Will Koch, Bob Rogers, Don Clayton and Daniel Burnham have been inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Orlando, Florida.
Koch, who passed away at the age of 48 in June 2010, was the owner and president of Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, US.
Under Koch's leadership, Holiday World developed from a roadside attraction into a high-profile theme park that set an attendance record with nearly 1.2 million visitors in 2010. Koch also oversaw the launch of the park's sister waterpark, Splashin' Safari.
Bob Rogers is the founder of BRC Imagination Arts. During his 40-year career he has become to be recognised as a pioneer of "experience museums".
Rogers' recent projects include the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex near Orlando, Florida.
Don Clayton, founder of Putt-Putt, has been credited with revolutionising the miniature golf business and is also seen as a pioneer of the family entertainment centre (FEC) industry.
His first Putt-Putt Golf Course opened June 21, 1954, in Fayetteville, North Carolina and he was an active member of IAAPA for many years before his death in 1996.
Architect Daniel Burnham created the Midway Plaisance at the Chicago World Fair in 1893 - a mile-long walkway lined with an assortment of amusement concessions, live shows, rides, and the world's first Ferris wheel.
Burnham's Midway is credited with shifting the amusement industry from sedate attractions based on natural features to more invigorating creations that continue to dominate the industry today. The Chicago fair Midway also was used as inspiration for New York's Coney Island amusements. Burnham died in 1912.
The IAAPA Hall of Fame was established in 1990 by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) to celebrate outstanding achievement and contributions to the growth and development of the amusement park and attractions industry.
