The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Trade Show kicked off at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Tuesday, November 13th. The 2018 show features well over 1,000 vendors and over 35,000 attendees are expected throughout the week. The show is said to have over 10 miles of walking race if one were to walk the entire floor in one day. The theme, “Fun Forward, Build the Future,” celebrates the organization’s 100-year anniversary.

The trade show itself grew even beyond the Convention Center walls this year. In addition to the outside carnival-type rides and attractions, two tents were erected, dubbed “Exploration Station,” filled with vendors that had outside locations last year and some new additions to the show.

One of the vendors in Exploration Station, is Rockustics, represented by James McManus. Rockustics builds sound systems for amusement parks where the speakers are masked as rocks and natural fixtures.

McManus explained that speakers actually contained rock material in the resin when building the devices. The company also has speakers that are disguised as planters which emit sound from underneath the fixture, letting the sound swell out and about. One of the great features of the planter itself is that it not only houses a speaker, but can actually also serve as a planter as well.

The subwoofers can be buried underneath the ground and have mushroom or rock coverings for the direct burial applications. Also available are above ground systems also buried with the rock housings.

The speakers themselves are usually hardwired using Cat-5 or speaker wire but wireless appli-cations are also available. The wireless signal can reach about 250’ and power multiple speak-ers at once.

The water-proof, fade-resistant speakers have become a fixture at amusement parks, according to McManus.

SeaWorld

SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment was the object of much speculation prior to the show with rumors of a purchase, new rides or maybe a new direction all bandied about. At the convention today, they announced the addition of several new rides to their parks in 2019 and beyond.

Zach Davies of Orlando-based Skyline Attractions said his company would be opening the Tidal Twister ride at SeaWorld San Diego in 2019. The ride is from the Horizon series of the compa-ny’s dueling coasters and has a compact footprint but adds some interesting new thrills and inno-vations.

The figure-8 shaped track has two trains that face each other as the ride flies by. The 16-passenger cars are loaded simultaneously at opposite ends. The banked cars level out for load-ing. The cars are separated by “zero cars” or spacers that separate the trains and keep them from running into one another.

The generic footprint for the Horizon coasters is about 115’ long by 55’ wide and it rises about 30’ in the air. The Tidal Twister’s exact dimensions were unavailable but it is expected there will be some themeing of the ride.

The other two version of the dueling coaster series designed by SkyLine are the Sky Warp and the Eclipse. The SkyWarp version was first installed at Six Flag’s Discovery kingdom and fea-tures two Immelmann loops in addition to the dueling coaster aspect. There are two inversions on each side.

The Eclipse-type is still a concept and has not yet been built. The ride is expected to rise 100’ in height and have a non-inverting loop.

The coasters are designed for interactivity between the two sets of riders as the company want-ed to deliver something more than is offered on the market. “We wanted not just a ride, but a ride experience”, said Davies.

SkyLine, in addition to building the dueling coaster series, provides engineering and support for several roller coaster manufacturers throughout the US.

In addition to the new ride In San Diego, Busch Gardens Tampa will also be getting a new attrac-tion in 2019, courtesy of Premier Rides. Tigris will be Florida’s tallest launch coaster at 150’. The triple-launch steel coaster will reach speeds of 60 miles per hour and take riders on a jour-ney where they also learn about the plight of tigers in the wild.

The ride was introduced today at the Premier Rides booth with a cake made to look like the Ti-gris car.

Not to be outdone, the company’s Aquatica water park in Orlando will also be getting a new at-traction in 2019. KareKare Curl ride will take riders on a 2-man raft adventure.

Finally, a new Sesame Street land will also open at Sea World, which will have rides and charac-ters from the popular children’s television franchise.

New Officers

IAAPA named David Rosenberg, vice president, Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, Califor-nia, US, as the organization's chairman of the board for 2019. Rosenberg will be the first repre-sentative from the zoo and aquarium community to lead the association.

Previously, Rosenberg served in leadership positions at Hyatt Hotels Corporation. He began his career in the attractions industry at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Rosenberg has served on the IAAPA Board of Directors since 2014 and has chaired the Global Membership and Zoo and Aquarium Committees. In 2015, he received IAAPA's "Outstanding Service Award" for his contributions to the global attractions industry.

He has served on the Executive Committee for Monterey County Hospitality Association, an or-ganization representing attractions, golf courses, hotels, and resorts throughout Northern Califor-nia. In addition, Rosenberg sits on the Academic Advisory Committee for California State Uni-versity, Monterey Bay, is an active member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and re-cently finished his term on the Board of Directors for "Voices for Children," which advocates for foster youth.

The IAAPA officers for 2019 include:

2019 IAAPA Officers:

Chairman – David Rosenberg, vice president, Monterey Bay Aquarium, United States

First Vice Chairman – Amanda Thompson OBE, managing director, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Ltd., and president, Stageworks Worldwide Productions, United Kingdom

Second Vice Chairman – Ken Whiting, president, Whiting's Foods at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, United States

Treasurer – Charles "Hank" Salemi, president, Six Flags Great America, United States

Immediate Past Chairman – Andreas Andersen, CEO and president, Liseberg Group, Sweden

IAAPA President and CEO – Hal McEvoy, IAAPA

The following IAAPA members were also elected to serve the associa-tion on its board of directors in 2019:

New Facility and Life Directors:
Ted Molter, chief marketing officer, San Diego Zoo Global, United States
Anne Rashford, director of special exhibitions, Museum of Science and Industry, United States

Ash Smart, deputy managing and financial director, Harbour Park, United Kingdom

New Past Chairman Director:
Robert "Bob" Rippy, president, Jungle Rapids/Wrightsville Farms Man-agement Group, Inc., United States

New Manufacturer and Supplier Committee Chair / Director:
Franceen Gonzales, EVP of business development, WhiteWater West Industries, United States

New Latin America Regional Advisory Committee Chair / Director:
Luciana Periales, CEO, Neverland, Argentina

New Asia-Pacific Regional Advisory Committee Chair / Director:
Luke Riley, senior vice president of international development, Village Roadshow Theme Parks, Hong Kong, China

Zamperla and Give Kids The World

Italian ride manufacturer Zamperla,announced at the show that they do-nated a new Happy Swing ride to Give Kids The World Village (GKTW), the Central Florida nonprofit that provides cost-free wish trips to critically ill children and their families.

The modified Happy Swing ride is wheelchair accessible and will be available for both adults and children to ride.

“The entire Zamperla family has been a treasured partner of the Village for many years,” said Pamela Landwirth, president & CEO, Give Kids The World. “We are truly grateful for their generous donation and con-tinued commitment to helping us give families a once-in-a-lifetime expe-rience. Their understanding of the special needs of our families, and in-genuity to create something everyone can enjoy, means so much to all of us. This new swing will be a magical addition to the Village and a wonderful gift for the precious children we serve.”

This is Zamperla’s third ride donation to GKTW. The new swing, along with a train called JJ’s Express and a pedal-powered flyer called Lori’s Magical Flight, provide accessible and magical rides for children at the Village.

“Give Kids The World brings joy and happiness to children, and that is what we do at Zamperla, too,” said Alberto Zamperla, president & CEO, Zamperla. “We are honored to provide our rides to the families who stay at the Village and hopefully help create special memories for them.”

---

2018 IAAPA Coverage

Coverage of the 2018 IAAPA Attractions Expo begins Tuesday!  Check back for continued coverage!