CHICAGO — In November, IAAPA Expo will return to Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center — but this year it comes with a bigger show floor that’s expanded to the West Hall and a host of new show floor features designed with intention.
Hosted by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the show brings together leaders across the global attractions industry to discover what’s new. In expanding its footprint, the show is also introducing new verticals to the exhibit hall, putting learning environments directly on the show floor and debuting impressive activations rooted in the core objectives of the show.
Trade Show Executive connected with the IAAPA Expo team to find out more about what’s in store at this year’s show.
Designing for Impact
When planning for IAAPA Expo 2026 began, the association team and their partners at mdg examined the state of the show to discover its strengths, opportunities for improvement, trends shaping the industry and segments where IAAPA could deliver greater value.
“From that work, we established a North Star for the experience: IAAPA Expo will become a personalized, inviting experience where the attractions industry comes together to conduct business, build meaningful connections, and gain the education and inspiration needed to grow — ultimately elevating the industry as a whole,” Christy Spahn, Vice President, Expo Operations and Sales at IAAPA, said.
The “North Star” led the team to view every space and activation as an opportunity to facilitate four things: networking, inspiration, education and business.
“Those four functions are particularly important for in-person events today because trade shows are the single most effective way to bring them all together in one place,” Spahn said. “When they invest the time and resources to come together in person, we need to create an environment that makes those interactions more meaningful — where they can discover something they weren’t looking for, meet someone they wouldn’t otherwise encounter, learn from their peers and have the conversations that move their businesses forward.”
Show Floor Lounges and Theatres Take Center Stage
IAAPA Expo will debut impressively designed lounges on the show floor in November. Those spaces will not only serve as other traditional lounges do, as a space for people to get away from the activity a bit and network meaningfully, but they also are designed to support IAAPA’s attendee acquisition strategy.
“Two key segments we are focused on growing are outdoor adventure parks and the cruise industry. To attract those audiences, we want to demonstrate that IAAPA Expo is an experience designed for them,” Spahn said. “Our marketing campaign will showcase the education relevant to their businesses and the products and solutions they’ll find on the show floor, but we also want them to arrive at Expo and feel like they have a home base and a community waiting for them.
“That’s where the lounges come in. Each will be designed around its respective segment and will feature scheduled, facilitated meetups where attendees can connect with peers and tackle some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing their businesses. In that way, the lounges go well beyond simply providing a place to sit — they become spaces for networking, education, inspiration and meaningful business conversations.”
IAAPA is working with their partners at GES to build the lounges in such a way that the environment becomes part of the experience. From a glamping-inspired outdoor adventure setting to the deck of the SS IAAPA, the lounges will help create community among key segments in IAAPA’s overall growth strategy.
The show will also feature seven dedicated stages and learning areas directly on the show floor.
“The number one reason attendees come to IAAPA Expo is to source new products and solutions, but we also know that education is critical to equipping our members to be successful in their businesses,” Spahn said. “So, we asked ourselves: How do we marry those two things, while also keeping attendees engaged on the show floor? The answer was to bring more education directly to them.”
The show floor learning opportunities will ideally keep attendees engaged in the exhibit halls longer, delivering stronger value to exhibitors and sponsors while creating a throughline between education and commerce.
“An attendee might hear about a trend or business opportunity on one of our stages and then be able to walk just a few steps to meet the companies offering the products and solutions that can help them act on it. That creates a much more integrated experience — and ultimately greater value for both attendees and exhibitors,” Spahn said.
Creating Sustainable Growth
This year, IAAPA Expo will take over the North, South and West halls of the convention center, effectively expanding its footprint by 50%. The additional space has made the enhancements around education and networking IAAPA has planned possible.
However, IAAPA recognizes the need to grow attendance alongside the show floor.
“Maintaining a strong buyer-to-seller ratio is critical to delivering value for our exhibitors, so our attendance strategy is focused on growing qualified attendance at the same rate as exhibit sales,” Spahn said. “Ultimately, the expansion gives us the opportunity not just to create a bigger IAAPA Expo, but a more dynamic and valuable experience for everyone who participates.”
To make sure the show grows sustainably, the marketing team is focused on a targeted, data-driven approach that involves segmenting audiences based on constituency, job level, geography, membership status and past engagement with IAAPA. The segmented approach allows the team to tailor the messaging’s value proposition to specific audiences.
IAAPA is engaging in an omni-channel marketing approach as well, including: digital advertising, search, email, direct mail, social media, trade media partnerships, referral marketing and outreach to adjacent industries. The association is also leveraging its global community to reach and attract qualified buyers to the show.
“Just as important, we’re marketing the full IAAPA Expo experience — from the show floor and education conference to special ticketed events, EDUTours, networking and product discovery. We’re also helping attendees plan before they arrive so they can identify the exhibitors, EDUSessions and connections most valuable to them,” Todd Andrus, Vice President & Executive Director, North America, IAAPA, said. “Ultimately, our goal is quality and engagement alongside growth. Success isn’t just how many people walk through the doors; it’s whether exhibitors are meeting qualified prospects and attendees are finding solutions, making valuable connections and leaving IAAPA Expo having moved their businesses forward.”
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