The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), a non-profit representing compelling places and experiences worldwide, created the prestigious Thea Awards in 1994. The annual celebration has been marking excellence within themed entertainment ever since, highlighting the value of experience design and themed entertainment in engaging visitors around the world
One of the things that makes the Thea Awards special is that they recognise everyone who contributes to the creation of an award-winning attraction, celebrating all the creative minds involved with the development of these top-tier entertainment projects. And, with increasing awareness of the Thea Awards as a benchmark for excellence amongst those outside the industry, we could soon see families planning their vacations around the recipients, confident that they are world-class.
The peerless Thea Awards Gala is the culmination of the TEA’s biggest annual weekend following the newly reimagined two-day TEA INSPIRE program. A black-tie dinner and awards ceremony held every spring in honour of the award recipients, it is a night of glamour, entertainment, and celebration, providing guests with a chance to connect with top industry executives and talent from across the globe.
This year more than ever, on the 30th anniversary of the Thea Awards, the Gala promises to be the must-attend glittering event of the year.
To find out more about the growth of the Thea Awards and what guests can expect from this year’s Gala, blooloop speaks to TEA’s executive director Lindsey Nelson and president of the International Board Melissa Oviedo. They also discuss the association’s mission and its strategy for the future.
The 30th Annual Thea Awards Gala
When it comes to celebrating success, the Thea Awards are the TEA’s signature programme, presented at the spectacular annual Thea Awards Gala.
This is far from a stuffy awards ceremony, says Nelson:
“There’s an expectation to deliver an unforgettable experience for everyone – it’s always a challenge to entertain the entertainers, so we raise the bar every year.”
Borrowing from Hamilton to explain why members should buy a Gala ticket – or a whole table – she adds:
“You’ve got to be in ‘the room where it happens.’ The Who’s Who of the industry is going to be there. This is the 30th anniversary, so we are pulling out all the stops this year.”
The Thea Awards are often described as the Oscars of themed entertainment, and this year the TEA team is bringing the Gala right from the home of the Oscars – Hollywood itself.
“It’s going to have a different look and feel. It’s going to be very glamorous and celebratory. We’ll be looking back as much as we’re looking forward. Going back to that idea of learning from excellence, everyone in that room is going to be the best. If you want to work with the best, they’re in that room. If you want to put yourself at a certain level, you want to be in that room.
“This, above all, is the year to be there.”
The Thea Awards
The name contains a triple reference: the Greek goddess Thea, from whom all light emanates; the word ‘theatre’, which derives from the goddess, and, lastly, of course, TEA, for the Association.
The Thea Awards established the very first standards and requirements for credits in the themed attractions industry. The need for the project developer to provide the TEA with an extensive credit list, including outside individuals and companies who worked on the project and their respective roles, ensures that everyone who does outstanding work in themed entertainment receives the recognition they deserve.
Every year, the Judging Committee, made up of TEA members and past Buzz Price award winners, reviews 100-200 nominations. They apply the highest standards of excellence and achievement, spending weeks selecting just 15-18 recipients to recommend for the Thea Awards.
“TEA is an arbiter of quality, so there is a level of prestige and integrity around the Thea committee,” says Nelson. “The process is not commercialised; the committee is not paid; their goal is just to find the best of the best. They get together in their own time to battle it out, spending thousands of hours a year collectively debating their peers over what is the best attraction, what represents quality, and what constitutes excellence.
“There are very few similar award programmes. TEA has done a great job of maintaining this level of purity and protection around the Theas programme, to ensure it is solely focused on the subject matter.”
Celebrating excellence together
The credits are hugely important. As Monty Lunde, TEA’s founder, previously told blooloop:
“We work in an industry where people shuffle from one company to another. It’s a very fluid community of designers and fabricators. Being able to recognise these people, no matter where they are, is the fair thing to do.”
“It can be challenging for these vendors and suppliers to be recognised under their NDAs,” Nelson adds. “This is maybe the only opportunity in the lifetime of the project. If you’ve been in the room at the gala where everyone stands up, or at the end of the event when the owner, operator and vendor teams are standing on the stage together, it’s such a celebratory moment. It means a lot.”
“The Theas are an opportunity to celebrate excellence together,” Oviedo says. “What we have to key in on is how we define excellence in our industry, and in the attractions, destinations and experiences that engage families and audiences around the world.
“This is our opportunity to say, ‘Wow: this is amazing. This is excellent. It deserves recognition not only for the operator, owner, or developer who had the foresight to say, this is what I want in my park, museum, or live event, but here is the community of suppliers and partners that contributed to the success.’
“We all know you’ve got to get the right people on the bus, and then in the right seats. That’s how you create something memorable.”
Setting a standard for outstanding attractions
Oviedo envisions a future in which increased awareness of the Thea Awards leads people to book family vacations around Thea-award-winning attractions, confident that they will be world-class, entertaining and well worth a visit.
“The Theas can broaden our industry by recognising experiences that maybe wouldn’t have been there 30 years ago,” she adds. “Live events and mall experiences are examples, like the attractions we’re seeing in China that redefine what a mall or shopping experience is, and the Encanto x CAMP stores. If you’re immersed in a story while you are having that retail experience, your connection to the brand becomes much stronger.”
Indoor Marine Park
“The Theas can elevate those types of experiences, as well as championing some of our core partners – Disney, Universal, and major theme parks like SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.”
When it comes to showcasing worldwide initiatives, this year, 80% of the Thea Awards recognise projects outside of North America:
“It demonstrates that global diversity: the community participating is truly global.”
Collaboration is a key focus, she adds:
“You are much stronger as a collaborator than as a competitor. You see it increasingly with our credits list, especially with large projects. SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind are two examples of iconic, highly intricate, highly collaborative projects that we are so excited to celebrate in this type of forum.”
Be in the room where it happens
Registration for this year’s Thea Awards Gala is now open here. The event takes place on Saturday 16 March at the Loews Hollywood Hotel from 5 pm to midnight, following the annual TEA INSPIRE Event on the 14 and 15 March at the same venue. TEA INSPIRE will present projects that have captivated both audiences and the industry during two days of sessions.
The schedule includes a Leadership Forum designed exclusively for owners and executives, providing a venue for peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. There will also be unique Pop-Up Production Sessions, in which stories of success, setbacks, and key lessons learned will be shared. Plus, INSPIRE the Night, an in-park event including a panel discussion with creatives associated with Universal Studios Hollywood’s most popular attractions, will be an exciting addition.
The Gala promises to be an unmissable finale. Oviedo says: “You are going to notice an evolution of the Theas; a recognition of where we’ve been for the last 30 years, and of what the next 30 years have to bring. It’s going to be all the glitz, the glamour, the fun, the excitement.
“Buying a table, leaning in, and celebrating your peers is just as important as celebrating your individual contributions. It truly is going to be so much fun.”
In closing, she adds:
“I want to thank our members and our sponsors for believing in what the TEA is doing. I can’t wait to see everybody in Hollywood.”
