IAAPA postpones next Asia Expo until 2021

IAAPA Expo Asia has been postponed for a year in response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Orlando-based attractions industry group has announced. The event was scheduled to take place in June 2020 in Macao, China. It will now be held in June of 2021, IAAPA says.

The Asia event typically includes about 500 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees.

IAAPA Expo 2020, held at the Orange County Convention Center, remains on the books for November. It has about 1,100 exhibitors; in 2019, more than 42,000 people attended in Orlando. IAAPA Expo Europe 2020 in London is set still for September.

“The decision to postpone the [Asia] Expo until 2021 is based on information we have at this time including global travel concerns and restrictions, the current health situation, and continued unknowns regarding the coronavirus,” said Hal McEvoy, president and CEO of the group.

The association had been monitoring the health situation and been in contact with its global members since early January, he said.

“While this is not an easy decision, we are confident it is the right one, and in best interest of our exhibitors and attendees,” McEvoy said.

A site for the 2021 Asia Expo had not previously been announced. The 2019 event was held in Shanghai.

IAAPA — shorthand for International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions — has 6,000 members in 100 countries. Included are theme parks, water parks, zoos, aquariums, museums, science centers, family entertainment centers, resorts, manufacturers and suppliers.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theme park news? Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters or the Theme Park Rangers podcast at orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/themepark-rangers-podcast.