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On a mid-June day, we left warm Florida for an even warmer Hong Kong.
16 hours later, we arrived in Hong Kong safe and sound... and hungry! It's always great to be able catch up with old friends in the industry, especially over a delicious Vietnamese dinner.
What a cool coincidence to be eating at "Cafe Locomotive" with the guys from Servern Lamb!
Monday comes bright and early. It's time to set up the SallyCorp booth! Here is a view of the convention center from our hotel.
And just like that, we're ready to exhibit at the Asian Attractions Expo!
After knocking out the booth, Sally sale's rep Greg Eccles gets in a leisurely drive around the race track. Work hard, play hard - right?
It was a beautiful evening in Hong Kong, so we decided to go out and explore.
We take the Star Ferry over to Kowloon for a little nighttime adventure and dinner.
When the sun sets over Hong Kong, the skyline is absolutely incredible! The convention center is to the far left.
Kowloon was booming with activity, even on a Monday night!
We saw some interesting window displays...
We walked through The Peninsula, a world-renowned 1920's hotel.
But most impressive, was the view from the ferry.
Tuesday brings a new, sunny day. Since we were able to get the entire SallyCorp booth set up in one day, we were able to get in a day of sightseeing in Hong Kong!
We decided to get around town via the double-decker bus - what a thrill ride!
We had some amazing views along the way!
We stopped at Stanley Market for a little shopping and lunch on the waterfront.
Next up, new transportation! We decided to take the tram to Victoria Peak.
WOW - what a view!
Standing at 552 metres above sea level, the Peak is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island and was a natural signaling post for incoming cargo ships in the nineteenth century.
The SallyCorp guys, Greg Eccles and John Wood, smile at the top of Victoria Peak.
The view from the other side is very different, but equally as impressive.
It was another beautiful evening in Hong Kong and we witnessed the sunset before heading out to dinner.
We've said it before, and we'll say it again - we've got some great friends in the industry! Here, John Wood hugs two of his favorite girls, Chloe James Hausfeld of Jack Rouse and Associates, and Lauren Wood Weaver of Sally Corporation, before sitting down to dinner.
And what a dinner it was! Just look at the size of that steak! Jim and Sara of Premier Rides have some heavy lifting to do.
Some would say the views from the Wooloo Mooloo restaurant were breathtaking.
Others would say it was the lovely ladies from IAAPA that made the view breathtaking.
Wednesday morning is here before you know it and AAE 2015 begins!
John Wood and Greg Eccles are ready. Day 1 of AAE15 has commenced!
It wasn't long before our pirate animatronic gained a fan club!
Look who stopped by the SallyCorp booth - Jim Davis, creator of Garfield! Too cool!
Day 1 of the show was great, now onto Night 1! The IAAPA crew were lucky enough to be hosted by Hong Kong Disneyland!
For the record, Hong Kong Disneyland does not skimp on food!
First thing's first - John and Lauren head to take a ride on Disney's newest dark ride, Mystic Manor. Could you tell they were excited?
After 3 rides on the dark ride and about 8 rides on the Vekoma coaster, it was time for dessert!
The night has come to an end and the Disney characters come out to bid us farewell.
Day 2 of AAE15 kicked off with a great Leadership Breakfast. The key note speaker was one of our clients, Jim Reed Anderson, Chairman, President, and CEO of Six Flags. Our latest interactive dark ride, Justice League: Battle For Metropolis received a mention!
Immediately following the breakfast, keynote speaker and Six Flags CEO, Jim Reed Anderson, stopped by the SallyCorp booth and gave some high marks to his new Justice League dark ride.
You never know what you're going to see on the show floor!
But one thing's for sure, John and Lauren will see YOU at the SallyCorp booth! Thanks to Martin Palicki of InPark Magazine for the picture.
After 3 days of a successful exhibition, AAE 2015 concluded on Friday afternoon. Now for some evening entertainment...
The last day of the show, many AAE attendees had the opportunity to visit one of Hong Kong's largest, and most stunning amusement parks, Ocean Park.
They did an incredible job hosting our group. First, there were a few words from Tom Mehrmann, Chief Executive at Ocean Park.
We then broke up into groups for guided tours of the park. First, we headed over to the Ocean Express Summit Station for a ride to the top of the mountain. The Ocean Express is a funicular train that can shuttle guests between the Park's two main lands in just 4 minutes. The train travels through a tunnel that was created by excavating 71,300 square meters of earth and is designed to resemble a submersible vehicle.
It offers a vivid experience that simulates a journey through the ocean's depths - a very entertaining way to travel!
When we got to the summit, we boarded the Ocean Park Tower which offered incredible views of the park.
Then then visited their impressive Arctic Fox Den. Did I mention they are trained arctic foxes?!
Before seeing more animals, a few of us had to take a ride on the "Hair Raiser" - a great little B&M coaster.
Now for more animals!
On to "Shark Mystique".
Shark Mystique is 360 degree underwater exhibit where you can meet over a hundred sharks and rays , including the sawfish and the zebra shark!
After catching a good glimpse of all that the summit has to offer, we had back to the waterfront, via cable car! Again, the views were spectacular.
When we were all grounded, we headed to their Australia exhibit where we were able to see koalas and kangaroos feeding.
Chloe from JRA, and Lauren from Sally, try to fit in with the red pandas.
As the sun sets, we take a walk through "Old Hong Kong".
And lastly, some night time entertainment.
Thanks for hosting the IAAPA crew Ocean Park! It really was a fantastic experience and a wonderful way to close AAE 2015!
