Barcelona, Monday, 15 September 2025.
The Park World Excellence Awards return to Barcelona in September 2025, bringing EMEA operators together to benchmark operational, design and commercial excellence. For retail and F&B managers, the awards act as a sector barometer: winners and shortlisted projects materially influence procurement, licensing and partner selection, and spotlight guest-facing innovations in retail integration, merchandising and trade strategies. The shortlist — drawn from projects launched between July 2024 and July 2025 — includes entries such as Drayton Manor’s Gold Rush and Yas Waterworld, signalling where investment and guest expectations are moving. Timing and location increase the chance for buyers to combine awards attendance with B2B meetings and site visits across Europe. Coverage by industry outlets and an independent judging panel that includes Planet Attractions’ editor boosts visibility and commercial upside for nominees and sponsors. Retail leaders attending should expect networking ROI and forward-looking indicators for assortment, experiential retail and supplier sourcing insights.
Barcelona as a strategic hub for EMEA buyers
The Park World Excellence Awards will be staged in Barcelona on 24 September, marking a deliberate choice of a major European meeting point for operators, suppliers and buyers across the EMEA region [3]. The awards’ return to Barcelona brings a concentrated, single-day spotlight on regional projects and suppliers, giving retail and F&B procurement teams a compact forum to observe what leading parks are investing in for guest-facing retail and merchandising [3][1].
Why the shortlist matters to retail and licensing decisions
Entries for the 2025 awards were open to projects launched between July 2024 and July 2025, so the shortlist functions as a near-term indicator of where operator investment and guest expectations have moved over the last 12 months — valuable timing for buyers setting assortments and licensing priorities [3]. That shortlist explicitly includes projects such as Drayton Manor’s Gold Rush and Yas Waterworld, named in the event coverage, which signals the kinds of rollercoaster-anchored and waterpark-integrated retail concepts now being recognised by industry peers [3].
Visibility for shortlisted suppliers and parks is amplified by industry coverage and by the awards’ independent judges: Planet Attractions’ editorial involvement is confirmed in the awards announcement, with the title’s editor-in-chief named as a member of the judging panel — a factor that increases editorial attention and trade visibility for winners and sponsors [3][1]. For retail buyers, that editorial lift can translate into clearer vendor reputations and case studies to inform procurement and licensing decisions [1][3].
Practical value for retail and F&B managers
Beyond trophies, the awards supply practical signals: categories spanning retail, food and beverage, theming and guest experience surface exemplars that buyers can benchmark against their own concepts and RFPs [3]. Because the awards recognise product innovation and retail integration alongside ride and hotel projects, procurement teams tracking cross-portfolio partners (merch designers, IP licensors, retail systems suppliers) can identify candidates whose work has been third‑party assessed by industry peers [3].
Events timing, networking and limitations
Industry events clustered around a major awards night create opportunities to pair attendance with B2B meetings and European site visits; the Barcelona location makes this logistically convenient for many EMEA delegates, suppliers and operators seeking benchmarking and business development [3][1][alert! ‘the Park World article confirms Barcelona as host and industry intent but does not enumerate a schedule of concurrent B2B meetings or site visits; the statement about pairing attendance with site visits is an inference based on common industry practice and the city’s role as a conference hub’].
What retail leaders should prioritise when attending
Retail and F&B leaders attending the awards should plan to use shortlist case studies to: compare merchandising solutions applied in similar guest‑profile parks; test supplier claims that have been judged for innovation; and assess sponsorship or licensing partners that already have trade recognition — all activities made more efficient by the awards’ concentrated, judged shortlist and the sector coverage that follows [3][1].
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