Coastin Carl
🤝 IAAPA Expo 2023 Conference & TRADE SHOW
This year’s unforgettable IAAPA Expo 2023 trade show started off with a cascade of 1,600 drones, setting a Guinness World Record. It’s held at its longtime home the Orange County Convention Center this year from November 13-17, promising cutting-edge products and services to revolutionize the industry. See the winners of the Brass Ring Awards including other stories involving the world of #IAAPA!
Jakob Wahl, IAAPA president and CEO, said, “The team has outdone themselves with the number and creativity of sponsorships and only-at-IAAPA Expo programming being offered this year”.
“We wanted to bring new offerings to the participants this year and the team has come up, together with our partners, with many fun ideas to present to the larger attractions industry”.
🤡 What is the IAAPA North America EXPO?
Each year, attraction vendors from over 100 countries showcase their products, ranging from full-on rides and carnival games to arcade plays and fair food, hoping to attract buyers for amusement venues of all sizes. The show, exclusive to industry professionals, this year is drawing nearly 1,147 exhibitors from around the globe, covering more than 550,000 square feet and hosting 40,000 attendees.
Here are some of the industry’s key areas of focus:
- New Attractions and Technologies: The Expo features a wide range of new rides, attractions, and technologies, including roller coasters, dark rides, water rides, virtual reality experiences, and more.
- Industry Trends: The event provides insights into the latest industry trends: the growing popularity of immersive experiences, the use of technology to enhance guest experiences, and the importance of sustainability.
- Networking Opportunities: The Expo offers numerous opportunities for industry professionals to network with colleagues, potential partners, and clients.
- Learning Sessions: The event delivers educational sessions on many topics like safety, operations, marketing, and finance.
2023 sees the trade show floor selling out for the first time since 2019.
The IAAPA economic powerhouse is expected to bring in a whopping $100 million to the Central Florida economy. Big bucks for the Sunshine State! Just look at all of the IAAPA badges around town!
🆕 What’s NEW at the IAAPA Expo?
In addition to the extensive trade show floor, this year’s Expo offers 140 comprehensive educational workshops/seminars covering topics like the metaverse, digital marketing, sustainability, risk management, and more. Plus, there are plenty of networking opportunities to connect with industry peers.
Raise a glass at the new Alcohol, Beverage, and Innovation pavilion. This dedicated space, complete with a bar and networking area, offers a unique opportunity to sample the latest beverage trends. It’s located separately from the Food and Beverage pavilion.
On display were the exceptional expansive growth and partnerships forged across North & South America over the past year.
This year, over 30 companies are making announcements at IAAPA including Vekoma, Sally Dark Rides, Premier Rides, and Triotech. Besides SeaWorld, major attractions such as Circus Circus Las Vegas, Dollywood, WhiteWater, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg are also set to hold news conferences.
🕵️♂️ UNCOVER the Mysterious Whodunnit at IAAPA
Pick up your free copy of the IAAPA Expo Insider Booklet, sponsored by Hasbro. This year’s booklet features a CLUE-inspired mystery, also known as Cluedo in some circles. Find it at the exhibit hall entrance, trade show floor entrances, and outside the opening ceremony. It encourages attendees to seek out clues and solve the mystery to win a prize. Once completed the award can be collected at IAAPA Member Central just like our very own BTW did!
🚀 Thrilling SkyElements Aerial DRONE Show
The show was supposed to host four spectacular drone shows in partnership with drone entertainment experts SkyElements on select evenings. It was the largest drone show ever flown in the State of Florida. Each drone requires around 10 square feet of space to maneuver and show off its bright LED lights for the performance.
The team worked hard pushing through the wind and rain to synchronize a swarm of 1,600 drones creating different formations including the Earth, a cowboy, a dragon fighting a knight, and an astronaut outside the International Space Station. In the process, they broke two Guinness World Records: creating the world’s biggest American flag and aerial logo out of drones.
🎢 ROLLER COASTER News
The Coaster Wars may have a ceasefire but ride manufacturers are now emphasizing aesthetic and engineering innovations appealing to thrill-seekers while keeping the crucial family audience in mind. Vekoma, an awesome Dutch company is showcasing several exciting new projects for the coming year.
- The Flash: Vertical Velocity: This groundbreaking coaster, opening at Six Flags Great Adventure, will feature a 180-degree twisted drop and a Zero-G roll, reaching speeds of up to 59 mph.
- Good Gravy!: Inspired by a Thanksgiving dinner, this unique coaster at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari will send riders backward uphill before dropping forward through the station at 37mph, narrowly avoiding giant kitchen utensils.
- Circuit Breaker: A thrilling Tilt Coaster opening at Cotaland.
- Midnight Flyer: A Horus family coaster opening at Santa’s Village.
- Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers: A family boomerang rebound coaster opening at Kings Island.
SeaWorld Orlando is gearing up for a chilly adventure with the debut of Penguin Trek. This one-of-a-kind family coaster, designed by roller coaster experts Bolliger & Mabillard, features snowmobile-style cars and is set to open in Spring 2024. SeaWorld is set to tie the park for the record of the most B&M coasters in one location!
🥽 VIRTUAL REALITY Achievements
New rides from Polin Waterparks include the Double Rift, which has two concentric loops, and the Triango slide, which forks into two paths as a dual flume and heavily-themed slide which is compatible with VR application.
Spree Interactive, a leader in turnkey free-roam Virtual Reality arena solutions, has teamed up with Landmark Leisure to create five immersive VR experiences for several upcoming FECs in the Middle East and Asia.
Hasbro FEC in Mexico City will feature a Mr and Mrs Potato Head plus Tonka truck experience for children, in addition to a roller coaster and a virtual reality attraction. Hasbro feels the most important thing is that their park is completely themed.
🎩 LEGENDS Panel 21st Anniversary
Industry titans will convene at the annual Legends Panel for a captivating panel discussion. Tom Mehrmann of Universal Destinations and Experiences, Sylvia Hase of Hasbas Entertainment, and Mike Hightower, former president of Universal Creative, will share their insights on the future of theme parks. The discussion will be moderated by the legendary Bob Rogers of BRC Imagination Art.
🎖️ HALL of FAME Inductees
The Hartman family of the world-renowned, nonprofit Morgan’s Wonderland theme park inspired by their daughter with special needs and disabilities were inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame.
