Every year the IAAPA trade show in Orlando is the premiere place to learn about what is new for all aspects of the amusement and attraction industry. It is also one of my favorite opportunities to visit with laser tag manufacturers, operators and friends to get the scoop on the latest innovations and new products being debuted and showcased for the laser tag industry. IAAPA 2024 did not disappoint! There were so many cool things to see and learn about and I am excited to share some of the things that I experienced during my three days spent at the show.
I spoke with all of the laser tag manufacturers in attendance and invited them to share what they were most excited about, and you will get to hear from each of them in next week’s episode of the Laser Unfocused Tag Talk podcast. Here are a few of the things that caught my attention as I visited each booth.
New products are always something I am excited to see. Battle Company had two things that caught my eye. First, I was intrigued to see a prototype of their new tagger called the Titan and I had to try this out.
Zach told me a bit about the new tagger including one optional feature that is (to say the least)…shocking!
I also had the chance to try another of their new products debuting at the show, the Nova.
This is essentially a phaser camouflaged to look like a futuristic ring, that provides a non-“gun” aesthetic that I can see having appeal to certain audiences. I wanted to try this out as well.
Zone Laser Tag was also featuring a new product, their Helios 3, and I had a chance to sample the game experience at their booth playing against Managing Director Sean Holmes.
These new vests are made with a black light reactive fabric made by Blacklight Unity, so Sean and I walked over to their booth to see how these vests would look under the proper lighting.
Victor Miller explained some of the new features with an emphasis on quality of life updates and solutions for operator issues.
There is also a new system for their wi-fi components to communicate and now wi-fi targets can be moved anywhere throughout the arena without the need for rewiring. Another new feature is the RFID command cards that allow a game marshal to use a card rather than a controller to manage in-game situations, deactivate a player or change vest colors.
Laserforce is continuing to showcase the features of their Gen 8 system. However, they are also excited to discuss some changes that have taken place in this past year with the retirement of founder Len Kelly and the recent transition of the company to the new owners, Ilias Tourgaidis, Sven Esswein and Phillipp Hacker, all from Germany. It was a delight to meet the new owners at the event!
I learned more about the new ownership from co-owner, Ilias Tourgaidis.
I challenged Rohan Kelly to a game and enjoyed getting my steps in…which I could see on the scoreboard after we were done.
I realized what a unique opportunity there was at IAAPA to play some laser tag with the people who were there from the beginning. Playing Laserforce against Rohan (son of Len Kelly) and Zone against Sean Holmes (son of Pat and Kate Holmes) made me acutely aware of how many founders of the systems and/or descendants of the founders were actually all here under the same roof at the show. That gave me the idea to try to play against some of the laser tag founders in attendance at this show (and this was such a cool concept that there will be a separate post and video with all the game footage coming soon).
That led me to visit the Delta Strike booth, where Vice President of Sales, Shane Zimmerman, talked with me about how they were showcasing their Genesis laser tag system and discussing all the possibilities for interactive targets and in-game elements that can be incorporated into arenas.
Nothing showcases how interactive a game can be more than actually playing it. So, I invited Doug Willems to join me for a game experience, realizing that playing laser tag with the company founder is truly a unique, interactive opportunity!
Laser Blast was celebrating the success of their Putt Mania product being the recipient of an IAAPA Brass Ring award. Congratulations to Mike Ewald for “captaining” their team to this success!
I want to seriously shout out the theming of the Laser Blast booth this year. They really understand the assignment when it comes to tying in creativity and their pirate ship theme correlates beautifully with their new pirate ship and dragon projection themes for their interactive targets. The whole “crew” got into the fun!
Fanless, wireless charging racks and frosted vest cases with a diffused look for the LED lights were among the updates for the CyberBlast system, as well as some improvements with new modems.
I found the relay targets to be really cool, as you can tag a target to trigger a physical reaction from an element inside the arena.
Lazer Runner president Paul Savard shared that they were featuring their Battle Station arena package elements at their booth this year.
