Manufacturers, suppliers enjoy a solid and successful IAAPA Expo
AT: Tim Baldwin
tbaldwin@amusementtoday.com
ORLANDO — With heavy foot traffic, most of the manufacturers at IAAPA Expo 2025 were quite pleased with the show. It went without saying that the industry seemed healthy. Amusement Today spoke with numerous manufacturers during the week, and the common thread was that they were pleased.
Mack Rides is staying busy.
“We did 13 ride openings, including six roller coasters in 2025,” Maximilian Roeser, marketing, said. “Of course, Futuro Scope with the Rocking Boat was probably the most impactful besides the Stardust Racers and the whole Epic Universe project. We had three media-based attractions, two of them with the prototype of the Gameplay Theater; that is taking off quite well.”
For 2026, the booth had a big reveal of the NightFlight Expedition vehicle for Dollywood. This signature attraction will be four experiences in one — a boat ride, a roller coaster, a flying theater and a rapids ride. “It’s the perfect tool for those who want to tell stories,“ Roeser said.
Six Flags Qiddiya City is debuting a water coaster and boat blaster from Mack.
A launched water coaster is currently being installed at Frietzetpark Plohn in Germany.
Beyond 2026, Mack could speak about numerous projects. In 2027, Mack Rides will be supplying another Stryker coaster in Europe, as well as a family-launched coaster.
Roeser said there is high interest in trackless dark rides also, including standalone attractions where people dine while moving through an immersive experience.
Two Extreme Spinning Coasters are on tap, one in the U.S. in 2027 and Plopsaland Deutschland in 2028.
Four family spinning coasters have been ordered, one as early as 2027 in the U.S. Two traditional family coasters are coming to the U.S. in ’26 and ’27.
Plopsaland Belgium has announced a flying theater in 2027.
A Power Splash ride was also purchased by a park in Asia.
Mack Rides’ home park, Europa-Park, has announced a family coaster in 2028 to replace its Euro-Mir.
Zamperla had much to showcase.
“We announced the double heart in the summer of 2021 and the family thrill launch at IAAPA ‘21, and now we have both of those opening in 2026,” said Adam Sandy, roller coaster sales. “We have two double hearts sold; I can talk about the one at Lotte World Adventure Busan. It will be the fourth coaster there but definitely unique to the whole region, which we’re super excited about. That one will have lights on the train, so it’ll be very cool as it flies through the course.”
Sandy couldn’t speak yet on the second installation. ”We have a lot of landlocked clients in Europe who just need small-space coasters, but high and marketable. Asia too. We’ve had several talks this week where I expect to sell a few more in short order.”
Parc Spirou in France will be receiving the family thrill launch coaster. A Nebulaz will also be going into the area.
Zamperla brought two new flat rides to the show, Red Tailz and Wingz. The small children’s ride lets the rider push a button to experience a whip-style fling outward. The taller Wingz barely fit into the Expo hall, but it was a big eye-catcher that drew crowds.
“We’re looking at interactivity,” said Ramon Rosario. “We want people to be involved in the fun.”
On Wingz, riders flap their arms to make the vehicles rise. It is a creative experience. A camera is responsive to the rider’s motions.
“The guy who came up with it was concerned that people won’t want to look silly, but you look here …” Rosario said, gesturing to the nonstop line of riders. “This show has proven that wrong. As we do, we start small and then create a bigger attraction. Our goal is to have an attraction like this with 48 people, 60 people and a lot of flapping. That’ll be a spectacle.”
The ride on display was headed to Morgan’s Wonderland. Two of the vehicles allow wheelchairs to roll directly aboard.
“We already have seven flat rides that fall into our All Access lineup,” said Michael Coleman, North American sales. “I want everyone to understand that it’s not just about wheelchair access. It’s anything that we make that takes a step beyond legal compliance. Rides where we implement a four-point safety harness for folks that may have torso control issues or may have limb differences that would be excluded from a ride like a Neublaz, a Discovery or our Twister coaster.”
