That’s how most people pronounce IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions).  Every year IAAPA hosts a very large trade show in the US.  This year it was held in sunny Orlando, Florida, and it was quite a nice relief to the frigid temperatures here in Ohio.

our booth at the IAAPA trade show

We’ve had a booth for many years, but we always add something new each year. This year we added the banner stands in this photo highlighting our 4 roller coasters to date. We also were showcasing the newly overhauled Splinter^fx themed wooden roller coaster concept.

the splinterfx immersively themed wooden coaster

In years past we have had a model of our compact Splinter style wooden coaster on display.  This year we wanted to show how you could easily enclose and theme this coaster, creating a family adventure ride like nothing else.  The cars on a splinter are able to maneuver through a six-foot radius – that’s over three times smaller than what a typical wooden coaster car can do.  We are pretty excited about all of the possibilities with this ride style.  Who ever thought you could easily put a wooden coaster inside a pre-engineered metal building?  For our Splinter^fx model we decided to give the ride an aquatic theme.

watch out for the creepy moray eel

Of course, IAAPA isn’t complete without many trips to the Coke booth for free drinks.

mike with the coke bear