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As expected, the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2017 came out of the gate with a whopping 10% bump in its attendance compared to the previous year’s numbers. Well over 34,000 folks from the entertainment world made the trip down to Florida’s Orange County Convention Center to buy products they hope their customers back home will pay money to play, view or even bounce on.
That attendance number was registered the morning of opening day of the conference, Monday, May 13. With the show running until Friday, a record might be in the offing.
Of the enormous crowd, the IAAPA head-counters figure around 22,300 people on day #1 were “buyers” representing amusement parks, FECs, coin-op game centers and other public arenas like bowling alleys where people go to have fun.
IAAPA is indeed a “buying show” and just about everybody who makes or sells coin-operated amusement machines have their new goods on display. A lot of the product, however, won’t be market-ready until early next year, according to early arrivals at this trade show.
Opening day was largely devoted to seminars and IAAPA association “housekeeping” chores. For example, they elected their new CEO and president in Andreas Andersen of the Liseberg Group (operators of a Swedish theme park, adjacent hotels, campsites and other entertainment venues).