Europe’s largest conference and trade show for the attractions industry is to be held at the Messe Berlin Exhibition Centre this year and will run from Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 October. The Euro Attractions Show (EAS) is expected to feature talks from prominent industry leaders who will discuss the latest developments and industry trends.
Owned by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), EAS will cover topics such as safety, social media and human resources. On the 7-9th October, a special 3-day programme, IAAPA Institute for Attractions Managers, is to be held which is specifically designed for mid-level managers with two to three years’ experience.
Related: All set for Berlin- the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) 2012 / IAAPA’s Record Breaking Euro Attractions Show
Interested professionals are required to register for the institute event separately to EAS and will learn about different disciplines of attractions management, including finance, marketing, leadership, operations and safety and revenue operations.
Various seminars and talks are available at the main EAS 2012 event on Tuesday and Wednesday, including a high-tech seminar to be held on Tuesday morning at 09:00 – 10:45am. This will allow high-tech exhibitors to showcase their products in the run up to the opening of the trade show.
Between 14:00 and 15:30, show attendees will have the chance to discuss social media trends with a panel which will include discussions centring around branding, mobile app development and how to utilise industry enthusiast websites in order to promote attractions.
15:30 – 17:00 is the time of the Pricing and Yield Management seminar, where an overview of pricing and yield management models throughout Europe will be given, alongside updates on the latest payment technologies.
The final seminar of the day, held between 17:00 – 18:00, will look at ‘Emerging Markets in Europe’, such as Poland, Russia and Turkey.
On Wednesday, the day kicks off with a Safety Seminar at 09:00 – 11:00, where leading safety experts will discuss injury prevention, guest and employee education and the steps which should be taken to inform guests of safety programmes and procedures.
Human Resources is the subject being presented at 11:00 – 12:30, including good complaint management and up-to-date techniques on recruiting, training and keeping employees.
At 12:30 – 14:00, ‘Holiday Events’ will look at how the season can be extended through holiday events, such as Halloween and Xmas.
Following this at 14:00 – 16:30 will be the In-Park Spend seminar when ‘global players’ from the food and beverage industry will discuss best-sellers from 2012 and what customers are likely to want in 2013.
The final seminar of the day, at 16:30 – 18:00, will see speakers sharing their expertise on saving money through energy saving and the benefits attached to that as it sharpens the green profile of an attraction.
On the Thursday, professionals can access a full day of seminars and guest speakers who will be discussing all aspects of family entertainment centres and indoor playgrounds. The German Association of Indoor Playgrounds and IAAPA will host a FEC/Indoor Playground day with seminars geared towards operators, suppliers and employees. Attendance of this event requires separate registration to the main EAS ticketing.
Throughout the week, there will be a number of networking opportunities available, including an opening reception on Tuesday which is to be held at the Palais am Funkturm, next to the EAS halls at 18:30 – 21:30. The reception is expected to attract more than 1000 buyers and exhibitors and will include food and light entertainment; again, this event requires a separate ticket to the main event.
A special reception will also be put on for the ‘Young Professionals’ of the industry, which is dedicated to ‘up and coming managers in attractions in Europe’ and requires a separate ticket.
A further special event, the ‘Leadership Breakfast’, will be held on Wednesday 10th from 09:30 – 10:55 and will feature keynote speaker Roland Mack, Managing Director and IAAPA chairman of the board. He will be talking about his views on the future of the industry as well as presenting some of the ideas which made his company successful.
On Monday and Thursday, EAS attendees can take the opportunity to attend especially laid-on tours, beginning with Filmpark Babelsberg on Monday at 09:30 – 15:00. Separate registration is required for the chance to take the tour around the attraction, which is one of the oldest, large-scale film studios in the world.
On Thursday from 13:00 – 17:00, attendees can partake in a fun trip around Tropical Islands, a unique, indoor waterpark resort which has become one of Germany’s most successful indoor water attractions.
Finally, there will be a three-day tour to visit Northern Germany’s most popular attractions. IAAPA’s EAS Post Tour will treat attendees to visits to Heidi-Park, Hansa-Park, which is situated on the edge of the Baltic Sea and Hagenbecks Tierpark in Hamburg, the first ever zoo to use open enclosures surrounded by moats. This and the above events which are separate to the EAS trade show require registration and tickets to be obtained in addition to main tickets.
A comprehensive seminar program is available at www.IAAPA.org/EAS and participants will also find hotel deals and travel information on the EAS website.
