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IAAPA Attractions Expo
The 2017 IAAPA Attractions Expo kicks off on 13 November. Here’s what to expect from the show - plus, news from a selection of visitors
The 2017 edition of the IAAPA Attractions Expo, the biggest event of its kind, is promising to be better than ever, with the global organisation set to celebrate its 100th year in 2018.
The expo is the world’s largest conference and trade show for the $39bn attractions industry. Alongside its vast show floor, IAAPA offers a programme of more than 100 educational sessions and presentations by leading operators on industry trends, new technology, marketing and communications, entertainment, government relations, safety and security, food and beverage, games and merchandise, facility operations, human resources, and more.
This year’s keynote speaker is Merlin Entertainments CEO Nick Varney, who will talk at the GM and Owners’ Breakfast on 15 November. The conference takes place from 13 to 17 November and the trade show from 14 to 17 November at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Buyers and decisionmakers from the world of theme parks, waterparks, FECs, zoos and aquariums, and museums attend the show.
IAAPA 2017 expects to welcome 32,000 attendees and 1,100 exhibitors across the 560,000sq ft of trade show floor.
NEED TO KNOW
What: IAAPA Attractions Expo 2017
When: 13-17 November 2017
Where: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida
How much: $50 - student; $209 -
IAAPA member; $395 - non-member
Register: www.iaapa.org/expos
ANVIO
Booth #3381
null,Anvio VR is demoing a new multi-player, free-roam, body-tracking virtual reality midway attraction system. Anvio opened its first attraction with its launch game, the multiplayer zombie shooter City Z, in Moscow, Russia, this April. At IAAPA, Anvio is presenting its systems, City Z and footage of its upcoming game release. The company is looking for partners to roll out the product in new locations.
SALLY
Booth #2267
Sally Corp, which is celebrating its 40th birthday at IAAPA this year, will be on hand to discuss turnkey dark ride attractions with parks and entertainment facilities. Sally has new dark rides based on two of today’s most popular franchises, The Walking Dead and Five Nights At Freddy’s. In addition to IP-centred products, Sally’s dark ride selection includes rides of all sizes and themes, including Power Blast, Challenge of Tutankhamon, Ghost Blasters, Scream in the Dark, Forbidden Island and Zombie Apocalypse.
IPLAYCO
Booth #4837
International Play Company (IPlayCo) is sharing the news that it has acquired the intellectual property rights to the Play Mart brand in Europe. This gives the company the ability to increase its market by adding Play Mart’s complementary designs to its offer and allows the company’s operations to function on a regional basis, with the North American, Asia-Pacific and EMEA teams supplying customers across continents.
GARNER HOLT
Booth #771
Animatronics technology has always been about making dimensional mechanical creations look like living beings. Garner Holt Productions has been pursuing the art of animatronics for 40 years, and has recently premiered its Living Faces of History series of expressive human characters. The animatronics feature faces with 40-plus individual motions capable of hundreds of unique combinations, making them truly expressive. See them in action at the Garner Holt booth.
OPENAIRE
Booth #1844
Visit the OpenAire booth to find out about the company’s wide range of retractable enclosures, including the record-breaking indoor waterpark project at Epic Waters in Grand Prairie, Texas. Epic Waters covers 80,000sq ft and includes a 62,000sq ft retractable roof enclosure. The enclosure was unveiled to the public at a recent event where the Mayor of Grand Prairie opened the roof’s 40 operable panels for the first time with the flip of a switch.
NICEBERG
Booth #1873
At IAAPA, find out about Niceberg Studios’ latest film, Moonthunder 5D, which is now available for the US market and can be found on Triotech, Simex-Iwerks and Doron Precision platforms. And, from the makers of the popular ride film Wall of China, comes Great Wall VR 360°. Great Wall VR 360° is partnered with leading VR ride manufacturers including DOF Robotics, Fulldome Pro, and Innosimulation. There is also a new five-minute ride version of Space Panda 4D.
ADG
Booth #2646
Aquatic Development Group (ADG) is exhibiting at IAAPA 2017 and sharing the news of its recent Leading Edge Award. The World Waterpark Association (WWA) recognised ADG for its innovative take on the traditional wave pool, Twin Tides. Twin Tides is a dual-entry wave pool that employs a wave system configuration that creates continuous wave action across the pool, doubling capacity. ADG has installed several Twin Tides experiences across the US. To find out more, visit ADG’s booth.
PICSOLVE
Booth #4850
Picsolve International is evolving. The attraction photography specialist’s new, industry-leading, digital content platform is being unveiled exclusively at IAPPA 2017. Be sure to visit the Picsolve booth to discover how this game-changing approach to creating, collating and sharing photo and video moments can transform your consumer experience.
POLIN
Booth #1378
Polin Waterparks and its game technologies division is presenting a range of new experiences at its biggest ever IAAPA booth. Attendees can learn about Slide n Score, a game controller that allows waterpark guests to take on a target-shooting challenge on their way down a slide. They can also learn about the first VR waterslide, Splash VR. The first installation is at Land of Legends in Turkey, and allows an operator to deploy a VR experience on an existing slide. Polin is also showcasing the different functions of its Splashware System that launched last year and an all-new slide concept called Mantis.
