The annual IAAPA Attractions Expo opened its doors in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, witnessing the start of the four-day event at the Orange County Convention Center.

What is by far the world’s largest trade show for the attractions industry once again covered an impressive 500,000sq.ft of the event venue with over 1,000 companies taking part and around 25,000 attendees from 90 countries expected.

As usual, as well as the hugely impressive exhibit floor, which offers visitors over eight miles of aisles to walk, a comprehensive educational programme was also on offer covering all aspects of attraction operation, while behind the scenes tours, numerous special events and a host of networking opportunities combined to provide the familiar, hive of activity that is the IAAPA show week.

Among the first events to take place over the four days was the regular Kick Off event, held at the beginning of the first day and showcasing all that is new in the industry, including products, attractions and rides from around the world, while day two witnessed the popular general managers and owners breakfast.

The coin-op amusement sector held its own at the show with the major trends reflected in a plethora of new product. Konami’s extremely popular Guitar Heroes and American Idols title, were on show, both developed by Raw Thrills ,as was Sega’s latest driving attraction, Hummer.

Redemption formed a major part of the show with companies such as SkeeBall and Benchmark showing off their latest developments. Major player LAI Games showcased a selection of new designs, including its innovative Textminator, a ticket redemption game.

However, the changing global financial conditions created a certain air of expectation on the show floor, with some absent visitors noted from the international scene.