So, in addition to trying out the newest style of their phaser, you could actually tag the targets and get a sense of what the arena could do.
The cool thing about this set-up is that the targets are essentially part of the arena walls, which is a very sleek look. I also found it interesting to hear about how the company is also able to incorporate interactive props, so there is lots of ingenuity to their approach.
I spent close to an hour and a half chatting with Lasertron owner Jim Kessler about his thoughts about the laser tag industry, after which he joined me for a pic as I checked out the updated phaser he has been showcasing alongside the other various attractions at his booth.
It’s always nice to visit with the manufacturers and hear what they have to say, on or off camera.
iCOMBAT CEO Ziad Dergham talked with me about the new Battle Quest software for putting spotlight on the traditional tag aspects of their company that they are sharing this year. I also enjoyed hearing about upgrades to the tactical mission options.
I enjoy seeing the way iCOMBAT approaches the differences between traditional and tactical laser tag while incorporating options for them to be played separately or together, as all the equipment works with every other piece. After the show I had an experience that really illustrated that as well, but during the event we took a few minutes for the battle between traditional (me using the Invictus) and tactical (Ziad using a brightly decked out irSMG). Which one came out victorious?
Netronic co-founder Michael Obod and head of sales, Natalie, introduced their new Maverick tagger at IAAPA.
The new style is a bit more of a militaristic look than their other options, so a consumer has choices for the aesthetic that suits their business and preferences. It has a lightweight feel and it was cool to see another new product debuting at this show as they told me more about what to expect with this new model.
I love getting to sit down with the manufacturers and learn about their latest creations!
Elite Laser Tag enjoyed the gorgeous Florida weather with an outdoor set-up to showcase their tactical product line, with a focus this year on the Combat Tower, a multi-functional domination tower that has several benefits.
Owners Edward and Dana Gainer were on site with members of their team showcasing the features that make this more versatile than for just domination games. As you can see from our sample game, players can target this tower simultaneously battle for control of the tower by targeting the dome at the top to take over control with their team color.
One of my biggest surprises this year was Gel Blaster Nexus Laser Tag.
The Gel Blaster Nexus product is an innovation that debuted at IAAPA last year and originally presented as an enhanced way to play a gel projectile tag game. At first glance it would be more similar to airsoft or paintball. When I first played it a year ago I was including it in the laser tag spectrum simply because the projectile gellet simultaneously fired along with an IR signal being sent and received for the digital scoring elements, so because of that signal it technically fit the definition of laser tag, if only loosely. However, this year is (literally) a new game. They have adjusted the gear to be a two-in-one hybrid option with the choice to play their Nexus game either with projectile gellets or as true laser tag without any projectile at all. I think this is a good direction for them to move because it opens up a lot of versatility. It is because of their adoption of a laser tag game option that I feel they are now officially part of the laser tag discussion. I learned quite a bit from both an introduction and sample laser tag game at their booth with Senior Vice President of Trends and New Markets, Steve Starobinsky, and also from experiencing it after the show at a local arena where it had recently been installed.
And my time at IAAPA would not have been complete without a stop over to see my friends at What To Post, where they are all about helping laser tag operators to know “what to post” to promote their business.
This can be as serious as what the business is offering or, in the case of Carrie and me, as silly and fun as comparing our manicures (now known as our IAAPAcures) where we take the time to be a little “extra” with our nail art. Her’s were ombre colors to perfectly match her business colors and mine…well, let’s just say mine got more attention than the average manicure! :)
The trade show is where the bulk of the business gets done at this show, but I also appreciated the invites to some of the fun parties and gatherings that were taking place after hours.
It was great to see lots of old friends.
And I enjoyed meeting some new friends as well (shout out to my new friends at Beer Tubes!) and learning about other facets of the entertainment industry.
At IAAPA you really never know who you will meet!
And as the show came to a close, I left feeling very optimistic about all the cool things that are now and will soon be part of the laser tag industry landscape going forward. Once again, IAAPA was the premiere experience for this industry to get together, learn, share and do the business of fun that brings us all together each year!
Comments or Questions?
Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com
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