It was a busy week for attractions professionals in Hong Kong as two events took place in the former British colony the week of June 15th.
On the Monday the inaugural blooloopLIVE Asia was held at The Renaissance Hotel, featuring a stellar line up of attractions industry leaders and thinkers from across the region and the annual Asian Attractions Expo – organised by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) – followed in the adjacent Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
By Charles Read.
A full report on blooloopLIVE Asia will follow in these pages shortly.
The Asian Attractions Expo (AAE) was again a huge success, building on the growth of the event over the years and mirroring the expansion of the attractions business in Asia.
Sponsors included FUNA, a Wärtsilä company, Galasys, JRA, Mack Rides, Rhetroactive Design, The Producers Group, WhiteWater Waterparks and Attractions and Kraftwerk Living Technologies.
(Click HERE for an album of images from the Asian Attractions Exo 2015.)
With 8, 500 people taking part in the show, including a record 6, 100 buyers from over 70 countries, IAAPA’s annual Asian event broke records for number of exhibitors (353) and floor space (9, 432 net square meters). The second highest attended AAE, the event showed a huge increase on every measure from its last visit to Hong Kong in 2012.
IAAPA’s 3 major events attract professionals from across the business and this was no exception, with developers, investors, operators, owners and executives from the region’s amusement parks, museums, waterparks, FECs, zoos, aquariums and resorts all taking part in a week of high class networking and education.
In addition to the trade show, IAAPA ran other concurrent events, including The IAAPA Institute for Attractions Managers (hosted by Ocean Park Hong Kong), the IAAPA Safety Institute and a variety of education seminars. The Leadership Breakfast was a highlight, featuring a keynote address by Jim Reid-Anderson, chairman, president, and CEO of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation.
The evenings saw a number of high profile parties. The night before the trade show we attended JNE & LC ‘s Annual Cocktail Reception at The Grand Hyatt’s Pool House. On the Thursday our generous hosts for a superb networking event were the Hsin Chong Property Group at The Trafalgar Brewing Company. The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) also had a drinks reception at The Renaissance Hotel.
As the sun set on another remarkable week and 52 die-hards set off on a post-expo (ahem) research trip to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom on neighboring Hengquin Island, I reflected on a busy week. With a successful blooloopLIVE Asia and a superb AAE the middle week in June is an important week to block off in the diary for anyone looking to learn about and develop their business in Asia.
Both blooloopLIVE Asia and The AAE will be in China for 2016, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, the week commencing 13th June. See you there!
