Nothing quite says summer like a favorite treat. For many that is ice cream. And for more than 30 years, only one ice cream in the attractions industry has the title of “ice cream of the future”—Dippin’ Dots.
Food and beverage are a core part of the amusement park and attraction experience. Favorite foods are often associated with favorite memories. And Dippin’ Dots has long been one of those unique treats people adore—and often have a story about them. Personally, I remember the first time I had Dippin’ Dots. My family was visiting the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and we had never seen tiny dots of ice cream—with different colors and flavors before. To this day, we still talk about trying “the ice cream of the future” while learning about our country’s space program.
Recently, the IAAPA headquarters team received a truly special treat. Pamela Wells, key account manager for Dippin’ Dots, paid us a visit. Like everyone else, the IAAPA team is slowly returning to work in the office, staggering days and hours, and adjusting to a new normal, that seems to change daily.
Last year, Dippin’ Dots exclusively announced its brand-new flavor, Ultimate Brownie Batter, during IAAPA’s Virtual Education Conference in November. It was an exciting announcement to introduce something new to the market and to customers. And then—like everyone else—business as usual, stopped.
Today, though, many signs indicate our industry is successfully and safely reopening, guests are eager to visit their favorite places once again, and the sweet tooth … well, that never left. To celebrate this positive outlook, Pamela brought Dippin’ Dots to the IAAPA headquarters for a (socially distanced) mini-dippin’ social.
And while the flavors were amazing (I may have eaten more than one Brownie sample), it was the connection that united and inspired us all. Pamela was the first IAAPA member our team had welcomed to the office in months. And IAAPA was the first in-person “client” she had seen in the same amount of time. The shared experience over cold dots and plastic spoons, learning about Dippin’ Dots products, meeting the IAAPA team members who were there that day, and sharing about our hopes and plans for the coming months, reminded us all about what makes the attractions industry so special. It’s not just buying and selling. It’s connecting and relating. It’s sharing and inspiring. And when you’re lucky, it’s also yummy and memorable.
Thank you, Dippin’ Dots, Pamela Wells and Kim Milite, for your partnership, your friendship and your inspired treat that helped our team remember why we do what we do for our members and makes any trip to an amusement park just a bit sweeter.
