IAAPA Expo Announces Press Conferences

A unique part of the experiences at IAAPA Expo has always been the number of press conferences that take place on the trade show floor. IAAPA is excited to share that this tradition is returning for 2021 with 23 announcements. 

This year, all press conferences will take place on the trade show floor in Booth #3040. Press conferences will not be hosted in individual exhibitor booths. 

Tuesday, Nov. 16

Merlin Entertainments and Technical Park and IBCCES
10:20 –10:40 a.m. 
Merlin Entertainments, together with Technical Park and IBCCES, will release details on how Florida’s next theme park, Peppa Pig Theme Park, has been designed with all preschoolers in mind.

Sally Dark Rides
11:00 –11:20 a.m. 
Sally Dark Rides will announce an anchor attraction at its new theme park. 
Speakers: John Wood, CEO, Sally Dark Rides; Lauren Weaver, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Sally Dark Rides

Extreme Engineering
11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 
Extreme Engineering will share news around its new suspended coaster projects, Parkour Around attraction, and its latest fabrications services.
Speaker: Phil Wilson, Executive Vice President, Extreme Engineering

Sally Dark Rides (Joint Attraction with Partner) 
12:20 – 12:40 p.m.
Sally Dark Rides to announce a new partnership, as well as a new attraction.
Speakers: John Wood, CEO, Sally Dark Rides; Lauren Weaver, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Sally Dark Rides; Special Guests  

Fun Spot America
1:00 – 1:20 p.m. 
Fun Spot America is readying for an exciting new steel roller coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction, coming soon. The new $10 million steel roller coaster is destined to be an airtime classic. Fun Spot will share updates and unveil the coaster’s ride car, which will be on display on the trade show floor.

Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)
2:00 – 2:20 p.m. 
TEA will announce its 28th annual Thea Award Recipients.
The Thea Awards were founded in 1994 by TEA, a global nonprofit serving the visitor attractions industry. The prestigious TEA Thea Award is considered one of the industry's greatest honors.

JRA and RWS Entertainment Group 
2:40 – 3:00 p.m.
Award-winning global creative companies, JRA and RWS Entertainment Group, will host a joint press conference.

Garner Holt Education through Imagination to Create a Custom AniMakerspace for Give Kids The World Village
3:20 – 3:40 p.m. 
Garner Holt Education through Imagination LLC (ETI) will speak on its new design for, as well as plans to build, a customized hands-on animatronics learning space for Give Kids The World Village. The Give Kids The World AniMakerspace will be a gift from ETI, and parent company Garner Holt Productions, Inc., complete with high-tech machines and tools, as well as special animatronic construction kits. Inside, visitors can experience interactive design and production demonstrations, wherein they can create and decorate their own animatronic characters and even program shows.  
Speakers: Garner Holt, Founder and President, Garner Holt Productions, Inc.; Ryan Rainbolt, President, Garner Holt Education through Imagination; Pamela Landwirth, President, Give Kids The World

Medici XD    
4:00 – 4:20 p.m. 
Chuck Fawcett and Daren Ulmer will reveal more details about their new venture: Medici XD. 
Speakers: Chuck Fawcett, Chairmen and Co-Founder, Medici XD; Daren Ulmer, Chief Creative Executive and Co-Founder, Medici XD

Wednesday, Nov. 17

Zamperla  
10:20 – 10:40 a.m. 
Two new projects will be revealed by the Zamperla team – a coaster and an extreme thrill ride – along with news of many exciting installations and big projects by Zamperla. 

EnterIdeas Group
11:00 – 11:20 a.m. 
EnterIdeas will announce a new coaster for the AT360. It is set to send the entire location-based entertainment industry to the moon (literally).

LAI Games
11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 
LAI Games will share information about its new high-end supercar racing simulator, Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade.  

The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES)
12:20 – 12:40 p.m. 
IBCCES will share information about its new accessibility program, designed to streamline the accommodations process at theme parks and attractions.

Polin Waterparks
1:00 – 1:20 p.m.
Polin Waterparks will share an overview of its newest and most advanced water slides, as well as a look at its new, unique technological innovations for the water park industry.

Triotech
1:40 – 2:00 p.m. 
Triotech and Clifton Hill (HOCO) will announce a major project for one of the world’s most iconic touristic sites in Niagara Falls, and a new attraction will be revealed.

Gerstlauer
2:20 – 2:40 p.m.
Gerstlauer will reveal details about a new, one-of-a-kind roller coaster coming to the United States in late 2022.

WhiteWater
3:00 – 3:20 p.m. 
WhiteWater will share news about its latest projects. 

Brogent Technologies Inc.
3:40 – 4:00 p.m. 
Brogent will share an update about its 20th anniversary year, 2021, and about what's next. 

Spree
4:20 – 4:40 p.m. 
Spree will share news about its next three installations with SALA Entertainment and will tease its latest Virtual Reality Bumper Car project.

Thursday, Nov. 18

Aquatic Development Group (ADG)
10:20 – 10:40 a.m.
Introducing EpicSurf, the first deep-water stationary surf wave manufactured in the USA. Providing a customized surf experience tailored to each guest, EpicSurf’s rapid wave adjustability means individuals can quickly and easily finetune the wave to match their skill level and choice of board. From beginners learning to surf, to experts perfecting their tricks and turns, to spectators who want to be a part of the action with up-close and interactive participation, EpicSurf provides the ideal platform for creating the ultimate surfing venue.
Speaker: Jessica Mahoney, Director of Marketing, Aquatic Development Group (ADG)

The Metaverse is going TRULY physical!
11:00 – 11:20 a.m. 
PlayPower, the global recreation equipment manufacturer and parent company of Soft Play, will announce its partnership with Denise Chapman Weston and Rick Briggs, creators of award-winning interactive attractions, to pioneer a new category of immersive experiences by integrating real-time rendered game engine technology into physical entertainment spaces. The new partnership will reinvent play through the creation of location-based attractions that blend physical worlds with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine digital technology. 
Speakers: Ken Schober, Vice President, Soft Play; Denise Chapman Weston, Inventor, MagiQuest

Simworx
11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Simworx will share new information about its projects. 

Altitude Rides and Attractions
12:20 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.
Altitude Rides and Attractions will share information about its new projects. 

Friday, Nov. 19

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
“Shave the Beard and Make it Weird”
Throughout the IAAPA Expo, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! will be raising funds and awareness for Give Kids The World Village with the help of Hoss — the Guinness World Records™ contender for Largest Ball of Human Hair! At this press event, Jim Pattison Jr., President of Ripley’s and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for IAAPA, will be shaving his pandemic-grown beard to add to the hairball. Showmanship is not lost on Ripley’s, as performers and speakers take the stage while Pattison gets his shave. Find out if IAAPA helped break a world record and how much was raised for Give Kids The World Village at this quirky c-hair-ity event Friday, Nov. 19 at 11:00 a.m. at booth #3040.
Hoss the Hairball will be on display on the tradeshow floor at the Give Kids The World Village booth (#4233).
Speakers: Jim Pattison Jr., President, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!