IAAPA’s European event for the visitor attractions industry took place in
Paris
It’s been a year of change for IAAPA and as part of this, there’s also been a significant shift for its European trade show, which for the first time was held under a new name – IAAPA Expo Europe.
Taking place in Paris, the former Euro Attractions Show brought together 15,900 participants, including 11,100 buyers and 648 exhibitors – a 13 per cent increase from last year’s event in Amsterdam.
This year’s European event featured the largest show floor in its history, with 17,500sq m (188,000sq ft) of exhibition space for the event held at Porte de Versailles in the French capital. Unlike 2018’s event, which was spread over multiple spaces, this year the entire show floor was located inside a single hall.
“It was a remarkable week,” says IAAPA president and CEO Hal McEvoy. “Attractions industry professionals from around the world came together to focus on the future. We celebrated the industry, discovered innovations, discussed emerging trends, and explored opportunities that will help companies take the guest experience to the next level.”
There were a number of product launches at the show. Among them, Simworx showcased its AVG Dark Ride and Mini Flying Theatre, while Sally revealed two new attraction concepts developed with Aardman. Zamperla staged a press conference to launch its gamified swinging pirate ship Galleon+ and its Super Air Race product, which has recently been introduced at Coney Island’s Luna Park. Clip ‘n Climb also showed off its new Clip ‘n Score technology, which was revealed to the public for the first time at IAAPA Expo Europe.
Networking with style The opening reception was hosted at the newly revamped Jardin d’Acclimatation. Dating back 159 years, the attraction reopened last year following a €60m (US$66.7m) renovation. Operated by Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) on behalf of the Louis Vuitton Foundation, more than 1,200 attendees at the event got a chance to try out some of the amusement park’s vintage-style rides.
WhiteWater held one of the most eye-catching networking events, with a rooftop champagne reception overlooking the Eiffel Tower and River Seine.
The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) held its special mixer event at the famous Musée Grévin – one of the world’s oldest wax museums. There, attendees got to explore the museum and later mingle with industry colleagues alongside a collection of quiet but famous faces.
Education During the week, IAAPA offered more than 100 hours of conferencing, with special programming including the IAAPA Institute for Attractions Managers at Disneyland Paris; a one-day waterpark forum; and an IAAPA Safety Institute session at Parc Astérix.
Puy du Fou’s Nicolas de Villiers delivered the keynote speech, detailing the success of the operator, its approach to live entertainment and its international expansion plans, most recently opening a new Puy du Fou operation in Spain.
Delivered in both French and English, Disney’s Daniel Delcourt and David Wilson spoke about the operator’s future plans in Europe, particularly focusing on its planned €2bn (US$2.1bn) expansion of Disneyland Paris, which will feature Frozen, Star Wars and Marvel-themed lands (see P56).
Sharing best practices, understanding the economic climate and learning about trends in the industry were also core ideas shared during the conference, with 131 industry experts from 21 countries speaking during the course of the week.
Moving forward IAAPA’s Global Outlook Report 2018-2022 says that theme parks across Europe will entertain more than 179.6 million visitors in 2019, with the industry projected to thrive as new rides and expansions debut in the coming months. According to IAAPA EMEA executive director Jakob Wahl, this year’s event showcased this.
“The show floor was the most expansive IAAPA Expo Europe has ever had, which gave attendees more to be inspired by,” he says. “Our outstanding speakers – many from France – ensured the conference was valuable for all attendees.”
London 2020 The next edition of IAAPA Expo Europe will kick off on 22 September 2020, with the three-day show taking place in a post-Brexit London at the ExCeL exhibition and convention centre. Home to some of the world’s most revered and most visited attractions, more than 500 companies have already reserved a place for the event. To find out more, visit the IAAPA website.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 4
Interview: Yves Pépin
A man whose spectaculars have been
witnessed by billions, Yves Pépin
speaks about his trail-blazing career
Rides: Supersonic
We take a look at some of the most
significant ride openings around the world
Preview: Rulantica Rising
Germany’s top theme park is about to
launch a €180m addition with the opening of its long-awaited second
gate. Attractions Management looks
at Rulantica and how the new
waterpark addition is taking shape
Theme Parks: Parisian Magic
Daniel Delcourt and David Wilson
share more about Disney’s €2bn
expansion of Disneyland Paris
Promotional feature: Simworx Ltd
CEO, Terry Monkton, takes
us through the development of two unique projects, from conception to creation
Waterparks: Water World
Debrecen in Hungary is gaining an iconic
new addition – a US$30.1m waterpark
Promotional feature: WhiteWater
WhiteWater’s Una deBoer tells us
how the company maintains elite safety standards
in waterparks and the steps operators can take
to improve safety across the entire industry
Operations: Disaster Management
What can be learned from the experiences
of those unfortunate operators who have
had to react when disaster strikes?
