A Celebration of Excellence

4 November 2024 Off By Facto Edizioni

/ The latest edition of the Golden Pony^® Awards shined a spotlight on 9 outstanding leisure facilities from around the world /

The 26th Golden Pony^® Awards ceremony took place last October 22 in Italy. Established in 2002 by Facto Edizioni, publishers of the ‘Games & Parks Industry’ magazine, the award is meant to recognize excellence among leisure operators all over the world, like amusement & theme parks, traveling showmen, FECs, suppliers and relevant figures. It rewards greatness and an ability to stand out that, according to the magazine’s vision and the expert commission that helps in candidate’s selection, does not show only in terms of figures (like annual attendance or investments), but also in terms of skills and of stories that give extraordinary value also to venues that are less known on the global stage.

The Golden Pony^® Award has been given to over 390 facilities and personalities from more than 50 countries so far.

For the fifth time in its history, the awards ceremony was part of the ‘Meeting della Giostra’ (Rides Meeting), an annual event that takes buyers from all over the world into direct contact with the companies from the so-called Italian Rides District, the cradle of the rides industry in Italy, an area in the south of the Veneto region centered around the towns of Bergantino, Calto and Melara, in the province of Rovigo.

Spending some pleasant days with colleagues from various countries sharing experiences, and celebrating their respective success at the awards-giving ceremony was greatly appreciated by the winners.

Held in the Bergantino council auditorium, and organised in co-operation with CNA Padova e Rovigo trade association, Veneto Region and VenicePromex and with the valued support of the Chambers of Commerce of Venice-Rovigo, Padova and Treviso-Belluno-Dolomiti, as well as the Bergantino, Melara and Calto city councils, and TOGO Media (for the photo and video shooting), the ceremony took place during a sumptuous gala dinner.

Nine leisure operators from just as many countries were awarded:

Aztlán Parque Urbano, Mexico

Beogradski Luna Park, Serbia

Boby & Kelly Luna Park, Bulgaria

Family City, Czech Republic

Freizeitpark Familienland, Austria

Happyland, Switzerland

Majaland Polska-Momentum Leisure, Poland-The Netherlands

Ritterost Magic Park Verden, Germany

Sendaviva, Spain

Selected from a long list of candidates, the winners were called to the stage one by one and presented to the audience using engaging videos. A presentation that together with the reading of the reasons for the award and the official handing out of the statuette, created a warm atmosphere and kept the audience excited.

Handing out the prizes were authorities and personalities from politics and local government as well as representatives of trade organizations: Franca Tancredi, Rovigo Prefect; Nadia Romeo, member of the Italian Parliament; Cristiano Corazzari, Veneto Region councillor; Laura Cestari, council member, Veneto Region; Enrico Ferrarese, president, Rovigo Province; Luca Montagnin, president, CNA Padova e Rovigo trade association; Renato Fabbro, council member, Venice-Rovigo Chamber of Commerce; the mayors of Bergantino, Calto, Castelmassa, Castelnovo Bariano, Ceneselli, and Salara (Adriano Stefanoni, Nico Manfredi, Federico Ragazzi, Monica Ferraccioli, Angela Gazzi, and Lucia Ghiotti).