With the rapid growth of the amusement and leisure industry, the operation of theme parks, waterparks, indoor parks and resorts has gradually improved and matured. In order to continually attract tourists, the creative ideas for innovations of attractions equipment as well as the expansion of complementary product lines are particularly important.

In line with the concept of providing a larger business platform for the whole industry and injecting fresh ideas into the attractions industry, Beijing hosted the 2019 China Attractions Expo (hereafter referred to as the ‘Beijing Expo’) over the first three days of April.

The scale of the exhibition, the number of exhibitors and the number and quality of professional visitors, as well as the satisfaction felt by all sides reached record highs. In the exhibition hall measuring 70,000 square meters, more than 700 exhibitors gathered with international exhibitors accounting for 24.7%.

Exhibitors showing innovative products accounted for 49.5%, while new exhibitors making their debuts accounted for 28%. In just three days, the expo attracted 43,372 professional visitors from well-known attractions such as theme parks, water parks and ancient towns, as well as professions such as B&Bs and commercial real estate. There were 31,593 domestic visitors accounting for 72.84%, and 10,772 visitors came from overseas, accounting for 24.84%. Non-domestic neighboring visitors numbered 1007, accounting for 2.32%.

Adhering to concepts such as communication, cooperation, development and win-win situations, the Beijing Expo has had 33 editions now, with everyone hoping to promote healthy and stable development of the industry through creativity and innovation. Another intention is to promote technical exchanges and cooperation across different industries by creating a professional, boundary-crossing attraction industry event.

Through interviews with exhibiting companies, Asia Attractions found that some developments are quietly pushing the attractions industry to move in a healthier direction. The future we have been expecting is arriving now.

The biggest change in the most recent Beijing Expo compared to past expos is that images and visuals have become more popular. Most exhibitors, especially large equipment suppliers, no longer bring large or bulky products to the hall, but often use a relatively lightweight booth to display their high-quality projects on screens. This undoubtedly saves more space in the hall which allows even more companies to participate in the annual expo.

In the bustling hall, the sights of the latest innovative attractions and wonderful projects are a feast for the eyes. It is gratifying that the equipment technology of Chinese water parks has made great progress through the tireless efforts of domestic suppliers. For example, the electromagnetically launched water rollercoaster designed by a domestic supplier broke the monopolisation of foreign equipment manufacturers and was joyous news for the domestic water park equipment manufacturing industry.

Breakthrough technology is a unique scene that any exhibition or expo looks forward to, and the Beijing Expo certainly lived up to the expectations this time around. The latest expo revealed truly great progress and transformation in the attractions industry.

In addition to technological innovations, cross-border applications of medium and large equipment were more eye-catching in the Beijing Expo. Some equipment such as that found in theme parks, commercial centers, family-oriented entertainment centers, large shopping malls and airports, have seen the implementation of extensive equipment integration. The medium and large equipment is no longer just for amusement parks, but also for various entertainment venues in the form of multi-scene applications.

At the same time, the equipment has also applied differentiation strategies, actively explored customised services, and strove to reverse the inherent limitations of large and medium-sized equipment.

The Beijing Expo also shifted its focus from product design to the interaction between players and the equipment. The parent-child equipment particularly showed its vitality. With the family attractions becoming increasingly popular, the equipment has evolved into a more friendly and suitable style.

A lot of large-scale equipment and water equipment suppliers have also begun to explore new interactive parent-child products, and the question of ‘How to integrate family interaction and safety in the equipment?’ has set off an animated discussion among industry leaders. As for the products of this expo, all types of equipment containing family interaction elements received encouraging reviews. We believe that in the near future, this trend will no longer be the words of our industry but will become an irrefutable fact.

And so, another edition of the Beijing Expo has concluded, and we have witnessed the quality of China’s amusement industry steadily improving. At the same time, more and more competitors are joining the industry which will lead to increasingly fierce competition. That should become a driving force for the suppliers of the attractions industry to help push them on to create safer and better equipment, to develop even more thrilling products and to design an even more immersive paradise. These improvements and changes are making China’s amusement parks more attractive than ever.

We are all looking forward to another cutting-edge expo next year.

The China Attractions Expo 2020 will be held over the days of March 21-23 at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing. If you need more information or you want to book a booth, please contact the exclusive overseas agency L&A International Ltd at [email protected].