He also said Zamperla had developed a teacup ride between its midi class and the multi-turntable model. “We’re now able to have that single turntable operation to get over 30 in capacity. We can fit in five real adults.”
Coleman noted Zamperla was rolling out an after-sales portal system to streamline communication with operators’ own unique login.
Intamin spoke on everything from the immediate to as far as 2028. The imminent opening of Six Flags Qiddiya City has major projects from the manufacturer. Falcon’s Flight will take the record for the world’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster. A second coaster, Spitfire, is a launched coaster with the world’s tallest inversion at 239 feet.
On display was the ride vehicle for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, which will be opening at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2026. It is both a launched and spinning coaster with onboard sound and four inversions.
Intamin was also promoting new elements for flume rides: a diagonal drop, swing splash (where boats move through a splashdown section and enter a vertical spike element), and a bungee lift, which will offer controlled drops on a vertical lift.
“When we posted it on social media, we had an unbelievable amount of interest,” said Michele Jehle, marketing.
The family-launched coaster was also something Intamin was promoting, emphasizing its one-meter/39-inch height requirement.
“We won the TEA Award for the Dynamic Motion Stage (Danse Macabre, Efteling),” said Sascha Czibulka, vice president. This award was added to its Golden Ticket win from AT.
On the horizon is a major coaster project with Parc Astérix for 2028. The coaster will be an anchor attraction for a new Londinium area. This is an indoor Multi-Dimension Coaster with spinning cars and will include a vertical rollback.
When asked what most meetings were about, since Intamin has a broad portfolio of coasters, water rides, theaters and more, Czibulka told AT: “You may not be fully satisfied with this answer, but it is a little bit of everything. And that’s our big advantage — we are not relying on one specific trend, and we can cater to different categories. And I would say we cater to them well.”
Alterface will be a partner on the Parc Astérix project.
“This one is going to be really incredible, although we have to be patient,” said Laurence Beckers, creative director, Alterface. “The area will be London, so it’s a kind of British-style. It’s something that happened in the comic books — in the old time between Asterix and Obelix. They are funny, super funny. You can make jokes about the British and how they behave.”
The interactive object on the project will not be a gun, but a device with a magic motion.
Before that, Alterface will have other projects, including Six Flags Qiddiya City’s dark ride, which will use a “spray” in a greenhouse to make the elements come alive.
“There’s fluorescence but also animals in the scenery,” said Beckers. “You have scenery and also video mapping. It’s a very huge screen.”
Alterface is also involved with the dark ride going to Kings Island in 2026. In addition, an unannounced project where guests use a torch lamp and have a headset allowing their own content is forthcoming.
“We are happy because we tried for years to communicate the fact that interactivity is not only about shooting,” Beckers told AT. “People can paint, they can use a magic wand, they can spray, they can explore.”
ETF partners with many companies. “We have quite a nice order portfolio right now,” said Jos Sloesen, chief sales officer. “Unfortunately, I cannot say too much because there are always NDAs on projects. But there are some very nice projects which we have on the radar that will be supplied and commissioned next year, both in North America and Europe.”
One installation Sloesen could speak toward is the Enchanted Greenhouse at Six Flags Qiddiya City. “It was a cooperation between JuraVision, Alterface and ourselves. We also commissioned a project at Madurodam (The Hague) in July. It’s the biggest investment they have ever made, and yet it is a dark ride on a very small footprint on the history of windmills in the Netherlands. You are on the same track four times, but each time you see something different. It’s absolutely a very nice dark ride.”
Since July, ETF has been part of the Intamin group.
Roman Rothe of RES Rides spoke about past rides of 2025 as well as upcoming projects. “The vertical dark ride, which we built at Conny-Land in Switzerland, is called the Crazy Professor. It’s a combination of a freefall tower and a movie. A crazy professor invents a gravity-defying machine and the gondola goes up and he makes some mistakes. There are rats and special effects. And in the end, there is a freefall.”
Rothe says a new dynamic version coming will involve gamification.
