The first of China Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (CAAPA)Â two large-scale exhibitions for the year, the second is set for October in Shanghai.
With the enormous growth of the middle class and resulting increase in leisure spend, it is no surprise the attractions industry is focused on China.
Beijing is home to numerous historical sites such as the Forbidden City, art and cultural centres, attractions and museums, including the Palace Museum, a VR theme park, and Little Big City. Beijing will soon host an additional 100 million visitors every year. This comes with the completion of its second airport Beijing Daxing (the existing airport Beijing Capital already serves 50 million). And of course all eyes are on the upcoming Universal Studios Beijing Resort currently under construction.
In wider China, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park designed by Legacy Entertainment has just opened its gates to the public. Fantawild expects to open 30 theme parks by 2020. China’s first Smurfs Theme Park designed by KCC Entertainment has been announced and the first Six Flags park in China will open in Zhejiang in June 2020.
The success of Shanghai Disneyland and Atlantis Sanya waterpark by ProSlide and Falcon’s Creative Group, shows the benefits of international parks looking to capitalise on the growth in the east too.
China Attractions Expo 2019
Among this wave of new projects and opportunities, we visited the annual China Attractions Expo(CAE) from April 1 to 3 in Beijing.
Held by the China Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (CAAPA), CAE Beijing welcomed over 700 exhibitors from 14 countries. It has also been hailed as the largest trade show of the industry in Asia. According to the organisers, around 20,000 industry professionals attended the expo on the first day.
After the opening ceremony by CAAPA’s officials concluded with a bout of confetti, the trade show floor was then open. Chinese and global exhibitors spoke with delegates from all over the world.
A busy show floor at CAE Beijing 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It-tB6Z4JdoAccording to CAAPA, 24.7% of exhibitors were from China. Of these, 49.5% were exhibitors who presented new products, and 28% of the exhibitors were first-timers at this expo. With a total floor space of 70,000sqm, companies vied for the attention of the visitors in different ways.
It seemed that bigger, brighter and louder were some common themes for the exhibitors. Everywhere you walked, there was something catching your attention. It could be a moving 4-seater robotic arm accompanied by a trio of violinists, a life-size train carriage, or a playground designed to look like a Walker from Star Wars. It could also be different kinds of VR simulation and arcade games; or even a karaoke stage that allows you to star in your own music video.
Triotech ’s booth proved popular amongst attendees, with long lines to try their XD Dark Ride. The company has just appointed Han Jie as Sales Director for China. Back Stage Technologies and Lasereffect ( Huanyu Technologies ) shared an impressive booth that showcased the companies' projects and capabilities throughinteractive displays and videos. Project:Syntropy recently announced a new type of immersive flying attraction, Balloon Fly 360 together with Intamin, welcomed attendees at their booth to experience their technology and display solutions for media-based attractions.
Popular booths
Also present at CAE Beijing were accesso, Severn Lamb, Waterplay, WhiteWater, ProSlide, Polin Waterparks, Brogent Technologies, Gateway Ticketing Systems, Interlink LG, Jora Vision, Lagotronics Projects, Mack Rides, Rainbow Productions, SimEx-Iwerks, Simtec Systems, The Producers Group, Unlimited Snow, Vekoma, Vortex Aquatic, Walltopia, and Zamperla.With this many international companies wanting a piece of China, there is no doubt to the importance of creating a presence in this part of the world.
Other memorable moments
China's love for technology should not come as a surprise, and it's clear companies are doing their best to keep up with the latest trends and experiences.
The following figures were reported on CAAPA's official WeChat account. The 3-day expo recorded a total of 43,372 attendees with 31,593 people from China. Of these figures:
- 47.61% of attendees visited the expo for the purpose of purchasing for upcoming attractions/facilities
- 24.45% wanted to make purchase for their existing attractions/facilities.
- 29.34% wanted to explore new business opportunities
- 28.41% wanted to conduct the latest market research.
Following this trade show in Beijing, CAAPA will next hold its China (Shanghai) Attractions Expo from October 23 - 25. Before that, companies can also look forward to the IAAPA Expo Asia in Shanghai taking place from June 11 - 14.
Companies featured in this post
Harry Potter: The Exhibition by Imagine Exhibitions
Paramount’s Star Trek: Picard at the Marriott Marquis, New York, NY
