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.
Blue Telescope, a media and design studio that creates interactive and narrative experiences, considers what makes airport media effective, following its recent project at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport. Airport media generates millions of impressions, building visibility, and sparking connections.
“Travelers don’t come to airports expecting an exhibit, and that’s exactly why media there can be so powerful,” says the firm. “Serendipity is a short runway to the surprise and delight we all want to create for visitors. And in this unique instance, you have the opportunity to capture the eyes, minds, and hearts of a diverse, global population who you might not have otherwise been able to reach.”
At the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, Blue Telescope collaborated with the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives to create a media experience that showcases their mission to 2.6 million people annually.
For institutions seeking to expand their reach, this type of presence fosters visibility and buy-in that extends beyond the terminal. The unexpected excitement of interactive experiences makes this visibility stick, turning a fleeting moment into something memorable and worth sharing.
A valuable service
Interactive media in airports can serve as a valuable service, offering relief, distraction, or a boost of energy when travellers need it most. These moments position the institution as thoughtful, generous, and actively present in people’s lives.
At Miami International Airport, Blue Telescope partnered with the Miami Children’s Museum to create Plane Fun. This selfie station offers a fun outlet for play during what may be a hectic and stressful travel day.
Kids choose from different animated backdrops featuring iconic Miami sights and layer in colourful stickers to create custom souvenir postcards. A quick QR scan saves the image and keeps the museum in the conversation long after the trip.
“It’s the kind of well-considered service that turns passing travelers–and grateful parents–into future visitors,” says Blue Telescope.
Navigating airport security protocols and passenger volume adds another layer of complexity to any project, which is why designing media for airports requires technical precision and the ability to build software that runs reliably at high volumes.
“Media firms must balance this technical prowess with creative ingenuity, developing pieces that provide a satisfying experience for varying dwell times and demand–and hold–attention amidst the bustle of a busy terminal.
“For the Frederick Douglass Legacy Exhibit at the Greater Rochester International Airport, we enhanced historic daguerreotypes of Douglass using subtle motion animation to both reaffirm his relevance in today’s world and draw travel-weary eyes to the exhibit. The result is content that’s as dependable as it is moving.
“As frequent travelers, we’re fans of a lot of the media and exhibits we see en route to our gates. Some favorites are SFO’s exhibition program, where rotating displays transform walkways into museum-quality experiences, and the large-scale media at Orlando International Airport, where animated walls shift the entire mood of the terminal.”
Elevating the mission
Blue Telescope’s expertise with all things airborne includes intergalactic adventures, too.
“All of these projects fall under a greater umbrella of wonder–at the ingenuity it takes to become airborne, the delight of travel, and the vision to imagine the future of aviation from earth far past the stratosphere,” adds the firm.
As part of the Delta Flight Museum’s major exhibitions refresh, Blue Telescope created a cinematic pre-show experience that combines motion graphics, archival footage, and custom animation with 270° visuals and bespoke musical scoring to evoke the idea that the Delta Flight Museum is where innovation takes flight.
At Kennedy Space Center, the company’s gesture-activated Robotic Space Explorers Wall brings the ingenuity, uniqueness, and hidden delights of satellites down to earth. Visitors can launch satellites from kiosks onto the wall and watch as their trajectory unlocks mission facts and triggers unexpected animations.
Meanwhile, Blue Telescope’s media at the National Air and Space Museum shows how aviation innovations reshaped the world. For the museum’s reimagined World War I Gallery, the team created a custom linear timeline that tracks the evolution of aviation’s impact on the battlefield. Custom animation illuminates these firsts, communicating and contextualising their rapid evolution during this time of global crisis.
“ The right media in the right place can extend your reach, elevate your mission, and connect you with audiences in memorable, meaningful ways. Blue Telescope designs these experiences with a deep understanding of what airport projects require. We technically and creatively meet the moment–and the location–so your story resonates long after takeoff.”
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.
Las Vegas' Mob Museum has opened a new retail experience at Harry Reid International Airport to preview its exhibits and sell themed merchandise.
Developed in partnership with the Day One Group, the store brings the museum’s mission to one of the world’s busiest travel hubs, which welcomed more than 58 million passengers in 2024.
