Join us at 11 am GMT on Wednesday 15 January for a session exploring Innovation in Creative Technology, as part of the Festival of Innovation.
This panel session will be led by Jon Tozer, vice president of global delivery at Holovis, who will be joined by Pearl Verzosa, executive director of marketing and customer experience at AREA15, Matt Usi, technical manager, experiences at Netflix, and Neil Lewin, owner, Semantic.
They will discuss the importance of interactivity, giving visitors a choice in experiences, personalising experiences and the rise of data-driven decision-making.
The session will then be available to watch on demand for 30 days.
blooloop’s Festival of Innovation is an online event taking place from 15 to 16 January 2025. The Festival brings together the international visitor attractions industry to explore the most innovative projects, products, and organisations that are shaping the sector.
Meet the speakers
Jon Tozer is vice president of global delivery at Holovis, and has been based in both the UK headquarters and the Holovis Inc. Orlando offices. His portfolio includes work on projects for clients such as Universal Destinations and Experiences, Merlin Entertainments, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and United Parks and Resorts.
Tozer, a chartered engineer, has worked at various levels within the organisation. He started as a design engineer in Holovis over 8 years ago and has since led significant projects for attractions worldwide.
He is now in charge of continuously enhancing the way Holovis systems and projects are delivered, not only to ensure that the team and clients are always satisfied but also to guarantee that visitors have the greatest experience possible at the intersection of technology and narrative.
Tozer is committed to recognising and developing emerging industry talent, as well as promoting themed entertainment careers in unexpected spaces. In addition, he advocates for the industry’s representation in regulatory bodies like the Institute of Engineering & Technology and other audio-visual organisations.
Pearl Verzosa is a strategic marketing expert with over 25 years of experience in entertainment, hospitality, retail, and marketing technology. She has extensive experience in product management and brand strategy, having led large-scale marketing projects at innovative and disruptive organisations.
As executive director of marketing and customer experience at AREA15, Verzosa leads these two teams in the development and implementation of integrated marketing strategies, brand management, customer support, and e-commerce. She collaborates with the events and entertainment, hospitality, food and beverage, attractions, creative, and corporate divisions to share the unique story of AREA15.
Verzosa formerly worked in marketing and product management, gaining experience in trend analysis, marketing technology, event planning, digital marketing, and customer experience. Her professional background includes award-winning hotels, nightlife, food and beverage venues, video game/esports services, and tech media. She strives to innovate and elevate the companies she represents, bringing creativity, focus, and determination to each role.
Verzosa was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of San Francisco. She enjoys live music, films, Las Vegas cuisine, and spending time with her dog, Eddie V.
Matt Usi, technical manager, experiences at Netflix, focuses on the development of creative technology for interactive experiences in immersive entertainment and museum/educational design.
Before joining Netflix, he served at Univeral Creative and Walt Disney Imagineering in a variety of special effects, interactives and technical director roles. Usi has contributed to projects such as Super Nintendo World in Osaka and Universal’s Volcano Bay Theme Park in Orlando, and a range of rides in Tokyo Disneyland such as Peter Pan’s Flight and Stitch Encounter.
Usi holds a BA in Theater and Television from UCLA, where he studied the theory, execution and logistics of entertainment design and business. He also researched integrated technologies in performance at the University’s Center for Research in Engineering, Media, Art and Performance (REMAP).
Neil Lewin is the founder of Semantic, an award-winning agency that works with attractions, leisure, travel, and hospitality businesses to enhance their online presence. The company helps clients to expand, raise awareness, and increase income through bespoke websites, strategic support, and its new LOOP platform.
Lewin has worked on websites for major companies in the UK and around the world, including Merlin Entertainments, The Dungeons, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, The National Space Centre, Twycross Zoo, and Crystal Maze. The new LOOP platform allows attractions to get online in a matter of weeks, with a full suite of optimised components and features that are updated in straightforward subscription packages.
The Innovation Awards
The blooloop Innovation Awards presented with AREA15 honour the extraordinary dynamism, imagination and creativity that drive the attractions industry.
The winners of the 2024 Creative Technology category will be revealed at this session. Attendees can browse all the entries during the event, and vote for their favourite to win our Public Choice Award.
Register to attend here.
