Q2 2026 Marketing & Outreach Strategy

Presented at All-Hands: March 24, 2026

The attractions industry is telling us what it needs. This is how we answer.

Executive Summary

In March 2026, blooloop published three trend reports that all converge on one point: water parks must become immersive destinations, and digital technology is how they get there.

Ballast VR is the only company that makes existing water slides immersive through VR retrofit. No new construction. No standalone VR rooms. Just the slide your Guests already love, made unforgettable.

The Industry Moment

Three signals. One opportunity.

01 — Water parks are becoming immersive destinations

WhiteWater’s president for water parks: larger companies are recognizing the value, and immersive environments are the natural next step. Parks are no longer slide collections, they are experience platforms.

Source: blooloop — Immersive Trends 2026

02 — Mixed reality is “burgeoning” in attractions

AR overlays, digital characters interacting with Guests, spatial computing — all called top predictions for 2026. The industry wants immersion. The question is who provides it.

Source: blooloop — Technology Trends 2026

03 — The investment is unprecedented

The wellbeing economy is projected to grow from $5.6T to $8.5T by 2027. OKANA opened at $400M. Great Wolf Mashantucket is $300M. Kalahari’s expansion is $85M. Capital is flowing.

Source: blooloop — Attractions Trends 2026

Why This Is Ours to Win

Everyone else is building new. We upgrade what is already there.

Competitor	Approach
WhiteWater, ProSlide	Build new physical rides. Massive capital. Long timelines.
Exploring Digital / Megaverse	Standalone VR rooms. Disconnected from the water experience.
Mattel, Meow Wolf	New venues from scratch. Years from opening.
Ballast VR / VRSlide	Retrofits existing slides. Revenue from day one. Revshare eliminates risk.

Competitive Landscape

Great Wolf Lodge (Tier 1 — Dream Target)

22+ properties. Largest family indoor waterpark brand in North America.

Current VR Setup: Already deployed Exploring Digital’s “Megaverse” as “The Virtual Frontier” at Williamsburg, Concord, Dallas, Connecticut, and more. Standalone VR pod room, separate from the water park.

Our Wedge: They have already sold VR to their board. The pitch is not “try VR,” it is “put VR where your Guests already are.” VRSlide integrates into the slide. No dedicated square footage. No separate staffing. Revenue on the attraction Guests already queue for.

Kalahari Resorts (Tier 2 — Expansion Opportunity)

Existing VRSlide partner. America’s first VR waterslide (Poconos, 2021).

Current Status: Poconos installation is underperforming. Needs diagnostic and turnaround before expansion conversations carry weight.

Expansion Opportunities:

Wisconsin Dells: $85M expansion, opening Fall 2026. 7 new slides. If VRSlide is part of this, it is a national press moment.
Spotsylvania, VA: Brand-new property. Virginia’s biggest indoor water park. Greenfield opportunity.

Emerging Targets (Tier 3 — New Entrants)

Target	Location	Status	VRSlide Fit
Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterparks	Bellevue NE, Bradley IL	Announced	New builds, open to differentiation
OKANA Resort	Oklahoma City	Opened Feb 2025	$400M property, seeking premium experiences
Great Wolf Mashantucket	CT (at Foxwoods)	Opening 2025	92K sq ft waterpark, 549 rooms
Great Wolf Naples	FL	Recently opened	22nd property, immersive lobby shows

Strategy

Three prongs. One goal: revshare deals.

1. Thought Leadership

Position Ballast VR as the voice of immersive aquatic evolution.

“The Immersive Water Park Isn’t Coming. It’s Here.” — React to blooloop narrative. Industry-forward, not a pitch.
The Revenue Case — Up to $40K/month. Zero new square footage. Summer lineup is being finalized now.
RIVR Teaser — Soft signal. “We’ve been quiet about something. More soon.”

Platform: LinkedIn (primary) + X + Instagram

2. Targeted Outreach

5-10 qualified revshare conversations by end of Q2.

Great Wolf Lodge — “You’ve proven VR works. What if it was on the slide, not in a room?”
Kalahari Expansion — Fix Poconos, then pitch WI Dells + VA as showcases.
New Entrants — Mattel, OKANA. Revshare as “try before you buy.”

Platform: Direct outreach + industry events

3. RIVR Pipeline

Build demand before it ships.

Use thought leadership to create awareness
Tease in direct conversations: “You could be first”
Collect letters of intent while in development
Limited launch partner slots creates urgency

Platform: Direct sales conversations

The Kalahari Question

The Poconos installation is underperforming. We need to address it directly.

Diagnose first. Hardware, content, operations, or marketing? Top parks do $40K/month — something specific is wrong.
Fix before expansion. Kalahari will not greenlight WI Dells or VA if Poconos is a cautionary tale.
Reframe the narrative. “We learned, we optimized, and this is next-gen VRSlide” — that is stronger than pretending problems do not exist.

Timeline

Period	Action
Now — April 2026	Outreach to decision-makers. Procurement budgets are being finalized.
April — May	Pilot conversations, revshare terms, site assessments.
May — June	Installation and testing at committed parks.
June — August	Peak season. VRSlide generating revenue. Case studies in real-time.
September	IAAPA prep. Kalahari WI Dells expansion opens. Showcase moment.

Key Metrics

$40K — Monthly revenue at top-performing VRSlide parks
5-10 — Target qualified revshare conversations by end of Q2
$1.3M+ — Total park revenues generated by VRSlide since 2018

Next Steps

Approve strategy direction — Confirm the three-prong approach and prioritize targets.
Social content production — First 3 posts drafted, reviewed, and published within 2 weeks. Not slop, intentional thought leadership.
Outreach list buildout — Specific contacts at Great Wolf, Kalahari corporate, Mattel, OKANA. Names, not companies.
Kalahari Poconos diagnostic — Understand what is underperforming before pitching expansion properties.
RIVR positioning deck — Even a 3-slide teaser for warm conversations. Build curiosity.