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restrictions still being lifted, we watched and encouraged our members to “think outside the box” and consider rebranding as the holiday of choice for locals and guests who could get to them easily. Clever industry leaders took those chances and succeeded in bouncing
back easier than others because they know a good product gets attention. IAAPA members maintained their commitment to guest experiences that way and it paid off for them in the long run. Of course, there are ongoing ripple effects of the pandemic we still face
like staffing shortages, concerns with inflation and supply chain issues. Those are relatively global issues and IAAPA has been and continues to facilitate engaging conversation among members to find crowd-based solutions for those areas.
Can you tell me more about Connect+ and how it will benefit attendees? Connect+ is IAAPA’s new digital platform. It was designed to not only amp up the Expo experience, but to offer better connections between members. Think of it like Facebook meets LinkedIn, but exclusive to us and this industry. IAAPA first launched this global digital offering in June during the IAAPA Expo Asia Virtual Conference and it will next be pushed out to members for our expo event in London. We all love in-person learning opportunities and always want members to
benefit from networking and learning opportunities at our global expos. But we knew it was important for us to offer more. Connect+ allows users to enhance their IAAPA Expos, events, and summit
experiences, and engage with your network in the IAAPA Marketplace, a 365- day, persistent virtual space for buyers and sellers to meet. Registered Expo users will be able to livestream certain Expo events while
traditional panels will be recorded and uploaded for on-demand viewing later. And a real bonus? It’s available to download for free through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
What’s your vision for IAAPA EMEA’s future? What opportunities do you see for the organisation and its members? There’s so much hope and promise for growth within IAAPA EMEA and I’m committed to seeing that happen. As the leisure industry adapts, we adapt and grow with it. I’m proud to say we have a very strong and loyal base in Europe. We are still growing in members and also in offerings in the Middle East. Even though we are moving in the right direction, I think there is still much to achieve there, and we must grow in Africa. There will be a turning point where Africa will be the next big booming area. I don’t know when, but I am sure it will happen. We are doing our best to be ready for that and prepare the people as much as we can. With our potential to grow comes
the benefits of growing and it makes our industry stronger. The more members we have, the more we can connect and share knowledge and opportunities. Opportunities for our membership
really stem from fostering growth within it and encouraging nontraditional leisure industry businesses to join IAAPA. Our industry is so unique in that we don’t have one main focus, even if some parts are more visible than others. The world is changing so fast and
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lots of industries are adding experiences. I’ve joked that going to a Rituals store to buy shower gel is not the same experience as picking it up at Aldi. Maybe that’s a silly comparison, but I think it’s a good example. If companies that aren’t currently linked to the global attractions industry want to join our membership, shouldn’t we allow it? The broader our network is, the more we will learn and have to share. That’s a win for IAAPA’s current members and those we hope to join our association.
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