IAAPA Expo 2025 Reports Record Breaking Results
© IAAPA
(eap) On Friday, the IAAPA Expo 2025 in Orlando, Florida, concluded with a record-breaking result: A total of 43,840 participants registered for the trade show (2024: 41,429), which took place from 17 to 21 November. Of these, 38,520 (2024: 37,066) are considered “verified” attendees who collected their badges on site. According to the organizer, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), around 28,600 qualified buyers (2024: approx. 27,000) from around 20,300 companies across 102 countries were among the industry professionals visiting the halls of the Orange County Convention Center. More than 1,100 exhibitors showcased their latest products and services for the leisure industry, including theme and amusement parks, waterparks, family entertainment centres, zoos, museums, cruise ships and more. Find our daily show floor recaps here (day 1, day 2, day 3).
“IAAPA Expo continues to grow not only in scale, but in global impact,” said Jakob Wahl, President and CEO of IAAPA. “Each year, we set new goals, see new technologies, partnerships, and creative ideas that are shaping the future of the attractions industry. The energy and innovation showcased in Orlando this week reaffirm IAAPA Expo’s role as the heartbeat of our global community.”
Parallel to the activity on the show floor, over 170 educational offerings provided insights and impulses on industry-relevant topics such as guest experience, safety and technology. The so-called EDUTours took participants to Port Canaveral for an exclusive look at a Royal Caribbean fleet vessel, to LEGOLAND® Florida Resort, Universal Orlando Resort and to the SeaWorld Orlando theme park for best practice visits. The IAAPA Foundation, the non-profit foundation of the association, collected more than 188,000 USD in donations on this occasion, an amount that IAAPA doubled to a total of 376,000 USD. The proceeds will be used for global scholarships and educational programmes aimed at supporting the next generation of leisure industry professionals.
While IAAPA will invite participants to the IAAPA Expo Middle East in Abu Dhabi (UAE) for the first time in March 2026, the next IAAPA Expo is scheduled to take place from 16 to 20 November 2026 on an exhibition area expanded by nearly 50 percent. In addition to the North Concourse and South Concourse halls of the convention centre, the West Concourse will also be used next year in Orlando to accommodate more than 200 additional exhibitors.
Our full trade show report on IAAPA Expo 2025 will appear in EAP issue 1/2026, published on 5 January. ■
