Despite an unexpectedly soft summer season, Orlando’s attractions are ending the year on a high note. Both Disney and the Tourism Development Tax fund recently reported unexpectedly strong revenue, and expectations for next year’s debut of Universal’s Epic Universe are so elevated that the International Drive Chamber of Commerce already awarded the upcoming theme park a place of honor on its “Visionary Leadership Award” Wall of Fame, more than six months before its gates officially open. Nowhere was that mounting excitement more apparent than at last week’s annual gathering of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, which drew over 38,000 attendees and 11,000 exhibitors from around the globe to the Orange County Convention Center.
A far cry from the lean post-pandemic conventions, IAAPA Expo 2024 not only filled every corner of the vast main hall, but also expanded into the upper concourses, including a new “Haunting Grounds” walkthrough of Halloween props curated by Gatorland’s Dan Carro. In fact, IAAPA CEO Jakob Wahl told me that they hope to grow their footprint even further. “We have moved our headquarters here, we have a long-term contract, and we are very happy partners with the OCCC, said Wahl. “In terms of square footage, they have enough in the buildings, but they also need to be available for us, [and] we need a continuous path of growth for the years to come. But we think we are on a good track, and hope to be able to announce something soon on that.”
Although nothing directly connected to Epic Universe (nor any other Universal or Disney park) was unveiled at IAAPA, there was no shortage of big announcements from other major players. We got to see a moving model of the Mack Airific flying theater that will take SeaWorld Orlando guests soarin’ over the Arctic, as well as full-sized ride cars bound for Canada’s Wonderland (Premier Rides’ AlpenFury launched coaster), Kings Dominion (B&M’s Rapterrra wing coaster), and HersheyPark (S&S’s Twizzlers Twisted Gravity giant swing). The week’s biggest domestic news was the partnership between Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios to bring the mega-popular Minecraft videogame to life at a U.S. location (perhaps Legoland Florida?) by 2027. Internationally, the E-Ticket reveal that most excited me was VidantaWorld’s BON, a nature-inspired “luxury theme park” that will feature more attractions than Epic Universe — including Vekoma’s Tecuani Beast double-launch coaster and Cirque du Soleil’s LUDÕ aquatic dinner show — when it opens in 2026 at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.
Outside the big theme parks, VR continues to be a big draw for family entertainment centers, and I virtually massacred a multitude of zombies inside HTC’s sharp new Vive Focus Vision headsets. As at previous expos, I thought Atlanta-based Megaverse had the most immersive stand-alone experience, while Zero Latency (located at Icon Park) still leads the PC-based pack with their heart-pumping Warhammer 40,000 game. Even more intriguing were attempts to merge the digital and physical worlds, like Frontgrid’s simulation of paragliding over Niagara Falls, or Laser Limbo’s multiplayer mixed-reality laser tag.
Speaking of a mixed reality, I have to acknowledge IAAPA’s efforts to make this year’s Expo — and the attractions industry as a whole — more diverse and welcoming for all. Their first-ever networking luncheon for women sold out with 250 attendees; Morgan’s Wonderland launched an Inclusion Institute advocating ultra-accessibility for guests with special needs; and local firm Birket Engineering demonstrated closed-captioning eyeglasses using Disney-patented technology to project personalized subtitles. And even though Ben’s Amish pretzel samples drew the longest line, my favorite new snack was the Seoul to Table Korean-style twisted potato, found in the convenient Street Market tasting hall.
Not to overlook economic diversity, I also noted more opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs to participate in the Expo, like a line of lower-cost tabletop exhibits instead of full-sized booths. “It would be easy for us to get only Disney and Universal to speak, but what we’re trying to do is to find those subjects which are of relevance for the small [or] mid-size operator,” said Wahl, pointing to IAAPA’s educational programming and scholarship foundation. “We try to bring young people into the industry from very diverse backgrounds [and] we try to show career paths in this industry, that we have more diverse talent in the industry. … We try to support the future, to have a variety [of] backgrounds in this industry.”
Those encouraging IAAPA trends converged when I ran into actress-turned-confectioner Samantha O’Hare demonstrating her creatively crafted cotton candy for Gold Medal Products. O’Hare left the local theater scene 10 years ago, after playing Elizabeth Bathory, Alice Liddell, and a magician’s assistant. A decade later, her company, Sky Candy, has secured partnerships with major brands like Dylan’s Candy Bar, and O’Hare has earned a master’s in education so she can share her techniques and help “make more Willy Wonkas [and] Wilhemina Wonkas out there.” She says being featured in a prime location on the IAAPA show floor is “a red carpet moment for me,” adding, “I don’t know that I will ever experience something that will give me this much exposure and opportunity to speak to people who care about what I’m doing.”
Ending IAAPA back where we began at Epic Universe, I’ll leave the last word to Wahl as he looks forward to 2025: “The market is thriving because, I think more than ever, we see that across the world families matter. It matters to offer family fun, and this is why I think in a year from now we will sit here, we’ll look at a very busy show floor, and we will celebrate a fantastic new park down the road.”
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This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2024.