originally posted on 12/11/2023
IAAPA Expo 2023 set an attendance record.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
More than 41,000 people registered. As throngs entered the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, with countless goals and plans, the energy and excitement was palpable — the immersion of IAAPA Expo 2023 began.
Along with the food samples and rides were an unbelievable number of steps to be taken — after all, it was a work event, with appointments booked and meetings held. Nonetheless, it was exciting to walk by exhibitors’ booths and observe dealings happening behind closed doors or sometimes right in the aisle. The IAAPA Expo is truly a chance to witness the business behind the fun.
Press announcements involving “reveals” tend to draw throngs of photographers.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
As if a week seeing all the options at the various booths was not exciting enough, announcements filled the days. As the show floor opened on Tuesday, unveilings lay ahead. Typically, “announcements” were more publicity opportunities than breaking news, but they generated buzz, nonetheless. Still, there was plenty of coaster news beyond the announcements — and ACE has it all.
What’s on tap for coasters?
As the trade show floor opened, many attendees headed straight to Zamperla’s booth for the first press conference of the day. Adam Sandy, roller coaster sales and marketing director for Zamperla, greeted attendees. Antonio Zamperla, president of Zamperla, and Tony Clark, Cedar Point’s (Sandusky, Ohio) communications director, shared details of Top Thrill 2 alongside Michael Maney, vice president of maintenance and construction at Cedar Point. More information can be found here in an interview by Jessica Gardner with Tony Clark:
ACE podcaster Jessica Gardner joins Cedar Point’s Tony Clark for an interview in the Top Thrill 2 vehicle.
Photo: Corey Wooten. View full-sized image.
Sleek vehicles and massive wheels made the Top Thrill 2 cars captivating.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
ThunderVolt is another 2024 Zamperla project currently being constructed at Playland in Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada). The company is taking a coaster that once operated at Miragica (Molfetta, Apulia, Italy), replacing its launch system and adding one of its new Lightning trains.
And there’s more! The world’s first Axis coaster from S&S Worldwide will be arriving at Seven Yanbu (Yanbu, Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia) in 2025. Transformers will be built indoors, utilizing a magnetic launch to fit in the small footprint. Check it out here:
Additionally, ACE confirmed that a second Axis coaster has been sold — also for installation somewhere overseas. That installation will use a traditional lift. Interestingly, the second coaster will load from below the track, but the chain lift will be below the rider.
S&S Worldwide’s first Axis coaster will be themed to Transformers.
Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
However, behind closed doors, S&S was touting something new in its offerings. The company showcased RailRyder to clients who arranged meetings. This new addition to the company’s portfolio combines the feel of the company’s Steeplechase concept with the single rail offerings out on the market. While Steeplechase seated riders about 18 inches above the track, RailRyder places riders just four inches above the track.
“It will have an amazing sensation of speed riding right on top of the rail,” said CEO Jason Mons.
“This is less of a prototype and more of an evolution for us,” said Trevor Dyer, marketing. “A lot of parks are a little reluctant to go with prototypes, and we feel this is simply the next step.”
RailRyder can feature toboggan-style cars with seats that lean back.
Image: Courtesy of S&S Worldwide. View full-sized image.
Image: Courtesy of S&S Worldwide. View full-sized image.
Vekoma Rides had the most whimsical reveal with the unveiling of the ride vehicle for Good Gravy!, the new family coaster being added to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari’s (Santa Claus, Indiana) Thanksgiving area in 2024. Ricardo Etges, vice president of sales for Vekoma, shared that he could never have imagined being part of creating a gravy-themed roller coaster. Holiday World’s team was on site for the unveiling. Hear from owners Lauren Crosby and Leah Koch-Blumhardt:
Holiday World’s Good Gravy! vehicles were displayed. The front car had gravy spilling out; the back car showed the handle on the gravy boat.
Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
While Vekoma has two thrillers in its upcoming tilt coasters — one in Austin, Texas, and one overseas — 2024 will be heavy on family rides for the well-established manufacturer. Two family boomerangs are finally making their way to the United States after more than a decade of being on the market. Meanwhile, another installation at Emerald Park (Ashbourne, Ireland) will intertwine with a suspended thrill coaster. Junior coasters, such as Midnight Flyer at Santa’s Village (Jefferson, New Hampshire), are also on tap both here in the United States and abroad. One at Energylandia (Zator, Poland) will be paired with the long-awaited Choco Chip Creek mine train in a new section of the park.
In more intriguing news, Vekoma was promoting its own introduction into water rides and suspended dark rides. The flume ride presented had twin chutes, in which passengers in each boat had drums in front of them in each seat. Featuring an interactive twist, the boat with the loudest passengers causes a water curtain to douse those in the other boat. On the suspended dark ride, the vehicles can rotate 360 degrees and perform mild drops or navigate a vertical lift. (Vekoma stated it will not be responsible for creating the scenes and thematic sets.) The company announced that it is also developing a new evolution of the suspended water coaster, which is a fit for both theme parks and waterparks.
Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCII) displayed an Infinity Flyer train from Colossus, a wooden coaster being constructed at Six Flags Qiddiya (Al Muzahimiyah, Ar Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). According to GCII President Clair Hain Jr., the coaster’s design changed drastically over time, starting as a smaller family ride, becoming a much-larger coaster and then evolving back to a smaller family ride. According to Hain, the final decision was a modest-sized coaster with a track length over 2,000 feet and a height of approximately 90 feet. It will be a steel structure, topped with Ipe wood.
Infinity Flyer trains will grace the new woodie heading to Six Flags Qiddiya.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
In shocking news, GCII reported that Bombay Express, a coaster that recently was announced would never open, is opening after all! The park, now called Real Madrid World (Dubai), has apparently been acquired by new ownership, and the attractions look to make a long-awaited debut in early 2024. GCII has been on site offering training on the new-for-2024 woodie.
Standing dormant for years, the GCII woodie called Bombay Express will now open after an early announcement in 2023 reported it would not open ever.
Photo: Courtesy of Great Coasters International, Inc. View full-sized image.
The OCT Group in China is also building a GCII woodie for a park opening in 2024. ACE News will stay on top of this unknown coaster. More Titan Track will be placed on Lake Compounce’s (Bristol, Connecticut) Boulder Dash and Darien Lake’s (Darien Center, New York) Predator. In addition to these news items, Hain said he is having conversations about projects in North America and Europe.
Not all the reveals were for new coasters. Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. (PTCI) celebrated its 100th consecutive year exhibiting at the IAAPA Expo. Tom Rebbie, president of PTCI, and Laura Krolczyk, assistant general manager for Hersheypark, unveiled stunning new three-bench trains for Hersheypark’s (Hershey, Pennsylvania) Comet to oohs and ahhs! Splendid colors and gold trim left enthusiasts dreaming of a ride next year (although it’s worth noting the new trains will feature individual ratcheting lap bars instead of the former buzz bars). Krolczyk reminded the press that Comet is Hersheypark’s oldest continuously running coaster. See the reveal here:
Gold tinting on the metal makes the new cars from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. something special.
Photo: Corey Wooten. View full-sized image.
Photo: Rob Ascough. View full-sized image.
Music could be heard in the aisles as Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and Silver Dollar City (Branson, Missouri) revealed the ride vehicle for the new rendition of Fire In The Hole coming to the park in 2024 as an homage to the classic ride that is being retired at the end of the year:
Representatives from Silver Dollar City, Herschend Entertainment and RMC took a seat at the Fire In The Hole reveal.
Photo: Corey Wooten. View full-sized image.
Meanwhile, RMC snagged a Brass Ring Award for its Wild Moose concept. Previously revealed in ACE News and designed to fit on a Wild Mouse footprint, Wild Moose brings more thrill to a family coaster. CEO Darren Torr used the word “wonky” in describing the track, saying, “It’s like Dr. Seuss built it.” A small model of the train was on display in the booth.
Torr also said future projects were expanding internationally, particularly Raptor-track installations. “If we want to compete with the other manufacturers out there, we have to go global,” he added.
The Wild Moose concept won a Brass Ring Award for RMC.
Photo: Elizabeth Ringas. View full-sized image.
ACE President Elizabeth Ringas stood with Jeff Hornick of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment and Premier Rides President Jim Seay.
Photo: Evangelos Ringas. View full-sized image.
Premier Rides announced what is old is new again — a refurbishment of Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Virginia). More details and the new logo, The Legend Lives On, were revealed by Premier Rides President Jim Seay and Jeff Hornick, vice president of attraction and design for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment. ACE President Elizabeth Ringas presented Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Premier Rides with a proclamation of preservation to acknowledge and celebrate their dedication to ensuring that Loch Ness Monster continues to thrill riders for years to come. See more here:
Glowing eyes haunted visitors on the show floor as attendees waited to see the ride vehicle for Six Flags Qiddiya’s Falcon’s Flight. Superlatives like world’s tallest, fastest and longest were not the most stunning part of the Exa coaster announcement from Intamin Rides — the crowd was stunned to hear no goggles would be required! While a date for construction of the park to be complete has not been made available, the stats of the ride — 155 mph, a drop of 519 feet and a track length approaching 14,000 feet — have the industry paying close attention. See more details:
The Falcon’s Flight car at the Intamin booth was stunning.
Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
Intamin had a record year in 2023 with the most ride openings in company history. Planned for 2024 is a family thrill coaster at Drayton Manor (Staffordshire, England) featuring a traditional lift and a launch. A launched coaster headed to the Middle East was noted but could not be discussed, as well as a spinning coaster. In the United States, Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell) will debut the company’s first Ultra Surf coaster.