RES has also introduced an interactive observation tower. Gamification has been added, which means riders pull a rope to go up and interact with targets.
A Brass Ring was awarded to Pumpen at Grona Lund. “This ride is special because it’s a one-column connection, one foundation. You can run one arm or both. You have airtime, you have freefall, you have G force. You can run thrilling movements. And what’s also nice is that the park can make its own program that fits their demographic,” Rothe said.
Adventureland in New York will be opening a Wave Twist L from RES, the first of its kind. Parc Descombs in France will open another one later in the summer.
S&S Worldwide has a broad portfolio. With its tower rides, Screamin’ Swings and roller coasters, the Utah company is very busy.
At IAAPA Expo, S&S was showcasing Rail Ryder, its new single-rail family coaster. In a press reveal, they showed not only a standard vehicle but also a themed version that paid homage to Arrow.
“We’ve had conversations with everyone — from FECs to large corporate parks,” said Jason Mons, CEO. “Everyone’s interested in it. It’s unique. And even if we’re talking about the largest version, the price is still attractive to the larger parks. The intention was to bring that project into every park, including the small ones and especially the FECs.”
In a surprise, in the hours following their press announcement, S&S made news available about a dual project going to Orlando’s I-Drive. It will include a multi-launched roller coaster and a three-legged tower ride.
“Things are moving quickly with that project,” said Preston Perkes, director of administration. “I think that’s how that whole thing will go.”
Among its announced projects, S&S has two Screamin’ Swings going into the brand-new COTAland (32-seat model) and Lagoon (40-seat model). Both swings feature S&S’ upgraded restraint system.
“The restraints come with more redundancy,” noted Mons. “There are no welds through that entire restraint. We’ve made it much more maintainable.”
As part of Six Flags Qiddiya City, the company’s tallest tower, at a record-breaking 475 feet, will debut with the park.
Of its three Axis roller coasters, the first installation will open in 2026.
“That ride still continues to get a lot of interest,” said Mons. “We’ve got a lot of parks that are looking at it.”
Zierer was satisfied with the show. “The most important thing is that we are still fully booked with orders,” said Marina Ernst-Weiderer, marketing.
Regarding 2026 installations, the family towers are among the supplier’s top sellers. Three double tower units are headed to Mexico, China and France. A triple tower is to be installed in Europe, and two single units are planned for France.
Several Wave Swingers are in production for the Asia regions, all of them being 56-seat units. Those come with eight double seats, a popular factor in these attractions.
“Our latest innovation, the Drifter, which opened in Särkänniemi this year, will have a number of successors with a wide variety of decorations in 2026,” said Ernst. “One of the upcoming Drifter units will be for Tobu Zoo Japan, another one for Great Britain and one for the Netherlands.”
“It’s generating a lot of interest at the show,” added Maximilian Biller, marketing. “A lot of parks recognize that the main business lies with the families. I think we have a strong portfolio within the family section.”
While not specified, several coasters are in production for England, China and the Netherlands of various layouts and configurations. A Star Shape for a Japan location has been ordered for 2027.
The Gravity Group is returning to Kings Island for more work on the legendary Beast.
“It’s a big project,” said Michael Graham, principal, TGG. “It’s basically equal to a small wooden roller coaster.”
A major section of the helix is being replaced from the concrete up. It will include TGG’s engineered pre-cut track, which has seen new developments. A combination of the vertical stack is now coupled with a horizontal stack.
“You’re getting a lot of the strength of the vertical with the horizontal control over your shape.” He furthered: “The other big evolution piece this year is that the top steel has always been a strip of steel; in your curves, that’s where the most wear and tear happens. We said, ‘Let’s go ahead and take the top steel out to the actual. The side steel is actually pushing against the top steel. It’s a lot stronger track; we have the technology now to do that.”
Video showed how the display car had interior lighting — in this case lightning bolts — which could add dynamic flair during nighttime operations.
Other unannounced retracking projects are in the works. According to Graham, TGG has been busy with 40 engineered pre-cut track projects, averaging about 10 a year.
