Brady MacDonald is a freelance writer based in California. He wrote the Funland theme park blog for the Los Angeles Times for a decade. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, New York Newsday, Philadelphia Inquirer, Seattle Times, Orlando Sentinel and Orange County Register.
The new Star Wars cantina had wait times that often stretched to several hours while the flight simulator ride occasionally had little to no queue at all. That’s because Smugglers Run can accommodate up to 1,800 riders per hour while Oga’s Cantina has an estimated capacity of about 150 people.
Blooloop toured Oga’s Cantina during a three-day media event and tried some of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails in the interstellar bar during the opening day festivities in Galaxy’s Edge. Let’s take a closer look at the already wildly popular Oga’s Cantina at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The Background
Oga’s Cantina is the place for starship pilots, bounty hunters, space creatures and even theme park tourists to settle down for an alien cocktail, ice cold beer or a nice glass of wine after a long day in Black Spire Outpost.
Oga Garra is the cantina’s proprietor, according to the bar’s backstory. She’s also the local crime boss. She controls the underworld on the Star Wars planet of Batuu, the setting for the new themed land.
The wretched hive of scum and villainy is the first public location to serve alcohol at Disneyland.
The entrance to Oga's Cantina
The Look
Belly up to the spaceport cantina bar and choose an alcoholic drink from the menu. It features alien cocktails along with Star Wars-inspired beer and wine. The U-shaped bar at the centre of the intimate cantina is surrounded by seating alcoves around the edges and a few high-top tables. Audio-animatronic DJ Rex, the former Star Tours droid pilot, provides the cantina’s musical soundtrack.
DJ-R3X at Oga's Cantina
Oga’s draws inspiration from the lively cantinas seen in “Solo,” “The Force Awakens” and the original 1977 “Star War” film.
“Every self-respecting spaceport has a cantina,” said Walt Disney Imagineering portfolio creative executive Scott Trowbridge. “This is the best place on the outpost to catch up on the gossip, to meet some interesting characters, maybe make a new friend, maybe make a new enemy.”
It doesn’t take much for the small cantina to become crowded and loud.
Jedi Mind Trick ($14) - Savory and bitter with grapefruit and botanical flavors. The drink has a sweet, tropical taste.
Fuzzy Tauntaun ($15): Oga’s take on a Fuzzy Navel has peach, orange and tangerine flavors. The sweet, citrusy drink delivers a tongue-tingling sensation.
Bespin Fizz ($17): Rum-based twist on a Cosmopolitan with a bubbling dry ice special effect.
(L to R) alcoholic beverages: The Outer Rim, Bespin Fizz, Yub Nub, and Fuzzy Tauntaun from Oga’s Cantina.
The non-alcoholic drinks include:
Carbon Freeze ($7.50): Strawberry, blueberry and lemon-lime flavors with green apple popping pearls.
Jabba Juice ($6.50): Orange, pineapple, kiwi and cantaloupe flavors with blueberry popping pearls.
Blue Bantha ($13): Milk and cookie combo pairs a non-dairy plant-based chilled Blue Milk with a Rice Krispie treat cookie with Bantha horn icing. The drink has tropical flavors that taste like Sweettarts candy.
Souvenir collectables
Oga’s offers two souvenir collectables: The $32 Endor mug with the Cliff Dweller fruit punch for kids and the $42 Porg mug with the Yub Nub rum punch for adults.
The Yub Nub is Oga’s version of a Mai Tai with a pineapple bite and popping pearls. The Cliff Dweller blends together citrus, coconut and hibiscus flavors.
The cantina has four beers on tap -- Bad Motivator IPA, White Wampa Ale, Gold Squadron Lager and Gamorrean Ale ($12-$13). You can take home the Rancor beer flight sampler stand and tooth-shaped glasses for a stiff $75.
Oga’s serves two wines: An Imperial Guard cabernet and a Toniray chardonnay ($13-$16). The otherworldly light blue Toniray looks like watered-down window cleaner but otherwise tastes like chardonnay with a hint of citrus.
In the morning, the bar offers a Spiran Caf ($16) with a rum kick and citrus zest. It also sells an extremely spicy Bloody Rancor ($18) that is Oga’s take on Bloody Mary.
From left to right, non-alcoholic drinks: Carbon Freeze, Oga’s Obsession provision and Cliff Dweller. From Oga’s Cantina.
Food at Oga's Cantina
The food menu is very brief in the cantina. The Oga’s Obsession ($7.50) served in a petri dish is a ton of fun with dried fruits, blueberries, raspberries and Pop Rocks. There’s also a Batuu Bits ($6) snack mix. Perfect if you just need something salty to nosh on while you sip and savor your drinks.
The Service
You have to elbow way to bar if you want anything to drink when the cantina is crowded. You place your order with a bartender. Oga’s doesn’t take reservations. That means you’ll have to wait in line -- sometimes for several hours -- for your turn at the bar.
