Forward Thinking Designs, a provider of advanced AV solutions for the themed entertainment industry, is celebrating a decade of delivering innovative, high-quality AV solutions to clients worldwide.
Established in 2015 as a woman-owned small business, it has evolved from a dedicated team of design and control experts into an award-winning, comprehensive design and development company focusing on themed entertainment.
Over the last ten years, a team of more than 40 experts has partnered with leading creative firms, owners, and developers to create immersive experiences globally. The company’s efforts have been recognised with several THEA Awards, showcasing its dedication to excellence, innovation, and pioneering solutions.
Based in Central Florida, it delivers a collaborative, expert-driven approach to each project. Since its founding, it has become a trusted partner offering comprehensive support, from concept and design to onsite execution and ongoing management.
Meet Forward Thinking Designs at IAAPA Expo
At IAAPA Expo 2025, Forward Thinking Design is showcasing its integrated approach, helping clients to achieve seamless project delivery, greater efficiency, and measurable results.
Attendees can learn about the firm’s full suite of services, from design and programming to custom-developed solutions, including the parade solution, and spend time with the team to see how it continues to push creative and technical boundaries in the themed entertainment industry.
Co-founder Melanie Hall reflects on the team that Forward Thinking Designs has built:
“The best teams are made up of quirky minds, the ones who see patterns in chaos and who ask ‘what if’ three times before anyone else has finished explaining the problem.
“These are the teammates who bridge the gap between imagination and engineering. They don’t just write code or design experiences; they shape how the team thinks, experiments, and grows.
“When you’re hiring for this kind of culture, you learn to look beyond the obvious markers of talent. You start asking questions like: Does this person light up when talking about an idea? Do they get excited about the unknown? Do they love solving puzzles just for the joy of it?”
Building the right team
She adds that, in a creative–technical space, curiosity is as valuable as expertise:
“You’re not just hiring for skill; you’re hiring for chemistry — that spark that happens when people who think differently find a shared rhythm...that sweet spot where creativity and precision feed off each other.
“The artist learns to think like an engineer, and the engineer starts to see their work as art. The quirky teammate who hums while coding might be the same person who sparks the next big breakthrough in your product design.
Ultimately, building a creative–technical culture isn’t about finding the perfect people,” she says:
“It’s about curating a mix of perspectives, temperaments, and quirks — a team that’s unafraid to experiment, to fail, and to laugh in between. When you get it right, the work stops feeling like work. It starts feeling like play with purpose — and that’s where the best ideas are born.”
The Forward Thinking Designs team will be at booth #573 during IAAPA Expo 2025, which is taking place from 17 – 21 November in Orlando, Florida.
Charlotte Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.