The Mob Museum attracts more than 400,000 visitors annually to its downtown Las Vegas location, where it provides immersive exhibits on organised crime and law enforcement.
The new retail space serves as an introduction to Las Vegas’ storied past and the Mob Museum.
“This store provides an introductory touchpoint, offering a glimpse into the stories and artifacts that await downtown,” said Jonathan Ullman, CEO and president of the Mob Museum.
“We hope this space sparks curiosity, invites exploration and offers something memorable for every traveler passing through. For many, it will be the first taste of a larger journey.”
Merchandise on offer includes branded clothing, mugs, books and magnets, while artefact displays in the store include objects from the LAPD's Gangster Squad, Mob-era Las Vegas, and the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.
Additionally, guests will get to take an oath and become a "made" man, and take their own mugshot in a police lineup.
The Mob Museum will also display a 1972 Signal Red Jaguar XKE, once owned by Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, at the airport's concourse entrance for a limited time.
Brian Ayala, principal at Day One Group, said the new store "brings a piece of Las Vegas history and culture directly to travelers, delivering a distinctive retail experience that celebrates the city’s iconic past while welcoming visitors from around the world".
James C. Chrisley, director of aviation for Clark County, added: "Our airport plays a unique role in connecting millions of travelers to the spirit of Las Vegas and the entire destination.
"By bringing the Mob Museum to Harry Reid International Airport, we’re sharing a rich part of our community’s history and identity with visitors from the very start of their journey."
Inowize, a creative company delivering interactive experiences, presents QBIX Play, the latest version of the QBIX immersive gaming room platform, designed to appeal to younger audiences and serve as a compelling visual and experiential centrepiece in modern entertainment venues.
QBIX Play builds on QBIX's proven success to make group play more accessible, spontaneous, and flexible for operators. While QBIX has become a global leader as the high-performance Pro version for immersive group gaming, QBIX Play expands this concept.
Responding to operator demand
QBIX Play is the open-edition version of QBIX, created for younger audiences, family venues, and day-pass entertainment settings.
The attraction preserves the core gameplay of 6 players playing simultaneously, all within a compact 4 x 4 metre (13 × 13 feet) area. It features nine themed multiplayer titles.
The new edition has been developed in response to a clear operator demand: to increase session frequency, to seamlessly integrate into free-play models, and to reduce friction for younger demographics.
“QBIX Play was born from listening carefully to both operators and guests,” says Claudia Mihalache, co-founder of Inowize.
“The market doesn’t need more complexity. It needs immersive attractions that are easier to deploy, easier to access, and easier to monetize.”
QBIX Play eliminates structural obstacles and adopts an open, highly visible design to encourage spontaneous participation while ensuring high throughput per square meter.
Initially unveiled as a concept at IAAPA Expo in November 2025, it was introduced as a new edition of the immersive gaming room. Due to significant industry interest, the product has now been installed in two U.S. locations: FunVille and AR's Entertainment Hub.
The team also revealed its ninth game title for QBIX, Last Defense, at IAAPA Expo 2025.
Venues can now choose between QBIX, QBIX Play, or scale with QBIX Multi-units, allowing them to build layouts that fit their traffic, space, and business model.
SSA Group has been working on a transformative approach to operations. By weaving its signature 452 Hospitality ethos, rooted in a legacy of welcome and human connection, into Scout, a new AI-driven operating system, the company demonstrates how AI can enhance rather than replace the human side of hospitality.
For nearly 60 years, SSA Group has been a staple in the cultural attractions sector, collaborating with zoos, aquariums, and museums to provide comprehensive guest services. As a family-owned business, the company has continually adapted, but its core mission remains centred on a simple, powerful concept: hospitality.
We speak with CEO Sean McNicholas and vice president of people and culture, Jason Stover, to unpack Scout's mission and learn how it can open the door to both greater efficiency and more memorable moments.
SSA reimagines the industry
Starting by looking at the bigger picture, McNicholas says: “What I love about SSA and our family business is our curiosity for continuing to reimagine the industry.
"Those are pillars of our plan. We approach 60 years as a family business in 2030, and what’s exciting to us is continuing to innovate, not just our business, but the guest experience for our clients and partners.”