Reverchon was touting a new flume ride. Nicolas Reverchon emphasized that it was not just a new boat, but a new flume ride.
“For about 30 years, we’ve been delivering the standard flume model. It’s been in operation since about the 1990s,” he said. “The goal is to create a new ride, but also to offer something that can be retrofittable. Users who have a ride that has been operating for about 30 years could get this flume on their ride. The first objective is to upgrade the safety of the boat. We’ve created a separation between passengers. We have handling bars right in front of you.”
Another advantage is the new aesthetic.
“The look is now Atlantis,” Reverchon said. “The inspiration is Jules Verne. But it is customizable.”
For mobile operators, the company has developed a “night show” for the flume. For park operators, a dark ride-style ride is being developed to go with it.
Great Coasters International had a busy show. “We’ve had crazy foot traffic,” said Joyce Stablewski. “We’ve had a lot of impromptu meetings, which is always good. We’ve had a lot of interest from smaller parks. There is more of a diversity of different things this year.”
While the company does provide Titan Track as a solution, GCII still provides all-wood coasters as well.
Six Flags Qiddiya City has Colossus, a 95-foot woodie debuting with the park. “They wanted a white-knuckle ride,” said Stablewski. “People who have ridden have said it is crazy good.”
A new project in the Czech Republic is beginning construction in January with a late-2026 scheduled opening.
Skyline Attractions was pleased with the show.
“We are currently under contract for a major new attraction that will debut in 2028,” said Jeff Pike, president. “But that is as much as we can say, but it’s major.”
“Trail Runner has received a lot of attention,” added Chris Gray, vice president. “We’re putting Aurora on it.”
“We are interested in partnering with other manufacturers to put Aurora on other attractions,” said Pike.
Gray was confident that the Aurora light system would be a good fit for mountain coasters. “They’re all looking for flashy, ‘come-and-see-me.’ Some have strip lighting, but I can see this between the ties, so it’s mostly for the rider to see.”
Skyline is continuing its relationship with GCII. “The Titan Track that we provide, the designs for GCII have really taken off,” said Pike. “More than half of the customers who ordered Titan Track have become repeat customers. That’s a good indicator that something’s going right.”
The team also pointed out that Skyline had done a custom-type track for Blazing Fury at Dollywood.
Bolliger & Mabillard revealed a train vehicle for Six Flags Over Texas’ new Tormenta Rampaging Run, with two red eyes on the front. The coaster manufacturer also has a family inverted coaster going further south at SeaWorld San Antonio for 2026, which spotlights the range of capabilities from family projects to those surpassing 300 feet.
“We have a wide spectrum and variety of rides that accommodate riders of all demographics,” said Jonathan Smith, B&M. “We feature rides that meet the family demographic with family fun and then the high thrill.”
The family inverted coaster will have a height requirement of only 42 inches, while the towering dive coaster is 48 inches.
“The seating, containment and restraint system combined is certified and designed for 48 inches,” Smith said. “It’s something we wanted to do for a long time. It’s a sweet spot; it provides an opportunity to turn up the thrills a little bit but still ride as a family.”
B&M told AT that the firm launched its new website during the week of the show as well.
Vekoma has three coasters opening immediately at Six Flags Qiddiya City.
BON Luxury Theme Park is slated to open in 2026. Vekoma has installed four roller coasters there, along with an interactive boat ride. Two family coasters — one sit-down and one suspended — will be in the mix, along with a switchback coaster and the six-inversion, double-launch Tecuani Beast.
Other family coasters are headed to Finland and Vietnam, as well as a second switchback coaster and tilt coaster going to two of the VinWorld parks in Vietnam.
Family rides are a big seller for Vekoma, and three family boomerangs should open in 2026: Six Flags Mexico, one in France and another at one of the Karls Parks in Germany.
