From Attendee to Exhibitor: What IAAPA Has Taught Me
The first time I went to IAAPA was about 15 years ago. I was working for an FEC, and I’ll be honest: it was the coolest trade show I had ever been to.
Who doesn’t love a trade show with this much entertainment? We tried just about every food sample they handed us. We rode way too many rides. We met so many people that the business cards started blending together.
We had a mission: find the newest, coolest things to bring back to our center. So we walked. And walked. For three days.
By the end, we had written up our orders, our feet hurt, and our heads were full. It was so much fun. It was also exhausting. When I got home, it took me days to decompress.
So when I say, “Come sit down with us at IAAPA,” please know I mean the sitting-down part.
A different view of the show floor
These days, I see IAAPA from the exhibitor side with TrainerTainment. But I haven’t forgotten what it feels like to walk those aisles, trying to take everything in and decide what’s worth bringing home.
Owners, GMs, and sales managers leave their centers in someone else’s hands to be there. They’re comparing attractions, games, and technology while carrying a second list in their heads.
The group inquiry nobody followed up on. The birthday sales that could be stronger. The manager who needs help leading a team. The guest complaint that keeps coming up.
Those are the conversations we want to have.
TrainerTainment provides sales, guest service, and leadership training and coaching for entertainment businesses. We help teams build the skills and habits to put their plans into action.
This year at IAAPA, let’s talk
Our theme is simple: LET’S TALK.
Want more sales, stronger managers, or a better guest experience? Bring us your questions and challenges. Let’s talk about your next step.
At Booth S3375, we’re making room to sit down, take a break from the aisles, and have a real conversation about your business.
Maybe your team needs help asking better questions and turning more inquiries into booked birthday parties. Maybe you want a consistent process for reaching schools, companies, and churches. Or maybe your managers need clearer expectations and more support.
You don’t need to arrive with a polished plan. Start with what’s happening in your center.
And yes, there will be a yellow vintage phone. We’re bringing one big question to the show:
What do you want to make happen in 2027?
Pick it up and tell us.
Good people. Plenty to talk about.
Beth, Candi, Sonya, Genevieve, Denise, and I will be at the show. Together, our team brings more than 100 years of combined FEC experience, along with six different perspectives on helping businesses grow.
Beth will happily talk sales, leadership, and growing your people. Candi can help untangle a business challenge and get clear on the next steps. Sonya brings practical coaching for birthday sales, group sales, prospecting, and follow-up. Genevieve helps managers build better leadership habits, while Denise helps owners and leadership teams set priorities and create plans they’ll actually use.
Me? Let’s talk about marketing your parties, events, promotions, and prospecting using Google Maps. I’ll be wearing some combination of my usual 47 hats.
You’ll also find Candi participating in Career Slam and Beth contributing to IAAPA Rookies: FEC 101.
Meet the team and see what we’re bringing to IAAPA.
Fun Training. Serious Results. It’s a good description of the people you’ll meet.
Bring home a plan you’ll use
We’re also bringing the 2027 Ultimate Sales Planner.
It’s a sales playbook with space to set goals, plan outreach, track follow-up, and keep the next step in front of you. Inside are planning tools, a Reach Strategy, prospecting and qualification resources, sales scripts, calendars, and sales tracking.
Because coming home with ideas is one thing. Making time to work them is another.
The planner is available at the $39.99 presale price through November 20, with a regular price of $49.99. You can also purchase and pick up a planner at Booth S3375.
Explore the 2027 Ultimate Sales Planner.
A few tips from someone who’s walked it
Whether this is your first IAAPA or your fifteenth, here’s what I wish someone had told me that first year:
- Wear the comfortable shoes. The ones you’ve already tested. This is not the week to break in a new pair.
- Bring water and a phone charger. Both tend to run out before your day does.
- Go in with a short list. Pick two or three challenges you want to work on. It helps when everything on the floor looks interesting.
- Book a few conversations ahead of time. Give yourself time to ask questions beyond a quick hello in the aisle.
- Plan time to sort it all out afterward. Review your notes, choose your priorities, and decide who will take the next step.
That last part matters. Otherwise, the notebook comes home, lands on a desk, and gets buried under everything that happened while you were gone.
We’ve all been there.
We’ll save you a seat
You’ll find us at IAAPA Expo 2026, November 17–20, at Booth S3375 in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
Choose a time to talk through your biggest challenge and identify a clear next step.
Not making the trip? Let’s schedule a call anyway.
Enjoy the rides. Try the food samples. Find something exciting to bring back to your center.
Then come sit down and tell us about it.
Let’s talk. We’ll save you a seat.
