News TEA special
parkworld-online.com
TEA on top of the world!
Sponsor and TEA stalwart Nick Farmer with John Davies of OmniTicket
TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) members from the Europe & Middle East Division (EME) met last month for an educational excursion to the summit Snowdon, North Wales. Joining them on the day (23 May) was TEA president Christine Kerr.
Thanks to sponsorship from members Nick Farmer and Martin Barratt, the group was able to take the easy way up the Welsh mountain, via its spectacular steam-hauled railway. As the journey was made, members of the party were able to read notes prepared by architect and TEA member Ray
Something new,
Hole about the Hafod Eryri visitor centre he deisgned at the top, Meanwhile Zoe Shelmerdine of Garmendale Engineering explained more about the tramcars the company recently supplied to the railway. The intimate gathering was part of an ongoing professional development series from the TEA entitled SATE Academy Days. Next up: Tivoli in Copenhagen on 12/13 June then Walt Disney Studios/Disneyland Paris on 6 July to see the new Ratatouille attraction. Non-members are welcome for a small fee. More info at
tea-connect.blogspot.com
something Bloo A new one-day conference for the attractions industry was staged last month in London. Blooloop Live, organised by the website of the same name, attracted around 150 delegates to the headquarters of UK Trade & Investment on Thursday 1 May.
The programme was split into four sections, covering brands, content, technology and strategy, and featured a diverse range of speakers representing a wide variety of attraction operators and creators. Of particular interest to Park World readers would have been the presentations from Merlin Entertainments’ Mark Fisher, speaking on brands (what else?); Richard Darrow from KidZania (also addressing the subject of brands); Simon Egan and Johnny Lyle’s interesting account of creating Bewilderwood, the treehouse adventure park in Norfolk, England; and Chester Zoo’s Jamie Christon, detailing plans for the ‘Islands’ development that is designed to increase annual attendance from 1.4 million to 2 million at what is already the UK’s most popular zoo.
There were also two guests presentations from speakers chosen to provide some food for thought from outside the industry. Futurist Peter Cochrane highlighted a number of technologies – including 3D printing, shape-shifting materials, robots and artificial intelligence – that have potential to enhance the guest experience, while journalist and broadcaster Aleks Krotoski noted that many attractions still have an edge over technology because they stimulate all five of the senses, not just one or two.
Covering everything from museums to theme parks, the conference catered to a similar audience as either a TiLE or TEA/SATE event, and attracted a strong calibre of both speaker and delegate. And with the full programme condensed into just one day (or a day-and-a-half if you include the party – most people did), it didn’t take too much time out of anyone’s schedules.
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Award entries invited – nominate now!
Know a new attraction that deserves recognition? Why not nominate it for a Thea Award – the themed entertainment industry’s “Oscars”? You’ve got until 11 July to do so. Nominations for new technology, lifetime achievement and the Thea Classic award are also invited. Winners will be announced by the TEA at IAAPA Attractions Expo in November, with presentations made in spring 2015 at the 21st annual Thea Awards Gala. More info at
bit.ly/SeAjf6
Or maybe there’s a person you think worthy of entry into the IAAPA Hall of Fame? Since 1990, dozens of industry pioneers have been honoured for their outstanding achievement and contribution to the international amusement park and attractions industry. See the full list of inductees and selection criteria at
bit.ly/1gzRnYt then consider your nominations for 2014, which must me made by 1 August. More information from Jan McCool on +1 703/299-5747 or
halloffameaward@iaapa.org.
Birket next to lead TEA Steve Birket of Birket Engineering (pictured) has
been named as the next president of the TEA (Themed Entertainment Association). He will succeed Christine Kerr (BaAM Productions) in November.
Active with the TEA for more than 10 years, Birket has worked in themed entertainment since 1979 and has held project management, engineering and entertainment positions at Universal Studios and The Walt Disney Company. Birket Engineering is a system integrator, designing and producing the hardware and software that controls some of the world’s best known rides and shows.
JUNE 2014
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