TAA
Booth #2065
Theming and Animatronics Industries (TAA) is going comics. At the planned Warner Bros World park in Abu Dhabi, TAA is working with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the bunch to bring fun to the kids. TAA also recently reached for the stars and beyond – at Movie Park, Germany, with the new Star Trek attraction. At Disneyland Paris, TAA oversaw the retheming of the Star Wars attraction. Visit the booth to learn more.
BROGENT
Booth #5815
Brogent Technologies is launching Q-Ride, set to simulate an ocean journey and instil “surprise, exhilaration, and wonder” in park guests. Brogent Q-Ride takes guests on an ultra-realistic ocean VR adventure?, taking a flight out over the water to be suddenly lowered into the sea, immersed underwater. Fish, dolphins, manta rays and whales appear all around as the ride takes guests through kelp forest and underwater caves. Q-Ride is a visual and emotional experience, travelling amongst marine spectacles offering tantalising thrills and surprises.
NWAVE
Booth #1066
At IAAPA, nWave is presenting Son of Bigfoot 4D. Follow Adam Harrison on his wild adventure to find his father, Bigfoot. In Return to the Lost World, watch out for ferocious dinosaurs as an expedition returns to a familiar island. Show attendees are invited to stop by the booth for an exclusive preview of these exciting attraction films.
BRUNSWICK
Booth #2206
Brunswick Bowling is promoting Epicenter, a way to bring authentic bowling to spaces with a smaller footprint. It is an all-in-one solution that appeals to all demographics, making it popular with restaurants, hotels, cinemas, FECs and other venues that might not have room for traditional bowling. Epicenter increases revenues by keeping guests on the property longer and encouraging them to return.
GATEWAY
Booth #4854
Gateway Ticketing Systems is showcasing its customer relationship management solution, CRM Plus Powered by Galaxy. CRM Plus combines all the ticket, food and beverage, retail purchasing and usage information from the Galaxy Product Suite with marketing touchpoints to provide a 360° view of guest behaviour. Gateway says CRM Plus empowers customers to deliver “the right experience, at the right time, in the right way to the right people”.
SIMEX-IWERKS
Booth #2249
Simex-Iwerks Entertainment has teamed up with Technicolor Animation to co-produce a new 4D theatrical experience, The Deep: Mystery of the Ancient Amulet. The film is based on the underwater adventure cartoon series The Deep, which is published by Gestalt Comics. Simex-Iwerks has created a 12-minute fully immersive 3D viewing experience, featuring exclusive 3D CG animation, an original storyline and stunning special effects, vibrating seats, water sprays and bubbles.
WATERPLAY
Booth #3675
Waterplay Solutions is debuting Shoreline, an interactive aquatic play experience bursting with seaside discoveries and water effects. Designed for splash pads and aquatic play spaces and inspired by ocean tides, the Shoreline collection includes 19 innovative products and acts as a playful extension of Waterplay’s nature-inspired Grasslands collection. A dynamic range of water effects is designed to engage users of all ages and abilities.
LAGOTRONICS
Booth #2043
Having successfully introduced GameChanger and the Farm Fair edition of this interactive rotating dark ride at EAS, Lagotronics Projects is showing these experiences to its US audience in Orlando. Farm Fair is a brand new IP and game designed in a farm theme.
UNLIMITED LEISURE
Booth #1360 / 1560
Unlimited Leisure Group provides unique solutions for leisure developments. Its companies will be represented at IAAPA. The Ticket Experience solves the number one guest complaint by providing a queue-free theme park experience. TapeMyDay automatically films, edits and uploads an irresistible photo and video compilation of the guest’s entire stay. Unlimited Snow is the one-stop-shop for all snow and ice leisure experiences. And visit the booth to find out more about HollandWorld, a second gate with attractions, hotels, casino, retail and F&B.
VEKOMA
Booth #5133
Vekoma Rides invites attendees to visit its booth and learn about the newest and latest thrill coaster designs as well as the Family Boomerang Rebound and Suspended Family Coaster. Vekoma’s Bermuda Blitz has debuted at Legendia Poland. The coaster is 908 metres in length and stands 40 metres high, combining a variety of ride elements in a compact design. Space Warp at Energylandia is the first of a whole new generation of Vekoma’s sitdown thrill coasters. It is the first thrill coaster to be designed using Vekoma’s latest track design tools and built using its new track production method with the new MK1101 trains. In 2018, Vekoma will be opening the new Firestorm launch coaster in Vietnam and in China, and three Looping Coasters and four Family Boomerang Rebound in China.
HOLOVIS
Booth #1046
null,Holovis continues to build on the popularity and success of its new R3ex range of attractions by presenting a full-scale, augmented reality application-based demo of its R3ex Arena Solution. The real-time working model will show four of the R3ex systems in a duelling arena formation. Within this model, 16 riders (four on each R3ex arm) interact with and duel against each other in the virtual world, seeing the real-time cause and effect of their actions. The attraction layout sees the queueline cleverly designed so queuing guests can interact in real-time with the people on the ride.
IDEATTACK
Booth #2843
IDEATTACK, a global leader in the tourism and leisure design industry, has been announced as the exclusive designer, planner, attraction producer and general contractor for Chinese developer Evergrande Group. IDEATTACK will work on up to six Evergrande theme park projects, creating a new theme park brand that is envisioned as a top-quality entertainment destination featuring 33 cutting-edge attractions, from immersive multimedia rides to high-tech theatres.
