IAAPA is Back!
Astro Jump of Metro DC is happy to report that the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) will be hosting their annual conference again this year in Orlando, Florida. This conference has been going on for years, but last year the inflatable manufacturers were not there. Instead, they opted to have a series of AIR shows at locations around the country. This worked for us when we went to buy equipment in September, but was less than ideal because the AIR show was smaller than IAAPA, much smaller.
IAAPA is truly a fun show to attend. Every moon bounce, obstacle course, inflatable waterslide and moon bounce combo you can think of is there on display. The warehouse where the show is held is gigantic. The inflatables, which as you surely know are huge, take up I would guess only 5-10% of the show space. You can spend all day looking at inflatables and not even get a taste of what else is at the show. The last time we were there a wide range of waterslides, obstacle courses and moonbounce combos took up the inside space, whereas outside the interactive inflatables and games were on display. To give you some idea of the scope of the inflatables, the amount on display makes most normal amusement parks look small. In addition to the inflatable amusements, the companies representing all of our package and carnival games are also in attendance.
Aside from all of the inflatables, IAAPA is full of the newest and most creative amusement games and gadgets. One could literally spend an entire week at the show in order to play or interact with all of the fun games and cool inventions available. When I first went it struck me as if I had come to the invention table for companies like Sharper Image. If you ever have a chance to go to IAAPA, I suggest you make the trip.
This year we will once again attend the show to make purchases for new inflatables to be used in the 2014 season. We determine what we buy based on the most popular rentals and feedback we receive from our customers. With that said, if you think of something you like and might be interested in renting from us in the future, let us know! This year we are planning to buy a number of new games, water slides and obstacle courses. If you would like for us to get something else, or want to to share with us your thoughts on which slides, games and obstacle courses we should buy please e-mail or call us!