With more than 1,100 vendors on the trade floor, there are a slew of browsable options at the annual IAAPA Expo at Orange County Convention Center. Attendees swarm around ride-vehicle reveals, marvel at virtual-reality opportunities, browse through bounce houses and line up for pretzel samples.
The expo, produced by the Orlando-based International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, concludes Friday. It is open to registered members of the trade association. Here are a handful of eye-catching, perhaps trend-setting, items at this year’s booths.
Winging it
The virtual tentpole of the Expo floor is a circling swing ride named Wingz, exhibited by Zamperla, an Italian manufacturer.
At first glance, it’s pretty, topped with butterfly designs … but pretty ordinary. But why are all the passengers flapping their arms? It has the feel of a fraternity prank or an inside joke or chickens gone wild.
Mystery solved: The up-and-down arm motions make the two-seat ride vehicles move up and down.
“We have motion-capture cameras used in video-game development and a brushless DC motor system developed for high-speed elevators,” said Michael Coleman, North American sales manager for Zamperla. “The arm movement of the passengers is what actually makes the ride change elevation.”
No flapping, no flying: If passengers stop winging it, their ride vehicles glide back to the ground. Expo riders were all smiles, although some noted that they hadn’t signed up for upper-arm workouts.
It’s a new product for the company, and the floor model already has a home. After the Expo, it will be installed at Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio.
Dunk redux
Orlando-based Extreme Legacy brought out the big gun to the show.
Its Dunk Cannon concept pits seated competitors who fire foam balls at each other. Hit the target enough times, and the opponent is dumped into an inflatable landing pad. It takes the water element out of a dunk tank and adds a Nerf-esque angle. Players are about 40 feet apart, so there’s not enough room in the company’s booth to demonstrate.
“If you want to add more than just a one-on-one attraction, you can imagine having these in a circle or a battle zone,” said Phil Wilson, chief development officer.
“I feel like that is where the industry is going,” he said. “How do we reinvent what people love to the next generation, and how do we apply technology to make it more immersive, more inclusive, more interactive?”
The chosen view
In another twist across the expo floor, folks are lowered into a pit of 4-foot-tall inflatable aliens, grabbing all the prizes they can. Think the claw from “Toy Story” or those tantalizing, elusive arcade games, but upsized.
It’s the crowd-pleasing Human Crane Experiment, offered by Illinois-based Family Entertainment Group.
“Those claw games can be a little iffy, but you’re always going to win something here,” said Justin Green, chief growth officer,
“We like to gamify it. So most people you see go in will try to grab as much as they can,” Green said. By the end of the first day of IAAPA Expo, one contestant had napped 14 aliens in a single dip. The company works with family entertainment centers and operates the arcade at Great Wolf Lodge locations. Their biggest customer has been Dave & Buster’s, which purchased 200 units, Green said.
Some locations fill the bin with plushes; others use mystery bags, he said.
Attendees smile and stumble in the “The Vortex Tunnel” booth at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
The convention floor is filled witt colorful displays at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
A girl enjoys a car attraction at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Crowds fill the floor at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Kids and adults shoot at an attraction at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Kids watch as other kids ride the “Zero Gravity” ride at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
A car the will be used at SeaWorld is pictured at the VEKOMA booth at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Attendees battle Godzilla in a game booth at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Crowds fill the floor at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
The Chance Rides booth is pictured at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
The colorful entrance to the convention floor is pictured at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Crowds fill the floor at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
A holiday themed booth is pictured at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Kids ride an attraction at the RMC booth at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Attendees shoot targets at a game booth at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
A boy is suspended on a crane over toys at the “The Human Crane Experience” booth at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
IAAPA Expo attendees ride the Wingz attraction at the Zamperla booth at the Orange County Convention Center this week. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
A large crowd watches a presentation at the PROSLIDE booth at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
1 of 18
Attendees smile and stumble in the “The Vortex Tunnel” booth at the IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Expand
The company has attended IAAPA Expo for several years, he said, but this is the first time it has been an exhibitor.
“Energy begets energy. … And there’s a lot of energy at this booth,” Green said. “It’s helping us make a lot of connections. … There’s been a lot of international interest, which has been very, very interesting: India, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela.”
Screen time
In the corner of the Expo floor stands a 16-foot, inflatable, floatable movie screen offered by EPIC Outdoor Cinema, a Fort Lauderdale company. It offers up to a 40-foot-diagonal model.
Although primarily used for showing movies – think resort pool – at IAAPA, it’s drawing attention with a trivia host and game.
“We also do karaoke on the screen sometimes, and we can stream live content as well, so you can get creative with what you can show,” said Kara Solomon, director of business development. Her customers tend to be parks and recreation, amusement parks, bars, wherever many people gather.
“Some people do have it for their backyard,” Solomon said. “It’s great for Super Bowl parties.”
Their EPIC name predates this year’s opening of Epic Universe theme park.
“We personally loved it. As soon as it was open, our team went there,” Solomon said. “We don’t mind the affiliation. It’s cool.”
Model citizens
The furnishings of the booth for Themed Entertainment Association were all made with a 3-D manufacturing process performed by Orlando-based MassiveMAKE. That includes a long couch, a 15-foot-long/8-foot high backdrop and a desk with a curvy TEA design with a tree-trunk-looking base.
“They wanted a wall that presented a division but didn’t obstruct vision,” said Nathan Ducot, MassiveMAKE partner and strategic growth officer. The result is a swirly, ultramodern midcentury modern look.
“We printed this in, like, two days,” Ducot said.
This is not your nephew’s 3-D printer that spits out keychains. The company’s machinery incorporates KUKA robotic arms, the kind of technology that move theme park rides such as Universal Orlando’s Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.
Ducot imagines many theme-park options for this technology.
“I see a huge application for facades and rockwalls,” he said.
Ozzy Osbourne homage
Unique Rabbit Studios presents an oversized bust of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July.
“We thought it would be a nice tribute to bring him,” said owner John Belcher, who has exhibited at IAAPA Expo since 2007. “He’s getting a lot of attention. More people are taking selfies with him than anything else in the booth.”
The company exhibits famed figures from the past (singer Freddie Mercury) and present (soccer superstar Lionel Messi). It sells to a lot of family entertainment centers and restaurants, Belcher said. “Any business that wants a photo op for people to take photos with it and share their brand.”
Ozzy, decked out in black jacket and round purple glasses, was a last minute addition to the booth plan, and the figure took about five weeks to complete, Belcher said.
“That was the first thing that sold about a half an hour after the booth was open.” he said.
IAAPA Expo: Business goes beyond the booths
Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
