Our story
Building software since 2008.
Running our own park since 2019.
We're not a software company that discovered the attractions industry. We're park operators who happened to know how to code.
The beginning
It started with wakeboard cable parks
In 2008, we started building reservation software for wakeboard cable parks. Back then, most parks were still using paper sign-up sheets and cash boxes. We still serve the wakeboarding industry today with that product.
Then in 2019, we opened our own aqua park in Charleston, SC. And that's when we realized: the FEC industry needed something completely different.
The software that worked for wakeboarding wasn't built for birthday parties, walk-in chaos, and 200 kids waiting in line. We needed to start fresh.
Where it all started
We started building reservation software for wakeboard cable parks. Back when mobile booking wasn't even a thing yet.
11 years of learning
A decade of iterations, thousands of bookings, and countless conversations with park operators. We learned what actually matters.
Charleston Aqua Park opens
We opened our own inflatable water park, and realized the FEC industry needed something completely different.
Building from scratch
We started fresh. Mobile-first. Beautiful UI. Data-driven. A completely new platform designed specifically for FECs.
Ready to share
Software experience since 2008 and our own park since 2019: wakesys for FECs is ready for you.
Charleston Aqua Park, SC, since 2019
This is where our FEC journey began, and where we still operate today.
The problem
We looked for software.
We were disappointed.
Before building our own, we tried the "industry standard" solutions. The ones with the big booths at IAAPA. The ones everyone else was using.
Either they cost more than our dock equipment, or they felt like they were designed by people who'd never actually stood at a check-in desk on a 95°F Saturday with 200 kids waiting.
"If we can't find software we actually want to use...
maybe we should build it ourselves."
What drives us
Not corporate speak. Just the things we actually care about.
Operators first
Every feature exists because we needed it at our own park first.
Guest experience
Guests come to have fun, not to fill in forms. The software should get out of their way.
Speed matters
Booking in 60 seconds, check-in in one tap. Every second saved is a shorter line on a Saturday.
It has to work on Saturday
When 200 kids are waiting to jump, the system has to work. We run our own park on it, so we would find out first.
Looking forward
We're building the software
we always wished existed
Booking an activity should take a few taps, not a form.
We believe check-in should take seconds, not minutes. One glance at your manifest. Green means go. Tap to check in.
We believe park operators deserve software that's as thoughtfully designed as the experiences they create for their guests.
That's what we're building. And we're just getting started.
Hi, I'm Chris
Founder
I'm an operations guy at heart. At 19, I started my first wakeboard club and taught myself to code because the tools we needed simply didn't exist. That's been my path ever since, running parks by day and building the software I wish existed by night. I believe technology should disappear into the background. Your guests shouldn't think about your booking system. Your staff shouldn't fight with your POS. When software truly works, you forget it's even there, and you're free to do what you actually love: creating moments of joy for the people who walk through your doors.
Got questions? I'm always happy to chat. Get in touch →
Frequently asked questions
wakesys is built by park operators. Our founder, Chris Hilbert, started building booking software for wakeboard cable parks in 2008, and we have run Charleston Aqua Park in South Carolina since 2019.
Chris started building cable park software in 2008 and turned it into a business in 2013. The current platform was rebuilt from scratch from 2023 for aqua parks, trampoline parks, FECs and other activity parks.
wakesys sàrl is run by its founder, Chris Hilbert. We have no outside investors.
The company, wakesys sàrl, is registered in Luxembourg. Our own park, Charleston Aqua Park, is in Charleston, South Carolina, and parks on four continents use wakesys.
Ready to see software built by operators?
30 minutes. No sales pitch. Just a conversation between people who run parks.