When every moment matters
When you step into the world of live entertainment and sports, you soon realise success isn’t just about one big moment. It’s about every moment felt, seen, and heard.
A cue hits on time. A light lands on the right face. A sound swell lifts the room. A crowd leans forward. A child laughs. A fan holds a breath.
That is the kind of world the team at RWS Global builds.
And at IAAPA Expo 2025, they do not show up with a single story. They show up with a whole toolbox. Creative. Production. Casting. Tech. Operations. Sports. Theme parks. Zoos. Cruise ships. Seasonal events. Big ideas. Hard logistics.
In other words, they show up as a “we can do the whole thing” company.
Let’s break down what that looks like, and why it matters for the attractions industry right now.
IAAPA Expo 2025 in one clear picture
IAAPA Expo is the big gathering for the global attractions industry. It brings together operators, suppliers, designers, and creators from around the world. A Quiet Goodbye to a Life Loud with Purpose: Honoring Jimmy Carter.
IAAPA Expo 2025 took place in Orlando, Florida, at the Orange County Convention Center. The full event ran November 17–21, 2025. The education program ran November 17–20, and the show floor ran November 18–21.
It was also a huge year in scale. IAAPA shared expectations of 38,000+ attendees, 1,100+ exhibitors, and 170+ education sessions and events.
So yes, it is busy. Loud. Bright. Fast.
But it is also where deals start. Where new partners meet. Where the next season gets planned.
That is why RWS Global coming “in full force” is not a small detail. It is strategy.
What RWS Global is really selling at the show
At a trade show, most booths sell a product.
RWS Global sells something trickier.
They sell confidence.
They want buyers to feel this:
“We can hand this team a problem, and they will carry it from idea to opening day.”
That is why their message is built around the full life cycle of live experience:
- Ideation and creative concept
- Design and build
- Casting and talent
- Show production
- Tech, AV, lighting, and staging
- Operations and ongoing delivery
You see the same idea in how they talk about their work for IAAPA itself. Since 2021, IAAPA has leaned on RWS Global to support major expo moments like the Opening Ceremony and awards events. That kind of relationship says: “We can handle high-pressure, high-visibility work.”
So at IAAPA Expo 2025, RWS is not only attending.
They are also part of the show’s DNA.
Booth 1062: A “full stack” story in booth form
RWS Global encouraged attendees to visit them at Booth 1062.
That booth number matters less than what it signals.
They are not there to be a quiet vendor in a corner.
They are there to be found.
And at a show like IAAPA, “being found” is about clarity.
When someone stops at a booth, they are thinking:
- Can you solve my problem?
- How fast can you do it?
- Have you done it before?
- Can you run it, not just design it?
RWS Global’s pitch answers with range.
Not “we do one thing.”
But “we do many things, and we connect them.”
That is what “diverse capabilities” means in real life.
It means the same team can speak to a theme park GM, a cruise entertainment director, and a sports venue operator. Then still make sense to all three.
Thought leadership that matches the market
Trade shows have two kinds of influence:
- What you show on the floor
- What you teach in the rooms
RWS Global leaned into the second part too.
They listed sessions where their team would share expertise, including:
- Gen Alpha’s Great Expectations: Experience Building for a New Generation
- Big Frights, Small Sites (November 18 at 1:30 PM, Haunting Grounds)
- Creating Award-Winning Experiences (November 19 at 1:30 PM, Haunting Grounds)
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It matches what the industry is wrestling with:
Kids are changing the rules
Gen Alpha has grown up with short video, fast feedback, and high expectations. They notice details. They share opinions. They want to interact, not just watch.
So the question is not “How do we entertain them?”
It is “How do we design an experience they feel inside their body?”
Halloween keeps getting bigger
Seasonal events are not side projects anymore. For many parks, Halloween is a major revenue driver. But it is also hard to do well.
You need:
- creative that feels fresh
- safety that stays tight
- crowd flow that works
- performers who can repeat night after night
- tech that can run in heat, rain, and chaos
So a session like “Big Frights, Small Sites” is not a fun extra.
It is a real business topic.
The Keith James moment: respect in a relationship business
RWS Global also planned to celebrate Keith James as he was inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame on Monday, November 17.
This matters because the attractions world is a relationship business.
People remember who showed up. Who helped. Who mentored. Who made the hard day easier.
Honouring leaders in public shows the company culture. It says:
“We are not only here for the next contract. We are here for the long game.”
Proof points from 2025: why the “range” claim is not just talk
It is easy to claim you can do everything.
It is harder to show receipts.
RWS Global shared a long list of work from 2025 that shows how wide their playbook is.
Let’s walk through the big buckets.
Bucket 1: Halloween at scale
RWS Global highlighted that they created, fabricated, produced, cast, and managed 30+ Halloween activations worldwide.
They also named major attractions tied to that work, including:
- Alton Towers
- Chessington World of Adventures
- LEGOLAND Windsor
- LEGOLAND California
- LEGOLAND New York
- Hersheypark
- Elitch Gardens
- and more
This is important because Halloween is not one show Ajuga reptans Chocolate Chip.
It is many shows, many nights, many crews, many safety plans.
