At this year’s IAAPA Attractions Expo, JRA will discuss its involvement with the Mascot Hall of Fame.

Located in Whiting, Indiana, US, the attraction is set to open in early 2019, and will include a 25,000sq ft (2,300sq m), family fun zone that aims to make people laugh and draw them closer to the teams they love, while educating families on the art and science of mascots.

JRA is providing masterplanning, design, and project management for the attraction, which will offer permanent exhibits, activities, and plenty of fuzzy, feathery shenanigans. is expected to welcome 50,000 visitors each year. See this project and more at the JRA booth.

Visit JRA at booth #1369

This year’s IAAPA Expo celebrates 100 years of the organisation and is expected to draw more than 35,000 industry professionals from more than 100 countries to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, US.

The expo is the world’s largest conference and trade show for the attractions industry, which has an estimated US$360bn global economic impact. Alongside its vast show floor, IAAPA offers a programme of more than 100 educational sessions and presentations by leading operators on industry trends, new technology, marketing and communications, entertainment, government relations, safety and security, food and beverage, games and merchandise, facility operations, human resources, and more.

This year’s keynote speaker is Disney’s Parks and Resorts chair Bob Chapek, who will talk at the GM and Owners’ Breakfast on 14 November, offering insight into his more than 25 years of leadership at the global entertainment giant.

The conference takes place from 12-15 November and the trade show from 13-16 November. Buyers and decisionmakers from the world of theme parks, waterparks, FECs, zoos and aquariums, and museums will all be in attendance for the event.

The trade show floor will fill 560,000sq ft (52,000sq m) of exhibit space with more than 1,100 exhibiting companies displaying the latest products and services. For the first time in Expo history, the show floor will extend beyond the walls of the convention center into outdoor structures created just for the event. Dubbed the “Exploration Station,” this area creates new exhibit space for more than 100 exhibiting companies.