It takes a lot of work to make fun look this easy. Exhibitors moved into the Las Vegas Convention Center’s North Hall for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions’ (IAAPA) 91st Attractions Expo the weekend of Nov. 13-15, bringing toys, full-size midway games, rides and food along with them.
While it takes most Americans a weekend to rearrange the garage or paint the master bedroom, exhibitors moved in and turned the space into a giant midway in a matter of hours. As the Beach Shack ride swirled inches from the ceiling, Phil Castellano, technical services manager for Zamperla, admitted rides and games are designed for quick set up and dismantling.
“We’ve gotten good at it over the years,” he said with a chuckle.
The show, held traditionally in the southeast region, came to Las Vegas for the first time this year. The move from east to west proposed challenges, but attendees requested the move, said David Mandt, vice president of communications for the IAAPA.
“We talked to [past attendees] about their opinions and part of that was where would you like to see the show in the future,” Mandt added. “This particular year has been a great year to be in Las Vegas. There’s been a lot of enthusiasm about the show being in Las Vegas.”
To prepare, a committee spent at least two years researching the move with site visits and meetings with the IAAPA’s Space Allocation Committee.
“All that has taken place to lay the groundwork for a successful show,” Mandt said.
As of the show’s opening, there were 1,065 exhibitors ranging “from multimillion dollar roller coaster designers to cotton candy machines and everything in between,” Mandt added.
Technology also was included in advances in the industry.
Snow Magic made it snow – unheard of for November in Las Vegas – and showcased its portable snow maker, which generates real snow seen at parks such as Stone Mountain in Georgia.
“Every city is different. Every building is different,” Mandt said. “Creating those experiences takes a lot of planning. It’s a fairly complicated process.”
Along with choreographed maneuvers coordinated with exhibitors, local I&D workers and specialists played a large part in the successful move-in of the show, Mandt said.
Anyone behind the scenes had their work cut out for them. Exhibitors from more than 90 nations presented any permanent ride or game found at an attraction such as a water or amusement park, zoo or casino at the expo. There were 25,000 attendees expected, which held up to the show’s average over the last few years.
As with everything, the economy was on many minds, but at this show, fun was at the forefront.
“If parks are interested in generating more revenue, they’ll talk to people like us who specialize in generating revenue,” said Jack Mendes, president of Bob’s Space Racers Group, which has been exhibiting at the show for 37 years. Along with large midway games, the company also builds customized games for tradeshow booths. “You have a lot of long-time exhibitors here. It’s the premiere show for the industry. If it’s not a new project, it’s upgrading an old project.”
This year’s show saw an increase in first-time buyers and interest from outside the United States. There was some delay in decision making resulting in last minute sales, but in the last days of registration, “phones were ringing off the hook,” Mandt said. “I think there’s a general feeling of optimism that the economy is on the upswing.”
The exhibitors and attendees to the expo make fun their business, so experiencing the games and rides first hand was all in a day’s work.
