IAAPI Amusement Expo 2026: Dates, Venue, Visitor Pass and How to Source Play-Zone Equipment

The IAAPI Amusement Expo 2026 is over. It ran from 10 to 12 March 2026 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (NESCO), Goregaon East, Mumbai, according to the official IAAPI Expo 2026 page. The next one, the 25th edition, is set for 3 to 5 March 2027 at the same venue. Stall booking for 2027 is open. Visitor registration has not opened yet, as of 11 November 2026.

If you are planning a kids' play zone or gaming arcade with ₹10 to 20 lakh, this is the one show in India where most of your equipment suppliers stand in one hall. You have about four months to prepare. Expo mein shopping nahi, homework karo.

Key facts: IAAPI Amusement Expo 2026 and 2027

• Organiser: Indian Association of Amusement Parks and Industries (IAAPI), a non-profit founded in 1999 and based in Mumbai.
• 2026 edition (24th): 10 to 12 March 2026, Bombay Exhibition Centre (NESCO), Western Express Highway, Goregaon East, Mumbai.
• 2026 scale: 200+ exhibitors from India and 10+ countries, including 43 new companies, on 15,000 sq m, according to IAAPI's pre-show press release.
• Countries exhibiting in 2026: Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.
• Type of show: B2B trade show, billed as "Asia's only focused technology show for the Amusement and Theme Park sector."
• Support: Ministry of Tourism (Incredible India), with Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana named as partner states.
• 2027 edition (25th): 3 to 5 March 2027, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai.
• 2027 visitor registration: not open yet. Timings and entry fee are not confirmed by IAAPI.
• Industry size (IAAPI Chairman Ankur Maheshwary): ₹11,500 crore in 2023, projected to reach ₹22,000 crore by 2030.

Looking for IAAPA, not IAAPI?

The names are one letter apart, and many people mix them up. IAAPI is the Indian association, and its expo is in Mumbai every March. IAAPA is the global association, and its big show, IAAPA Expo 2026, runs from 16 to 20 November 2026 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, USA. If you want the Orlando show, go to iaapa.org. If you want the India show, keep reading.

What happened at IAAPI Amusement Expo 2026

IAAPI's official recap of 14 March 2026 calls it the largest edition in IAAPI history, about 30% bigger than the previous one. Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh opened the show.

For a small founder, four outcomes matter more than the ribbon-cutting:

• IAAPI's first Safety Handbook was launched. If you run a play zone where children climb, jump and slide, safety is your licence to stay open. Ask suppliers if their equipment follows it.
• IAAPI and ANAROCK released the first white paper on India's indoor amusement centres (IACs). It was launched at IAC Connect, the 7th edition of the indoor amusement centre conference, on 11 March. An IAC is exactly what a mall play zone or arcade is. Read this before you sign a lease.
• IAAPI signed an MoU with the Shopping Centres Association of India. Malls are where most play zones live, so this links the two sides you will negotiate between.
• IAAPI signed an MoU with Andhra Pradesh for an amusement park in Vizag, backed by ₹100 crore. Announcement hai, cheque nahi. An MoU is an intent on paper. Watch for land allotment and construction before you plan anything around it.

The show also had a Safety Conclave, a Networking Evening, and the Awards and Gala Night on 10 March. IAAPI's leadership was reappointed for a second term.

One thing IAAPI did not publish: an official visitor count. You may see "about 4,000 visitors" on listing sites like 10times. That was a pre-show estimate, not an official figure.

IAAPI Amusement Expo 2027: dates, visitor pass and stall booking

Dates and venue

3 to 5 March 2027, Bombay Exhibition Centre (NESCO), Western Express Highway, Goregaon East, Mumbai. Details are on the official Expo 2027 page.

Visitor registration: kab khulega?

Not yet. IAAPI has no visitor registration page live for 2027, and trade publication Blooloop also says registration hasn't opened. In past years IAAPI announced visitor registration closer to the show; in 2025 the link went out through its newsletter.

What to do now:

1. Bookmark iaapi.org and the events page.
2. Email info@iaapi.org and ask to be told when visitor registration opens.
3. Ignore third-party "ticket" sites that ask for money. Register only through IAAPI's own link.

Is entry free?

Some listing sites say entry is free for trade visitors. IAAPI has not confirmed this for 2027. Side sessions like IAC Connect have been paid and seat-limited in the past. Check with the organiser before you book travel on the assumption that everything is free.

Timings

Not confirmed for 2027. For reference, IAAPI's 2025 newsletter gave 11am to 6pm on days 1 and 2, and 11am to 4pm on day 3. Third-party sites list other timings for 2026 and 2027; treat those as unconfirmed. Plan your serious supplier meetings for day 1 and day 2.

Who can attend?

It is a trade show. The audience is amusement park, water park and indoor centre operators, investors, mall owners, hotels and real estate developers. A first-time founder planning a play zone fits here, as long as you come as a buyer with a plan, not as a family day out.

Booking a stall (for manufacturers and suppliers)

If you make or distribute amusement equipment, IAAPI has published these for 2027:

• Space booking form 2027 (PDF). Stall prices are in this PDF, not on the website pages.
• Floor plan 2027 (PDF)
• Sponsorship options and the sponsorship proposal (PDF)
• Exhibitor directory ad rates
• Online payment and the members' login

Contact and getting there

IAAPI's office is at 404 Shreya House, Pareira Hill Road, Off M V Road, Andheri East, Mumbai 400099. Email info@iaapi.org, or use the contact page. The venue, NESCO, is on the Western Express Highway in Goregaon East. Goregaon station on the Western line is the closest local train stop; take an auto from there. If you are flying in, Mumbai airport is a short drive, but Western Express Highway traffic at 10am is real, so leave early.

