IAHA News and Updates from IAHAweb.com

Thursday November 20, 2008
1:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Classroom study
4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Field Trip

Audience: mid-level management, operations personnel, rides personnel, safety and maintenance personnel marketing and communications personnel.

In cooperation with the International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA) and the Mobile Midway Safety Institute (M.M.S.I.) IAAPA presents the Certified Haunted Attraction Operator Safety program (C.H.A.O.S.) The program will focus on code compliance and fire, panic and safety issues for haunted attractions and will include a site visit to one of Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights haunted attractions. It will demonstrate to haunted attractions operators, the importance of taking a long term or year-round approach to patron safety and maintenance planning.

The program will provide an overview of the current standards pertaining to haunted attractions including ASTM and NFPA. It will also detail the operations requirements for a haunted or walk-through attraction including: automatic sprinklers systems, temporary or permanent water supply, smoke detection devices, alarm systems, illumination and exit markings and Class A interior finishes. The course will also consider inspection requirements, how to identify and correct hazards, and how to comply with established operating standards.

The course will end with a field trip to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights where attendees will visit a number of haunted houses as well as hear a presentation by Universal Studios entertainment production staff on how they produce Halloween Horror Nights.

Course Content:
Codes and standards governing haunted attractions (ASTM, NFPA)
Hazard identification
Operational compliance issues
Inspection and maintenance systems
Actual examples and case studies
Best practices

C.H.A.O.S. Credits: Participants are eligible for up to 8 hours of credit towards a new or renewal Certified Haunted Attraction Operator Safety program (C.H.A.O.S.) certification.

Presenter Phil Slaggert is president of Mobile Midway Safety Institute in Hobe Sound, Florida and is a certified safety inspector and loss prevention expert.

Haunters from across the country will be traveling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for HAuNTcon 2009. The convention will be held at the Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel & Convention Center from April 30th through May 4, with a pre-show bus tour scheduled for April 28-30.

Each of the four VIP busses will be hosted by their own speaker leading a “rolling seminar” on a specific topic. The tentative speakers and topics include:

• Patrick Konopelski, Shocktoberfest: From Halloween Screams to Jingle Bell Dreams!
• Brett Bertolino, Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind the Walls: The Ins and Outs of Dynamic Ticketing
• Tony Wohlgemuth, SpookyWoods: Turning your daytime events into nighttime dollar$
• John LaFlamboy, Zombie Army Productions: Marketing your event to today’s generation!

The pre-show activities start on the evening of Tuesday, April 28th with a visit and lights on tour of Industrial Chaos in Fort Atkinson, WI. Day two will be jam packed with tours of three more Wisconsin attractions: Hartford Jaycees, Terror on Rural Street and the legendary Terror on the Fox.

The pre-show tour concludes on Thursday with a lights on tour of Terror on the Fox in the morning and a show and lights on tour of Shawno Manor before returning to the Wyndham Hotel in the late afternoon just in time to rest up before the Thursday night haunted house tour at Realm of Terror that will officially kick off HAuNTcon 2009.

The Friday night tour is of the multi-element The Wisconsin Fear Grounds (Morgan Manor, Freaky’s Fun House & Unstable) and the Sunday night Haunt Tour will be of Dominion of Terror.

Off season Haunt tours and Haunter Education are the cornerstones of HAuNTcon and the Haunts on the 2009 schedule are not to be missed!

For more information about HAuNTcon 2008 visit www.HAuNTcon.com or call 972-951-5100.

IAHA Director Bobbie Weiner, better known as “Bloody Mary,” has been asked by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) to be the keynote speaker at their Women in the Industry Networking Lunch. Weiner will speak not only about her business success, but also about her philanthropic success as well.

The Women in the Industry Networking Lunch will be held at IAAPA’s Attractions Expo in Orlando, FL on Friday, November 21, 2008.

New Venue Selected in Response to Growth of Haunt Industry

(Northfield, IL) – In an exciting move, TransWorld Exhibits, Inc.
announced its decision to move the 14th National Haunt & Attractions
Show (HauntShow) to St. Louis, Missouri, at the America's Center,
March 27 – 29, 2009.

Previously held in conjunction with TransWorld's International
Halloween, Costume & Party Show (HCPShow), the HauntShow will stand on
its own in St. Louis, Missouri, giving the buyers and vendors of the
Haunt community convenient access to the industry's #1 trade show in a
business environment created just for them.

"After extensive market research and input from vendors and buyers
alike, we decided to spin-off the 14th National Haunt & Attractions
Show and have it stand alone in a Midwest location that is central to
the greatest number of participants in this industry," said Joe
Thaler, chairman and chief executive officer of TransWorld Exhibits,
Inc., owner of the show. "The Haunt industry continues to grow with
advances in special effects, animatronics, sound & lighting, and
props. More and more, these products are used in venues on a
year-round basis whether it is in a theme park, theatrical production
or a haunted house. This growth within the industry demands a
stand-alone trade show dedicated solely to the Haunt industry," Thaler
continued. "St. Louis is the perfect gateway to a marketplace where
the Haunt community can come together."

The complete schedule of activities for the 14th National Haunt &
Attractions Show in St. Louis will be announced in the coming weeks.
Highlights of the show will include:

• New product introductions from the industry's leading companies
• Extensive seminar programming
• Networking events and competitions
• Special events and tours, and much more

The TransWorld International Halloween, Costume & Party Show will
continue to host a Haunt Pavilion as Haunt products are also
fundamental to the celebration of the Halloween season and the buyer
of Halloween and
seasonal merchandise. The HCPShow will take place March 6 – 9, 2009 at
the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Special exhibit packages are available for exhibitors that wish to
participate in both the St. Louis and Las Vegas events.

For more than 60 years, TransWorld Exhibits has been a leading
producer of independent trade shows. The business, which had its roots
in the housewares and consumer electronics industry, has over the
years expanded its offerings to include general merchandise, Halloween
merchandise, giftware, seasonal items, luxury merchandise, jewelry,
fashion and accessories. The firm runs trade shows in Chicago, Las
Vegas, and St. Louis.

For more information on attending or exhibiting, please call
800-323-5462 or 847-446-8434 for international calls. Information is
also available at www.hauntshow.com and www.hcpshow.com.