FEC of the Year: Creating Joy and Hope in Türkiye

Cancún, Mexico (IAAPA NEWS) - When a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook southern Türkiye in early February 2023—claiming more than 50,000 lives—one FEC operator quickly sprang into action outside their traditional business plan.   

Realizing their guests had needs outside a visit to an FEC, facility operator Hupalupa (stylized as HUPALUPA in all capital letters for brand identity), stepped in to provide hope—literally. The operator launched Project Hope, a community initiative created to reconnect children with education and a needed sense of normalcy.

Hupalupa did more than pass out books. In Hatay, Iskenderun—one of the most heavily impacted areas—the operator built a library inside the General Sukru Kanadli Primary School. With hundreds of schools damaged by the earthquake, displaced children found comfort in the middle of chaos. The effort closely parallels Hupalupa’s mission: provide an escape from the ordinary in a safe environment.

“Project Hope demonstrated that a leisure brand can extend its mission beyond entertainment—using its creative and social influence to rebuild lives,” Hupalupa wrote in its IAAPA Brass Ring Award application.

For their quick response to the quake and esteemed business practices, Hupalupa took home the coveted FEC of the Year award in the 2025 IAAPA Brass Ring Excellence Awards, held at Xcaret in Mexico last week.  

“[We’re] beyond thrilled,” says Hupalupa co-owners Merve Timurlenk Sengul and Kaan Sengul of their win. “But more than excitement, what we feel is validation. When we founded Hupalupa in 2019, our goal was to prove that a Turkish-born FEC concept could hold its own alongside the most established global players,—and this award says we got the fundamentals right.”

IAAPA News spotlights how Hupalupa continues to impress and operate as a world class family entertainment center. 
 

Removing Barriers

Guests can begin the Hupalupa experience before even arriving at the facility. Reservations can be made for both the trampoline park and soft play zones through the Hupalupa Digital Wallet. The app ensures a fast and smooth check-in at the FEC.  

Once credits are loaded into a guest’s wallet, they can make cashless mobile payments across the venue, skip queues, and monitor their activity history.

The app can also send occasional, tailored incentives to guests to bring them back. Meanwhile, regulars receive rewards with exclusive bonuses, discounts, or complimentary event tickets.

In addition, Hupalupa shares that integration of a point-of-sale (POS) system with customer data has created a comprehensive view of visitor behavior. “By combining insights from the POS, booking system, and app activity, we gain a clear understanding of visitor demographics, peak hours, and spending trends,” the Senguls wrote in their IAAPA Brass Ring Award application. “These analytics help us fine-tune pricing, improve operational efficiency, and deliver experiences that align with guest expectations.”

Yet, it’s the human connection that makes all the difference for the operator. Winning the title of IAAPA FEC of the Year will inspire their frontline staff for months to come. “This is the kind of recognition that lands differently on a Monday morning shift: every climbing wall reset, every birthday party run, every VR headset handed to a guest now carries ‘best in the world’ weight behind it,” the Senguls shared with IAAPA News. “Pride like that doesn't come from an internal memo — it comes from the outside world confirming that what your team does every day is genuinely excellent.”

Streamlining Operations

Guests will seldom see Hupalupa’s network empowering the fun. With more than 180 CCTV cameras, the surveillance network exceeds industry norms in Türkiye. The cameras support real-time monitoring, staff performance evaluation, and rapid responses. All of this reinforces Hupalupa’s commitment to a safe, efficient, and technology-driven facility. 

Meantime, an equipment lifecycle management system is at work. All of the FEC’s attractions are digitally registered, allowing the operators to track maintenance requests and spare part needs. This ensures timely repairs, reliable performance, and minimal downtime so allow all members of the family can feel connected.

“Design for the whole family, not just the six-year-old,” the Sengul’s suggest to other operators. “The parents and teenagers who choose to stay four hours—instead of 90 minutes—is how a healthy FEC actually scales.”

Opportunites for Reinvestment

Like many FEC owners, the Senguls spend time and money reinvesting in their brand to grow the business. In 2025 at Hupalupa that meant investing heavily in storytelling, public relations, and brand visibility. Last year, the FEC hosted its first press event dedicated to sharing what attractions Hupalupa has to offer. The owners say the results afterward proved “remarkable.” First, international recognition grew rapidly, and they received numerous inquiries to open Hupalupa-branded FECs abroad.

Second, focusing on edutainment proved rewarding. The FEC launched Hupalupa Academy, partnering with educational institutions to create workshops that enhance a child’s motor, creative, and analytical skills. “Thousands of participants joined these programs, and surveys showed a clear rise in customer satisfaction,” the Senguls share. “These insights confirmed that learning and play together create the strongest form of engagement.”

Industry partners that Hupalupa utilizes include Adrenaline Games, Clip ‘nClimb, Coastal Amusements, DOF Robotics, Eli Play, Embed, Hologate, Ice, IE Park, Namco, Sega Amusements, Unis, Wahlap, and Walltopia.

“Build [your] brand architecture before you build a second location,” the Senguls suggest. “Our Expo, Go, and Store sub-brands extend the guest relationship far beyond a single visit, which is where most single-format FECs leave value on the table.”