For the first time in three calendar years, the themed entertainment industry gathered in Anaheim to learn, be inspired and celebrate this year’s Thea Award-winning projects at the Themed Entertainment Association’s Summit and Gala 2022. The TEA Summit, held at Disneyland Resort from 21 – 23 April, brought together creatives and attraction professionals from all corners of the industry.
Day one of the TEA Summit looked at trends shaping the future and best practice. It also recognised some of the award winners.
A Disney career across the globe
Firstly, Buzz Price Thea Award winner, Doris Hardoon, a themed entertainment leader, executive creative director and producer, was in conversation with Bob Weis, Walt Disney’s global Imagineering ambassador and her former boss, exploring Hardoon’s long creative career.
Growing up in Hong Kong and beginning a modelling and pop star career in her teens, Hardoon left for the US. There she enrolled in ballet school, then dance school before she found her craft in graphic design whilst working at Marine World Africa USA in San Francisco.
With her office in an old giraffe barn, she initially got given graphic design work. This then led to all sorts of themed entertainment design and creative tasks.
The Disney years
In 1979, she went for an interview at WED Enterprises with Marty Sklar, Rolly Crump and John Hench. “They were just starting all the planning for EPCOT and said we need help. I launched right into it,” says Hardoon.
At EPCOT, Hardoon was responsible for the Land Pavilion as well as seven world showcase galleries. During this project, she worked closely with the Imperial Museum in Beijing to bring objects that had never left the country to the China Pavilion.
She then led the creative teams for the Long Beach DisneySea project and WestCOT Center. “We had a family environment and to do both projects at the same time was tight but we had a great team and the content was exciting,” said Hardoon.
Sadly both projects didn’t get the green light. “It’s difficult as you wear your heart on your sleeve- we were invested. It’s your baby, so you don’t want to part with it. But at the end of the day it’s a business,” said Hardoon. “Certain ideas resonated and can live on later- their babies continue!”
A fireside chat at the TEA Summit
Hardoon had two daughters at this point, who have both gone on be in the creative industries too. During a fireside chat with TEA NextGen on day one of the TEA Summit, Hardoon shared the stage with her daughter Paris Woodward, senior creative producer, Animal Repair Shop and her son in law, Johnny Rodriguez, executive art director, Animal Repair Shop, as well as longtime friend and colleague Eric Robinson, character artist at Disney.
Hardoon worked as a consultant for Disney on two large-scale projects at the Autry Museum of the American West and Port Discovery- the Baltimore Children’s Museum, before taking some time away from Disney.
Nine years later, Weis got in touch.
“He said we got a new project, and it was Shanghai. He said it would only be a part-time role – just a few hours a week,” joked Hardoon. She joined the project as executive creative director and producer for Shanghai Disney Resort.
Going back to Shanghai was a dream project for Hardoon, as her family were originally from the city. “I’d learnt so much from my parent’s I finally saw and understood better what they were talking about.”
“It was a privileged moment for me to bridge the two cultures between Disney and China.”
Shanghai Disney
Hardoon worked with local artists and craftspeople as well as vendors from around the world. Many were fine artists that hadn’t ever done anything like Disney before.
She was in charge of overall creative direction and team guidance, including realising Bob Iger’s philosophy “Authentically Disney, Distinctly Chinese”. Her projects included The Gardens of Imagination and Disney Town. Here, the team leveraged Old Shanghai fused with a sense of Disney Characters.
If you look closely in Disney Town there are four grates with all the names of the team that brought the area to life. Hardoon designed this herself and pushed for inclusion during construction.
After the opening of Shanghai Disneyland in 2016, Hardoon then went back to Hong Kong to reimagine the park’s castle.
“We went from the smallest Disney castle to the third tallest Disney castle, whilst maintaining the original story of sleeping beauty. It’s the first castle to be renovated in a working park,” Hardoon said.
“The Shanghai and Hong Kong castles are like Ying and Yang. Shanghai wider and strong, Hong Kong tall and narrow.”
