The annual IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) Expo was officially opened by the association's chair, Mats Wedin, and president, Charlie Bray, today (13 November) in Orlando, Florida, US.

The expo is the largest of its kind within the attractions industry and includes a trade show which this year occupies one million sq ft (93,000sq m) at the Orange County Convention Center.

The event attracts delegates and exhibitors from 95 different countries to do business on the mammoth show floor, which includes more than 100 product categories.

The expo also runs a comprehensive educational programme which includes 126 workshops with 236 hours of programming in 8 specialty tracks.

During the opening ceremony, Mats Wedin, outgoing chair, described the ongoing development of IAAPA as one which would make it a “truly global association.”

“This past year we have had successful shows on three continents, attracting tenths of thousands of people to join our growing family,” he said.

“In fact, we could easily replace the ‘I’ in IAAPA with the letter ‘G’ – we now have a global presence.”

The event will run until Friday 16 November.