Using the expo to plan a ₹10 to 20 lakh play zone or arcade

Mera ek dost bolta hai, "Expo jaunga, machines dekh lunga, wahin order de dunga, mall mein lagwa dunga." His logic makes sense. All the suppliers are in one place, there are show discounts, and he saves months of calls.

Here is what really happens. He spends ₹6 lakh on a trampoline and soft-play structure that looks great in the hall. Then the mall he finally gets offers a space with a 9 ft ceiling, and the structure needs 12 ft. Machine pehle, location baad mein, is the expensive order.

Wrong way vs right way

The napkin math: a sample ₹15 lakh budget

These are planning assumptions for a small indoor play zone in a Tier 2 mall or high-street space, not supplier quotes. Use this table as your template, then replace every line with real quotes you collect at the expo.

Now the monthly side, again on assumptions you must check locally:

• Rent: ₹80,000
• Three staff: ₹45,000
• Electricity: ₹25,000
• Maintenance and spares: ₹10,000
• Other costs: ₹10,000
• Monthly fixed cost: ₹1,70,000

Paise kaise aayenge? Say your average ticket is ₹250 per child, after GST.

• 35 children a day on average: ₹8,750 a day, about ₹2,62,500 a month. Minus ₹1,70,000 leaves about ₹92,500. Break-even on ₹15 lakh: roughly 16 months.
• 20 children a day on average: ₹5,000 a day, about ₹1,50,000 a month. You lose about ₹20,000 every month.

The gap between those two lines is 15 children a day. That is the whole business. Weekends will be packed, and weekdays will decide whether you survive. No supplier at the expo can tell you that number. Only your own location test can.

Your pre-expo roadmap: November 2026 to March 2027

1. November 2026: pick your ground. Walk the malls, high streets and residential clusters in your district. Count families on one weekend evening and one weekday evening. Note which existing play zones are full and which are empty.
2. December 2026: lock 2 or 3 spaces on paper. Get carpet area, ceiling height, power load, rent, deposit and revenue-share terms in writing. Ask mall managers about their rules for play zones; malls usually have their own safety and insurance demands.
3. December 2026: read the IAAPI and ANAROCK white paper on IACs. Ask IAAPI how to access it. It's the closest thing to sector data for exactly this format.
4. January 2027: decide your format. Toddler soft play, trampoline park, arcade with redemption prizes, or a mix. Each needs a different space and a different staff count.
5. January 2027: build your supplier list. When IAAPI publishes the exhibitor list or floor plan updates, mark 10 to 15 stalls in your category. Split them between Indian manufacturers and importers.
6. February 2027: register as a visitor as soon as IAAPI opens registration. Book travel and stay near Goregaon early.
7. 3 to 5 March 2027: collect, don't commit. Visit your shortlisted stalls on day 1. Use day 2 for follow-up meetings and IAC-focused sessions if you can get a seat.
8. March 2027: compare at home. Put every quote in one sheet with the same columns. Negotiate by email or call, then pay a small advance only against a written order with delivery and installation dates.

The questions to ask at every stall

• Is this price ex-factory, or delivered and installed at my site?
• If imported, what is the landed cost after freight, customs duty and GST? Who handles clearance?
• Which safety standards does this equipment meet? Do you follow IAAPI's Safety Handbook?
• What is the warranty, and what does it exclude?
• Where is your nearest service engineer, and how many days to reach my district?
• Do you keep spare parts in India? What does a common spare cost?
• Can you show me two installations in a city like mine, with an owner I can call?
• What is the exact space, ceiling height and power load needed?

The last question alone can save you lakhs. Write the answers on the back of their visiting card before you walk away.

The catch: what the expo brochure won't tell you

• Service matters more than price. A cheaper imported arcade machine that sits dead for three weeks waiting for a part from abroad costs you more than a costlier Indian one with an engineer 200 km away.
• Show discounts create pressure. "Offer only for expo days" is a sales line. A good supplier will honour a fair price a week later too.
• The big numbers are not your numbers. ₹22,000 crore by 2030 is an industry projection from IAAPI. Your break-even depends on 35 versus 20 children a day in your one location.
• Arcades depend on repeat visits. Kids get bored of the same machines. Budget for rotating or adding machines every year.
• Mall leases can lock you in. Read lock-in periods, revenue share and exit clauses before you buy anything.

Bheed se alag: add your district to the play zone

Every mall play zone in India looks the same: the same plastic tubes, the same claw machines. One cheap way to be different is a small retail or activity corner built on your district's own craft. If you are in Andhra Pradesh, Etikoppaka lacquerware wooden toys from Anakapalli and Kondapalli toys from NTR district (Vijayawada) are made close by and sell well as gifts to parents. In tourist districts like Shimla, footfall comes from visitors as well as locals; the Shimla tourism page shows what that district's economy runs on.

A ₹30,000 shelf of local toys won't make your break-even. It will make your play zone the one parents talk about.

Toh IAAPI Expo jaana chahiye ya nahi?

Go if: you have ₹10 to 20 lakh set aside, have shortlisted real spaces with measurements, and want to compare 10+ suppliers in two days instead of three months. Also go if you make equipment, flooring, card systems or prizes and want buyers from parks, malls and indoor centres.

Skip for now if: you have no location, no idea of local footfall, or plan to fund the whole thing with a loan you haven't been approved for. Spend those Mumbai travel costs on a month of footfall counting in your own district instead. IAAPI holds the expo every year, so you can go to a later edition once your numbers are ready.

Your next step before the March 2027 show

Go to the busiest mall or market in your district on a weekend evening, and again on a weekday evening. Count how many children walk past in one hour, and note what the nearest play zone charges. Then email info@iaapi.org to get the 2027 visitor registration link when it opens. For more district-first business plans with setup costs and margins, start from the KidharMilega homepage and find your zila.