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Seen at IAAPA Expo 2019
The 3 originators of ADIBRA celebrating the 30th anniversary.
Marcelo Gutglas (Playcenter), Dennis Speigel (ITPS), Alain Baldacci (Wet'n Wild Brazil)
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Seen at IAAPA Expo 2019
Venessa Costa Incoming President of ADIBRA and Dennis Speigel (ITPS) Celebrating 30 Years of ADIBRA
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Photos from the IAAPA 2019 Kickoff Event
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Amanda Thompson OBE, Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the United Kingdom, was named the IAAPA 2020 Chairman of the Board.
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Visit Huss Park Attractions
Booth 4624 at the IAAPA Expo!
(Say you saw their ad in the ITPS Leisure News)
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IAAPA Expo, the largest attractions trade show in the world, has returned to Orlando. The expo runs through November 22 at the Orange County Convention Center. More than 1,000 companies have set up exhibits to showcase what's new and emerging in the attractions industry. Many of the displays will be of new attractions, food and other technology coming to theme parks and water parks around the world.
Related: IAAPA Expo 2019 Opens in Orlando, Florida
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Revving engines on two wheels cut through a misty morning to open the 10th Annual IAAPA Motorcycle Ride early Sunday morning. “It’s a busy week, but the best thing is starting on a note where you can understand what our industry is really about—which is caring for people and making lifetime experiences for people,” said Jim Seay, president of Premier Rides, whose company has participated since the inception of the ride.
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Overcast skies and chilly temperatures certainly didn’t seem to dampen the mood of players who appeared bright and early Sunday morning for the 17th Annual IAAPA International Charity Golf Tournament on Shingle Creek Golf Course at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando.
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UK-based Simworx will utilize its attendance at this year’s IAAPA Expo in Orlando to mark the official US launch of two major new products – the AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) Dark Ride and the Mini Flying Theatre. The launches will take place at a press conference on Thursday, November 21st. on the company’s booth at the show.
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After 30-plus years of attending the annual IAAPA Expo, I am enjoying it more now than ever. I walk the floor, look at new products, and see old friends. I take in an occasional educational session, attend a couple IAAPA Committee meetings, and I chat with Dave Hemsath at the IAAPA Bookstore.
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Liseberg has invested SEK 20 million ($2m, £1.6m) in its 20th season of Christmas, which includes the ‘A Christmas Carol’ musical ice show, a new area called ‘Midwinter’, and Christmas concerts every day at Lilla Scenen.
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PRNewswire/ -- There's so much to look forward to at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, with the holiday season in full swing and a year of new experiences on the horizon. To immerse themselves in all this magic, guests can take advantage of the newest four-day 4-Park Magic Ticket, now available from $89 per day (plus tax), or $356 total (plus tax) – a great value option for everything from a last-minute getaway to a meticulously planned dream vacation.
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This month, Disney goes all-in on Frozen 2 at Epcot's Norway pavilion, some special character appearances are confirmed for the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, plus a new character experience is coming to Epcot next year!
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Walt Disney World is stepping up the promotion for its upcoming 2020 attraction debuts. Today, the resort released a promotional poster for its new Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, just in time for Mickey's birthday today.
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To celebrate the upcoming release of Disney’s “Frozen 2,” guests are invited to experience new offerings inspired by the film at Epcot starting Nov. 22! On Nov. 22, the same day that “Frozen 2” releases in theaters, guests can head over to Royal Sommerhus, located in the Norway pavilion, to visit Anna and Elsa in their new looks from the film. The Fjording Shop will debut the new Anna and Elsa costumes for kids inspired by “Frozen 2” on that same day.
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Frozen fans can indulge in a new attraction in Disneyland Paris since last weekend. Animation Celebration opened yesterday at Walt Disney Studios Park, where a tribute is given to animation films. The highlight of the complex is the interactive performance Frozen: A Musical Invitation, which is performed several times a day.
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Dreamport Villages, a proposed "Disneyland-style resort," will head to Casa Grande's City Council for a December vote on whether they will be able to move forward with plans to create the mega theme park. The vote was originally scheduled for Monday, but city officials now say it is scheduled to be on the council’s December 2 meeting agenda.
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The Disney-fication of Orlando is so thorough that Walt's second theme park is not just a point of regional pride but constitutes a good deal of Central Florida's own identity. Landmark moments in Walt Disney World history essentially become noteworthy parts of Orlando's city history, and Disney collectables become valuable artifacts of the region's last 50 years.
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For the environmentally conscious crowd, getting rid of Shamu at SeaWorld isn’t enough. The fireworks need to go, too. SeaWorld San Diego received approval for a two-week drone show trial run, according to a Thursday report from The San Diego Union-Tribune. The limited-run light show could use up to 500 drones to replace the vibrant nighttime explosives that are a go-to for theme parks.
