IAAPA Expo 2026 Orlando Guide: Dates, Costs & Attendees
By Ilyas Kerbal,
IAAPA Expo 2026 runs from 16 to 20 November at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, with its largest footprint so far thanks to an expansion into the West Building. More than 1,100 companies exhibit, and 170+ education sessions run alongside.
The show serves the global attractions industry: theme parks, water parks, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums and the suppliers who build and run them. This guide covers what to know and how to reach the operators who make buying decisions.
IAAPA Expo 2026 at a glance
| Next edition | 16-20 November 2026 |
| Venue | Orange County Convention Center (incl. West Building in 2026) |
| City | Orlando, Florida, USA |
| Typical month | November |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Attendance | ~40,000-43,000 attendees from 100+ countries |
| Exhibitors | 1,100+ exhibiting companies |
| Industry | Attractions, amusement & leisure |
| Organizer | IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) |
| Official website | iaapa.org |
What is IAAPA Expo?
IAAPA Expo is the largest event for the global attractions industry. Ride manufacturers, game makers, ticketing and guest-experience tech providers, food and merchandise suppliers and designers meet operators of theme parks, water parks, zoos, museums and family entertainment centers.
The 2026 edition has the show’s largest footprint so far, with 170+ education sessions plus behind-the-scenes tours of Orlando attractions.
Where and when to find IAAPA Expo
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando (expanding into the West Building in 2026).
Does it change location? No. Orlando every November (IAAPA also runs Expo Europe and Expo Asia).
Orlando skyline across the water. Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash.
Who attends IAAPA Expo?
- Theme park and attraction operators
- Family entertainment center owners
- Zoo, aquarium and museum leaders
- Designers and developers
- Investors
Many visitors are operators, dealers or practitioners rather than corporate buyers, so not every badge is a lead. A filtered attendee list helps you find the distributors, chains and larger companies worth talking to.
Going to IAAPA Expo with a sales target? Start with the actual list of people who will be there. Enriched profiles, CRM-ready format, delivered before the show. Contact Prospector
What IAAPA Expo covers
- Rides and attractions
- Arcade, games and FEC equipment
- Water parks
- Ticketing, POS and guest experience tech
- Immersive and XR experiences
- Food, beverage and merchandise
- Design, theming and construction
Why B2B teams should care about IAAPA Expo
Attraction operators buy everything from rides and games to ticketing, POS, guest-experience technology and food and beverage programmes. Many of those purchases are planned around IAAPA, where operators can compare suppliers in one place.
The audience is international and ranges from large park groups to single-site entertainment centers. For suppliers, the useful step is separating the multi-site operators and park groups from the independents, so sales time goes to accounts that can buy at scale.
Should you go to IAAPA Expo?
Best for: companies whose customers are the operators, dealers and distributors that IAAPA Expo attracts, and who want to see a whole industry in one place.
Less ideal for: enterprise software vendors targeting C-level buyers only. The crowd at IAAPA Expo is broad, so the attendee list has to be filtered hard before outreach.
Passes and pricing
| Option | Price / details |
|---|---|
| Also good to know | Registration is open for industry professionals; IAAPA members get lower rates |
| Also good to know | Expo-only and education packages are sold separately (pricing on iaapa.org) |
| Typical cost | Expo-only typically low hundreds of dollars; education packages more. |
Prices change between editions and by registration date, so treat these as a guide and check iaapa.org before you buy.
The IAAPA Expo app and platform
IAAPA publishes an official expo app each year with exhibitors, maps and education schedules.
The official app is good for finding a booth or a session. It is much less useful for prospecting: data is thin, you can’t export it, and messaging limits stop you from reaching more than a handful of people a day.
IAAPA Expo: strengths and weaknesses
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Unique global audience of attraction operators | Niche vertical |
| Strong international buyer presence | Purchasing cycles can be long and capex-heavy |
| Mix of big operators and independents | Orlando hotels during the show |
Getting meetings at IAAPA Expo
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6-8 weeks before | Get the attendee and exhibitor list. Segment it by job title, company size and industry, and remove existing customers and competitors. |
| 3-5 weeks before | Start outreach on email and LinkedIn. Mention the event, give a specific reason to meet and offer two or three time slots. |
| Show week | Confirm every meeting 48 hours ahead, keep a short list of walk-in targets, and log every conversation in your CRM the same day. |
| 1-5 days after | Follow up while the event is still fresh, then add non-responders to a nurture sequence. |
Orlando hosts behind-the-scenes tours of local attractions during the expo. Inviting prospects to meet before or after a tour is an easy way to secure time with busy operators.
Already exhibiting at several shows this year? I can track the same buyers across events so nobody falls through the cracks. Talk to me about IAAPA Expo and your other shows.
Frequently asked questions
When is IAAPA Expo 2026?
16-20 November 2026. Dates can shift, so confirm on the official website (iaapa.org) before booking travel.
Where is IAAPA Expo held?
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando (expanding into the West Building in 2026).
Does it move? No. Orlando every November (IAAPA also runs Expo Europe and Expo Asia).
How much does a IAAPA Expo ticket cost?
Expo-only typically low hundreds of dollars; education packages more. See the pricing table above for pass types.
Who attends IAAPA Expo?
Mainly theme park and attraction operators; family entertainment center owners; zoo, aquarium and museum leaders; designers and developers.
Can I get the IAAPA Expo attendee list?
Event organisers rarely sell attendee lists. Prospector builds one for you from the event app and website: attendees, exhibitors and speakers, enriched with job title, company, company size, industry, LinkedIn profile and work email where available, delivered as a CRM-ready file before the event. Ask about IAAPA Expo here.
Get the IAAPA Expo attendee list
Planning for IAAPA Expo? Send me a message on Prospector. Tell me who you sell to, and I’ll come back with what the attendee and exhibitor data looks like for this event.
Related event guides
- G2E 2027 Guide: Global Gaming Expo Dates & Who Attends
- IMEX America 2026 Guide: Dates, Hosted Buyers & Attendees
- InfoComm 2027 Orlando Guide: Dates, Passes & Attendees
Photo credits
- Cover image: Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
- In-article image: Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash
Sources
Event details were last checked in October 2026. Dates, venues and prices can change, so confirm them on the official event website.