The European leisure industry’s flagship Expo and networking event is this year returning to the UK for the first time since 2011 and is being held at ExCeL London across the 12 – 15 September. Ahead of the IAAPA Expo Europe, RLI spends the next few pages taking a closer look at some of the highlights of the event, some of the companies exhibiting and what attendees can look forward to on site.
IAAPA is a diverse and dynamic community of global attractions professionals. As the largest international trade association for permanently located attractions, IAAPA unifies the attractions community, connects people to learn and grow together, and strives to promote the highest professional standards for excellence and safety around the world.
Founded in 1918, IAAPA represents leading industry attractions and supplier companies, consultants, and individual members from more than 100 countries. Members include professionals from amusement parks, theme parks, attractions, water parks, resorts, family entertainment centres, zoos, aquariums, science centres, museums, cruise lines, manufacturers, and suppliers.
The association’s global headquarters and North America office are in Orlando, Florida, US. IAAPA also maintains offices in Brussels, Belgium; Hong Kong, China; Shanghai, China; and, Mexico City, Mexico.
On the road to recovery
The standout event in the IAAPA calendar, the IAAPA Expo Europe event for 2022 is almost upon us and this month thousands of UK and international leisure industry professionals are set to gather in London, as the spotlight is shone firmly on the recovering tourism industry.
Putting London at the heart of Europe’s leisure industry this year, the prestigious event will showcase the latest trends and innovations that are shaping the fast-moving attractions industry as new technologies drive ever more immersive and memorable experiences. This one-of-a-kind event will play host to a multitude of industry experts from a wide range of sectors such as amusement and theme parks, zoos and aquariums, family entertainment centres, historic and cultural tourist attractions, museums and science centres to shopping malls, hotels, and retailers.
With the conference lasting from 12 – 15 September and the trade show taking place from the 13 – 15, IAAPA Expo Europe is happening at London’s ExCeL, a state-of-the-art venue and will be taking 16,000sq m of the show floor space. The venue also boasts a 100-acre waterfront campus along with seven on-site hotels and more than 40 cafes, bars and restaurants.
More than 500 exhibitors are registered to participate at ExCeL London to showcase their latest products and services, including state-of-the-art rides, virtual reality, motion simulators, design and theming, food and beverage, health and safety, point of sale, playground equipment, arcades and coin machines, and pools and water equipment.
“We knew choosing London as the host city for this year’s IAAPA Expo Europe was an excellent choice for many reasons,” said Peter van der Schans, Executive Director and Vice President of IAAPA EMEA. “London’s a wonderful global attraction known for its history, beautiful cityscapes and buzzing with energy for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. We’re thrilled to be part of an exciting 2022 for a beloved industry destination.”
Returning to London for the first time since 2011, and with a jam-packed programme full of the latest technology from across the globe, IAAPA is set to deliver one of the best Expos yet, with guests able to network with colleagues, explore the latest developments in the industry, discover new products and services, and expand their knowledge with the help and support of industry experts. It also includes a four-day education conference with leading industry professionals giving unique insights on sustainability, guest experience, technology, and safety.
Van der Schans said: “With just days before we open the doors of the London ExCeL for IAAPA Expo Europe, the IAAPA team finalises plans for incredible learning opportunities, networking moments, and more that can only be found at the leisure industry’s premier annual event.”
Van der Schans said: “With just days before we open the doors of the London ExCeL for IAAPA Expo Europe, the IAAPA team finalises plans for incredible learning opportunities, networking moments, and more that can only be found at the leisure industry’s premier annual event.”
A world-class conference programme
With a multitude of activities taking place throughout the four days, below is just a small selection of the highlights the conference will include:
Monday 12 September
Sustainability Day at Chessington World of Adventures Resort
A full-day programme dedicated to the important issues and topics facing the global attractions industry regarding environmental, social, and economic sustainable operations.
Water Park Day
Water park owners, operators, designers, and manufacturers come together to share best practices and learn about current trends in the water park industry including the psychology of play, water park health and safety issues, revenue operations, and design principles.
Tuesday 13th September
Foodalicious: New Trends and Ideas to Innovate Your Food and Beverage Experience
This session is a chance to learn from industry leaders who have been innovating food and beverage operations from pricing to promotion.
Metaverse 101
Learn more about the Metaverse – augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), NFTs, and Web3 and how it could impact the attractions industry. Find out how it can and will shape the future of the (virtual) world and beyond.
Wednesday 14th September
TEA Presents: The Things We Miss When Creating Attractions
The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) takes a look at different areas of the attraction creation process. Speakers will highlight the importance of sensory elements, communication and accessibility in storytelling, designing with future operations in mind, and designing sustainably.
Young Professional Forum and Reception
IAAPA Foundation invites young professionals to network and learn from global attractions industry leaders and veterans. Attendees can ask their most pressing career-related questions and pick the minds and experience of successful attractions professionals. The forum is followed by a reception for young professionals for continued networking, discussion, and professional development.
