IAAPA’s Karen Staley on EAS in Paris

Aug 20, 2013 Martin Palicki Business, Europe & Middle East, Events, Features, Headlines, IPM Interviews, News, People, Uncategorized Comments Off on IAAPA’s Karen Staley on EAS in Paris

EAS is in Paris this year. How is the show taking advantage of all that France has to offer?

We obviously try to develop a trade show which stays very close to the host country. This will be done through our tours, which go to some of the leading attractions in France (Disneyland® Paris, Parc Asterix, Futuroscope, Puy du Fou or Les machines de l’ile). In developing the conference programme for EAS, the IAAPA Europe education sub-committee has been looking at bringing in topics and speakers of relevance in/for the French attractions industry.

The Opening Reception will take place in the gorgeous Musée des Arts Forains, a museum in a beautiful old wine storage building hosting classic rides and games from our industry from the last century, which will be in operation for the event. And obviously, we will serve local French food and drinks!

Also we have a very strong relationships with the French National Associations and are working with them for guidance on the trade show so we have been able to develop what we hope will be a very French but yet International Trade Show for the attractions industry.

We are almost a month away, is it too late to attend or exhibit?

No, it’s never too late – especially in Europe. Even though we don’t offer the early bird specials anymore, attendees can still register online and suppliers can still book exhibit space. Currently there is a strong demand for exhibit space especially for the French suppliers who will not have far to go to exhibit in Paris. Also with Europe being so accessible for most countries an attendee can reach Paris within 2 to 3 hours of travel. Due to the strong demand for exhibit space, we have already expanded the exhibit space in Hall 5 to allow for additional booth sales.

We also welcome on site registrations, where attendees can simply attend the show and get a badge on site. However, we recommend to book early to benefit from reduced fees and to avoid waiting time on-site. Pre-registration ensures a better likelihood of obtaining tickets to all events, as some of them might be sold out before we get to Paris.

What are the not-to-be-missed special events for this year’s show?

Definitely the above mentioned Opening Reception, which will the main networking event of the show with more than 900 participants. The location and the exhibits of fully functioning rides from the early 1900’s will be an experience not to be missed.

In addition EAS’s third edition of the Leadership Breakfast with keynote speaker Philippe Gas, CEO of Disneyland® Paris will be a very interesting event. Mr. Gas will share his vision of Europe’s most attended theme park.

EAS is offering two exceptional tours to some very unique and spectacular parks.

On Tuesday 17 September, EAS is offering a VIP backstage tour of Disneyland Paris, which is actually already sold out. On Friday, attendees can book tickets to a back stage tour of Parc Asterix. This is a very famous French park based on the comic books of Asterix and Obelix two French Village habitants who fight the Romans.

Why should people attend EAS in addition to the IAAPA Expo in Orlando?

We think that both shows complement each other and are very different in their character. EAS has a rather strong regional and familiar character due to its size and the audience, which reminds us sometimes of a get-together of friends or a close community. The attractions industry in Europe is large, but people know each other and it’s always very nice to see so many familiar faces. EAS welcomes as well many regional local attractions suppliers, who are limited to regional sales, which have very innovative products produced especially for the regional parks. Furthermore, EAS offers attendees a glimpse into French parks which would not be possible at IAE. All seminar programmes at EAS will be translated into French as well, to provide the smaller local parks the opportunity to participate in the many interesting and innovative seminars focused on the European industry.

IAE is the world’s largest show for this industry with impressive exhibit floor size and attendance. Also for those Europeans who wish to see the many parks in Orlando this is a perfect combination.

What hot trends are going to be addressed in educational sessions at the show?

The conference programme is always developed with the idea of offering something for all types of attraction facilities and levels of management. The social media session was split up into three parts to show different levels of applications for parks at different stages of development.

Three other major trends in Europe will be presented in individual sessions as well. EAS is offering a very insightful session on: “How to save money by going green”. In Europe sustainability among parks is a big topic. Also EAS’s educational programme will focus on increasing revenue from special events as well as how to develop an attraction into a resort. In Europe we see many parks adding additional accommodations and other services to develop a resort for longer stay attendees. With more and more water parks being developed in Europe, the popular Water Park Forum will be hosted again in nearby indoor water park Aquaboulevard- we expect a large attendance.

Since safety is the number one priority for IAAPA and its members; at EAS attendees can register to attend the IAAPA Safety Institute at Disneyland® Paris including a backstage safety tour for all participants.

Get more information about IAAPA’s European Attractions Show.