YOUR FORUM FOR PLAY, SPORTS UND LEISURE AREAS
Euro Attractions Show (EAS) 2013, Europe’s largest trade show and conference for the amusement parks and attractions industry, was held 18 to 20 September in Paris and set records for the size of the exhibit floor, the number of exhibitors, and the number of education programme participants. The three-day event is owned and produced by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).
A record 393 exhibitors from more than 40 countries participated in EAS 2013, representing a 10 percent increase in the exhibit space over EAS 2012 and marking the largest exhibit floor in the 10-year history of EAS.
“We are more than happy to have participated in the 2013 edition of Euro Attrac-tions Show. In three days, we have reached out to many of our existing but also to many new contacts,” says Benoit Cornet from Belgian supplier Alterface. “EAS is a must for us as we realize here the major part of our turnover.”
Preliminary estimates indicate 8,500 attractions industry professionals, including 5,900 buyers from all over the world participated in the event which was held in Paris at the Porte de Versailles Convention Centre.
Emmanuel Mongon from French supplier Imaginvest said, "The attendance was mainly comprised of interested buyers and proved again that rotating the show in different countries is beneficial to attract local professionals. We had much more attendees from all countries in Eastern Europe as before as well as Africa." Operators of amusement parks, water parks, zoos, aquariums, museums, indoor playgrounds, casinos, and holiday parks used the trade show to catch up on trends and order new attractions for the summer season 2014 and beyond. They looked at new innovations in a variety of products and services including multi-dimensional cinemas, interactive dark rides and roller coasters with integrated multimedia, ticketing and queuing systems, and integrated theming products.
The record exhibit floor was complemented by a vast programme of special events and tours. More than 300 industry professionals toured and studied world-renowned French attractions including Disneyland Paris, Parc Asterix, Puy du Fou, Futuroscope, and the Machines de l’Ile in Nantes.
A special highlight of the week was the IAAPA Safety Institute at Disneyland Paris where experts discussed the latest developments and standards in the fields of safety and accessibility. Participants also benefitted from a behind-the-scenes look at the safety program at one of Europe’s most attended theme parks.
Developed by the IAAPA Europe Education Sub-Committee, the comprehensive conference programme at EAS 2013 provided more than 20 hours of attractions industry learning provided by some of the most successful leaders in Europe. More than 1.500 attendees, a 25 percent increase over last year’s programme, learned about the latest trends and developments in the European attractions industry and studied key issues of the industry including: new technologies, events, storytelling, investments, sustainability, social media, and the growth of indoor playgrounds and water parks.
EAS Moves to Amsterdam for 2014
Euro Attractions Show 2014 will take place 23 – 25 September at the RAI Convention Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands. More than 230 companies have already reserved in excess of 7.800 square meter of exhibit space.
Additional information regarding EAS 2014 is available at
www.IAAPA.org/EAS .
More information: Karen Staley, Vice President, IAAPA Europe,
kstaley@IAAPA.org | www.IAAPA.org/europe