And don’t think about getting that drink to go. No alcohol is allowed outside the bar.
The Last Word
Oga’s Cantina is a showpiece unto itself. Bartenders make interstellar cocktails that appear to be pumped from tanks seemingly filled with alien creatures.
“It'll be a bar that's going to really have a lot of energy,” said Disney World food and beverage concept development director Brian Koziol.
Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger unveiled the expansion which is now open in Disneyland. George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williamsattended the opening ceremony. “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is absolutely amazing and we are thrilled to finally share it with the world,” said Iger.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida on August 29.
Brady MacDonald is a freelance writer based in California. He wrote the Funland theme park blog for the Los Angeles Times for a decade. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, New York Newsday, Philadelphia Inquirer, Seattle Times, Orlando Sentinel and Orange County Register.
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.”
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When women step into construction, architecture, and design, they bring precision, patience, and a collaborative spirit that reshapes the built environment. Through mentorship, knowledge-sharing, and support across trades, they strengthen teams and elevate projects.
When we make space for women in construction, we build not only better spaces but stronger industries.
When we think about construction and architecture, many of us instinctively picture a male-dominated profession. For generations, architecture has been perceived as a field led primarily by men.
Yet, in interior design, a closely related discipline, the trend is strikingly different. The 2023/2024 diversity survey by the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) reports that approximately 90% of interior designers are female.
This contrast raises an important question: why has architecture historically been male-led, and why are we now witnessing a meaningful shift?
A visible shift in leadership
The industry is evolving. We are increasingly seeing successful, high-profile projects led by women - projects that are not only ambitious but culturally significant.
Transformation plans for the National Gallery, London. Image courtesy of Selldorf Architects.
Meanwhile, the transformation of the National Gallery was entrusted to Selldorf Architects, founded by Annabelle Selldorf, who was named one of the 100 most influential people in 2025.
These are not isolated examples. They represent a broader shift in visibility, recognition, and influence. They also demonstrate something powerful: women are not just participating in architecture - they are shaping its future.
What women bring to the design process
In architecture, design and construction, the work goes far beyond creating buildings - it is about shaping human experience. It is about how people move, feel, gather, and connect within a space.
Female architects and designers often bring a strong emphasis on usability and comfort. They demonstrate greater sensitivity to safety and inclusivity, along with careful attention to human-scale details. Their work is often guided by empathetic, user-centred thinking.
Women frequently prioritise how diverse communities will interact with a space. From public institutions to commercial interiors, this approach ensures environments are not only visually compelling but also welcoming, safe, and accessible.
Design becomes less about monumentality and more about meaning.
The power of diverse teams
At Lumsden Design, diversity is embedded into how we operate. With 72% of the team being female and an international mix of backgrounds, collaboration becomes the foundation of success.
This diversity has an impact on the global projects we are involved in, particularly for cultural and visitor-attraction organisations such as Netflix, Natural History Museum of Denmark, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Netflix House - the morning exterior facade of Dallas, showcasing the iconic Red Envelope entrance, creating an instantly recognisable brand moment
A combination of ethnicities, genders, and cultural experiences expands creative potential and allows for all voices to be heard. It enhances cultural sensitivity and strengthens problem-solving capabilities.
In an industry where design is a form of storytelling, this breadth of perspective prevents generic, one-size-fits-all solutions and makes it unique to a destination.
This approach directly aligns with the principles of the experience economy - where it’s not about delivering products or services alone, but it’s about creating meaningful, memorable experiences and curating emotional, immersive journeys.
Leadership beyond ego
Female-led design is often characterised by functionality, attention to detail, and innovation grounded in empathy. There is typically less focus on ego and more on collective success.
Mentorship plays a crucial role. Leadership becomes less about personal ambition and more about nurturing talent, elevating others, and creating space for growth. By fostering curiosity and collaboration, teams develop stronger commitment and long-term progression.
Inclusive organisations are significantly more capable of meeting financial goals, and a higher representation of women in leadership correlates with greater radical innovation.
Why? Because leadership styles complement one another.
Traditionally, male leadership has been associated with agentic qualities—goal-driven, decisive, performance-oriented. Female leadership often brings communal and empathetic strengths—emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration, and people-focused management.
When these approaches work together, they create a dynamic that outperforms homogeneous teams. Employee morale improves. Staff turnover decreases. Creativity increases.
The result is not compromised - it is a competitive advantage.
A new era for architecture, design & construction
Architecture and design are storytelling disciplines. They shape how we experience culture, commerce, and community. To tell richer stories, we need richer perspectives.
The growing presence of women in architecture is not about replacing one dominance with another. It is about balance. It is about recognising that the most innovative, resilient, and successful teams are those built on diversity—of gender, culture, experience, and thought.
