Rome plays host to EAS 2010
THE stunning city of Rome was the destination for the attractions industry during early October when the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) took place at the Fiera Roma from October 6 to 8. Continuing the policy of moving the
event around Europe, the historical Italian city hosted the show for the first time, the venue, a new facility, providing all that was required for a successful event, despite, it has to be said, being somewhat challenging to get to and from by road due to the volume of traffic. Lengthy journeys to and from the
Mats Wedin, Chairman of the IAAPA Europe Advisory Committee (left) and IAAPA Chairman Chip Cleary (right) join Italy’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Adolfo Urso, to officially open EAS 2010.
city, and surrounding areas, not to mention the cost of taxis, created many a talking point and considerable criticism from attendees. That said, the modern, bright, airy exhibition halls did
the exhibit floor proud, with over 260 companies taking booth space and providing the usual plethora of products and services to keep visitors more than happy. Major players from throughout Europe were present, as were many others from the US and Canada, while exhibitors also came from the Philippines, China, Argentina, Russia and elsewhere. Initial figures show that more than 9,000 attendees came
Italian manufacturer Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. brought a large team of repre- sentatives to EAS.
to the event, compared to last year’s figure in Amsterdam of 8,177, the co-location with the ENADA gaming show helping to attract additional visitors who came from more than 100 countries. Around a third came from Italy. A total of 265 exhibitors promoted their products and services on the show floor, 10 per cent more than in Amsterdam.
The trade show was split into two halls, with an outside
area in between the buildings being used for outdoor exhibits, the space here being mainly taken up with products from inflatable suppliers, along with one or two hard rides and a simulator unit. Exhibits covered everything from major rides and attractions through children’s rides and games to F&B and management systems, and while it apparently took a little time on the first day for visitors to filter through to the second hall in significant numbers, overall the general feeling from exhibitors was that the event attracted decent numbers and good quality visitors. “We had a good day on day one,” commented Giancarlo
Bellotti at Italian company C. & S. “There were probably more visitors than expected but we came with low expectations anyway. In general, we have found this a good show so far (by half way through) and everything has gone well as far as the organisation is concerned. We’ve seen several visitors from northern Europe and France and Spain which seems to show the exhibition has had a good response. And there are a lot of Italians, of course, which is surprising considering the state of the industry.” “We’ve had a lot of inquiries and have been very pleased
with the number of visitors coming through the doors,” noted Terry Monkton at UK simulation and effects theatre specialist Simworx. “And it helps when you’ve got a good booth location at the front of the show as we have.” Also very happy with the event was Netherlands-based
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing, for whom Charlotte van Etten commented: “It has been a good show and being in Rome is great. Attendance is very good and in fact we have a meeting schedule like we would usually have at the IAAPA show in the US, which is great. Last year in Amsterdam it
Helen Ede and Simon Foulkes from UK company Rainbow Productions.
26
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76