From Tuesday until this Thursday, the corridors of the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona have been invaded by roller coaster or themed train cars, cable car cabins, swings, Christmas dolls, slides like those in water parks, machines for cooking French fries and cotton candy or dispensing soft drinks, zip lines, hot air balloons, photo booths, karaokes... Walking through the different stands of the IAAPA Expo Europe exhibitors is like entering an amusement park that includes all the leisure accessories one can imagine. Despite being a professional fair, some children attend and, without a doubt, they are the ones who enjoy it the most.
Organized by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the fair is held for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the meetings planned last year. In an interview with The New Barcelona Post, IAAPA President and CEO, Hal McEvoy, points out that IAAPA Expo Europe participants were eager to return to in-person events like this, in order to learn firsthand about the latest trends in the industry and do business, after too many months of having to do it with video calls.
In this return to activity, the amusement park congress expects to gather some 8,000 attendees at Fira de Barcelona, where it has occupied two pavilions in this edition, far from the 16,000 it achieved in its last event in Europe, which was held in Paris in 2019, which, moreover, was a record year. McEvoy indicates that this attendance was already expected at IAAPA Expo Europe 2021, taking into account the restrictions that are still in force and the costs of traveling to a fair, even more so after the difficulties the sector has suffered. "The most important thing is to see each other again," remarks the executive.
IAAPA organizes three annual meetings. In the United States, it has its only fixed headquarters in Orlando, while in the rest of the world, in the areas of Europe and Asia, they change location each year. This territorial division, as McEvoy explains, does not prevent the American public from visiting the European or Asian congress, just as the same happens with other markets. In fact, he emphasizes that partners positively value being able to go from one place to another and see the different local approaches taken within the same industry.
In Barcelona, this fair was held for the first time in 2016, bringing together more than 12,000 attendees. "It was a success in 2016 and it is also being a success this time," he defends. The facilities of Fira de Barcelona, the proximity to amusement parks such as Port Aventura World and Tibidabo, the city's hotel and restaurant capacity, and its cultural and leisure offerings are some of the reasons why the event organizers want to repeat in the Catalan capital. In fact, many of the attendees arrived a few days before IAAPA Expo Europe began or will leave a few days later to take advantage and do tourism.
"We are very interested in returning to Barcelona in 2025," the executive states. To facilitate this, IAAPA has signed a letter of intent with the Generalitat to work together towards this goal. According to McEvoy, the only thing left is to finish finding a date with the fair institution that is convenient for their clients, as well as fitting into the congress calendar of the Catalan capital.