The 2013 IAAPA Call for Presentations closed on January 21, 2013.
If you submitted through this process, IAAPA or an IAAPA committee member should contact you by late May to notify you of your proposal's status.


General Information Quick Links:

This is your invitation to submit a proposal to present a seminar at the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2013 education program.   The IAAPA Attractions Expo is the world’s largest gathering of amusement and attractions professionals. 

Please carefully review the information below to ensure that your proposal best meets the current needs and objectives of the IAAPA Education Program. Your proposal should clearly identify the subject area(s) from the lists below, and should demonstrate educational value for one or more of the IAAPA target audience(s). All completed proposals will be reviewed by IAAPA committee members and and speakers will be notified by May 31st, 2013.

The deadline for the 2013 Call for Presentations was Monday, January 21, 2013.

The education program is the major platform in the amusement industry for sharing ideas, exploring new concepts and introducing attendees to the latest knowledge, trends, technology and best practices in the attractions business. 

Audience

Education program attendees are owners, operators, and key staff members of amusement parks and attractions.  The majority of attendees are also buyers at the trade show.  Other audience members will be staff from various departments and responsibilities within the facility.  Generally, they are full-time employees.  Occasionally manufacturers, consultants and vendors attend programs of special interest to them. 

Attendees may be further characterized by level of knowledge as well as specific types of facility operations.  As you develop your presentation concept, please consider which of these primary member facility types you will predominantly address. Generally, these are as follows:

  • Amusement Parks
  • Theme Parks
  • Family Entertainment Centers
  • Water Parks
  • Zoos
  • Aquariums
  • Museums
  • Attractions (Haunted Attractions, Piers, Natural Parks, etc.)
  • Resorts, Hotels, Campgrounds, and RV Parks
  • Casinos

Subject Areas:

IAAPA has identified the following subject areas on which the education program will focus.  These topics are suggestive, not exhaustive.

Communications & Public Relations

  • Crisis Communications
  • Social Media Communications

Human Resources

  • Employee Recruitment and Retention
  • Training and Career Development
  • Supervisory and Leadership Skills
  • Employee Benefits and Opportunities
  • Diversity and Sexual Harassment
  • Safety Education
  • Outsourcing

Entertainment

  • Live Show Management
  • Development and Planning
  • Theming & Design in Entertainment

Maintenance and Construction

  • Construction: Project Management
  • Construction: Contractor Compliance
  • Facilities Maintenance: Preventive programs
  • Facilities Maintenance: Predictive programs
  • Rides and Equipment Maintenance
  • Staff Safety Awareness and Training

Facility Operations

  • Loss Prevention: Security, First Aid
  • Risk Management & Business Continuity
  • Attractions Operations:
  • Opening/Closing Procedures & Standards
  • Green Initiatives, Conservation, Recycling:
  • Utilities and Energy Consumption
  • Site Conservation
  • Landscaping and Waste Management
  • Environmental Design & Planning

Marketing

  • Advertising
  • Demographics and Research
  • Group Sales
  • Public Relations
  • Internet Sales and Marketing
  • Social Media

Finance

  • Accounting Practices
  • Admission Systems
  • Information Systems
  • Cash Control
  • Investments and Acquisitions
  • Insurance and Risk Management Control
  • Safety

Retail & Merchandising

  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Ways to increase revenue
  • Sales Trends, tracking & data usage
  • Inventory tracking & management

Food & Beverage

  • Current trends & best practices
  • Innovative ways to increase revenue

Safety

  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Documentation & Procedures
  • Tracking, Reporting, & Data usage
  • Developing Safety Training & programs

Games

  • Trends in equipment & maintenance
  • Redemption best practices
  • Decision making best practices

Social Media

(See Marketing or Communications)

  • Industry applications & potential uses
  • Getting Started
  • Latest Trends & popular applications

Government Relations

  • Regulatory Affairs
  • Year Round Schools
  • Legal Challenges and Trends

Technology

  • Ticketing, sales, data tracking best practices
  • RFID
  • Web-based and mobile technology trends
Non Competition

The IAAPA Education Program strives to achieve a unique and unparalleled position in the leisure and hospitality industry as the premier venue for excellence in education, professional development and training opportunities.  It is for this reason that we ask that presentations made at IAAPA events not be presented in any similar venue, expo, conference or meeting within six (6) months prior to or following the IAAPA presentation date. 

Proposal Submission Process - Note: the 2013 Call for Presentations is now closed.

1. Read and accept speaker guidelines.  

2. Complete and submit the online Call for Presentations Form. Please be sure to:

    a) Designate a Session Coordinator. For Proposals that include multiple speakers, this will be the primary contact person responsible for managing all details of this session and meeting all IAAPA deadlines. This is the person IAAPA and committee members will contact initially with any questions and regarding the status of the proposal in the final slate of programs for 2013.

      b) Provide a detailed outline of the session that includes all the key learning points and objectives.

      c) Provide a synopsis of the session that would be adapted or included in marketing materials

      d) Provide complete contact information for all speakers. IAAPA requires current Title/Position and Company information for session promotion purposes and complete mailing address, phone number, and a unique email address for every speaker in order to provide complimentary Expo registration.

3. Review & Verify all information before submitting entry as information you submit may be published and used in marketing materials.

4. Submit the proposal by January 21, 2013.

5. All proposals will be acknowledged with an email confirmation and summary of your submission. proposals will be reviewed by May 2013.

Please contact our Education after May 31, 2013 date if you have not received a response from IAAPA or an IAAPA committee advising you of the status of your presentation proposal.

Proposal Review Process

Proposals will be reviewed by IAAPA’s constituency and operational committees. Final selections will be made by the committees.  Applications will be judged on their educational merits and timeliness for the amusement and attractions industry.  By May 31st 2013, an email will be sent to each Applicant/Session Coordinator notifying them of the final selection status of their proposal.

Through the various processes, the following criteria will be used in determining which topics will be included in the program:

Is the content current and practical?

Is the topic useful to the audience?

Will the topic be presented without marketing a specific product, brand, or service?

 SPEAKER GUIDELINES

Read and accept speaker guidelines (Required).

  

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