The Russian Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (RAAPA) has declared its 20th anniversary exhibition a success, with almost 4,000 industry professionals passing through the doors.

Staged from March 1 to 3 in pavilion 75 of the VDNH exhibition halls in Moscow, the event was held with support from IAAPA and general sponsor the Pax Group. Over 200 companies from more than 20 countries exhibited products and services, including a record 36 new exhibitors.

RAAPA has identified a number of trends at this year’s Expo:

• Return of the dinosaurs. Animatronics and robotic dinosaurs of all sizes could be met in Moscow. Almost all of them were sold out at the show, making them one of the most in-demand products in the amusement industry.

• Big wheel keep on turning. This classic ride remains an evergreen, with examples marketed at this year’s show by nearly 10 manufacturers. Most of those companies brought along cabins for inspection alongside the brochures.

• VR OD. Each year, more and more providers of virtual reality experiences take up space at RAAPA Expo, and there was a positive overdose in 2018. Interactive video mapping was also evident.

• Distinctively designed playgrounds. Many companies were offering turnkey solutions for children’s entertainment complexes, as well as franchising opportunities.

• Waterpark and FEC design. A considerable number of exhibitor offered their services for those developing new indoor waterparks or family entertainment centres.

• F&B goes interactive. As well presenting their equipment and products, many food and beverage suppliers also conducted culinary workshops during RAAPA Expo.

In addition to the above, there was a wide array of family and children attractions, inflatables, trampolines, ropes courses and soft play equipment. Gold medals were given to the exhibitors Brunswick/KidsPlay, Polin Waterparks, Italpark, PlaySpace, RIF, Aqua Fun Park Products SprintMix, Altay Kompozit, New Horizons and RAZAP.

As part of the accompanying education programme at RAAPA Expo, visits were made to a handful of FECs and playgrounds

Further awards were presented during various evening events. On March 1, the Italian publishing house Facto Edizioni staged its latest Golden Pony Moscow ceremony. Recognised this year were attractions including ChaiLand FEC (Syktyvkar), city park Lukomorie (Saratov), Funky Town FEC (Kostanay, Kazakhstan), Happylon Adventure FEC (Astana, Kazakhstan), city park Lakreevsky Les (Cheboksary), whaterpark Ulyot (Ulianovsk), Funny Jungle FEC (Krasnogorsk), (Moscow), Play Ventura FEC (Kursk), ZaZa Land park (Yerevan, Armenia) and Moscow’s own Panda Park – Mescherskiy.

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of RAAPA Expo, the organising committee awarded the most long-term partners and exhibitors with commemorative awards during a gala reception on March 2.

The exhibition, as always, was accompanied by a topical business forum, attended this time by over 400 professionals. The largest audience was attracted by a round table on “New technologies and franchises of amusement industry” where the the use of VR technologies and mobile apps in FECs was discussed. Another popular session was the seminar “Actual technologies for increasing the efficiency of water parks operation” which gathered a significant number of Russian and foreign experts. Several sessions focused on FECs and there were also seminars/workshops addressing outdoor parks, cultural entertainment and safety.

“The 20th anniversary RAAPA Expo results show that the amusement industry in Russia keeps developing,” noted a spokesperson. “The exhibition displayed current trends of the world entertainment market, including the modern technologies and leisure formats that will bring joy to the visitors of parks, waterparks and FECs in the near future.”

The association plans to stage its 12th RAAPA Autumn Expo this October (3 to 5), before the big RAAPA Expo returns for a 21st year from March 13 to 15, 2019. The VDNH will be the venue for both events.