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This winter, the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort is lighting up the holiday shopping season with the new “Let it Glow” Christmas trees. Starting Nov. 22, this new showcase will feature 200 UV glow trees along the district and a new seasonal look for both day and night. The trees can be seen in fluorescent shades of blue, green, yellow, orange, and pink. They also all vary in size, with the tallest measuring approximately 15 feet, and the smallest at four feet.
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In Didi'Land visitors can look forward to a new attraction in 2020, aimed at families with small children. The French amusement park near the border with Germany at Rastatt will open "Duck Family".
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A Christmas themed amusement park brimming with festive lights, fake snow, ice-skating, exhilarating shows and more, is coming to Guadalajara in western Mexico. Known as ‘Navidalia,’ the theme park is divided into four Xmas-inspired worlds, each playing host to much-loved Christmas traditions from around the world.
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It was all about opulence as a Christmas tree was unveiled in Copenhagen's amusement park Tivoli Gardens. The 10-metre high tree is covered in 3,000 crystals and costs €135,000. It was revealed on Monday, November 18, and will be on display until Sunday, January 5.
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As Disney fanatics know, Disneyland’s Club 33 is legendary. The exclusive venue, with pricey membership fees and a years-long waiting list, is just beyond the crowds on Main Street, U.S.A., tucked away near the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in the park’s New Orleans Square. Walt Disney himself first imagined the club as an upscale place where guests can dine on elegant dishes and sip fine wines, after visiting the executive lounges at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
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NICKELODEON will be opening a brand new attraction next year in the UK - just in time for the Easter holidays. Big Base Camp will host family favourites including Spongebob Squarepants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. The pop up attraction, hosted at a new London venue, will be running from April 4 to April 13.
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Mulligan Family Fun Center, which has made memories for a generation of South Bay residents — with its twin miniature golf courses, go-kart tracks and other attractions — will close its doors early next year so the 6-acre lot can be sold and redeveloped.
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Thanks to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, visitors to the 2019 edition of the Dubai International Motor Show got a chance to see the smallest assembly-line manufactured road legal car in the world, the electric powered Peel Trident.
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Apparently pockets full of tokens and an animatronic band don’t hold the same appeal to kids as they did in the 1980s and 1990s. Chuck E. Cheese, longtime home of kids’ birthday parties and family nights at the arcade, is getting an extreme makeover.
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Surge Adventure Park is a brand new family entertainment center in Lafayette owned by Saints Quarterback Drew Brees. The facility will open to the public later this month. Surge is a first-of-its-kind premier destination for family or friends looking to hang out! The 43,000 sq ft. facility offers a wide variety of attractions including bowling lanes, golf simulators, karaoke rooms, arcade games, jump courses, a full restaurant and bar, and so much more! The facility is located at the corner of Pinhook Road and Verot School Road (2723 W. Pinhook) in Lafayette.
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A new indoor adventure park featuring laser tag, trampolines, and more is coming to East Brunswick. The 70,000-square foot facility will have a ninja and ropes course, laser tag, trampolines, climbing walls, a three-level playground and a virtual reality experience. Sports such as dodge ball, basketball and a battle beam will also be there.
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Winter is right around the corner to the dismay of many golfers, but one new business in Allentown may be right up their alley. Terry Ellis and his brother Tim moved to the Lehigh Valley a couple years ago from western New York. The two were longtime business consultants but Terry decided to sell the business.
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Harriet Tubman will be honored with a new museum dedicated to preserving her life and history next year in New Jersey. The Harriet Tubman Museum will be located next to the historic Macedonia Baptist Church, which is in Cape May, a New Jersey town where the abolitionist worked for some time. Tubman earned money by working in hotels and for families as a cook in Cape May, according to a historical account.
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The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles opened a new exhibit today, “Latin GRAMMY: 20 years of Excellence.” This follows the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Latin Grammys, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday (Nov. 14).
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SeaWorld's Aquatica water park in Orlando finally has revealed the details of a project it has been working on for some time. The water park, which is owned and operated by Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: SEAS), announced a new dueling water slide attraction is coming next year. Dubbed Riptide Race, it is being described as "Florida's first-ever dueling water slide," and it will be on the north side of the park — the same area where recent construction permits for a new attraction hinted.
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Dreamworld Australia will be presenting a novelty to their WhiteWater World water park for the Australian summer season 2020/21, December 2020 to February 2021. There will be a colorful water slide complex with six water slides.
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The Dawnay Estates was granted permission by Scarborough Borough Council in April to expand the North Yorkshire Water Park, based on Wykeham Lake and add in wakeboarding lines. As part of the approval, a condition was placed on the attraction that it should have a winter break between November 1 and March 31 and all inflatables linked to the water-based assault course were removed from the lake in order to protect birds.
