We’ve seen tremendous growth in the IAAPA Attractions Expo over the past three years — most notably a 34% increase in buyer attendance and a 24% increase in overall attendance. Though some agencies might consider such stats a win, at CSG, we’re always looking to deliver more to our clients, especially ones with whom we have worked for a long time.

That’s why, for the development of IAAPA’s 2017 campaign, we set out to push ourselves creatively and strategically. We wanted a campaign that would not only reflect the trends impacting the attractions industry as a whole, but also speak to the energy and excitement that are unique to this fun industry.

IAAPA Attractions Expo is the premier trade show for attractions industry professionals. The show is home to representatives from all types of attractions, from large theme parks to small mini-golf operations, zoos, science centers and everything in between.

To get a clear picture of what trends were impacting the industry and to find a common thread that would appeal to IAAPA’s broad audience, we looked for insight beyond the IAAPA marketing team. We proactively sought input from members of IAAPA’s communications team, specifically the writers and editors of the association’s monthly magazine. These writers and editors travel to meet with attractions industry professionals often, so they were able to provide a “frontline” perspective of what is impacting the industry now and what trends are coming down the pipeline — trends we want to address in our messaging and designs.

We also did a little sharing of our own. Members of our design team worked together to develop a design trends presentation that showcased the hottest colors, type treatments and design elements. When we shared this presentation with the IAAPA team, they were able to let us know what trends resonated with them and their industry and steered us away from trends they knew wouldn’t work.

From there, our account strategists developed themes that aligned with those trends identified by the IAAPA staff, and our designers developed creative mood boards that complemented each specific theme. The IAAPA team then selected the themes and mood boards they wanted to see more fully developed.

During our discovery process, we learned that a key trend currently impacting the attractions industry as a whole is guests’ demand for more custom/personalized experiences. Guests want to feel like their experience at a facility or on a ride is unique to them, and they want to play an active role in their visit to an attraction. This industry trend paired well with corresponding design trends, including the use of custom-made fonts and pairing photos with illustrations. It was here, at the intersection of industry and design trends, that the theme of “Creation Nation” was born.

The imagery and messaging used for the “Creation Nation” campaign position the IAAPA Attractions Expo as a creative destination for inspiration. This event is where attractions industry professionals come to create custom experiences for their guests. It doesn’t matter if you run a big theme park or a smaller family entertainment center — IAAPA Attractions Expo has something that will inspire you.

By taking the time up front to gather insights from team members and to conduct range-finding, we were able to set expectations for the creative reveal, which meant that the approval process went much faster and that we were able to roll out the campaign much earlier.

While we are still knee deep in the campaign, we are trending to have another year of record growth — above and beyond the 24% growth we’ve seen in the past three years.