Ride Engineers Switzerland is busy at Conny-Land (Lipperswil, Thurgau, Switzerland) with the installation of Rollerball for 2024. Closer to home is an entirely new style of coaster coming in 2025, with an example of Wave Twist L being sold to an undisclosed property in the United States. Learn about it here:
Image: Courtesy of Ride Engineers Switzerland. View full-sized image.
In the space previously occupied by Alpine Bobsled at Six Flags Great Escape (Queensbury, New York), The Gravity Group, LLC (TGG) is constructing Bobcat, a family wooden coaster. The custom-designed Bobcat trains will be riding the rails starting next summer as the company’s first coaster constructed almost completely using its innovative precut engineered track.
Bobcat’s lead car was on display at The Gravity Group booth.
Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
Mack Rides reported that Hyperia at Thorpe Park (Chertsey, England) — with a height of 238 feet — will be an icon for the park. “After the first drop, it will be full speed ahead,” said Max Roeser, marketing. “It will do some crazy stuff more like an RMC ride.” He added that it will be a powerful and forceful ride. Voltron at Europa-Park (Rust, Germany) will be the company’s largest roller coaster installation to date, with track complete and theming in progress.
While Zierer has a plentitude of ride types in its portfolio, the company can boast of coaster installations at two Legoland Parks next year — one in Shanghai (Quingpu, Shanghai, China) and the other at Legoland Windsor (Berkshire, England, United Kingdom). Other family coasters were noted, but the parks couldn’t be disclosed.
Penguin Trek will be the fifth B&M coaster at SeaWorld Orlando.
Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
What might a penguin-themed coaster train look like? Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) revealed just that at its press conference for Penguin Trek, a new family coaster under construction at SeaWorld Orlando (Florida). The launched family coaster has a 48-inch height requirement, which is generous for a B&M coaster and which will mean more family members will be able to ride.
In addition to the press conference announcements and the reveals they bring, various booths displayed fun aspects of vehicles on display or things to come. The kid in everyone loved the Hot Wheels Twin Mill Racer train to be featured on a Chance Rides Hyper GT-X coaster being constructed at Mattel Adventure Park (Glendale, Arizona) next summer. It will be Chance’s first launched coaster. Both Hot Wheels Twin Mill Racer and Boneshaker are expected to open in 2024. Meanwhile, Skyline Attractions displayed a P’Sghetti Bowl coaster train that demonstrated the extensive light package option available on the track. A ride vehicle on display at the Noble booth (which is partnered with Wisdom) had the notation of Oasis at Lakeport. While not much is known about the resort designed for Osage Beach, Missouri, press materials from 2022 indicated the resort would open in summer of 2024. Whether that target will be met is unknown, but it seems unlikely at this point.
The Hot Wheel Twin Mill Racer vehicle was displayed at the Chance Rides booth.
Photo: David Lipnicky. View full-sized image.
P’Sghetti Bowl vehicle, Skyline Attractions.
Photos: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
A vehicle for an unnamed coaster was on display at Noble.
View full-sized image.
In other coaster news, Maurer Rides continues investing heavily into its Spike system. A new concept — Water Fight — takes the motorized single-rail powered ride and intertwines it with waterslides so that visitors on the water tower and on the coaster vehicles can shoot water at each other. See more here:
A Spike coaster having been erected years ago will finally open with Nickelodeon Universe in Yubei, China, in 2024. Following the global pandemic, regulations in China prevented opening the park. When it does open, the Spike coaster will have a slime theme. Another Spike system is being installed at Six Flags Qiddiya.
A futuristic model showcased Maurer Rides’ Spike Coaster system.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
Palindrome from Gerstlauer is being erected at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Other installations are slated for Tivoli Friheden (Århus, Midtjylland, Denmark) — another custom Euro-Fighter. Three other coasters are projected for 2024 from Gerstlauer, although details have not yet been made available.
Zip 'n Slide by Polin Waterparks is an intriguing concept allowing riders to experience one of two possible endings.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
And then there was this. Polin Waterparks unveiled waterslides that were focused on enhancing emotions with thrilling elements and racing. However, the most intriguing announcement was that of Zip 'n Slide “where innovation meets engineering.” A waterslide with two possible endings — the raft either catches onto a suspended roller coaster track or proceeds down a waterfall if the hook doesn’t engage — is a whole new twist on the “rollback” moment, a “splashdown”? This could be a unique credit for enthusiasts if one proceeds down the waterfall, assuming one ever gets built.
In addition to coasters, Zamperla promoted its flat rides, such as the brand new Go Go JumpZ.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
Photo: Rob Ascough. View full-sized image.
