ORLANDO — IAAPA Expo 2023, held Nov. 13-17, saw notable records for engagement and attendance. IAAPA, the global association for the attractions industry, said the weeklong event attracted more than 36,000 attendees and featured 1,147 exhibiting companies.
The IAAPA Expo, which hosted more than 550,000 NSFs at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), attracted 26,453 qualified buyers representing more than 18,000 companies. Compared to the 2022 edition, this year’s Expo attracted more than 30,000 NSFs and 70 additional exhibiting companies.
“At IAAPA, we use a fully integrated marketing approach to attract the best buyers to our show,” said Michael Shelton, ICAE, executive director and vice president of IAAPA North America. “That starts with a communications campaign that is distributed worldwide to members and non-members. We use exhibits to help us grow our audience share. We work to build relationships with attractions, large and small, to inform them of the opportunities they will find during the show week. We also partner with our exhibiting companies to promote their participation at IAAPA Expo. Our exhibitor guest program helps attract a substantial number of buyers to the show each year, and that number is growing each year as well.”
As exhibitors fill the North and South Exhibition Halls and the North and South Parking Lots, the IAAPA Expo team is looking to expand the exhibition space to accommodate more exhibitors.
“We can attribute some of the demand recovery to the full reopening of travel for our international industry professionals. Even in 2022, travel from many parts of Asia was extremely difficult or impossible due to the lack of flights and remaining COVID-19 protocols,” Shelton said. “The easing of these has allowed some members to travel to Orlando for the first time since 2019. For all of our shows this year, we launched a new Hosted Buyer program to attract buyers who might not otherwise be aware of what we offer. This program has benefited our exhibitors by attracting new entrants to the industry.”
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The IAAPA team created innovative and interactive experiences at the show, reflecting what IAAPA members do in their own venues. There were two immersive entry units in the exhibit hall, one a larger-than-life pinball machine and the other sponsored by Rovio’s Angry Birds. Attendees were able to solve a mystery on the exhibit hall in the format of Hasbro’s popular Clue game. This gamification opportunity drew visitors to every corner of the hall.
Another element added to IAAPA Expo 2023 was a program developed for Brazilian attendees. The IAAPA Explores: Expo program offered unique experiences conducted primarily in Portuguese and included assistance in scheduling appointments with exhibitors, a tour of Universal Studios Orlando and a networking breakfast, among other opportunities.
This year, attendees were able to participate in EDUTours, which provided visitors with the opportunity to tour many of Orlando’s local attractions and destinations to learn about the creative processes and operations of world-renowned attractions, including Walt Disney World, Fun Spot America and Universal Orlando Resort. IAAPA estimates that the show contributed more than $100 million to the Orlando area economy.
“One of the benefits of hosting IAAPA Expo in the city of Orlando is the proximity to world-class theme parks and attractions,” said Shelton. “Our off-site events are not limited to EDUTours, but we also curate experiences for constituencies throughout the region. Our team and the volunteer committees we serve work together to create unique learning and networking events for zoos, aquariums, science centers, museums and family entertainment centers (FECs). IAAPA Expo has something to offer attractions of all types, sizes and focus.”
IAAPA Expo 2024 will take place Nov. 18-22 in Orlando, Florida. Training begins Nov. 18 and the show opens Nov. 19. Approximately 400 companies have already reserved 235,600 square feet of exhibit space at the 2024 show.
Contact Michael Shelton at mshelton@iaapa.org