The escalated agiotage in early March caused by the coronavirus epidemic until the last moment questioned the holding of the RAAPA EXPO exhibition this spring. The entry ban for Chinese representatives has reduced the number of exhibitors, while Chinese manufacturers are one of the main foreign suppliers of amusement equipment to Russia. In addition, the imposition of restrictions on European countries also influenced the fact that some companies were unable to come to Moscow. The tense atmosphere created by the media could have affected the attendance of the event. But, despite all this, RAAPA EXPO-2020 exhibition took place and was successful as always.
More than 150 companies took part in the exhibition!
The exhibition was attended by some 4000 people over a three-day period!
Some 450 experts participated in business events!
Participants
The 22nd International Exhibition "Amusement Rides and Entertainment Equipment RAAPA EXPO-2020" was held on March 12-14, 2020 in Moscow, VDNH, pavilion 75.
The exhibition was organized by the Russian Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (RAAPA). General sponsor of the exhibition is Pax Design company; general media partner - Amusement Industry Catalogue; web partners of the exhibition: vtorio.com and others.
The exhibition was attended by more than 150 companies (35 of them participated for the first time) from more than 20 countries: USA, Canada, Belarus, Ukraine, Japan, Turkey, France, Belgium, Taiwan, Germany, China, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, etc. A number of companies that for objective reasons were unable to send their specialists were represented by partners from Russia and from other countries.
The exhibition showcased all the main trends of the modern amusement industry: park amusement rides, gaming machines, 5D cinemas, VR attractions, kiddie playgrounds and sports grounds, shooting galleries, trampolines, activity parks, access control devices, automation systems, billiards, bowling, water parks, vending equipment, vending and prize-winning machines, design services for parks, water parks and amusement centers, staff training, event management, landscape and theme design, food services and more.
In terms of the novelties of this year, it is worth to highlight the following:
• a unique simulator "Parachutist" from the "Nord Press" company;
• all kinds of VR/AR rides;
• various options for theme design of amusement rides and park areas; artificial landscaping and interior design of amusement centers and restaurants;
• "Tankodrom" attraction - miniature tanks, which can be an excellent solution for a family holiday in the parks;
• joint booth of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia, where from the small details one could learn how to organize a profitable catering point;
• component parts and ready-made solutions for playgrounds;
• unique rope and knitted parks;
• telemetry and cashless payments in parks and amusement centers;
• sharing of microtransport in recreational areas and much more.
The best expositions were awarded with RAAPA Gold Medals. Those are the booths of the following companies: OtAdoYA, Polin Waterparks (Turkey), Altai Composite, AeroMir, Sparta, WhiteWater (Canada), Attraplast, PC Carousel, "Tankodrom" Attraction, Universal terminal systems, Nord Press.
Visitors
The exhibition was visited by about 4000 experts over a three day period: managers and top managers of parks, amusement centers, water parks, representatives of cities’ and regions’ administrations, developers and investors, owners and directors of resorts, hotels, leisure complexes, manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of amusement equipment, private entrepreneurs, representatives of mass-media, and other parties concerned.
Business program
This year the business program of the exhibition was very eventful. More than 450 experts took part in various business trainings, conferences, seminars and master classes. The speakers of the events were leading experts from Russia and abroad.
"My team" (team of Surgut Happylon amusement park) held two workshops: “Birthday: all-season anti-crisis business”, "Boost your amusement park!" business practicum, showing the trump cards on how to succeed in the amusement business.
The business breakfast "Amusement center in a small city" (speaker - Ksenia Yeliseeva) and seminar "Revenue generators of amusement business" (speaker - Lyudmila Kiseleva) were devoted to the issues related to the organization of amusement centers activities.
The conference "Trends in the development of amusement park industry in Russia. Formation of the theme parks market" was one of the most visited events, which gathered together all the leading players in the park industry. The culmination of the event was an excursion to the recently opened in Moscow "DREAM ISLAND" theme park.
The round table "Major innovations and franchises of amusement industry 2020" became the second most visited event.
Various security issues of the amusement industry were discussed at the seminar "Key safety aspects in the amusement business".
The conference program "Organization of effective waterpark operation. Current trends for the development of water entertainment complexes" has also become very rich.
For the first time, business of arcades and prize-winning attractions topic was raised in detail on the training “Secrets of highly-profitable operation of prize arcade attractions and shooting galleries” (moderated by Nikolai Dolzhansky, head of the BOLID group of companies).
New requirements for state registration of rides and other legal problems were considered at the seminar "Current legal issues in the operation of amusement rides and children's play equipment" (moderated by Taras Buryak).
Different views on how to increase the profitability of the park with the help of events were suggested by experts at the seminar “Every day is a holiday: park events leading to profit growth”.
The topic about how virtual reality conquers the amusement industry was discussed at the round table “VR epoch: multimedia technologies for business and entertainment”.
Also, the 2nd interuniversity practical conference “Modern leisure industry: vectors of modernization”, organized jointly by the Moscow State Institute of Culture and RAAPA, was held in the framework of the exhibition.
Golden Pony 2020
Unfortunately, the 10th jubilee Golden Pony Moscow 2020 award ceremony took place without the participation of Italian organizers - the publishing house Facto Edizioni, who could not come to Russia due to the coronavirus. But, despite this, the ceremony took place and traditionally was held at a Gala Dinner dedicated to the opening of the exhibition.
In 2020, the award was won by: "Boshe Park", Stary Oskol; Ferris Wheel "Around the World", Kazan; "Gagarin Park", Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk; "Happylon" Amusement Park, Surgut; "Jungle Park", Almaty, Kazakhstan; "Magic City/Magic Ocean", Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; "Piterland" waterpark, St. Petersburg; RIF Group of Companies, Rostov-on-Don; "YURKIN PARK", Kirov/Kazan; "ZKidz City", Krasnodar.
25 years of RAAPA
The 2020 marks the 25th anniversary celebrated by the Russian Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Obviously, this event did not go unnoticed at the exhibition. The organizers gathered guests and partners for a solemn anniversary evening on the second day of the expo.
Competition
The competition "Theme amusement park through the eyes of Moscow schoolchildren" was for the first time held within the framework of the RAAPA EXPO-2020 exhibition. Within a month sсhoolchildren of 5–11 grades were developing theme park projects under the guidance of teachers, which were later presented at the exhibition. Industry professionals could not only get acquainted with the ideas of young architects, but also voted for the project they liked.
One of the tasks of the competition was to promote the popularization and formation of interest to the professional amusement industry among the younger generation.
Despite all the difficulties that the world community and the amusement industry faced at the beginning of this year, the RAAPA EXPO-2020 exhibition was held and displayed current trends, modern technologies and new leisure formats. According to the reviews of the majority of participants and guests of the expo, it was successful and has become an important event for the amusement sector.
Currently, RAAPA EXPO is not just a platform demonstrating the latest amusement equipment, it is a unique business environment where industry professionals share experience, new ideas are born and projects, which contribute to the development and improvement of the leisure industry in our country, are launched.
We look forward to welcoming you at the forthcoming exhibitions RAAPA EXPO:
The 14th International Exhibition “RAAPA EXPO AUTUMN-2020”
October 28–30, 2020, Moscow, VDNH, pavilion 75
The 23rd International Exhibition of «Amusement Rides and Entertainment Equipment RAAPA EXPO-2021»
March 2021, Moscow, VDNH, pavilion 75
TOGETHER TO THE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENTS!