Hardoon is one of a very few Disney creatives who have worked open all six Disney’s Magic Kingdom style theme parks around the world.
Exploring trends and the state of the industry at the TEA Summit
Day one at the TEA Summit was packed with content from creatives throughout the industry. One of the standout sessions was the “State of the Industry” roundtable, hosted by Adam Bezark, president and creative director of The Bezark Company and TEA Master. The session focused on trends and the landscape of the industry. It featured insights from eight leaders across operations, economic advisors, suppliers and associations. Speakers were:
- Tom Mehrmann, president, Pacific Rim, Universal Parks and Resorts
- Barbara Bouza, president of Walt Disney Imagineering
- Yael Coifman, senior partner, Leisure Development Partners, TEA EME president
- Chuck Fawcett chairman, Medici XD, TEA international board president
- Quan Gan, founder/president, Gantom Lighting and Controls
- Ben Martin, principal and hospitality leader, advisory services, HKS
- Jakob Wahl, COO, IAAPA
- Oksana Wall, P.E director, themed entertainment, AOA
The guest has changed
The pandemic has changed guests’ wants, needs and expectations including their familiarity with technology. “There is a demand for digitisation, as that’s what we’ve been living the last two years,” said Merhmann.
“There is a generational shift that has been accelerated by the pandemic, Gen Z want very different experiences,” said Coifman.
One great example of implemented tech is the Thea award-winning AR tech used at Mario Kart at Super Nintendo World, Universal Studios Japan. The first of its kind ride uses augmented reality to overlay gameplay onto sets, LED screens, ride systems and an interactive scoring system on the ride that extends across the entire land.
However tech should be used to enhance experiences, but needs to be careful not to alienate any guests too. “One size doesn’t fit all. Tech should be used when appropriate for these amazing immersive experiences. But you’ll still have guests who say ‘I just want an ice cream don’t make me use the app!’” said Bouza.
Open again
After two long years of closures, the industry is back open, with the exception of China. And demand is very high. Merhmann calls this ‘Revenge Tourism’, guests finally being able to leave the house and have fun again, and the panel agreed that bespoke experiences were needed to differentiate offerings.
“It’s not about FOMO (fear of missing out) anymore, it’s fear of having a generic experience,” said Wall.
“We are seeing ‘I want what I want, when I want’. So, operators need to be ready for that” said Merhmann.
“People don’t want vanilla experiences. If they are going to do it, they will do it BIG” said Martin. “Remember this is a generation that has never had to wait for a TV program!”.
Coifman added that attractions also need to be mindful of their core visitors, paying the basic ticket price. They should not ignore these guests.
Small is the new big
“People don’t want to travel as far, it’s an opportunity to create localised experiences,” said Coifman. Smaller attractions like Meow Wolf and competitive socialising like Puttshack can be done mid-week or for several hours. What can people do in-between the big trips to the industry giants?
In a recent blog for blooloop, Bezark highlighted the power that these smaller footprints and throughput attractions can have for the operators but also for other creative companies. Bezark himself will be shifting the business to design and operate these types of projects in the future (in addition to their larger park work).
Guests are digesting attractions in smaller time periods. Even the industry giants are reporting a shorter length of stay. This is interesting when many parks’ ticket prices are increasing. Perhaps there is something about guests being more aware of their time and energy no matter the cost.
Discussing talent, staffing and burnout at the TEA Summit
Attendees at the TEA Summit were candid with each other – the last two years have been hard on everyone in our industry. Huge layoffs and project delays meant high-stress levels across companies, but how can companies avoid staff burnout?
“The last two years have felt like 10 years for middle/senior management,” said Martin. “We need to take stock and look after each other, focus on wellbeing and take time out. If you want your staff to feel amazing, tell them they are amazing.”
With the layoffs, there was also a huge loss of talent that had to look for work in other industries. Now with projects finally getting the green light, companies are struggling to staff them in certain roles, or in others seeing a ton of competition.