Beyond Coasters
Sally Dark Rides and Circus Circus Las Vegas Hotel & Casino (Nevada) unveiled a larger-than-life animatronic of Mr. Krabs that is destined for the park’s brand new dark ride, SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride. Across the ride’s 15 scenes, riders will enjoy a trip to Mr. Krabs’ new carnival in Bikini Bottom. Owing to a mixup, Krabby Patty ingredients instead of the usual game supplies are delivered to riders, and to cover their error, SpongeBob and Patrick load the games with the ingredients, giving Plankton a chance to steal the secret formula. See Mr. Krabs in action:
Sally Dark Rides featured a Mr. Krabs animatronic.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
Ollie-Loop by Extreme Engineering was a new flat ride concept for the family entertainment center market and smaller parks.
Image: Courtesy of Extreme Engineering. View full-sized image.
Extreme Engineering was showcasing a new flat ride for the smaller markets, but it also had back-to-back-seating vehicles for its cloud coaster on display.
Triotech was excited about the success of Primordial and the company’s involvement in that attraction but also championed a new project heading to NEB’s Fun World (North Oshawa, Ontario, Canada). Part immersive simulator, part flying theater, SuperFly places “riders” standing on motion platforms complemented by special effects — scents, blasts, leg ticklers, water and wind. The ride features 23 platforms to accommodate 46 per ride.
As is the case in amusement parks, food options vied for the attention of attendees. Cotton candy machines showcased an enhanced feature of incorporating designs into the spun concoction, while Dippin’ Dots sampled its new-for-2024 flavor — Frozeti Dough, a flavor similar to cookie dough. The Expo even had a new alcohol pavilion to spotlight the growing trend in theme parks.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) was the prominent newcomer to the show but to vastly varying degrees. An AI-generated drawing program was creating portraits that resembled a generic sketch of a criminal on the news.
One vendor presented 3D-printed figurines of a person or the entire family.
Many attendees chatted about the fun of Game of 1000 boxes, which they compared to an in-person Jackbox game. The link to see more: www.1000boxes.game
Setting a Guinness World Record for drones in a night show was Sky Elements Drone Shows, which entertained attendees exiting the Expo on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, despite light rain.
Serving the growing business of adult drinks in parks, an alcohol pavilion was new for 2023.
Photos: Elizabeth Ringas. View full-sized image.
A record-setting drone show was on display two nights following the close of the floor.
View full-sized image.
In addition to exploring the trade show floor, attendees had access to a variety of education sessions to advance knowledge and learning with various topics relevant to the industry. Special ticketed events offer specialized networking or experiences like EDUTours and lunches for subgroups like family entertainment centers or water park owners.
Brass Ring Awards
During the trade show, recognition is given with IAAPA’s Brass Ring Awards. This symbol of achievement is named for the rings caught by carousel riders at the first amusement parks. They are given in three categories: Best New Product, Best Exhibit and Excellence awards. Some notable winners this year were the following:
Major Ride/Attraction product costing more than $3 million: Dome Ride Theatre - Hypersphere 360 by Intamin Ltd.
Major Ride/Attraction product costing more than $3 million (second place): UNCHARTED: The Enigma of Penitence by Sally Dark Rides and Intamin
Major Ride/Attraction product costing less than $3 million: P’Sphetti Bowl by Skyline Attractions
Major Ride/Attraction product costing less than $3 million (second place): Smash & Reload, Champi'Folies, Triotech
Family Ride/Attraction: Vertical Dark Ride by RES GmbH, Ride Engineers Switzerland
Family Ride/Attraction (second place): Treasure Hunt: The Ride by Sally Dark Rides
Waterpark Ride/Attraction product costing more than $2 million: Saifa Dueling PIPElineBLAST Water Coaster by ProSlide Technology
Waterpark Ride/Attraction product costing more than $2 million (second pleace): Double Rift by Polin Waterparks
Waterpark Ride/Attraction product costing less than $2 million: AquaForms 12 by WhiteWater West
Waterpark Ride/Attraction product costing less than $2 million (second place): Double Rift by Polin Group
Applied Technologies: Viewpoint Videos Ltd. Souvenir video system
Applied Technologies (second place): Rain Shield Wiegand AlpineCoaster 2.0 Wiegand Josef GMBH & Co. KG
Best New Product Concept: Wild Moose Family Coaster, RMC
Impact Award Winner: Intamin Ltd. Dome Ride Theater - Hypersphere 360
The ACE booth was staffed to welcome attendees all four days.
Photo: Elizabeth Ringas. View full-sized image.
“The energy level was unmatched to any show I’ve ever been to,” said Michael Shelton, vice president and executive director for IAAPA North America. “I’ve never seen so match traffic on the show floor throughout the whole week.”
See ACE’s 2023 IAAPA Expo playlist:
— Elizabeth Ringas, ACE President, with contributions by Tim Baldwin and Xander Lee
#ACENews