Sean McNicholas and Jason Stover
This culture of curiosity is what prompted McNicholas and Stover to investigate the potential of artificial intelligence long before it became the industry buzzword it is today.
"Five or six years ago, Jason came to me as one of the early adopters of AI. We started talking about it, and the more we looked at tools like AI, we asked a very simple question: what one, two, or three areas could AI positively impact our business?"
For SSA, the goal was not to replace staff or remove the human element from the museum or zoo experience through automation. Instead, the emphasis was on liberation.
"The thing that became clear was how tools like AI could help us become more efficient with data, back-end systems, and administrative work," adds McNicholas.
"If we can be more efficient there, we can spend more time meeting guests where they need us, which is on the front line.”
The outcome of this exploration is Scout, an AI-assisted tool and ‘unified intelligence layer’ designed specifically for cultural attractions.
Scout is positioned not as a replacement for human workers, but as a co-pilot. It is an operating system that gathers data from across the industry to provide real-time insights. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, Scout has been built for the sector's operational realities.
"AI is trending now, but it’s not new," says Stover.
"I’ve been with SSA for almost 30 years, and my journey with AI in this company has existed since day one. When I first became a manager, we were already experimenting with predictive analytics, trying to forecast attendance and staffing.
"That was AI at the time."
However, the leap to generative AI offered a new opportunity to support SSA's secret sauce: its people.
Stover employs a cinematic analogy to describe Scout’s role within the workforce:
"I compare it to Tony Stark," he says. "He’s brilliant, but he doesn’t become Iron Man until he has Jarvis. That’s what Scout is. It’s a co-pilot that takes away routine, monotonous work so our people can focus on what matters."
Real-time, useful insights
Designed to support guest-journey walkthroughs, the platform collects real-time observations and converts them into actionable insights tailored to each attraction.
The tool was created in accordance with SSA’s core belief that technology should never replace connection; it should enhance it. The idea is that data and design can collaborate to create memorable guest experiences.
This supports SSA’s wider focus on innovation, which aims to turn curiosity into meaningful change that advances partners' missions. By automating data analysis, Scout helps operators make more informed decisions about designs, platforms, and revenue strategies.
"Guest expectations are evolving faster than ever," says Stover. "Scout was built to meet this moment as a tech-forward AI tool that allows us to keep experiences deeply personal.”
The heart of the system: 452 Hospitality
Although the technology is impressive, the engine driving Scout remains entirely human. At the centre of Scout’s design is 452 Hospitality, the cultural ethos that defines SSA Group’s purpose and character.
Named after 452 Leyden Street, the Denver home where SSA’s founders first lived and practised hospitality, 452 has since become both a numeric and philosophical code for what the company stands for: a spirit of welcome, belonging, and genuine human connection.
At 452 Leyden Street, anyone could come in for a meal, a chat, or a place to rest. And that sense of genuine warmth now lives on in every SSA service encounter.
Today, 452 Hospitality reflects SSA’s ongoing dedication to creating authentic, memorable moments that uplift guests, partners, and colleagues alike.
That same spirit guides Scout’s purpose: rather than replacing people, the AI system aims to enable staff to embody 452 Hospitality more fully, freeing them from administrative burdens so they can provide the personal engagement that makes guests feel welcome and valued.
In practice, this involves a particular method for engaging with guests and monitoring operations. Scout develops a digital framework for this using the SOQ model: Observation, Opinion, and Question.
"Scout is being trained by the entire zoo, aquarium, and cultural attraction industry," Stover says. "Every conversation, every audit, every partner insight gets ingested and shapes how Scout operates.”
Within the Scout ecosystem, there are various ‘agents’ dedicated to different tasks, such as labour optimisation and inventory management. However, the ‘452 agent’ is unique.
"It has vision and voice capabilities. As you walk through operations, it analyses images and observations in real time and evaluates them against our hospitality standards. It acts as a co-pilot for auditors and operators, making observations, offering insights, and matching them with best practices and solutions.
“You might miss something as a human, but Scout won’t.”
Scout in action
The deployment of Scout is already producing tangible outcomes, progressing from theoretical ideas to solving complex on-site issues. This highlights SSA’s focus on turning insights into action by combining data, technology, and human connection.
