IAAPA Expo Europe London with Expanded Education Program
(eap) From 21 to 25 September 2026, England’s capital London will once again become the meeting place for professionals of the European leisure and attractions industry: the IAAPA Expo Europe trade show is returning to the ExCeL exhibition centre, following its previous London edition in 2022. The show floor, featuring more than 800 exhibitors, will open on Tuesday, 22 September. Registration is now open.
Around the three-day marketplace, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), as organiser, will once again offer an extensive supporting programme with educational opportunities, specialist forums and EDUTours to attractions in and around London, also including activities before and after the trade show opening hours. More than 175 speakers have been secured for a broad variety of key topics, and there will also be more than 60 education sessions. One of the programme highlights for executives is likely once again to be the Leadership Breakfast: this year, Robert Dahl, CEO of Karls Erlebnis-Dorf, and Wouter Dekkers, CEO of Momentum Leisure, will share their expertise on the speaker stage.
A special feature both in the supporting programme and on the show floor will be an increased focus of the Food & Beverage (F&B) sector. According to an IAAPA benchmark study, F&B can account for up to 35 percent of total at a leisure attraction, which is why the association has decided to give more space to new trends and innovative solutions for park gastronomy. (Read also: our annual F&B special “Food Stories”, recently published in EAP 3/2026.)
Peter van der Schans, Executive Director and Vice President, IAAPA EMEA said: “Returning to London after four years is both exciting and humbling. The UK is home to IAAPA’s largest European membership base and continues to be a market with influence on indoor entertainment trends within neighbouring regions. This return reflects both the strength of the UK market, and the continued growth of our event. We’re proud to come back with our largest Expo to date, creating even more opportunities for connection, collaboration, and inspiration.” ■
