ST. LOUIS – Thousands from across the globe are heading to America’s Center in St. Louis this weekend for one of the biggest events held in the convention center–the Transworld Halloween and Attractions Show.

The convention is for businesses and other professionals to scope out the newest technology and products to incorporate into their haunted houses, pumpkin patches, and other events at locations like zoos, aquariums, amusement parks, and more.

“This is the place. This is the largest trade show of its kind in the world,” Transworld Trade Shows President Jennifer Thaler said.

What once began as a few booths in the early 2010s has grown to over 400 vendors and buyers from 70 different countries using every square foot on the convention floor.

“I’ve just been growing the show and we’ve got a lot of people involved–we work with all the theme parks like Universal Halloween Horror Nights…we work with Six Flags, a lot of them hold their annual meetings here, so the show has just grown over time,” Thaler added.

These booths can range between gory animatronics and masks designed for haunted house actors to makeup demonstrations, lighting design, and ticketing systems.

Beyond the showroom, other opportunities for education and networking in the haunted house community are available through seminars, social events, and more.

While Halloween decoration is the main focus of the show, a portion of the center is also dedicated to Christmas displays since 2019.

“We’re always looking for ways to expand. So for instance, this year, we brought a lot of interactive entertainment into the Christmas hall, because a lot of people look at it and they think it’s only lights–it’s not,” Vice President of Transworld Rich Bianco said.

As a tight-knit community, the show also grants long-time experts and new haunters to connect.

“They also use each other as sounding boards. It’s a huge resource just to network–we have a tremendous amount of parties at night and mixers because it really connects the industry and it gives them a chance to compare notes,” Thaler said. “I think the network component is just as important as what’s on the show floor.”

Transworld Halloween and Attractions runs through Sunday. To see qualifications to attend or to purchase tickets, click here.