See You at IAAPA London?
London is hosting Europes biggest industry event once again and it’s set to be a huge hit. The last IAAPA London time was a huge success, and judging by the early noise, this year is shaping up to be even bigger.
IAAPA is the one place where the entire attractions industry squeezes itself under one roof: from operators of small holiday parks, play cafes and arcades, through to leaders of some of the biggest theme parks on the planet.
Vendors, owners, managers, investors, everyone who matters shows up. It’s the closest thing our industry has to a pilgrimage I’d say!
Three Days of Madness (Plus the Build-Up)
If you’ve ever done IAAPA, you know it’s not just three days. Planning IAAPA basically starts about ten months before the doors even open, which means the office has
already been a delightful mix of excitement, spreadsheets, mild panic, and the occasional existential crisis about stand layouts.
After the months of planning finally draw to an end, it’s time for the stand build, which, depending on the size of your stand, can take anything from four full days to a very confident 20 minutes. As opening day gets closer, the chaos ramps up: last-minute panics, “why is this cable missing?”, “is this the right way up?”, and my personal favourite recurring issue… “we didn’t order this colour carpet, did we?”
Then the show begins, and it’s full throttle from 9am to 6pm. Nonstop talking. Nonstop demos. Nonstop pretending your voice isn’t slowly giving up on you (the final day is usually a very quiet one!)
Add in the early breakfast meetings with teams you rarely see because they’re based in other countries, and the evenings out with clients, customers, and vendors where absolutely no alcohol is consumed whatsoever...
VenueSumo at IAAPA 2026 — Find Us at Stand N4921
This year is my first IAAPA with VenueSumo, and we’re exhibiting in the smaller of the two halls.
Why?
Because I only joined in March and we were a little late too the party, but with our current rapid expansion in the UK - we had to be there! But honestly?
I’m convinced the smaller hall is where all the fun is going to be. It’s got that scrappy, energetic, “everyone’s hustling” vibe, and I love it, plus there are a few other great exhibitors there which you can’t not visit!
So please make sure you come and visit us at Stand N4921.
Free Merch (Yes, Really Good Free Merch)
To entice you over to our stand, we’ve got some genuinely great merch this year, designed by our brilliant team, and manufactured by the legends at Samurai. You’d be silly to miss out.
Even if you’re perfectly happy with your current booking system, come say hi, grab some merch, and have a proper catchup.
And if you’re not happy with your booking system? Then it’s an absolute no-brainer: come and talk to us.
We’ll make your life easier. I’ve been spending the last few months making people’s lives easier when it comes to FEC and leisure venue operations, and would love to welcome you into the VenueSumo gang.
IAAPA FEC Day - I’m Speaking This Year
Before the main show kicks off, IAAPA runs its educational days, and this year I’ll be speaking at the IAAPA FEC Day on the 21st of September, hosted across various London venues.
I’ll be talking about AI in the attractions industry, sharing findings from recent surveys, and giving my thoughts on where things are heading. Tickets are still available at the time of writing, and if you’re in London a day early, it’s well worth attending.
If You’re UK-Based and Haven’t Been Before… Go.
Last time IAAPA was in London, I convinced a bunch of new people to attend and they’ve been going ever since.
That tells you everything you need to know about the value of the show. You can grab tickets on the IAAPA website.
Final Thoughts on IAAPA London
IAAPA London is always special: the scale, the energy, the people, the new products, the latenight “no alcohol” networking, the early mornings, the madness, the fun.
I can’t wait to see everyone there.
Come find us in the smaller hall at Stand N4921, grab some merch, and let’s talk attractions, tech, AI, and everything in between. If you wanted to catch up beforehand, drop me a message on my Instagram, LinkedIn, or
email me at robin@venuesumo.com.