For Disney, it is about creating a sense of purpose. “It’s about bringing people back to be part of a community, what am I working for?” said Bouza.
You’re on mute
The workplace has changed. A survey in this TEA Summit session revealed that over 27% of attendees now work from home full-time while 33% do a mix of home and office work. This shows that the shift to hybrid working is permanent.
“The pandemic taught us we can survive and adapt,” said Fawcett.
“I’m more connected with people all over the world than ever before. What used to be ‘speak in three months when I see you’ became speak tomorrow virtually,” said Bouza.
Great things were achieved virtually, from the TEA Summit held last year, to entire parks opening such as Universal Beijing. “We hired 10,000 people without being face to face,” said Merhmann.
Another project, Super Mario Kart was installed and opened mid-pandemic with half the team having to head back to the states, and the other half continuing the installation in Universal Studios Japan. The team adapted very quickly to complex situations, including having to work out the projection mapping blending between Osaka and Florida over WebX.
War and uncertainty
What is certain is uncertainty, at the moment. At the time of writing, Shanghai is currently in lockdown. Many companies are having to sleep, eat and work in the office to prevent factory shutdowns, due to China’s Zero-COVID Policy.
The situation in Ukraine is also having a drastic impact on the industry. “The war and the consequential sanctions on Russia are leading to all sorts of effects on the supply chain and costs,” said Martin. “This is hitting you in Capex but also hitting the visitors too”.
“There is a 40 year high US inflation and a 60 year high in international food prices. Egypt gets 80% of its wheat from Ukraine. It has had to fix the price of bread due to civil unrest,” said Martin.
The effects show the impact of the sudden deglobalisation. Adeptly as we were all in Disneyland for the TEA Summit, Martin read out the lyrics:
Sherman Brothers in the original “Its a small world” soundtrackIts a world of laughter
A world of tears
It’s a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a small world after all
“We can’t pretend we aren’t connected,” said Martin. “We are.”
Emerging markets
With giga projects like Neom, Seven, Qiddiya and The Red Sea Project, as well as many others, Saudi has billions of dollars in investment and exciting plans for megacities, museums, parks and resorts.
“If only 20% of what is being dreamed (the Saudi Tsunami) becomes realised, it will shift the centre of gravity in our industry,” said Martin.
Other areas of growth are India and Latin America with the emerging middle classes. “When we talk about Africa or Latin America, these are continents people! We can’t lump countries together we have to look at each country individually,” said Coifman.
The need for climate action now
The climate crisis is something all operators and vendors need to think about NOW. This is also something blooloop feels very passionately about, as evidenced by our greenloop event last week. It’s not just that legislation is coming down the road. Guests are also becoming more discerning and will choose attractions that are actively working to reduce their carbon footprint.
“We are seeing the younger generation vote with their feet, taking into account the environment and workers’ rights etc.,” said Coifman.
“We noticed that in China when we were interviewing, the candidates were asking us what we are doing for the environment. When we got the Gold Leaf Certification we really saw a big leap in applications” said Mehrmann.
“COVID and ultimately the war in Ukraine should pass. Climate change cannot,” said Martin.
New companies and industry shrinking
The industry is in a period of consolidation. There have been many recent acquisitions and partnerships between companies, in order to provide more turnkey solutions for their clients.
RWS and JRA, TAIT and Thinkwell, Animax and Cityneon, Roto and Brilliant all partnered up over the last few months. And, during the TEA Summit, two more mergers were announced. The Hettema Group and Themespace are merging to form THG, and RWS also announced the acquisition of UK-based The Experience Department (ted).
One session at the TEA Summit looked at how to transition as a newly merged company. Speakers were Keith James, president, JRA – part of RWS Entertainment Group, Ryan Stana, CEO, RWS Entertainment Group, Allen Boerger, founder/COO, Roto Group, CEO Brilliant Fabrication and Leo English, VP of customer experience and principal, Brilliant Fabrication.
