Nothing But the Best
Excitement, inspiration spring from
IAAPA Attractions Expo 2011
by Jeremy Schoolfield
If ever there was a year to prove that the best and brightest minds attend IAAPA Attractions Expo, then 2011 was that year. From top-level executives sharing their insights during the conference portion of the Expo, to the plethora of new and innovative ideas on the trade show floor, IAAPA's week in Orlando was packed with enough information to send your brain into overload.
 All told, approximately 25,800 people attended the Expo, including 15,300 buyers. Those visitors could be seen huddled in booths across the 477,474 net square feet of exhibit space in the North/South building of the Orange County Convention Center, holding meetings and plotting the future of the attractions industry. Funworld heard regular reports of manufacturers and suppliers maxing out their inventory and bookings for 2012 and beyond; one exhibitor even joked she was worried the walls of her booth were going to explode outward there were so many people crammed in there.
"We're coming out of this trade show busier than Premier has ever been," said Jim Seay, president and owner of Premier Rides. "I see and hear from people there's tremendous investment going into the industry right now. So the show delivered and that's what we needed."
"I haven't had lunch on any of the days—it's been that busy for us," said D. Cale Heit, senior director for Forrec. "I've been very excited with potential opportunities and also seeing old connections and catching up with people. I always enjoy the show, but this year, especially, there's a certain buzz. It sounds like everyone's quite busy and it's exciting to see. People are happy and excited about the future."
"This year's been just phenomenal," said E.K. "Dutch" Magrath III, president of Amusement Products. "It seems like people have more money to spend—apparently access to money must be getting a bit better. In the past I think people had the want-to but couldn't get the banks to agree to it. This year I hear a lot more big projects coming into play."
Funworld was all over the convention center and here presents a review of an exciting, inspiring week in Orlando.
ALL EXPO PHOTOS BY DIGITAL IMAGING DIRECT
|
