UNIT9, the global award-winning production & experience design studio, has announced the launch of a brand new division, Attractions by UNIT9, designed to supercharge the visitor attractions market. This will be led by LBE industry expert Daniel Burzlaff and will operate across Europe, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East.
The company has much expertise in designing physical environments and digital/hybrid attractions, bringing in cutting-edge technologies for a truly memorable experience. UNIT9 has previously worked on award-winning attractions at The Met, the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, and Mastercard at Expo 2020 Dubai. It has regularly been named ‘Tech Company of the Year’.
Harnessing the latest tech
Attractions by UNIT9 will partner with museums and cultural institutions, as well as retail and hospitality brands, global expos and theme parks, helping its clients to make the most of the experience opportunities that the latest tech brings, including AR, VR, XR, Web3, metaverse experiences, immersive theatre, gamification, world-building, avatar creation and high-craft 3D.
The new division will be under the leadership of Burzlaff, a new hire for UNIT9 who has designed, created and produced major shows, attractions, exhibits, events and experiences during a career that spans more than 35 years across 20 countries. One of his previous roles was EP on the immersive side of the Roald Dahl Story Company and he also led the early design and production effort for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Beijing.
Joining him at Attractions by UNIT9 as executive creative producer will be new hire Gigi Bee, who has previously worked with firms like Santiago Calatrava, Foster + Partners and Daniel Libeskind. Bee has directed and produced installations for some of the world’s biggest expos, including Expo 2020 Dubai and Milan 2015.
A strong team
Two existing UNIT9 creative directors will also be coming on board to support the new division Kate Lynham and Sean Pruen.
During her time with the company, Lynham has worked on an AR-integrated sculpture at the Goodwood Festival of Speed for Lotus Cars, interactive window displays at Berlin’s KaDeWe store and a projection-mapped game of Candy Crush. Meanwhile, Pruen is the director behind UNIT9’s Cannes Grand Prix-winning experience for ASICS, the kinetic installation for John Legend x Stella Artois and an interactive live stream launch event for Xbox.
This announcement follows UNIT9’s launch of M.A.D (the Metaverse Advisory Dept) in January 2022; a new division that uses the group’s strategy, innovation, craftsmanship and creative thinking to help clients reach future-facing audiences.
“Over the past five years, UNIT9’s business has experienced incredible growth within the attractions and location-based entertainment sector,” says UNIT9’s EMEA MD, Rosh Singh. “As we sit at the precipice of the Metaverse/Web3 era, we are incredibly excited to be able to bring two and a half decades of innovation, cutting-edge craft and creativity into this already electrifying market.
“Having Danny spearhead this effort for us is nothing short of an honour and we cannot wait to share some of the transformational work we are doing in this space.”
Burzlaff, adds: “I’m thrilled to join the UNIT9 team and head up this incredibly exciting new division, created specifically to help guests, consumers, brands and institutions reimagine reality to unlock the future of experience.
“Drawing from the strength of the global UNIT9 production powerhouse, we’ll be delivering the full weight of bleeding-edge technology married with exceptional story-driven content to reshape the visitor attractions landscape and reset sensorial expectations. We’re ready to share the power of Attractions by UNIT9 with the world.”