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PERTH’S Outback Splash celebrated the launch of its latest water slide attraction for thrill-seekers on Tuesday. Paul Woodcock, who owns the Bullsbrook business with Phil Dixon, said it was an exciting day launching the tower with two tube slides, a thrill slide and Australia’s fastest body slide.
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The voter approved Chihuahuan Desert Exhibit at the El Paso Zoo will have its grand opening today. El Paso Zoo Director Joe Montisano says the $16 million project is the largest 2012 Quality of Life Bond project for the El Paso Zoo.
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Merlin Entertainments has unveiled the New Jersey SEA LIFE Aquarium, opening at American Dream in 2020. It has been dubbed ‘the city under the sea’ and will be themed around New York City’s iconic monuments and landmarks.
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City and state officials gathered in the atrium of the Maritime Aquarium Monday morning to usher in a new era in the aquarium’s 31-year history. Monday marked the beginning of the first major renovation in Maritime Aquarium history, as crews began to prep the cherished South Norwalk landmark for a major facelift, including the demolition of its popular IMAX theater and the construction of a new 4D theater and an enlarged, two-floor seal tank.
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Bei Bei sat on a hammock nonchalantly, chewing on sugarcane. It's one of his last snacks in the United States before he travels some 15 hours to China. "He's very laid back. Look at him," says Timothy McGrath. McGrath, 68, is one of the dozens of people gathered at the giant panda exhibit at Smithsonian's National Zoo before Bei Bei, the cub born here four years ago, leaves for China as part of a research and breeding program.
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A $7.4 million exhibit featuring large mammals is coming to the Orange County Zoo as part of an expansion plan started in 2013. The exhibit will feature rock walls, four display spaces, and a waterfall, as well as secure fencing to protect animals and visitors. Mountain lions and jaguars are expected to inhabit this exhibit, which will be designed to represent the flora and fauna of Orange County. The new exhibit is the latest installment of a general development plan for the zoo that includes other improvements such as drainage systems and restrooms.
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Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium along with the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership and Arbor Day Foundation, have planted its 3-millionth tree in Madagascar. The efforts to reforest have been focused on providing a home for the most threatened primates in the world, the lemurs, according to a release.
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Henry Vilas Zoo announced Monday it will be adding new flamingos and bison this winter. According to a post from the zoo's official Facebook page, there will be five new flamingos and a bison.
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ZooLights—powered by Pepco—is bigger, brighter and better than ever this season. Visitors can join the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in celebrating the holidays with its annual free lights festival. The Zoo will be illuminated for 31 nights—from Nov. 29 through Jan. 1, 2020 (except Dec. 24, 25 and 31) from 5 to 9 p.m. Over half-a-million brightly colored environmentally friendly LED lights and animal-shaped displays will transform the Zoo’s trees, walkways and buildings into a dynamic and colorful winter wonderland.
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The Watertown city council voted Monday night in favor of starting up a $25,000 publicity fund for the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park. Funds to cover the cost are already included in this year's city budget.
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The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island has been certified as an N.C. Green Travel destination, designating it among sites in the state that have achieved sustainability goals to reduce energy use, landfill waste and overall impact on the environment. N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) administers N.C. Green Travel Program, and issued the certification following an application process and visit the aquarium.
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The first swing at the Hard Rock Cafe on Monday marked the beginning of demolition and the end of an era. The restaurant is being flattened to make way for parking and ride-share space, however the actual hotel and casino will remain standing.
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Now, Lutoff-Perlo has just announced that in honor of the upcoming International Women’s Day—on March 8, 2020—Celebrity will make history and break barriers again with the first-ever cruise-ship sailing to have an entirely female bridge and officer team, numbering 27 women. The historic sailing will take place on the new, $1 billion Celebrity Edge cruise ship with Captain Kate McCue at the helm.
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Diners now have an opening date for the Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen restaurant at the OWA entertainment complex in Foley. The chain’s official Facebook page carried an announcement over the weekend that the OWA restaurant will open Dec. 16.
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The world is full of many places that are away from modern-day civilization. Places where you can take a break from your everyday life and enjoy the peace and quiet of being secluded. However, there are also places in the world where seclusion is a bad thing. These places are known as ghost towns. Ghost towns are more or less evacuated for one reason or another and many of the residents never return. This makes these areas empty and they slowly deteriorate due to no one being there to maintain these places. There are several reasons that a place can become abandoned.
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Most travelers either remain blissfully unaware of facts, or just try not to think about it, but a new study released today shows what we’ve kinda, sorta always known: public transportation – from subway cars and buses all the way up to commercial airplanes are among the most germ-filled places Americans (and others) go.
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