2011 ILTA IAAPA Review

Indianapolis, Indiana, November 30th, 2011 - The week before Thanksgiving the Orlando Convention Center was home to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions annual trade show. The ILTA exhibited and was there to see what was new in the laser tag world. It was a busy convention and we are thrilled that so many new people are looking to get into this incredibly fun and profitable industry.

It was another exciting year at IAAPA with some new products and even some new manufacturers in the industry. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth this year. We’re sure everyone who attended the show was able to learn a great deal about our industry as well as what each company that exhibited had to offer their projects. 2012 looks like it will be a fantastic year for the laser tag industry!

Read on for a glimpse of what you may have missed!

Indoor Laser Tag Report

Delta Strike came to the show with a new arena device that makes installation and triggered effects much easier for the operator to do on their own. By simply using standard Ethernet cords and programming through the Delta Strike software, an operator can set up a series of events to happen from target to effect. 

These devices don’t even need their own power supply as they are powered through their connections to the other devices. So now if your customer tags a base it can set off a fog machine and an animatronic or cause half of the arena to change colors or whatever else you have in mind! For more information on Delta Strike’s devices, visit www.deltastrike.net.

Laser Blast received an IAAPA Brass Ring Award for Best New Product for their wireless charging racks which work with their laser tag equipment. Congratulations to Laser Blast on their success and achievement!

(Note: Laser Blast is the second laser tag company in two years to receive an award on best new product.) 

Laserforce was promoting their new arena targets. Small in size and sleek in design, these targets can be used as arena devices or with Laserforce’s new Laser Tag Trainer attraction.

Laser Tag Trainer is a new attraction that can keep your guests busy tagging targets while waiting for their next game. This attraction only uses 169 square feet and is approximately 9’ tall. To learn more about the Laser Tag Trainer, visit www.laserforcetag.com. 

Zone Systems wasn’t hard to spot with their two giant lit-up towers that made up their booth this year. Zone had two new devices on display at this show. The first was an update to their LED vesting racks. The updated racks change colors and also have a small LCD screen on the end to display information such as battery charge status or pack name, making it easier for guests to find their favorite pack. This vesting rack is only available through Zone’s Nexus Pro packages.

The second device they were showing off was a remote targeting system that works from your lobby and can tag players in your arena using a mounted phaser and camera system. So people waiting to play their next game can sit at the remote terminal and tag unsuspecting players, adding another dimension to the game play. For more information please visit www.zonelasertag.com.

Outdoor Laser Tag Report

Hi-Tech is a new outdoor laser tag vendor that exhibited at the show this year. Hi-Tech has a good variety of phasers to choose from. Also available at a fairly low price are their pop-up barriers that are easy to store and use for quick turn-around in mobile settings. To learn more about this new manufacturer, visit their website at www.outdoorlasertagequipment.com. 

Veqtor had a new twist this year at IAAPA: the outdoor market. Simple modifications to their existing equipment and you have a lightweight, durable, child-friendly outdoor laser tag system. The system comes in a travel case for your mobile business. For more information on Veqtor and their new outdoor system, visit www.veqtor.co.uk.

Other News

Creative Works has had a busy year developing new products to appeal to various projects in the laser tag industry. In addition to their Laser Frenzy product they are now offering their new mobile gaming unit, Game Patrol, and Mirror Maze attractions. 

Game Patrol is a mobile business option that allows operators to take the party to their guests by offering both indoor and outdoor video game options for parties, turning this attraction into a mobile FEC. When moving this setup, operators can store inflatables inside and portable or outdoor laser tag to their customer’s property or group function. Those interested in this turnkey option can get more information at www.thewoweffect.com. 

Also, the ILTA obtained a new Supplier Supporter for our members while at the show. Nexus Group South is a lighting effects company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their website (www.nexusgroupsouth.com) shows some of the work they have done over the past several months and they are anxious to help ILTA members create a unique feel for their lobbies and arenas using Nexus Group’s lighting effects. Those interested can contact Steve Strickland at 504-272-7647 or email them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

The ILTA also had their 2nd Annual (sold out) Laser Tag Industry Dinner at Houlihan’s where operators and developers could ask questions, talk about opportunities unique to our industry, and give marketing or operational advice. 

Hot topics this year were social media marketing, in-store advertising, gorilla marketing, Groupon and Living Social specials, and more! We want to give special thanks to everyone who came out and made our annual event a huge success.

The ILTA would like to thank everyone who attended our dinner and visited us at our booth this year, both developer and operator alike. It was great to hear about the projects moving forward and being considered by our future entrepreneurs.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this year's IAAPA Tradeshow, please feel free to contact us at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it