Greater than 41,000 attendees made it to final week’s IAAPA Expo, a file quantity for the occasion, the Orlando-based Worldwide Affiliation of Amusement Parks and Points of interest reviews.
The Expo hosted 1,100 exhibitors and 27,000 consumers from 20,000 shopping for corporations at Orange County Conference Middle, IAAPA says.
Jakob Wahl, CEO of IAAPA, stated the rise in attendance coincides with members’ improved outlook for the trade.
“The summer time was slightly flat, after which, in speaking to many operators, that they had at a really robust autumn. … You see an enthusiasm on the present flooring,” Wahl stated through the occasion.
“We’re barely above final yr. Which might be nice as a result of I didn’t assume that within the summertime we had been that optimistic, contemplating the place the trade stood,” he stated.
The Expo, held yearly in November in Orlando, has developed past the standard theme parks and producers, he stated.
“You see an increasing number of of these extra sights coming. You see purchasing malls coming. You see you see ski resorts,” Wahl stated. “You’ve got some newbies proper now, and that’s nice as a result of our trade will get broadened.”
Along with shows and offers on the commerce flooring, IAAPA Expo contains instructional classes for members, breaking information conferences, award ceremonies, social events and networking. This yr’s occasion added two components dedicated to Halloween and the meals and beverage sector on the north concourse of the conference middle.
“Halloween has been large in Orlando, has been large within the U.S., however it has turn into a world phenomenon. … We see parks in China that which have Halloween events with 50,000 folks plus,” Wahl stated. “That is the place we stated, hey, you already know, there’s a important quantity of distributors in that area and there’s a very important curiosity of operators within the area to be taught extra about.”
The brand new Avenue Market featured an eclectic mixture of meals distributors, from Seoul to Desk to Taffy City to BuzzBallz.
Public curiosity is “the identical with meals and beverage,” Wahl stated. “Each time you go to a restaurant, there should be some merchandise which everybody will get a telephone out and makes an image for Instagram.”
The 2025 IAAPA Expo is scheduled for Nov. 17-21.
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com