Join us at 3 pm GMT on Thursday, 22 January for our Innovation in Game On session at the Festival of Innovation 2026.
This will feature guest speakers, Mario Centola, executive vice president and chief operating officer of international operations and worldwide franchise development at Chuck E. Cheese; Brent Bushnell, co-founder of DreamPark; and Rick Briggs, CEO of FuzionGamz and Attractionz.
Nostalgia, personalisation and repeatability: innovation in game on will discuss the latest trends and innovations within the LBE space, including how heritage brands are successfully pivoting to capture adult markets, and the shift from passive to active entertainment.
The Festival of Innovation will be held online from 21 to 22 January 2026 and celebrate the creative ideas, products, and organisations advancing the industry.
All sessions will be available on demand for 30 days.
To register for free, please click here.
The blooloop Innovation Awards, held in partnership with Area15, recognise the remarkable energy, creativity, and imagination that propel the attractions industry forward.
The winners of the 2025 Game On category will be announced at this session. Attendees can view all the entries during the event.
Meet the speakers
Mario Centola, executive vice president and chief operating officer of international operations and worldwide franchise development at Chuck E. Cheese, leads the brand's global strategy and growth across new and existing markets.
Centola has more than 25 years of experience in out-of-home entertainment, theme parks and international development, including positions at several regional theme park companies.
Prior to joining CEC Entertainment, Centola spent 21 years at Six Flags Entertainment, where he held roles including senior vice president of in-park services, vice president and chief accounting officer, and vice president of financial planning and strategy.
He holds a B.S. in Finance from Miami University and a Master's in Business Administration and Information Systems from The University of Akron.
For more than two decades, Brent Bushnell has been crafting games, attractions, viral stunts, learning experiences, and large-scale productions for brands, venues, and events, both in real life and virtually in VR/AR/XR.
He is the co-founder of DreamPark, a mixed-reality theme park platform, and Two Bit Circus, a live entertainment incubator that builds and exhibits all-ages, social attractions.
Passionate about inspiring learning through games and play, Bushnell is chairman of Two Bit Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes invention through STEAM-based programmes.
He is a Sir Edmund Hillary fellow, a Shark Tank alumnus, a founding board member of LEXRA.org, an entrepreneurship mentor, and a supporter of Clowns Without Borders, and has worked on projects recognised by Clio, Cannes Lions, TripAdvisor’s Top Global Attractions, and Fast Company.
Rick Briggs has been designing, building, and operating highly interactive, successful experiences for children and families worldwide since the 1980s. He holds more than 80 patents, has won industry awards from IAAPA, WWA, and TEA, and was an original member of the WWA Hall of Fame.
Briggs' career began in water park design, leading him to develop the Interactive Waterplay family attractions and the Giant Dumping Bucket Playstructure, now found in water parks worldwide.
Among his many innovations are the Foam Factory, deployed at most Six Flags parks and at Universal Studios; the industry's first live-action game that tracked players throughout the experience; and the co-creation of MagiQuest, the first retail and tech-driven attraction, which has now sold over 10 million magic wands.
During the 2010s, Briggs' new attractions included Slideboarding, SplashQuest, NoBoundaries, AquaCourse, VR slides, and more. His latest development is FuzionGamz, a live-action attraction that blends video-game immersion, laser tag, and escape-room teamwork.
Jade Craig
