ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The IAAPA Attractions Expo, highlighting the latest in amusement park rides, is coming to Las Vegas for its 2009 convention on Nov. 16-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center South and Center Halls.

The expo will showcase the hottest new products and services and will host networking and education opportunities available only at the premier annual conference and trade show for the attractions industry.

Organizers estimate more than 28,000 attendees from 90 countries will benefit from the IAAPA Attractions Expo and more than 1,000 exhibitors will display on the trade show floor. For the first time, more than 100 companies will exhibit, all showcasing their latest groundbreaking products.

The expo is an all-in-one venue for operators of and suppliers for theme parks, water parks, science centers, aquariums, zoos, museums, family entertainment centers, casinos, and resorts. Attendees can search out the newest attraction rides, conduct business, network with peers, and learn about the latest industry trends.

Charles Bray, president and CEO of IAAPA (www.IAAPA.org), stated, “This year guests will also leave with a first-hand experience of Las Vegas, one of the most dynamic entertainment destinations in the world.”

Exhibitors will boast products in 125 categories of products and services, including theme park rides, show production services, games and devices, displays and sets, food and beverage products, consultant services, ticketing systems and information technology.

The inaugural IMEX America is planned at the Sands Expo Center Oct. 11-13, 2011, and is expected to draw leaders in the U.S. meetings industry as well as representatives from convention centers and large hotels from across the country.

“I have long felt that there was a need for a new dedicated and business-focused show in the United States,” said Ray Bloom, chairman of the IMEX Group. “Earlier this year, we began conversations with the industry about the level of interest.”

The show is important to Las Vegas because meetings planners from all over the country are expected to attend. While cities, hotels and convention authorities also will be present to offer proposals to those planners, Las Vegas and its resort community will have the advantage of being able to show and tell with tours of their facilities.

IMEX is collaborating with Dallas-based Meeting Professionals International and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to stage the new trade show.

The main IMEX show has been conducted for seven years in Frankfurt, and the LVCVA and several Las Vegas properties have attended annually to pitch the city and its hotels to convention, trade show and meetings planners.

Chris Meyer, vice president of convention sales for the LVCVA, introduced Bloom at a press conference at the Venetian announcing the new show on Wednesday.

Meyer said IMEX America is a major breakthrough for Las Vegas, which has seen much of its convention traffic evaporate during the economic downturn. Through August, 2009 convention visitation is down 30.2 percent from last year to 3.2 million visitors, according to the LVCVA.

Meyer said he expects the LVCVA and local properties to step up their marketing efforts in advance of the inaugural IMEX show with presentations at the Frankfurt show May 25-27.