Travel Daily News
The 2008 Best Exhibit Awards were presented Tuesday, Nov. 18, during IAAPA Attractions Expo 2008 in Orlando, Florida. Honors included Best Exhibit, Best New Product, and Image Award.

The Best Exhibit Awards were divided into sub-categories, depending on size of the exhibit space. The Exhibitor Awards committee has a sub-committee for each category which researches entries and scores them appropriately. The sub-committee chairpersons visit all entrants in each category and review the products, exhibitor demeanor, and overall booth appearance to determine a winner.

The Image Award recognizes the exhibitor(s) with the most attractive booth space. The 2008 Image Award winners were Alterface S.A., 3-D Branded Attractions, nWave Pictures S.A., and MIT Srl.

First place and honorable mention winners in the following categories included:

100 – 200 square feet
First Place: Bleeding Art Industries, Booth 547
Honorable Mention: Perky’s Pizza, Booth 1315

300 – 500 square feet
First Place: Pizzazz Scenic Construction, Booth 2063
Honorable Mention: Custom Creations, Booth 1674

600 – 1,000 square feet
First Place: Hollow 4D Studios, Booth 851
Honorable Mention: SCS Interactive, Booth 1847

1,100+ square feet
First Place: Bob’s Space Racers, Booth 1824
Honorable Mention: MagiQuest, Booth 4862

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World Leisure

The annual IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) Expo will open for business today (17 November) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, US.

The five-day event’s conference programme gets underway today and the exhibition floor will be opened by the association’s chair, Bob Masterson, and president, Charlie Bray, tomorrow.

The expo is the largest of its kind within the attractions industry and includes a trade show which this year occupies one million sq ft (93,000sq m) at the Orange County Convention Center.

An estimated 25,000 people from more than 85 countries will visit the show floor during the week.

This year’s seminar programme will include a keynote speech by Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, who will offer delegates his views on the corporate consolidation within the attractions industry.

The event will run until 21 November.

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