McNicholas emphasises that the team is "continually evolving Scout by testing it across multiple attractions," noting that "every new site adds more data and sharper insights.”
Stover offers an example of Scout’s operational intelligence in action from a working session with the Detroit Zoo. The team was exploring a complex “what-if” scenario: opening a new entrance near a new exhibit while navigating compliance considerations, budget constraints, and a nearby rail track.
“Using Scout as a sandbox alongside their team, we pressure-tested the constraints, surfaced relevant regulatory considerations, explored alternative approaches like repurposed shipping containers, and generated rough-order cost ranges. It was less about committing to a final plan and more about accelerating discovery.”
“What’s exciting is that every audit surfaces a new real-world question, and we ask: Should this become a new sub-agent? That’s how Scout keeps evolving.”
Another success story comes from the Dallas Zoo, where Scout was instrumental in helping the zoo team explore their own AI journey while SSA conducted an inter-department relationship audit.
Scout is tailored to each user’s psychology
What makes Scout different from typical business AI tools is its incorporation of behavioural psychology. Acknowledging that strong operations don't happen by accident, SSA has combined leadership development with its technological roadmap.
Stover, whose background is in people and culture, insisted that if they were to create co-pilots, they had to understand the humans who would use them. So, instead of providing generic recommendations, Scout adapts its guidance to each leader's thinking and communication style.
"One of the first things we decided was that if we were going to build AI co-pilots, they needed to integrate Behavioural Essentials," Stover says. "We already use behavioural assessments that give leaders a 21-point profile, with strengths, tendencies, and blind spots. We’ve now incorporated that into Scout.”
This means that when a manager logs into Scout, the system is tailored to their specific personality profile.
"It understands how I communicate, where I might need softer language, or where I might need more structure," Stover says.
He adds that McNicholas served as the ‘guinea pig’ for this feature:
"We merged his traits and blind spots into Scout as he was working through our future roadmap. Scout isn’t just an AI tool; it understands your psychological makeup and helps cover your blind spots as you operate in your role.”
The future of the workforce
A common concern about AI is the risk of job displacement. However, SSA’s leadership firmly states that their investment in technology aims to safeguard, not eliminate, their workforce.
"As CEO, culture is my responsibility, and culture starts with values," McNicholas says. "Hospitality, human-to-human interaction, has always been our foundation. I don’t want a world of all robots and automation. I love people too much.
“That’s why Scout exists. It helps us live what we love to do: creating special moments for people.”
Stover shares this view, considering AI as a safeguard against the decline of interpersonal skills observed in other industries:
"We have to be proactive in shaping the future. Many companies will use AI purely to impact the bottom line. That’s their choice. But SSA has always been people-focused. We’re adopting AI safely and intentionally to better our people. As interpersonal skills decline elsewhere, we’re protecting them by freeing people up to reconnect.”
The efficiency gains are clear. Stover notes that tasks like scheduling, which previously took hours to analyse against weather and sales history, now happen in seconds. "That frees managers up to spend time with their team. That’s the point.
“We’re hospitality people. We want to be in front of guests, not behind a screen.”
A vision for 2030
Looking ahead, SSA has set bold goals for the next five years. As the company approaches its 60th anniversary in 2030, the vision is for a fully enabled workforce where each employee has a digital partner.
"By 2030, every person in our company will have a co-pilot that helps them be more efficient," predicts McNicholas. "We’ll also bring a unified revenue strategy to attractions, something the industry lacks.”
He also believes the metrics of success are shifting. It is no longer enough to simply count heads at the gate:
"The future metrics won’t just be attendance. They’ll be revenue, guest experience, and fulfilment," he says.
"There’s more competition than ever, and we have to be the place where guests leave thinking, 'That felt right.' To do that, our people need tools like Scout so they can spend more time creating those moments.
“That’s how we reimagine the industry.”
The future of hospitality
Summing up the benefits, COO Travis Kight says:
"AI is the future of hospitality, but not in the way most imagine. We see AI as a co-pilot, not a replacement, designed to protect the human connection that defines our industry.
“Tools like Scout allow us to turn data into real-time insights, freeing our teams from repetitive tasks so they can focus on creating unforgettable guest experiences.