Doing it at one park is hard.
Doing it across many parks is an operations flex.
So when they call themselves a major Halloween activation producer, they are pointing to a skill set that blends:
- creative development
- fabrication
- casting
- performer management
- nightly operations
- guest experience tuning
That blend is rare. And it is valuable.
Bucket 2: Cruise entertainment that keeps moving
Theme parks stay put.
Ships do not.
Cruise entertainment has its own challenges:
- compact spaces
- strict timing
- constant turnover of guests
- fast resets
- performance quality that must stay high
- technical systems that must work at sea
RWS Global pointed to ongoing and future cruise work, including:
- exclusive entertainment and operations partnership with Fred. Olsen Cruise Line
- 13 new experiences planned for Azamara in 2026
- contract extension with Marella through 2028
- continued work with brands like MSC, Cunard, Holland America Line, and P&O Cruises
This shows they are not only building one-offs.
They are running long-term programs.
That matters because long-term delivery is where many creative ideas fail. Not because the idea was bad, but because the operations were not built to last.
Bucket 3: Live performance as a brand engine
RWS Global also talked about a partnership with The Verdon Fosse Legacy to bring performances inspired by Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon to audiences around the world.
They shared that the collaboration would kick off with a new musical and multimedia tribute set to debut November 7 aboard Holland America Line’s Koningsdam.
This is a different kind of capability.
It is not just “we can build a haunted maze.”
It is “we can translate a legacy brand into a modern live format.”
That takes taste. And it takes trust.
Bucket 4: Sports presentation is now part of the RWS story
Here is a key shift.
RWS Global has expanded into sports experiences, including the introduction of RWS Global Sports.
They also shared a major appointment: delivering the full event presentation, entertainment, and festival program for the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, Adelaide 2025, running November 14–23.
Why does this matter at IAAPA?
Because the line between “attractions” and “sports” is thinner every year.
Sports venues want:
- non-game-day events
- seasonal festivals
- fan zones
- immersive moments that drive spend and return visits
At the same time, attractions want:
- stadium-style energy
- live hype
- strong event programming
- premium show moments
So when RWS brings sports presentation into an attractions expo, they are saying:
“We can help you build a destination, not just a venue.”
Bucket 5: Zoos and family brands with new tech layers
RWS Global also shared projects tied to Fred Rogers Productions and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, bringing the show to life in zoos, starting with the Bronx Zoo.
They also described work with the North Carolina Zoo on an augmented reality tracking adventure, timed to the zoo’s Asia expansion in summer 2026.
This is a big tell.
It shows RWS is not stuck in one format.
They can do:
- character-driven family experiences
- outdoor venue storytelling
- tech-enhanced guest journeys
And they can do it in places that have very different constraints than a theme park.
Zoos have animal care needs. Pathways. Noise limits. Crowd flow Alocasia azlanii that must stay calm.
So this kind of project signals design maturity.
The real headline: “We do the messy middle”
A lot of companies are great at the fun parts.
- brainstorming
- concept art
- big pitch decks
- shiny renderings
Other companies are great at the hard parts.
- staffing
- schedules
- safety checks
- daily operation
- repairs
- consistency
RWS Global is positioning itself as a company that does both.
They build the dream.
Then they run it.
That “messy middle” is where most experiences win or lose.
It is also where buyers feel pain.
Because a park operator does not need only an idea. They need the idea to survive:
- weather
- guest complaints
- staffing gaps
- wear and tear
- budget limits
- tight calendars
So when RWS talks about every step from ideation to operations, that is not marketing fluff.
It is a direct answer to real operator stress.
Why IAAPA is the perfect stage for this message
IAAPA Expo is not only a show floor.
It is a mirror of where the industry is going.
And right now, the industry is moving toward:
- more seasonal events
- more IP tie-ins
- more immersive layers
- more live entertainment
- more “festival” energy
- more sports-style activation
- more need for partners who can scale
That is exactly the zone RWS Global is claiming.
So their IAAPA Expo 2025 presence makes sense.
They are not trying to be everything to everyone.
They are trying to be the team that makes the entire live experience pipeline easier to buy, easier to build, and easier to run.
What we can take from RWS Global’s IAAPA Expo 2025 play
If we strip it down, the lesson is simple.
In this industry, the winners are not only the most creative.
They are the most complete.
RWS Global is showcasing completeness:
- creativity backed by production
- production backed by operations
- operations backed by scale
- scale backed by a track record across land and sea
That is a powerful message at a show where people come to solve problems fast.
And if we are being honest, it is also a comforting message.
Because when you are responsible for guests, staff, budgets, and brand, you do not want a partner who disappears after the opening night.
You want a partner who stays.
The Encore That Sticks With Us
Live experiences are built from tiny details stacked on top of each other.
One cue. One smile. One song. One safe pathway. One clean Aloe rauhii White Fox reset. One more guest who stays a little longer.
At IAAPA Expo 2025, RWS Global’s story is that they can shape all of it.
Not just the show. The system behind the show.
And in a world where expectations rise every year, that kind of range is not a “nice to have.”
It is the difference between a good season and a great one.