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parkworld-online.com Go Orlando! Because November means only one thing
It’s that time of year again. The worldwide parks and attractions community is about to converge of Orlando for the annual IAAPA Attractions Expo. Here in one handy page is all you need to know to make the most of your week in the famous Florida city
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AAPA – the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions – is promising the second largest trade show floor in the
Expo’s 97-year history, boating approximately 553,000 net square feet – or more than nine miles (15km) – of exhibit space and contributions from 1,000+ companies. As always, the trade show runs Tuesday through
to Friday (November 17 to 20), but there’s plenty happening ahead of that so try and arrive the previous weekend in order to check it all out, and maybe schedule a park visit or two. On Sunday, the 13th Annual IAAPA
International Charity Golf Tournament takes place at Hawks Landing Golf Club and promises to be as much a social and networking fixture as a sporting endeavour. Or perhaps you fancy roaring through Central Florida on the 6th Annual IAAPA Motorcycle Ride starting out from Orlando Harley- Davidson, where bike rentals will be available. Expo 2015 will feature more than 100 educational opportunities, comprising 80 free (for IAAPA members) seminars, plus over 20 paid-for in- depth learning experiences, educational luncheons and so-called “EDUTours” to local attractions. All of these education initiatives are eligible for credit towards IAAPA Certification, the industry’s premier professional distinction. Multi-day and day-long programmes include the IAAPA Institute for Attractions Managers (Sunday to Tuesday), IAAPA Human Resources Symposium (Tuesday) and IAAPA Safety Institute (Friday) and FEC Symposium (Friday). Register now if you’re interested. Monday’s Lunch and Learn will feature
speaker Mark Woodbury, president of the creative division of Universal Parks and Resorts worldwide. Tickets are $45/65 (IAAPA members/non- members). Tuesday morning and the Kickoff Event will see Expo opened in showbiz style as IAAPA executives gather on stage with other industry
figures to get the show started. During the early morning ceremony in the IAAPA Theater on the show floor the latest IAAPA Hall of Fame inductees will also be announced. Later in the day, from 5.00- 6.15pm, the 2015 inductees (we are assuming there are no posthumous honours this year) will share their hard won wisdom in the Hall of Fame Panel alongside Bob Masterson from Golden Planet Leisure, Peter Herschend of Family Entertainment and moderator Bob Rogers, BRC Imagination Arts. Networking events will be held at midday on
Tuesday, allowing representatives from different industry sectors to catch up over a meal. Take your pick of the Latin American Conference and Lunch, Operators' Roundtable Lunch or Water Park Operators' Lunch. Entry is $20/30, including your food. Further high-level industry insight is offered on
Tuesday during the CEO Speaks session, from 3.30 to 4.45pm. Confirmed speakers are Al Weber Jr (Apex Parks Group), Arnaud Palu (Majid Al Futtaim Leisure and Entertainment), Jane Cooper (Herschend Family Entertainment) and Matt Heller (Performance Optimist Consulting). On Wednesday, SeaWorld Parks &
Entertainment president and CEO Joel Manby has been announced as a replacement for Parques Reunidos CEO Yann Caillère at the GM and Owners’ Breakfast, while later in the day new IAAPA chairman John McReynolds from Universal Parks & Resorts will deliver a keynote to the Amusement Parks and Attractions Lunch. You need tickets for both these events. All Expo badge holders can sit in on the IAAPA Brass Ring Awards from 4.30-6.00pm on Wednesday, when parks, attractions and suppliers are recognised for everything from new products to live entertainment and marketing. Also a popular session, sometimes a lock-out,
Legends 2015 will examine the continuing Impact of Disneyland on the worldwide attractions industry after 60 years. Bob Rogers (BRC) will preside over an all-star panel including Marty Sklar (Walt Disney Imagineering ambassador), Matt Ouimet (Cedar Fair CEO and former Disney executive) and Tom Mehrmann (outgoing CEO, Ocean Park, Hong Kong).
On Thursday from 5.00-6.15pm there’s a chance to hear some of the next generation speak during
I-Drive 360 will host IAAPA Celebrates on Thursday night
the Young Professionals - Mid-Level Managers Rou ndtable, featuring contributions from Ash Smart (Harbour Park, UK) and US panellists Brad Okeson (Theme Park Engineering Group), Marika Barranco (Monterey Bay Aquarium) and Will Morey (Morey’s Piers). Fancy signing up for one of those EDUTours? Most of them have already sold out, including Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, SeaWorld at Sunrise. Be quick and you might just get a place on the tour to the Legoland Hotel at Legoland Florida Resort (Tuesday) or Universal Studios Florida: Merchandise Mysteries Revealed (Thursday). As well several exhibitor parties (keep your
ear to the ground) and socials such as the TEA Mixer, many official IAAPA receptions and networking opportunities are planned during the week. Tuesday evening will see both the Opening Reception and Young Professionals Reception, the latter at Tapa Toro on International Drive (I- Drive). On Wednesday the following events will be held simultaneously straight after the show: European Reception, Family Entertainment Center Reception, Latin America Reception and the sold-out Carnival and Showmen's Reception. Or head to Mango’s Tropical Cafe International Drive for the Water Park Social from 7pm if you’re one of those guys whose prone to wearing Hawaiian shirts. Thursday morning sees both the Asia Pacific Breakfast and Canadian Breakfast held over at the Convention Center. This year’s Thursday night social is IAAPA Celebrates at I-Drive 360. At $104/149 a ticket (IAAPA members-non-members) you’ll be paying big for the food and drink at this Merlin Entertainments location, where combination tickets for the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and Sea Life are normally just $39. Yet we reckon it will actually be a much better platform for networking than the previous theme park-based events, where it was always easy to get lost from friends and colleagues while checking out the different attractions.
IAAPA Attractions Expo takes place at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, from November 16 to 20. For the full education programme, exhibitor listings, travel advice, hotel bookings and event registration see
IAAPA.org/IAAPAAttractionsExpo.
LEFT: The Orange County Convention Center
20 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
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