Over 1,000 companies serving the theme park and hospitality industries are in Orlando this week for the International Association of Amusement Park and Attractions Expo.

In a huge convention hall filled with thousands of companies vying for business, some of the biggest companies appearing at IAAPA are from Florida.

“We collaborated over the past year, to create a new series on the Walking Dead,” said Lauren Wood with Jacksonville-based Sally Corporation.

Sally Corp scored the rights to create dark rides around the world.

“A dark ride is when you are in some kind of moving vehicle, whether it be a car or a boat, and you go from scene to scene and it tells a story along the way,” Wood said.

The company brings home top honors at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions annual Expo for creating the Justice League-themed dark ride for Six Flags.

"It’s a thrilling adventure using a motion-based vehicle,” said Wood.

Closer to home, Sally made the interactive dark ride at Legoland Florida, all from Jacksonville.

“It’s wonderful being in the heart of the theme park world in Florida,” Wood said.

And a zombie-themed dark ride will bring more folks into a park. Sally Corp. hopes to have a "The Walking Dead" ride signed with a theme park soon.

A zombie-themed attraction might get more people into a park, but once they're there, parks rely on games to get guests to spend a little more money.

Bob’s Space Racers of Daytona Beach always attracts a crowd on the IAAPA tradeshow floor.  An hour away at their headquarters, you’ll find a business that started with one game in 1970, and created a global industry.

“We have roughly 90 people here that depend on that export business,” said Bob's Space Racers CFO Michael Lane.

Exporting to other countries is now 50 percent of Bob’s Space Racer’s business. In their warehouse, find games waiting to be assembled, games waiting to be rehabilitated and games coming to life before heading overseas.

“We started out in Mexico.  We now do some consulting in the Mideast as well,” Lane said.

And ready to create a new ride or an entire new park is ITEC. The Orlando-based company designs more than theme parks and water parks.

“They’re coming to us, not because we are water park experts, but guest experience experts,” said Bill Coan with ITEC.

Inside ITEC’s Orlando headquarters, you’ll find plans, renderings and designs for attractions across town and Norway to Vietnam.

"We’re as busy as we’ve ever been worldwide. We would love to be more busy in the United States,” Coan said.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions expo runs through Friday.