trade expo

Amsterdam, Sunday, 19 October 2025.
Last September’s IAAPA Expo Europe opened in Amsterdam as the largest edition yet—more than 680 exhibitors across roughly 18,000 m²—while IAAPA quietly confirmed its first-ever Expo Middle East, slated to debut in 2026. The combination is the most intriguing fact: a major global organiser launching a new regional trade platform in the Gulf just as European floor space peaks. For suppliers and operators, this signals a shift in buyer geography and prioritisation: expect redirected sales pipelines, new partnership models, and the need to rebalance exhibition and business-development spend between Europe and the Middle East. The Amsterdam show underlined demand for mixed-reality guest engagement (new Valo Motion releases), a strong UK pavilion presence, and compact high-capacity coasters like Maurer’s 30 m Giant-8-Loop—product types likely to travel to the Gulf market. Retail and attractions buyers should reassess regional roadmaps, allocate resources for dual-market outreach, and fast-track licensing and localization plans to capture early Middle East opportunities.

Dubai, Sunday, 7 September 2025.
IAAPA’s announcement of a first-ever Expo Middle East, set to debut in Abu Dhabi in 2026, signals a strategic shift that will shorten procurement cycles and bring roughly 5,000 m² of exhibit space closer to Gulf buyers. Retail suppliers, IP licensors and ride manufacturers should expect more localised product showcases, faster sales cycles and new competitive pressure as exhibitors decide how to split resources between Europe and the Middle East. The move—announced during opening of IAAPA Expo Europe last Tuesday—reflects rapid attractions-sector investment across the Gulf and promises easier market access, but also raises operational questions around regional certification, venue logistics and marketing reallocation. For commercial teams, the immediate value is clearer connection to project pipelines; the risk is fragmented presence and calendar congestion. This development matters for retail professionals planning assortment, licensing or F&B roll-outs: plan for compressed timelines, adjust trade-show calendars and reassess regional go-to-market budgets.