Rob Hetherington is the CEO and founder of Spider Entertainment, a company specialising in designing and managing immersive entertainment for retail and leisure venues. Hetherington and industry veteran Kevin Williams established Spider Entertainment in 2021 to meet the growing demand for location-based entertainment in retail spaces. Previously, he worked with Lappset Creative.
Spider Entertainment, a design/build and operations management service provider for FECs and immersive entertainment venues, has established itself as a pioneer in the expanding immersive experience sector. With a niche in providing complete turnkey solutions, Spider Entertainment is carving a distinct path in the entertainment industry.
The company’s mission is to fill the gap in the market for high-demand immersive experiences by seamlessly combining creative and operational processes, as Hetherington explained to blooloop in 2024: “The absolute key opportunity we are filling is providing operating services for a lot more of the demand out there. To do that best, you need to have your own experiences that you are creating and scaling.”
Its first branded immersive entertainment venue is Spider Box Manchester Printworks, which promises to be a revolutionary addition to the city’s entertainment landscape. Spider Box focuses on immersive music, quizzes, cocktails, and games, targeting a diverse audience primarily aged 18 to 45, with secondary demographics spanning 12 to 55 years old.
Rob Hetherington has 20 years of experience in international sales, marketing, and business development for start-ups, SMEs, and MNCs and over a decade of experience in location-based entertainment. His team at Spider Entertainment has over 200 years of combined real-world experience, including specialities in ideation, design, research, feasibility, immersive technology, business planning, project development, project management, general contracting, operations and more.
The team has already worked on several successful projects, including partnerships with Merlin Entertainments, Inverness Castle Experience, Royal Hospital Chelsea, Lightning VR, DiVR Labs, Creative Works FEC Products, and more.