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SimEx-Iwerks Advances Its Growth Strategy
Park World’s Matt Broughton caught up with Sean McAllister, Senior Vice President, Attraction Development at SimEx-Iwerks, to discuss all things 2026 and beyond!
Matt: Can you sum up 2025; what were the key 'moments' for the company? Sean: 2025 was a year of preparation for growth. As the attractions industry continues to evolve, leading operators are prioritizing experiences that feel emotionally powerful, operationally efficient, and distinctly different from at-home entertainment. Our focus this year was ensuring our attractions meet those expectations. We advanced our Immersion Theater, reimagining
the traditional 4D experience to be more immersive, guest-focused, and impactful. That evolution led to significant partnerships with Shedd Aquarium (Chicago) and Central Park Zoo (New York), reinforcing the continued importance of shared cinematic experiences within leading cultural institutions. We also accelerated development of Vision 360,
our fully immersive LED environment that surrounds guests in dynamic, large-scale storytelling. Vision 360 delivers a level of spectacle and sensory engagement that raises expectations for cinematic attractions. At the same time, we refined our strategy around
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FlyRide. Having delivered custom flying theater installations in multiple markets, we are now preparing to expand more proactively, with a clear goal of increasing our global footprint over the next five years.
Matt: Is there an overarching goal that's driving your efforts for 2026? Sean: While 2025 was about strengthening our attractions, 2026 is about accelerating growth, particularly within the flying theater category. The direction for us is clear, immersive attractions
must be bold, efficient, and built for long-term performance. That is where we are focused.
Matt: What has been your first point of focus for this year? Sean: Over the past several years, we made a deliberate decision to focus on North America. Strengthening partnerships, refining our platforms, and reinforcing our operational model in this market. This now positions us for broader global expansion in 2026.
North America, particularly in flying theaters, and strategically expanding it. FlyRide has proven itself in diverse environments,
and we see strong international demand for cinematic attractions that balance spectacle with efficiency. As more developers invest in immersive anchors, the ability to integrate a flying theater intelligently into a park or mixed-use development becomes critical. Customization has always been central to our
approach. We work closely with operators and design teams to ensure each installation feels purpose-built, while our core systems remain strong, scalable, and engineered for long-term performance.
Matt: You make the promise to always innovate; just how hard is it to always innovate in a space where people also want guarantees and consistency? Sean: Our partners are making long-term capital investments. They need confidence in throughput, uptime, serviceability, and longevity of their attraction investment. At the same time, guests expect
SPRING 2026
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