News of a new park, Cacau Park (Brazil), will bring multiple attractions from Vekoma. The Dutch firm will be providing three coasters: a suspended family coaster, a traditional sit-down family coaster and a four-inversion launched coaster. Vekoma will also provide a mad house and an interactive boat ride. The park is expected to open in 2027.
Of course, while COTAland will officially open in 2026, Circuit Breaker, America’s second tilt coaster, has been in previews this past fall.
At the expo, the company’s big reveal was a dark ride vehicle, Sea Quest, going into SeaWorld Orlando.
“The vehicles swing 20 degrees to the side, and they rotate 360 degrees,” said Carin Davits, marketing. “At SeaWorld, there will be two different heights, so it will feel like you are really diving under the sea like a scuba diver.”
The vehicles seat three adults or two adults with two children. The ride will sport 13 vehicles.
“People are just amazed by all the features. It will have onboard entertainment — the music, the lights, the whole package will be on the vehicle,” Davits said. “It’s a full immersive experience.”
Brogent will also have a major attraction at Brazil’s Cacau Park. It will be the first flying theater in South America.
“Our collaboration with Cacau Park represents an exciting milestone for Brogent,” said Chih-hung Ouyang, chairman, Brogent. “We are honored to bring the first flying theater experience crafted for Latin America and to work with a visionary partner who shares our passion for meaningful and inspiring experiences.”
“Working with Brogent allows us to bring an entirely new kind of attraction to our region,” said Alexandre Costa, CEO of Cacau Show, at the press conference. “Their expertise in creating immersive experiences will play an essential role in shaping the guest journey at Cacau Park. We are preparing different films for our audience, and with the full range of sensory effects, visitors will even be able to experience scents such as strawberry during the show.”
Brogent celebrated a major milestone as its new product, o-Ride X, won the Brass Ring Excellence Award for Best New Product Concept in the Major Ride category. Designed for double experience and double capacity, o-Ride X blends a motion theater and a flying theater into one seamless journey, moving guests from an interactive game-based experience to a deeply immersive flight.
Rocky Mountain Construction offered a surprise among the press announcements. Typically, coaster announcements on the show floor surround the debut of a vehicle; RMC actually announced a new coaster. Family Kingdom is installing a new single-rail raptor track attraction for 2026.
“It’s been a fast-moving project,” said Hunter Novotny, RMC. “They’ve been a great, great partner for us so far. This project has been in the works since April or May.”
Because of the site location at Family Kingdom, a standard model would not fit, so some customization will make this one unique among its brethren.
“It’s going to be more action than the other compact wrap-around,” said Joe Draves, designer.
RMC confirmed it will be a 12-passenger train.
Sally Dark Rides elicited cheers for the upcoming Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare headed to Kings Island.
Each cab is being redecorated but using the same route and same vehicles.
“The ride was never scary,” said Drew Hunter, VP creative design. “The nostalgia factor for this ride is immense. When the park did ‘Phantom Theater Encore’ show for the 50th, that just fanned the flames.”
The dark ride is in KI’s award-winning kids’ area.
“One of the most identifiable things about the ride was the music,” said Hunter. “We’ve taken those tunes and re-orchestrated them with new equipment and modern methods.”
The new version will have interactive elements where riders collect ghost notes.
“It’s 26 scenes. We’ve worked really hard on these characters to bring them to life and give them real personality,” Hunter said.
A mini-dark ride concept was announced at the show in 2024, and Sally already has one lined up for 2026, going to Doha Quest in Qatar.
“Feels like a win to me,” said Lauren Wood Weaver, VP marketing. “It’s exciting. We signed a contract this week, but it’s going to make it for ’26.”
The mini dark ride uses two vehicles.
“It’s a magic trick where two vehicles kind of hide from each other in these little pockets and go through the same space twice, but you don't ever realize you're doing it because we completely change the rooms,” said Weaver. “We have turntables that actually will rotate scenery in and out.”
The storyline is Guardians of the Hidden Chamber. “It’s scarier than most of our attractions,” said Weaver.