The profession is evolving from a historically male-led industry to a more inclusive, collaborative field. And as the examples from the British Museum and the National Gallery demonstrate, women are not just contributing—they are leading at the highest level.
Gender-diverse leadership is no longer optional. It is essential to the future of architecture and business alike.
The buildings we design today will shape the world of tomorrow. It is only right that the people shaping them reflect the full diversity of the communities they serve.
Disney Cruise Line has unveiled a first look at its new Disney Adventure cruise ship following its arrival in Singapore.
As Disney Cruise Line’s largest-ever ship and its first to be homeported in Asia, the Disney Adventure is set to embark on its maiden voyage from Singapore on 10 March.
Sharing a first glimpse aboard the ship, Disney offered fans a look at its seven themed areas, which include elegant lounges for adults and immersive spaces designed for children and families
Guests aboard can explore seven uniquely themed areas, including Disney Imagination Garden, Town Square, San Fransokyo Street, Marvel Landing, Wayfinder Bay, Disney Discovery Reef, and Toy Story Place.
Featuring an open-air courtyard, Disney Imagination Garden includes a central Garden Stage for shows and events, along with two quick-service dining options.
A celebration of Disney Princesses, Town Square welcomes guests with makeovers, themed dining, Broadway-style shows, and nearby signature restaurants.
Inspired by Big Hero 6, San Fransokyo Street includes the Big Hero Arcade, Baymax Cinemas, the Alley Cat Café, and myriad shopping experiences, including a Duffy and Friends shop.
Set in the Marvel Landing area, an immersive Marvel-themed zone, guests can enjoy the Ironcycle Test Run, the longest roller coaster at sea, alongside the Pym Quantum Racers and Groot Galaxy Spin.
Located on the ship’s stern, Wayfinder Bay offers guests the opportunity to unwind by the pool while enjoying live entertainment, while Discovery Reef offers a collection of themed eateries, bars, and cafés inspired by Disney and Pixar's underwater tales.
Toy Story Place, a water play area on the ship’s upper decks, features pools, whirlpools, slides, and splash pads inspired by Pixar’s Toy Story films.
After arriving at its new home port, Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore, on 3 March, the newest ship in the Cruise Line was welcomed to the fleet with a christening ceremony on 4 March.
"The arrival of the Disney Adventure in Singapore marks a significant milestone in our global expansion, introducing Disney cruising to Asia for the very first time," said Joe Schott, president of Disney Signature Experiences.
He added: "Honouring Disney Cruise Line’s legacy of unforgettable journeys, our newest ship brings together our signature storytelling and creativity in an exciting new region."
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.
The Dalí Museum in Florida has announced plans for a 35,000-square-foot, $65 million expansion, with construction due to start this autumn.
Expected to open in 2028, the new addition to the Dalí Museum will boast flexible gallery environments for experiential exhibitions that blend art and technology, a dedicated learning centre, and community spaces for events and programming.
Since opening in St. Petersburg in 1982, the Dalí Museum has welcomed more than 10 million visitors. Following the debut of its landmark building in 2011, it has generated more than $1 billion in economic impact for the area.
Combined with the museum’s existing galleries, theatre, dome and Avant-garden, the expansion will create a dynamic campus.
Hank Hine, executive director of the Dalí Museum, said the project is "a defining moment for our institution and for St. Petersburg".
"We are creating a museum that will stand with the great cultural institutions of the world, prepared to meet the expectations of today’s visitors and the curiosity of those who will walk through these doors decades from now," he said.
Hine added: "It’s not about being bigger; it’s about being bolder. For more than four decades, the Dalí has led through innovation, empowering visitors to see differently and think expansively.
"This next chapter allows us to move beyond existing limitations and create space, intellectually and physically, for deeper learning, more ambitious experiences and broader access."
The expansion will be designed and built by the Beck Group, which constructed the 2011 building.
The project has received early support from Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, the official tourism marketing organisation for Pinellas County, Florida.
"The Dalí Museum is a cultural engine for this community and a cornerstone of St. Petersburg’s global identity," said Brian Lowack, president and CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.
"Investments like this strengthen the identity that defines our region and attracts visitors from around the world."
A 3D model of the proposed expansion will go on view at the Dalí from 2 May, as part of a special exhibition exploring the museum's architectural evolution and future vision.
The Dalí Museum will remain open throughout construction.
The entrance to Oga's Cantina
DJ-R3X at Oga's Cantina
(L to R) alcoholic beverages: The Outer Rim, Bespin Fizz, Yub Nub, and Fuzzy Tauntaun from Oga’s Cantina.
From left to right, non-alcoholic drinks: Carbon Freeze, Oga’s Obsession provision and Cliff Dweller. From Oga’s Cantina.
Transformation plans for the National Gallery, London. Image courtesy of Selldorf Architects. 
Netflix House - the morning exterior facade of Dallas, showcasing the iconic Red Envelope entrance, creating an instantly recognisable brand moment
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo
