be complete without the lighting and decorative components.  All of these things are masterfully created by skilled workers at Chance Rides.  

Zipper Transformation - Post 8 - June 28th, 2016

PAINT = PROGRESS

The process of making a ride like new again requires a lot of breaking it down to its most basic parts. Each of those parts are cleaned and inspected to ensure that they are in perfect condition.  Once all of that takes place the process of putting the ride back together begins but that can't happen until it receives a new fresh coat of paint.

It already looks like new production to me.  In the coming weeks we should see a lot more of the reconstruction process beginning to happen.

Meanwhile around the factory ...

Did You Think the Zipper Was the Only Game in Town? 

Just to set things straight, the Zipper is not the only bit of excitement flowing through the Chance Rides rides factory.  Come with me as I give you a look around the shop.  

    

 

UNICOASTER

 

CLASSIC RED C.P. HUNTINGTON TRAIN - Ready for delivery

 

CAROUSEL FIGURES - My pictures do not do justice to the wonderful detail on these figures.  The saddle on the otter is a beautiful iridescent finish.  And the hummingbird looks like something you might see in your flower bed this summer.

 

ROLLER COASTER - Even the foundation pieces look interesting.

Stay tuned as these and other Chance Rides creations find their new homes.

Zipper Transformation - Post 7 - June 6th, 2016

EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING

You can't very well have a Zipper ride without a Zipper seat.  This is the new production part of the Zipper transformation and I must admit, its really exciting to see it coming together.  I'm thinking we'll be having some employee rides before too very long.  :-)

 

And let me just assure you we have some hard working and skilled employees that are making these new rides a possibility.  These images are a great example of some of the American Manufacturing that makes us so proud.

You can see that progress looks small on the Zipper frame but it is all coming along just as it should.

 



Keep checking in with me as the Zipper comes to life.