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters Inc. had a clever idea to showcase its refurbishment services. The Pennsylvania company took a car in its possession and demonstrated a before/after look with one side being completely redone while the other side remained untouched.
“It’s actually the same car,” said Tom Rebbie, president. “We’ve had a lot of people come up to us and tell us it’s a really good idea. It showcases the wear and tear the lap bars will see. When you have that side-by-side comparison, you’re going ‘Maybe we need to take another look at what we have.’ It’s a gradual, day-by-day domino effect.”
PTCI is busy in the offseason with refurbishment projects: Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags Great America, Great Escape, Dorney Park, Cedar Point, Kemah Boardwalk and Arnolds Park.
Triotech announced an impressive three new attractions, noting they weren’t just concepts but actual installations to debut in Montreal in 2026.
Electric Funfair reinvents classic carnival-style games with dynamic digital theming. Operators can alternate between haunted, sports and kids’ themes.
Energize! is a multi-room adventure where groups of two to 60 will be entertained through a dozen or more themed game rooms over the course of one hour. An integrated narrative evolves a storyline as participants progress through the experience.
Krazy Karts is an augmented karting system that can be installed inside any standard building, including those with structural columns. Using dynamic mapping technology, go-karts can navigate complex indoor layouts, blending the thrill of karting with the excitement of video games.
Chance Rides had a tram on display with solar panels on the roof.
“It uses lithium batteries,” explained Jay Aguilar. VP sales and marketing. “You plug it in for six hours, you have 100% battery. During the day, they are recharging the batteries about 80% through the solar panels.”
Aguilar explained the product is a collaboration with Swedish company EVX. Furthermore, Severn Lamb sells the same vehicle in Europe, and Chance covers North America.
Chance’s portfolio can attract clients looking for flat rides, carousels, wheels and coasters.
“Carousels have been popular this year,” he said. “It’s a mix of themes. Some of them want the traditional look of a classic carousel, but people are coming with different ideas with custom theming.”
Aguilar also pointed out: “This coming year is a very special year for the company. It will be 65 years. Chance is looking a little different with different approaches. We’re exploring some other ideas that hopefully we can announce to the industry in the next few months.”
Doppelmayr was having a great show, according to Gino Leslie, senior director of sales. “We saw a lot of traffic through here,” he said.
Sky rides are typically associated with mountainous regions, but Leslie said meetings went beyond that.
“We’ve had a lot of interest in urban transport, and some zoos came by to talk to us about transportation in the parks.”
2026 will be a busy year for Doppelmayr. “We’re up to 20 to 22 projects going in; these are ski lift projects, and that’s in the U.S.,” said Leslie. “We’re the global leader in ropeways. We can do anything from funiculars to trains. We did the Hogwarts trains at Universal. We do it all.”
Lagotronics was pleased with the 2025 projects at Europa-Park and Paultons Park.
“There are a lot of projects going on for 2026,” said Mark Beumers, CEO. “Everything is under NDA at the moment, so we can’t say much. We are working on a project in Abu Dhabi and several projects in South America in development.”
The attractions include dark rides and Game Changers, as well as a safari ride.
“It’s an outdoor safari ride similar to one we built in Germany many years ago,” Beumers said. “There’s one at Legoland California, too. The interactivity uses cameras with the animals.”
Gerstlauer was pleased with the response to the manufacturer’s first airtime coaster (Walibi Belgium) this past year.
“Considering it is only 15 meters high, but with three launches, it is the longest family coaster in the Benelux region,” said Jan-Philipp Roelle. “People are coming to us who have ridden it. I don’t know if it has ever been that good with a new ride that we have in the lineup.”
Gerstlauer is busy next year with installations going to Mandoria, Plopsaland Deutschland and Hansa-Park.
“Mandoria will be a bobsled coaster with individual four-seater vehicles,” said Roelle. “The park was an indoor location, but now they are expanding outside of the hall.”
“It starts with a chain lift, then you coast downward a bit, and after that you have a launch upward, like a drive-tire boost, and the backward section at the end,” he said. “The excitement keeps rising.”
