After our first whirlwind day at IAAPA Expo Asia and our special night at Universal Studios Singapore, we still had plenty of time to check out more on the show floor. Here’s what we got to experience on our second day of the Expo! If you missed our report from the first day, you can read it here.

The Show Floor (Part 2 – Electric Boogaloo)

While I was able to see a lot on the show floor on the first day, I wanted to spend more time looking through the booths and spending a little more time interacting with some of the displays and vendors.

There were a few surprises.

Souvenir Tableware – ZICCO

If you’ve watched any food videos at the theme parks, you know how much I’m a sucker for souvenir plates. Well, we met one of the companies that makes them for various parks!

ZICCO Tableware has partnered with many large brands worldwide, including many Disney parks worldwide, to develop character-themed melamine tableware that we Explorers know and love. Besides our favourite Disney items, they also work with brands to produce custom-branded goods from the ground up.

Maybe some TDR Explorer plates or mugs are in order?

Modular-based Attractions – Triotech

Triotech, a Canadian company specializing in immersive and interactive media-based attractions, had several ride vehicles and interactive systems on display, along with some of their ride vehicles and designs available.

Of particular note was their modular-based attractions system that could be customized to any set-up or form factor, along with their Hyper Ride system developed during the pandemic!

I thought that was quite clever and fit into different spaces.

VR 360 Attraction that Throws You Around

Located in a prime spot right inside the door of the show floor, DOF Robotics brought the big guns with their Hurricane VR 360 attraction that attendees could try out for themselves.

Not only does the ride turn, spin, twist, and go upside-down, but riders are fully immersed as they wear a VR headset while they do it.

While I couldn’t work up the courage to try it myself, those who did look like they had a blast. I didn’t want to risk my lunch coming back up for seconds.

In addition to the show floor, there was one more education session that I wanted to attend.

Excellence in Retail and Merchandising

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of theme park merchandise, and you’ve probably watched one of our plethora of videos over the years. Once I saw a talk about merchandise, I knew I couldn’t miss it.

Hosted by David Koo from Walt Disney Attractions Japan, and Daniel Cuffe of Universal Beijing Resort, the session broke down what the two companies look at when developing the merchandise that we Explorers love, as well as how they tailor the shopping experiences to make our time in their stores the best that it can be. 

It was interesting to find that while both companies take similar design processes into account, and both are thorough in their factory audits, their methodology of store design is quite different.

The lead time for development in both companies also varies quite a bit. Items that you see on release day could have been designed years prior. It’s fun to see “behind the curtain” and learn how things work and how much effort is involved in bringing ideas to life.

IAAPA Expo Asia Was a Blast

With a mix of thrills on the show floor and very informative education sessions from industry leaders, the team and I had a great time at IAAPA Expo Asia 2023. It was also great to meet and see some people responsible for creating the rides, food, and merchandise I’ve seen and loved for many years. 

Being a part of this Expo and bringing it to you, Explorers, has been a real treat!

Thank you for joining me while I attended the IAAPA Expo Asia 2023. I want to thank IAAPA again for inviting the team and me to join in and cover the Expo and for making us feel so welcome.

The dates and location for next year’s Expo have already been announced; IAAPA Expo Asia takes place on May 27 to 30, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand. 

I hope that we’ll be able to join in on the fun next year as well. If you haven’t already, check out my social media channels for the rest of this year’s IAAPA Expo Asia 2023 coverage.

This is a sponsored blog post from IAAPA Expo Asia 2023.