A spotlight series on professionals in the entertainment industry.

As part of our initiative to bring together the water park community in the Middle East & North Africa, we are showcasing the people who work in our incredible industry. We are continuing this series with a spotlight by chatting with Melissa Lockwood, General Manager at Baha Bay at Baha Mar.

What are some of the unique considerations of operating a resort water park?

The biggest consideration that was new to me was the amount of collaboration with non-water park people. My background is in the standalone and municipal park and recreation water parks where there are quite a few aquatics professionals, but at the resort water park, you’re generally meant to be the expert in the field. My biggest tip for people wanting to go down the resort route is to learn as much as you can around hotels and absorb as much as you can. The more lingo you know the better partner you are. I have learned a lot about the average daily rate and revenue per room, which are things you don’t think about at a standalone.

At Baha Mar there are three hotels in the resort, and I am the only water park I must advocate for things that might be common sense standalone, but at resorts, you must be ready to explain and justify why you are budgeting for certain things. Hoteliers don’t always get it, so the biggest unique consideration is all around collaboration and how you can be a better partner while also making sure you have everything you need to run your park successfully.

You got to play an active role in the creation of a water park. What was that process like?

I was hired after the ride selection and design were done, so when I came in as the operator, I had the chance to sit down with the construction team and go through change orders and request things needed to make the water park more operationally sound. While I was able to do preopening work at Yas Waterworld, it was more around hiring and staffing. The preopening of Baha Bay was more construction focused which was great because it gave me the ability to weigh in and say ‘hey, we need a lifeguard position here’ and go through the site walks with a fine-tooth comb to identify necessary locations for signage. Working on all the small details of preopening down to designing the signs in the park to make sure they matched the O&M and were approved by legal with the appropriate jargon while still matching the theme of the park was something new to me. When you’re in preopening the days go so quickly because there’s so much to do. It’s also a continual learning process because you see things you might have missed and must tweak and adjust even after you’re open.

What is the biggest difference you see in Middle East operations vs. operations in the Bahamas?

One of the biggest differences is the type of guest. A lot of the people visiting the Bahamas are coming from the Americas so just about everyone speaks English and has had some exposure to water parks at some point. On the flip side, the Middle East attracts people from all over the world so there can be language barriers and an education that needs to take place around how to safely ride the slides.

The other big difference comes with staffing. There is a diverse talent pool in the Middle East who choose to leave their home country for various reasons, whether that be to send money or for an adventure. In the Bahamas it’s the complete opposite, there are very few expats. On my team of 240ish, there are only two of us who are not from one of the Islands. It took me some time to adjust to the size of the country. Because it is a small place, many of the team are either related or went to school together growing up. It has been an interesting transition, but I have really enjoyed being exposed to another culture and learning a lot about their traditions and lingo. The training is also a lot easier as everyone speaks English, so a lot of the training translation isn’t needed which helps to cut down on training time.

You also hold a role as a Board Member for the World Waterpark Association. Where do you see the future of our industry going?

That’s a funny question because I think the industry is already doing things, I couldn’t have dreamed of 10 years ago. The fact that the mountain of paperwork is gone is amazing. I love not having to dig through boxes to find incident reports from earlier years. The improvement of technology has been an incredible advancement to have online portals to check lifeguard certifications and preopening daily checklists. I think this area is one that is going to continue to grow and improve and I love seeing where it is already going.

To me, what makes a water park great is sometimes just a good ol’ gravity slide, but I think ride technology is also going to keep being pushed and elevated. I just hope we stay true to our original roots while also trying to push the envelope to see what we can add to parks. Additions to existing parks will be an area to watch. I am already thinking about what we might do to Baha Bay in a couple of years to refresh things. From queuing to ticketing, I think the future is centered around serving the guest so they want to come back in addition to keeping things as safe and efficient as they possibly can be.

What’s your favourite part about working in the leisure & attractions industry?

There are two big things I love and the first is making a guest’s day. Whether they are coming to the park after having a bad experience or something has gone wrong during their stay, I enjoy the opportunity to help turn that around. It can be something small like taking them around the park or recommending a spot they would love but getting feedback from the guest later is incredibly rewarding.

The other big one is seeing my team grow and being able to support their progress from associate to a higher position. Being able to support that progression as a leader makes my job. A lot of the team have hotel or guest experience but not water park experience so it’s cool to see them grow passionate about what we are doing and watch them learn more about water park operations.

Do you have any words of encouragement for aspiring women leaders in the operations world?

The biggest thing I can say is to sit at the table and make yourself present and known. A lot of the people may not be as experienced as you, so own your knowledge and skill level and don’t be afraid to share. Do the homework and learn as much as you can to be confident when those big conversations take place. Find that thing that will make you confident to be there. I have a weekly meeting with the leaders who run each department around the different resorts. At peak Covid, we had to do two rows of chairs around the table because of social distancing. It was important for me to sit at the front so people would see me and take me seriously. If you feel like someone is standing in your way, have a private conversation with them to make space for yourself. If people aren’t giving you that space, you must go do it yourself. No one is going to give it to you easily, so be encouraged to go out and be confident. 

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you to Melissa for sharing your experience! If you have someone you would like to nominate to be featured on the page, please reach out to cassidy.newman@whitewaterwest.com, and remember to register for our newsletter to keep up with the latest news in the region.