What: IAAPA Attractions Expo 2019

When: 18-22 November

Where: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, US

How much: General registration US$164 (US$299 non-member), Education Conference included with registration (US$359 non-members), Child registration (0-12 years) free, Students US$50 (US$100 non-members)

Register: www.iaapa.org/expos

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of TV’s most popular shows – Friends – JRA has collaborated with Warner Bros and Superfly to create a month-long pop-up experience in New York City.

JRA provided planning, design and implementation services for the attraction, which sold out three hours after going on sale and was heralded as “the Louvre of Friends fandom”. The nostalgia-packed space offered fans the opportunity to capture photos with the set recreations, props and costumes from the show. Visit JRA to hear more about this and other projects from its portfolio.

Zamperla will be showcasing Galleon+, a new interactive add-on for swinging pirate ship rides. During the ride, guests are divided into two teams, with a gesture control system and scream meters scoring them for volume and lifting their hands when the galleon reaches the top of its arc. Two different captain’s voices encourage riders to play along. A sensor measures the galleon inclination and a camera installed on the mast records the hands lifted. The system assigns points to each team and at the end of the ride, one team is the winner. In parks where lifting hands is not allowed due to safety procedures, the scream meter system is used instead. To find out more, visit the Zamperla booth.

Kraftwerk Living Technologies’ SFX Motion Seats have been successfully implemented in the largest 4D theatres in the world, rounding off its expertise in creating immersive 4D theatre solutions. With clients also asking for a solution for smaller venues or even individual seat set-ups for VR applications, the audiovisual system integration experts have now introduced an electric drive version of their seats, in addition to the pneumatically driven version.

With the introduction of the electric drive, Kraftwerk Living Technologies is opening up new market segments – not just in theme parks but also in museums, science centers, FECs, brand centers and planetariums.

Simtec will present the new generation of Hexaflite flying theatres, which is a further development of its successful Hexaflite product sold more than 20 times worldwide. On display at its booth will be its ScreenFlite system, which puts ads, information and messages in motion. Stop by and talk to the Simtec team to find out what solution it has available for your new attraction.

Holovis has launched HoloTrac – its proprietary solution that transforms destinations into intelligent, connected spaces to extend and enhance guest experiences and transform operations, security and safety. Object, gesture and voice recognition capabilities let guests naturally interact with a space to engage in personalised adventures. Behind the scenes, intelligent real-time tracking systems monitor people’s movement to deliver extensive insights into operations and security. HoloTrac uses advanced computer vision and tracking technologies to produce powerful data analytic visualisations and actionable insights into park dynamics.

Creating inspiring entertainment designs for places of escape and destinations of distinction, Forrec has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands and will be showcasing a number of its projects slated to open next year, including Changsha Dawang Deep Pit Water World. This site’s unique elevation allowed the team to design a multi-level waterpark. In addition to waterparks, Forrec designs theme parks, visitor attractions, mixed use entertainment and resorts.

Severn Lamb designs, supplies and manufactures light urban, leisure and resort transportation. This year the company has had several new commissions around the world, with a new Texan at Fuwah Park and two of its western-style Lincoln trains at Suzhou Forest World in China. There were three new SL road trains to hit the UK – one at The National Railway Museum, one at Marwell Zoo and the other Colchester Zoo. Visit the Severn Lamb booth to see what services and attractions could suit your needs.

Lagotronics Projects celebrates its 40th anniversary at this year’s IAAPA Expo. Since 1979 the company has created an array of experiences and projects, all including the ‘show-factor’. From interactive dark rides for theme parks to immersive experiences for FECs, museums and experience centres. Lagotronics’ popular GameChanger will also be present. The company is currently working on a GameChanger for Shimao’s Smurfs theme park in Shanghai, which is completely themed in Smurfs-style.

Technical Park will be on hand at IAAPA, highlighting options to help you boost your business. Speedway is a new family rollercoaster recently developed by Technical Park. The company is also presenting a new flyer ride under the name of Flying Dutchman, offering a great interactive experience, where riders can sail, sway in the breeze, pick up speed during rotation and lift up in the air as they like.

Simworx is promoting it’s latest product, the Metro of Time – a twist on the traditional 4D cinema, that takes riders on a journey through the ages in a metro-themed carriage. Alongside this, it just launched its AGV Darkride. With no tracks or power cables, it has an acceleration unrivalled within the industry. Its recent projects include the first installation of the Mini Flying Theatre in Vietnam, as well as their Immersive Superflume in Jakarta. Read more about Simworx on p62.

Some of the world’s most popular amusement and theme parks work with Vekoma to create new experiences that move their business to the next level. Vekoma says no challenge is too big or too difficult and they will be on-hand and assist you at IAAPA.

Visit SimEx-Iwerks to meet one of the largest distributors of cinematic content for 4D Experiences, Motion Ride Simulators and Fly Theatres in the world. During this year’s show, it will introduce eight new 4D Experiences including blockbusters Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Let your guests soar with the innovatively designed Flying 4D Experience and check out 10 new flying theater films.

Linnanmäki in Finland has announced the opening of the Intamin-designed LSM Double Launch Coaster Taiga. Meanwhile the Tigeren pendulum is in full swing at Djurs Sommerland in Denmark and Dueling Dragons, the Dueling LSM Triple Launch Coaster successfully opened at Guangzhou Sunac Land in China is now in operation. At this year’s IAAPA Expo, Intamin will present a number of new LSM Launch Coasters, Family Launch Coasters, Tower Rides and several different Water Rides. Visit the booth for more information.

OpenAire’s newest waterpark, opening in 2021, will be part of the massive 520-acre OWA resort destination on the Gulf Coast in Foley, Alabama, US. This new park will be 65,000sq ft (6,040sq m), and will be the largest indoor waterpark on the Gulf Coast. OpenAire has been designing and manufacturing retractable roof structures and skylights for 30 years. Headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, OpenAire is approaching 1,000 projects throughout North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

iPlayCO has announced its new ‘iPlayCO/Tag Active’ Cyber Towers and expanded Tag Active systems product line. Cyber Towers are two side-by-side timed vertical obstacle towers. The towers are independent of each other but players can race together in the separate towers. These gamified Ninja/Cross fit attractions allow for social media marketing integration, and worldwide gamification events for individual players, groups, and teams of all ages.