BBLTranslation, IAAPA corporate member, took part last week in the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2015, the leading global exhibition for the attractions industry, held 17-20 November at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
As an agency specialising in, among others, translations for amusement parks, theme parks, water parks and companies providing photographic solutions for attractions, BBLTranslation wanted to be present at such an important event.
In reference to translation services, a new and interesting market opportunity need was reiterated for more technical Chinese language translations for amusement parks.
The trade fair was highly informative, showcasing brand new developments within the sector such as attractions that are becoming increasingly oriented towards virtual reality: finger coasters, where the user creates the route taken by the roller coaster; dark rides, such as those created by Sally Corporation inspired by the series The Walking Dead; laser mazes, simulators and, in general, large investments in animatronics.
In addition, it was also quite an exceptional event because of the magnitude of the conferences, seminars and speakers. Barbara Beatrice Lavitola, CEO of BBLTranslation, attended presentations such as Photo-Operations: Optimizing In-Park Revenue, given by Joseph Leung, Executive Director of Revenue at Ocean Park, Hong Kong, who highlighted the tremendous potential of photos within the range of services offered by the parks, and Young Professionals Reception, an event sponsored by Holovis that brought together industry professionals aged between 18 and 35 who were given the opportunity to exchange ideas and interact in a multicultural environment.
Other speakers included successful young people such as Ash Smart, ICAE, Director of Harbour Park; Marika Barranco, Guest Experience Administration Manager from the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California; Brad Okeson, mechanical engineer and founder of Theme Park Engineering Group, now at Walt Disney Imagineering in Orlando; and Will Morey, Director of Operations at one of the two Morey’s Piers in New Jersey.
On Friday 20th November, the last day of the fair, Duncan Wardle, Vice President of Creative Inc. Walt Disney Company, amazed everyone with the ToyBox workshop, during which he shared, in a brainstorming session with the audience, the creative thinking flow and the process of how to change perspective from “Me” to “We”. In his reflections he explored the importance of playfulness in the creative process and how to access 88% of our brain to create new ideas, identifying barriers and daily stimuli that help us to think differently.
Most of the presentations were in English although some of them did offer simultaneous interpretation into Spanish.
BBLTranslation had the pleasure of taking part in the incredible I-Drive 360 night organised by IAAPA. The complex, recently opened in the spring, was decorated in style to accommodate professional IAAPA members for a completely different night of networking. The attendees, in between enjoying a drink and the delicious buffet dinner whilst being entertained by acrobats to liven up the night, had exclusive access to three attractions provided by the renowned British leisure company Merlin Entertainments: the observation wheel The Orlando Eye, the Sea Life aquarium and the wax museum Madame Tussauds. And for the occasion the I-Drive 360 complex delighted guests with a magical fireworks display.
NEW. NOW. NEXT! This is the tagline of the trade fair that opened its doors to provide us all with a highly enriching and one-of-a-kind experience. We know that these memories are unique but we are excited to find out what awaits us next year. And in 2016 don’t miss the brand new Euro Attractions Show (EAS) that will be held in Barcelona!