Exploring the importance of relationships at the TEA Summit
What was clear from both partnerships was the need to fundamentally like and respect each other. Stana and James have been close since Stana’s childhood as Patty James was Stana’s tap dance teacher. Through the years and as RWS grew, Stana remained close to the James family. When Stana’s team approached him with three potential companies for an acquisition, it was an easy decision to partner the two companies.
“The most important thing for me is family. Lots of people in JRA have been with the company for more than 25 years. We wanted to give them the biggest opportunities we could,” said James.
“Ultimately it comes down to: who do you want to travel around the world with? Who calls at 3 am?”
Similarly, with Roto and Brilliant, that mutual respect and appreciation of each other’s work throughout the years is what brought them together.
“When we were starting the planning for the acquisition, Roto met with all 60 team members at Brilliant individually. I had tremendous respect for them for that. I knew this is a company I wanted to be in business with. The shared culture that we have is the most important,” said English.
Building networks
We caught up with Stana at the TEA Summit to talk about the new acquisition of TED. RWS now offers a full end-to-end service for its clients.
“JRA can design the foundation, we can then put show product/experience product in, then our seasonal decor, we can provide the RWS Fun crew for operations,” said Stana. “Now with TED we are adding fitness, custom merchandise to design, source and stock the product, and audiovisual rentals and installations. We’re adding multiple layers to everything we do”.
Overnight, the company has gone from three offices and 175 staff to seven offices and 400 staff. Stana states they are now in stabilisation mode as they bring the new teams together to start servicing clients.
“It will probably be another three years before we make another strong move. In the near future, we’ll bring Binder Casting to Europe, as it’s celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. This will be very beneficial to the European market and to the European talent trajectory too,” said Stana.
In another session, Michael Blau, immediate TEA past president, and principal and president of Adirondack Studios solved the mystery of what we can learn from Sherlock Holmes for business development practices.
Highlighting DEAI at the TEA Summit
We also heard from this year’s TEA Catalyst award winners on day one of the TEA Summit. These are people who actively champion diversity, accessibility and inclusion throughout the themed entertainment industry. Fri Forjindam, chief development officer & executive creative director, Mycotoo, and vice-chair of the Thea Awards Committee, moderated the session.
“Storytelling alone isn’t a substitute for representation,” said Forjindam.
The first TEA Catalyst Award winner was Carmen Smith, senior VP, creative development product/content & inclusive strategies, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Throughout Smith’s career, she has had the chance to work across various platforms and media across the Walt Disney Company to improve representation and access.
“We have to make sure we are not positioning people to perpetuate stereotypes. To really expand, we need to have different points of view around the table from the very beginning,” said Smith.
Accessible and inclusive attractions
Next, we met the second award winner Sina Bahram, founder of Prime Access Consulting, who does incredible work consulting on inclusive strategies for accessibility at attractions. At the age of 7, Bahram lost his sight.
“I remember thinking I will not let this define who I am,” said Bahram.
Over 1.9 billion people worldwide have a disability, and the chance of having a disability rises to 50% in later life. So, this is a large proportion of audiences that are not being accommodated.
“It’s antiquated to put the burden on the individual. We need to think of the environment as being disabling, not the person. Asking ourselves what are we doing that might exclude people in the audience?” said Bahram.
Bahram also urged the creatives in the room to think about “the deliberate decisions we can make at the ideation and design phase to include as many people as possible”.
Summit reveals a busy year for the TEA
Finally, day one of the TEA Summit concluded with the TEA Mid-Year Update from TEA president Chuck Fawcett and new executive director Lindsey Nelson. A huge amount of work has happened behind the scenes by the regional and international boards to create an extensive strategy until 2026, as well as developing an open and more frequent dialogue between members.
The next TEA SATE North America will take place from 13 – 15 October at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Stay tuned for part two – the Thea Award winners and the Gala.
