Attractions gather on the floor for large-scale conferences

The impending reopening of IAAPA Expo means a surge in attraction vendors, suppliers, and theme park operators gathering, greeting, and doing business at the Orange County Convention Center.

The event is known for its expansive exhibit space featuring more than 1,100 exhibitors and their products, from stuffed animals and snack foods to giant themed inflatables and moving thrill rides.

Some Central Florida attractions take advantage of home court benefits beyond the booth by hosting tours, educational sessions, award presentations and parties during the week-long event. Some companies are renting out venues along International Drive for networking opportunities.

“These parties are customer-driven, celebration-driven, and they often have more impact, especially events, than large trade shows,” said Phil Wilson, chief development officer at Orlando-based design and manufacturing company Extreme Legacy.

“I feel like it’s the parties and networking events that I’ve gotten a lot of value from from a personal and career development standpoint,” said Wilson, who will be attending his 33rd annual IAAPA Expo this year.

“I’ve been to so many different trade shows and industries, but IAAPA has the very unique advantage of not only packing guests into the park and providing memories, but impacting connected people around them,” he said.

For the first time, IAAPA is organizing Water Park Day, a kind of field trip to Kissimmee’s Island H2O Waterpark and Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay on Sunday.

Trisha Sissons, sales and marketing manager for Island H2O, says it’s more of a symposium than a billiards party. Includes speakers on safety, special events, and content creation.

“This is about elevating our brand on the world’s biggest stage and showcasing not just what the big three parks can do. For example, this is what we’re doing in this space,” she said.

Sissons said human connections can spark ideas and support even from far-flung tourist destinations.

“Obviously, we compete with everyone,” she said. “But it’s also a very close-knit community, and if something were to happen, we’d call anyone we met at IAAPA or one of these educational events and say, ‘Hey, have you ever experienced this?’

IAAPA — an acronym for International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions — offers additional-cost tours called EDUTours to explore Central Florida. One option this year is to go to Legoland Florida Resort in Winter Haven.

“A lot of people don’t know where it is until you’re told it’s halfway between Orlando and Tampa,” said Julie Estrada, public relations director for Merlin Entertainments, which operates Legoland Park, as well as Peppa Pig theme park, Madame Tussauds Orlando Aquarium and Sea Life Aquarium. “We found EDUTours to be a great way to get them there.”

Estrada said about 200 people usually attend.

“They’re paying to see things that other people haven’t seen,” she says. Last year, Marlin’s EDUTour visited the construction site for the Sea Life Florida Aquarium, which is adjacent to the Legoland Florida theme park. This year, we plan to see the finished product when it opens and visit the grounds of the Galactic Coaster, a Legoland ride scheduled to open next year.

Estrada said Merlin uses the IAAPA Expo in a variety of ways to promote its products. It unveiled future ride vehicles for Legoland and Peppa Pig Park. It has been revealed that an Aquaman figure will be displayed at Tussauds Wax Museum. Merlin has announced a partnership with IBCCES to make all LEGO-driven parks certified education providers. Estrada will appear on a panel discussion on autism this year, and Merlin Chief Operating Officer Rob Smith will speak on the use of intellectual property, along with IAAPA CEO Jacob Wahl and Hasbro Senior Vice President Matthew Proulx.

“This is a great way to get in front of customers that you wouldn’t normally meet. It’s a great way to share standards across the theme park industry,” Estrada said.

“And it’s also a great way to be able to try it out sometimes, because even if you think a ride is just awesome, other people can look at it and think, ‘Well, that’s a ride,'” she said.

Educational sessions will take place Sunday through Thursday. IAAPA Expo registrants have access to the exhibit floor Tuesday through Friday.

Marlins-Smith will also lead a press conference during the IAAPA Expo to provide new details about Florida’s new Legoland rides.

“We will showcase what makes Galactic Coaster unique and how we use interactive technology in a way that no other theme park can,” Estrada said.

A separate press conference will highlight new projects for SeaWorld Orlando, including coaster manufacturing company Vekoma. SeaWorld also hosts the EDUTour, an in-depth exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Other tours include Fun Spot America, a tour of Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas ship at Port Canaveral, and a behind-the-scenes tour of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights.

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Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park will be unveiled with a breakfast session featuring Mark Woodbury, Chairman of Universal Destinations & Experiences, and a panel discussion featuring four Epic Universe masterminds. Additionally, Themed Entertainment Association will announce Thea Awards winners at an event at Epic.

Attending IAAPA is “very important,” said Wilson, the Extreme Legacy executive. He said about 60% of the company’s revenue comes from shows. This year, we will be unveiling a new dunk cannon attraction on the expo floor. (Think 1-on-1 Nerf guns and carnival dunk machines, but dry.)

“That’s probably the biggest reason we’re out there, to show what we’re doing,” Wilson said.

“It’s also about creating trust that Extreme Legacy is a real company. They’re real, accurate people who are here to talk to you, work with you, and partner with you,” he said.

“It’s kind of hard to do that over the phone or through a website. You have to really show people who you are.”

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com