Exhibitions: World Tour
Kath Hudson looks at the potential of the
pop-up and touring exhibition market
IAAPA’s European event for the visitor attractions industry took place in
Paris
It’s been a year of change for IAAPA and as part of this, there’s also been a significant shift for its European trade show, which for the first time was held under a new name – IAAPA Expo Europe.
Taking place in Paris, the former Euro Attractions Show brought together 15,900 participants, including 11,100 buyers and 648 exhibitors – a 13 per cent increase from last year’s event in Amsterdam.
This year’s European event featured the largest show floor in its history, with 17,500sq m (188,000sq ft) of exhibition space for the event held at Porte de Versailles in the French capital. Unlike 2018’s event, which was spread over multiple spaces, this year the entire show floor was located inside a single hall.
“It was a remarkable week,” says IAAPA president and CEO Hal McEvoy. “Attractions industry professionals from around the world came together to focus on the future. We celebrated the industry, discovered innovations, discussed emerging trends, and explored opportunities that will help companies take the guest experience to the next level.”
There were a number of product launches at the show. Among them, Simworx showcased its AVG Dark Ride and Mini Flying Theatre, while Sally revealed two new attraction concepts developed with Aardman. Zamperla staged a press conference to launch its gamified swinging pirate ship Galleon+ and its Super Air Race product, which has recently been introduced at Coney Island’s Luna Park. Clip ‘n Climb also showed off its new Clip ‘n Score technology, which was revealed to the public for the first time at IAAPA Expo Europe.
Networking with style The opening reception was hosted at the newly revamped Jardin d’Acclimatation. Dating back 159 years, the attraction reopened last year following a €60m (US$66.7m) renovation. Operated by Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) on behalf of the Louis Vuitton Foundation, more than 1,200 attendees at the event got a chance to try out some of the amusement park’s vintage-style rides.
WhiteWater held one of the most eye-catching networking events, with a rooftop champagne reception overlooking the Eiffel Tower and River Seine.
The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) held its special mixer event at the famous Musée Grévin – one of the world’s oldest wax museums. There, attendees got to explore the museum and later mingle with industry colleagues alongside a collection of quiet but famous faces.
Education During the week, IAAPA offered more than 100 hours of conferencing, with special programming including the IAAPA Institute for Attractions Managers at Disneyland Paris; a one-day waterpark forum; and an IAAPA Safety Institute session at Parc Astérix.
Puy du Fou’s Nicolas de Villiers delivered the keynote speech, detailing the success of the operator, its approach to live entertainment and its international expansion plans, most recently opening a new Puy du Fou operation in Spain.
Delivered in both French and English, Disney’s Daniel Delcourt and David Wilson spoke about the operator’s future plans in Europe, particularly focusing on its planned €2bn (US$2.1bn) expansion of Disneyland Paris, which will feature Frozen, Star Wars and Marvel-themed lands (see P56).
Sharing best practices, understanding the economic climate and learning about trends in the industry were also core ideas shared during the conference, with 131 industry experts from 21 countries speaking during the course of the week.
Moving forward IAAPA’s Global Outlook Report 2018-2022 says that theme parks across Europe will entertain more than 179.6 million visitors in 2019, with the industry projected to thrive as new rides and expansions debut in the coming months. According to IAAPA EMEA executive director Jakob Wahl, this year’s event showcased this.
“The show floor was the most expansive IAAPA Expo Europe has ever had, which gave attendees more to be inspired by,” he says. “Our outstanding speakers – many from France – ensured the conference was valuable for all attendees.”
London 2020 The next edition of IAAPA Expo Europe will kick off on 22 September 2020, with the three-day show taking place in a post-Brexit London at the ExCeL exhibition and convention centre. Home to some of the world’s most revered and most visited attractions, more than 500 companies have already reserved a place for the event. To find out more, visit the IAAPA website.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 4
Interview: Yves Pépin
A man whose spectaculars have been
witnessed by billions, Yves Pépin
speaks about his trail-blazing career
Rides: Supersonic
We take a look at some of the most
significant ride openings around the world
Preview: Rulantica Rising
Germany’s top theme park is about to
launch a €180m addition with the opening of its long-awaited second
gate. Attractions Management looks
at Rulantica and how the new
waterpark addition is taking shape
Theme Parks: Parisian Magic
Daniel Delcourt and David Wilson
share more about Disney’s €2bn
expansion of Disneyland Paris
Promotional feature: Simworx Ltd
CEO, Terry Monkton, takes
us through the development of two unique projects, from conception to creation
Waterparks: Water World
Debrecen in Hungary is gaining an iconic
new addition – a US$30.1m waterpark
Promotional feature: WhiteWater
WhiteWater’s Una deBoer tells us
how the company maintains elite safety standards
in waterparks and the steps operators can take
to improve safety across the entire industry
Operations: Disaster Management
What can be learned from the experiences
of those unfortunate operators who have
had to react when disaster strikes?
Exhibitions: World Tour
Kath Hudson looks at the potential of the
pop-up and touring exhibition market
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
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