Spooky meets strategic: Our highlights from TransWorld 2025
Boo! Here's a quick recap of our time at TransWorld 2025.
From animatronic creatures to festive cheer, TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show is a one-of-a-kind gathering that brings together the best of haunted houses, escape rooms, axe throwing venues, seasonal attractions, and more.
The FareHarbor team had a blast at this year’s event in St. Louis, Missouri, connecting with current clients, meeting potential partners, and soaking up the creativity. Here’s what we learned and loved — and how we’re planning to show up even bigger next year.
Key learnings we gained at TransWorld
One major insight? The importance of building deeper relationships with industry organizations like the Haunted Attraction Association (HAA). As the nonprofit hub of the haunt world, HAA organizes evening events like the OSCARES and a popular silent auction that brings the industry together and supports its growth.
“I’ve attended for the last three years, and this time I focused on HAA events specifically. Their community energy is fantastic. The more we align with their mission, the better positioned we’ll be to support their members,” said Rebecca Robinson, FareHarbor’s Commercial Partnership Program Manager.
Being present at events like these opens the door for us to better serve our niche operators in this passionate community.
Emerging trends and technologies we discussed withoperators
Across the floor, we saw two big themes stand out:
- Elevated artistry and classic horror: There was no shortage of jaw-dropping builds, eerie makeup, and immersive storytelling. Popular characters this year included Nosferatu, Frankenstein’s Monster, witches — and the ever-terrifying creepy children. The bar gets higher every year!
- Virtual queue management: Many operators are starting to explore tech that allows guests to “check in” and receive a text when it’s their turn — like a restaurant waitlist. This trend boosts guest satisfaction and encourages add-on sales at gift shops, snack stands, or side attractions while people wait.
These kinds of sticky, experience-enhancing tactics are where FareHarbor thrives — helping operators sell more than just entry tickets.
Our favorite part of the event
Easy answer: the people.
From creative visionaries building the next big scare to passionate business owners making their mark in entertainment, the people we met were the true stars of the show.
“It’s always the people for me,” Rebecca shared. “The level of talent, passion, and pure joy that fills this convention is unreal. It’s inspiring to see what everyone brings to life — and even more fun to brainstorm ways FareHarbor can help power those ideas.”
Looking ahead
TransWorld 2025 reminded us just how exciting, imaginative, and fast-growing the haunted and entertainment attraction industries are — and why we at FareHarbor are committed to serving them.
To everyone who stopped by the booth: thank you for the conversations, insights, and ideas. If you didn’t get a chance to connect, or want to learn more about how FareHarbor can help make your next season even more successful, reach out to our Support team today.
We’ll see you next year — with more ghosts, more tech, and even more boo-tiful surprises.