Thursday 15th September
Planet Attractions Presents: How to Make Friends and Influence People – Working with Influencers
In a world where online opinion can make or break a business, it’s crucial for those in the consumer-facing attractions industry to understand how to work with their fanbase in a constructive way, helping them to create content and experiences which will ultimately benefit everyone involved.
Brave Investments
The IAAPA Europe Economic Impact Study provides the direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts generated by the attractions industry at the regional and country level. IAAPA will share preliminary results from the latest report, followed by a discussion with leaders on things they wish they knew before making a capital investment.
Blackpool, UK
Attractions that take your breath away
With more than 30 sessions scheduled to take place over four action-packed days, attendees will never be short for something to do or something new to learn.
Away from the conference programme, the event features exhibitors that include the likes of BoldMove, who will be demonstrating new configurations and theming for Smash & Reload dark ride and Dino AR Portal at Booth 238.
Smash & Reload is BoldMove‘s family of compact and media-based interactive dark rides, combining a fun and immersive gameplay with smart ride system. This ‘midway’ attraction now combines several modules in a very creative manner, thus smashing the 800 people per hour bar. Thanks to the creative expertise of the BoldMove team and partners, the Smash & Reload concept possesses almost unlimited possibilities that can be put to use in a wide variety of media content. In addition to the proprietary “Too Mush” IP, which challenges players to protect our city from lots of now evil (but still very funny) mushrooms, two very well-known and endearing IPs from Mediatoon Licensing are added to the catalogue: Marsupilami and the Daltons. In the Daltons’ Big Escape players have to catch the escaped brothers across the town and prairie, smashing pies, cacti and gold bars in a crazy, hilarious chase.
Next to its experience design & production services for customised dark rides, BoldMove will showcase its recently introduced WaterSlider VR. Guests can enjoy a fun and funky VR Deep Sea Party from a media & motion-based liferaft, housed in a transportable sea container. AR Hybrid Quest is the first phygital AR adventure trail for theme parks, played on smartphones in a physical environment and adding an exciting digital gaming dimension with virtual portals. On the BoldMove booth, visitors can enter a 360° dinosaur world via such a virtual AR portal. AR Hybrid Quest is also offered with other themes and can be fully customised to the venue, including educational and promotional features.
Over on Booth 1127 meanwhile is KCC Entertainment Design, who has established themselves as one of the world’s leading design companies for themed entertainment projects. They have been designing entertainment projects since 2000 and have an international track record with over 200 projects in over 35 countries. Their custom design projects range from FEC’s till Theme parks, Snow Parks and Water Parks to themed retail and edutainment and more. They are currently designing (& realising) social entertainment destinations in North Africa, Middle East and Europe. Meanwhile they are also using their expertise in over 15 Family Entertainment Centers in Europe and the Middle East.
At Booth 1949, Frontgrid will be showcasing their Paradrop VR experience, which is an award-winning experience that is now in 11 countries worldwide and counting. With multiplayer availability that is supported by a global, online league, it is perfect for e-sports and other event opportunities. With no need for an operator, a proven business model and with a competitive ROI, Paradrop VR is leading the way in terms of competitive socialising that is perfect for FECs, retail, brand experiences & tourism destinations.
Booth 3005 is home to Valo Motion, who turn sports activities into the most fun and immersive digital experiences imaginable through their 700 installations in trampoline parks and FEC’s in over 65 countries. Their mixed reality attractions ValoClimb and ValoJump are fully automated digital attractions that increase customer pool and loyalty, increase the frequency of visits, the volume of groups and dwell time, whilst all their Valo Motion attractions are unattended, wearable-free and designed to have significant play value.The company has also announced that its new immersive mixed-reality indoor-arena, ValoArena, will have its official live launch at the IAAPA Expo trade show and it will be the first time that industry players and media will have the opportunity to try ValoArena out for themselves.
Meanwhile, the Experience UK Pavilion will also be themed with iconic London centrepieces, including a red double decker bus, sponsored by Simworx, which will be brought to life with a projection mapped experience from LCI Productions. This will be sat amongst Victorian street light luminaires, bunting, picket fencing, topiary hedges and London transport signage, designed and delivered by Katapult.
The Experience UK Pavilion will showcase a variety of UK-based businesses who supply innovative products and services to visitor destinations worldwide, including Aardman Animations, Christie, Conductr, Dapper Labs (Teq4), Engineered Arts, Environmental Street Furniture, Feel Good Films, Frontgrid, Katapult, Sarner International, Taylor Made Designs, U Cargo and 7th Sense.
Finally, theme park giant Blackpool Pleasure Beach is set to be recognised by IAAPA as part of the Expo, as the global organisation recognises its near century-old relationship. Blackpool Pleasure Beach joined the association in 1923 when Founder William G. Bean attended an annual meeting and became the first member from outside North America. At this year’s IAAPA Expo Europe, Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s CEO Amanda Thompson OBE will be awarded with a 75+Year Member Ribbon that will only be worn by Blackpool Pleasure Beach staff during the event. This honour acknowledges the relationship between the two organisations as the show marks its return to London.