Roelle was unable to speak openly about the project at Hansa, but the family coaster is also expected to go forward and backward with multiple launches.
A Eurofighter is going in at Paultons Park.
Also, while erection has been completed for some time, Palindrome, a shuttle coaster at COTAland will open in 2026.
Ride Entertainment represents Gerstlauer in North America, among its partners. However, it also does construction services and was involved in the majority of COTAland’s installations.
“Ride Maintenance and Installations does installations and maintenance for any manufacturer regardless,” explained Kris Rowberry, marketing, Ride Entertainment.
“I'm looking forward to having America's first Infinity shuttle coaster open to the public and for folks to get the opportunity to finally see what all the hype has been about all this time,” Rowberry said. “Going over the road upside down … we’re just really excited about it.”
RMI is expanding the team, owing to the demand, according to Rowberry.
Ride Entertainment represents many companies. “We’re seeing some good growth in smaller, family-owned farms. We call them agri-tainment. We feel we are perfectly positioned with the Metallbau Emmeln Pony Trek.”
Sunkid was promoting two specific products, a new coaster train and an updated Mountain Coaster 2.0.
“We have developed a new train with the goal that it is not as heavy as existing ones,” said Michael Kalsch. “Electrical stuff, restraint systems ... all that adds weight. The new trains are made of aluminum and fiberglass. We designed it very pure. We have to be critical of every part. We started from the beginning with a new blueprint. Many parts are milled, not welded.”
Sunkid has more than 80 mountain coasters in operation. The 2.0 model was launched at the Expo.
Sunkid has a family tower project for 2026 and numerous conveyor belts. Kalsch said the Mountain Coaster 2.0 saw many requests.
According to Maurer Rides, they had “deep discussions” at the expo. The company has a Spike coaster opening at Six Flags Qiddiya City.
“It’s the longest Spike coaster we’ve done,” said Torsten Schmidt. “And the big point is that we have eight vehicles at the same time, so we have higher capacity. And the fun thing is the integration with the water ride from WhiteWater.”
Interest was also garnered with the Spike system’s ability to do inversions with a Class Five restraint.
“The shamrock inversion is the big eye-catcher,” added Steve Boney. “But we have the figure 8, which is a little less price but still a good eye-catcher.”
Gamification can also be added to bring in new elements to the ride experience. LED lights can follow the trains.
International Rides Management (IRM Rides) thought the 2025 IAAPA Expo was a success. Sam Shurgott, president, told AT: “The weather was great, and attendees were in positive spirits. IRM hosted several clients at Sea World to ride Premier Rides’ Ice Breaker, IRM's longest partner. We had a busy week with our additional preferred vendor family, including their newest members, Arihant and E&F Miler Coasters, with several meetings with clients set up.”
IRM also selected a candidate to cover the growing Florida market with sales and consulting.
It’s hard to match the exuberance of anyone at the show than that of Len Soled of Rides 4 U. With one of the largest booths on the show floor, it is hopping with both customers and those looking to hop on a ride. Rides 4 U brought seven this year.
“It really was, I think, one of our best shows,” he told AT in the last hour of the expo. “We had quality people the entire week. We went for broke, and it paid off.”
Soled explained that they took an opportunity to show rides on trailers, one of which people could ride in the outdoor space.
“That’s always been a question mark, but this year the weather was superb,” he said.
When asked about his best seller at the show, Soled said, “We’ve had hits on just about every one of our attractions. We brought in the Disco Frenzy, a brand-new ride. The carnivals are eating it up. But we also have the FECs because of the footprint.
“Zero Gravity has been a dynamite ride. We just can’t build enough of them.”
The model on the floor was heading to Indiana Beach. Soled said Rides 4 U sold six at the show and expected to sell another six to 12 in the months following.
The spinning coaster from SBF/Visa continues to sell. “We think we have saturated the market completely, but no, it never ends,” smiled Soled.
“We’re off to the races, but I’m glad we had a great show. I’m worn out,” he said.
