AP Podcast - Episode 224: Bernie Campbell from Whirley Drinkworks

Bernie Campbell is a Regional VP of Sales for Whirley-DrinkWorks, which designs and manufacturers vessels for drinks and food items for theme parks and attractions, along with the programs that surround their sales.  Whirley-DrinkWorks is made up of Whirley, DrinkWorks, Easygo, and Valid Fill, which all serve a unique purpose for food and beverage containers.  Bernie has been in the attractions industry for more than 30 years, and is heavily involved with IAAPA as the chair of the Food & Beverage committee.  Bernie is also an avid water polo player, and despite not having had the chance to play since the beginning of the pandemic, would normally play two to three times a week.  In this interview, Bernie discusses bringing brands to life, perceived value, and creative problem solving.

Bringing Brands to Life

“It can be a lot of fun to help bring brands to life.”

It’s putting a drink in a container, but it’s more than that.  Oftentimes, when working with a large client such as Disney, Whirley-DrinkWorks will start from scratch when looking at the concept, theming, and intellectual property when it’s applicable.  When looking at going from concept to completion, it often involves building from the ground up, beginning with discussing the overarching concept and design, along with inputs from all necessary teams.  This can include ideation with the client, gaining approval from the park, the IP owner, as well as Coke and Pepsi in some instances.

The design of the vessel is also critical not only for the brand, but for awareness from other guests in the park.  When a guest buys a souvenir cub or bottle, the design acts as a walking billboard that represents the brand, which ultimately leads to higher demand for the vessel.

Perceived Value

“The souvenir beverage container is second only to the gate in revenue for a lot of theme parks.”

Souvenir containers can be very profitable.  Whirley-DrinkWorks has a playbook that identifies what will be successful.  When the playbook is executed successfully, it is a huge revenue driver for parks.  Bernie shares that even more than the value it brings, the perception of value can be even a greater attraction for people.  Guests have a high perception of value for a souvenir container that enables them to get free or low-cost refills throughout their day at the park, and then acts a souvenir when they get home.  The playbook also helps operators increase their penetration rate, which is the number of bottles sold divided by the total attendance.

Bernie also shares that the frontline food & beverage staff are a big influence on the success of the program.  The souvenir bottle is an easy suggestive sell due to its high perceived value, so it is one of the easier things to train a staff member to upsell due to a high win rate when offered.

It is also important to plant the seeds for the souvenir bottle throughout the park to make it easier for the staff to suggestively sell the bottle.  This includes signage at multiple points throughout the park and visual imagery at concession locations, rather than text on a menu board that says “Souvenir bottle.”  People need to regularly see the bottle throughout their visit and associate it with the perceived value that it brings, which will result in higher sales.

Creative Problem Solving

“When the programs became so successful, it actually became a problem.  We were clogging food lines up because people wanted to refill their beverages, and that was slowing transactions down.”

Over the years, challenges surrounding the souvenir bottle program have led to innovative and unique solutions.  For instance, guests who purchase a souvenir cup or bottle in a theme park are not permitted to take them on the majority of rides, specifically rides with stricter loose article policies, requiring the guest to place the bottle in a locker or leave it with a non-rider.  As the programs evolved and this challenge was identified, parks began implementing cubbies or holders on ride platforms that were specifically designed for souvenir bottles - many of them even mimicking the layout of the ride vehicle so guests can place the bottle in cupholder that is equivalent to their seat as to not confuse it with another guest’s.

When asked about unique or unusual vessels, Bernie shared the story of a martini glass used for Radio City Music Hall that had a stem resembling Rockette legs, which turned into the “Rockettini.”

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