"As Sean mentioned, by 2030, our vision is for every team member to have a digital partner that amplifies their strengths, covers blind spots, and helps us deliver hospitality at a level the industry has never seen.
“AI isn’t about automation. It’s about empowerment.”
As SSA Group looks towards the attractions of tomorrow, its message is clear: the path to the future is built on data, but the goal remains human connection.
By anchoring Scout in 452 Hospitality's philosophy of creating meaningful, human-centred moments, SSA isn’t just adopting AI for efficiency. It’s enhancing its ability to deliver heartfelt experiences that define its brand and shape the future of the guest experience.
"That’s the foundation of Scout," Stover says. "If a tool doesn’t protect hospitality or make us better people-facing operators, it doesn’t get built.”
After more than three years of work, Elephant Valley is opening at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park today (5 March).
The project is the largest and most transformative in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's 109-year history.
The new experience on a 13-acre site will provide an up-close viewing of the park’s herd of eight endangered African savanna elephants – Swazi, Ndlula, Umngani, Khosi, Zuli, Mkhaya, Nisa, and Kami.
Named the Denny Sanford Elephant Valley after its lead donor, the habitat is designed as a dynamic savanna and features more than 350 rare and endangered African plants to replicate the sights, sounds and smells of Africa's ecosystems.
It also serves as a bridge between the zoo's scientific work in San Diego and its elephant conservation initiatives across the African savanna.
At the heart of Elephant Valley is Mkutano House, a two-story restaurant featuring three distinct dining destinations: Mkutano, Ona Lounge, and Tu Grill.
Shawn Dixon, president and CEO of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said last year: "Denny Sanford Elephant Valley's innovative design celebrates the world's largest land mammal and the communities that coexist with them.
"Every detail of this habitat has been purposefully designed to reflect the elephants' natural environment, supporting their well-being while inspiring meaningful connections."
San Diego Zoo Safari Park is one of several zoos investing in enhanced elephant habitats, alongside projects such as Elephant Trek at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
Elephants in zoos across the world remain a controversial topic, with some organisations no longer keeping the animals.
The San Diego Zoo and its safari park are fully accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which has specific rules and guidelines for keeping elephants.
Dan Ashe, AZA’s president and CEO, told the San Diego Union-Tribune the association is committed "to managing elephants as elephants, in multi-generational herds, and allowing them the space and the opportunity to do what they want to do, to behave as elephants and as elephants do in nature".
He said zoos will likely look at the San Diego Safari Park's new habitat "and say, 'Wow, look what they're doing, can't we do that?'"
Images courtesy of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Seeper, an award-winningimmersive experience design studio and innovation lab, has appointed renowned industry leader Lauren Dyer as client growth director. This move represents a key moment in the company’s 2026 expansion strategy and will support its future development.
Dyer joins the studio as it sets course to develop new business capabilities and fast-track its commercial ambitions.
She will play a vital role in advancing a bold expansion strategy, partnering with senior leaders to accelerate revenue growth, deepen strategic alliances, and acquire new clients worldwide.
Building the next chapter
A BIMA100 Tech Trailblazer, Dyer is widely recognised for combining commercial acumen with creative vision.
She brings extensive expertise in scaling creative technology businesses and building meaningful, high-value client relationships. She has previously held senior roles in immersive entertainmentand real-time digital platforms, where she has helped international brands navigate new technologies and experiential evolution.
Dyer's appointment signifies a key moment for Seeper as the studio continues to create transformative experiences for brands, cultural organisations, and destination-scale projects across the globe.
Stuart McKenna, Seeper’s managing director, says: "Lauren is uniquely positioned to help take Seeper to the next level. Her strategic mindset, industry network and deep understanding of the experience landscape make her an invaluable addition as we scale at pace.
"This is about building the next chapter of growth with intelligence and ambition."
"We’re at a pivotal moment for immersive storytelling," says Dyer. "Experiences now play a powerful cultural and emotional role in how people connect with brands, places and each other.
"Seeper has consistently pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in this space, and I’m incredibly excited to join the team to help scale our global impact and build partnerships that shape the future of experiences.”
Seeper tells stories that stay with visitors. By honouring and celebrating local culture, landscape and community, their experiences inspire awe and wonder, while offering operators strong commercial outcomes and a grounded approach.
