The annual IAAPA Expo, organised by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) has officially opened at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, US.

More than 25,000 visitors and delegates are expected to attend the four-day event which includes both a large exhibition floor as well as a programme of seminars and key-note speeches.

As part of the launch event, Roland Mack, managing partner of German theme park Europa-Park, took up the chairmanship of IAAPA.

Mack will steer the association through 2012 - until the IAAPA Expo event in November 2012 - and said that he felt great pride in being only the fifth European chair of the organisation.

"It's a great honour," he said. "I come from a family business founded in 1780 and now in its seventh generation. No one before me-not even a German-has been elected as chair of the international association."

IAAPA Expo will run until 18 November 2011.