Smell experience experts at AromaPrime, a company dedicated to immersing visitor attraction guests with scents, has released its top ten weird and wacky whiffs to celebrate the biggest event in the leisure industry coming to London later this year.
AromaPrime is one of over 500 exhibitors headed to London’s ExCeL this September for IAAPA’s Expo Europe and will be showcasing a range of aromatic interactivity to delight attendees. To celebrate the flagship European trade show of The Global Association for the Attractions Industry’s return to the capital for the first time since 2011, AromaPrime has dug into its 400+ strong aroma archive and revealed its most memorable scents.
- Topping the charts at number one is Kylie Minogue’s Breath. In 2002, AromaPrime created a breathing mechanism for Kylie Minogue’s wax figure at Madame Tussauds, along with the smell of her breath – the popstar could even be heard breathing too.
- In at number two is Penguin Vomit, unbearably fishy, zoos use this stench as part of their learning programmes.
- The number three spot goes to a smell most will agree isn’t pleasant – the Dentist. This scent is used in Halloween scare mazes to trigger personal fears.
- Jaguar Urine is in at number four.
- Travelling back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the earth for number five. Recreating the scent of the Tyrannosaurus rex was no match for the AromaPrime team who researched alongside palaeontologists at The Natural History Museum for an accurate recreation of what a T-Rex might have smelt like.
- Scent number six is the smell of Queen Elizabeth II which was created to accompany her Madame Tussauds figure. The aroma was based on Buckingham Palace and Her Majesty’s favourite flowers.
- Proving there is no scent the AromaPrime team cannot recreate, in at number seven is the smell of Unicorn.
- Number eight goes to Burning Witch. A stink used by The London Dungeon which is fiery, fleshy and a little bit fantastical.
- One for the sports fans – the scent of Sports Changing Room is in at number nine. The steamy atmosphere of sportspeople getting changed after a sweaty game proves popular at sports museums.
- Lastly in at number ten is the stench of Rotting Flesh.
Liam R. Findlay, themed smell consultant at AromaPrime, said: “Our scent receptors are connected to the part of the brain which processes memories and emotions, which is why fragrances help experiences stick in our minds. They also make us feel different emotions, like excitement, fear, or happiness. The scent of cookies can even transport you back to your grandma’s kitchen and make you peckish for a snack!
“Not only does this boost guest satisfaction, but it also boosts ticket sales, gift shop sales and food sales, which is why post-pandemic attractions are opening themselves to the potential of aroma.
“The proof is really in the pudding. An ice cream shop at Universal Orlando Resort saw a 45% boost in sales after six months of using scents for the first time. In a retail study, 84% of participants valued shoes in a scented room as being worth more money than shoes in an unscented room.
“During the COVID lockdowns, theme park fans were buying our most horrid ride stenches for their homes – Rotting Flesh even became a bestseller, all in an effort to transport themselves back to happy days out!”
AromaPrime will be delighting the thousands of attendees from across the globe as they descend on London’s ExCeL for IAAPA’s Expo Europe, a major event which is shining the spotlight firmly on the recovering tourism industry in this special Jubilee year for the UK, and putting London at the heart of Europe’s leisure industry in 2022.
Returning to London for the first time since 2011, and with a jam-packed programme full of the latest technology from across the globe, IAAPA is set to deliver one of the best Expos yet, with guests able to network with colleagues, explore the latest developments in the industry, discover new products and services and expand their knowledge with the help and support of industry experts.