Christian Aaen
Principal & Co-founder
Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA)
Christian Aaen is a founding principal of Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA), a consultancy specialising in entertainment development, destination attractions, leisure and tourism economics.
With extensive international experience, he advises on the strategic planning and development of entertainment, attractions and retail, dining and entertainment (RDE) projects.
Before co-founding ECA, Aaen established and led the Hong Kong office of ERA (now AECOM Economics) in 2009, serving as managing principal and regional director. He oversaw the firm's entertainment and leisure practice across Asia, with a particular focus on China.
His work has included strategic planning and consultancy for major international theme park and cultural developments.
Aaen has advised an extensive portfolio of global clients, including Universal Studios, Merlin Entertainments, MGM Studios, Village Roadshow, Sanrio, KidZania, Genting Group and the Singapore Tourism Board.
His project experience spans Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America, giving him a broad perspective on the international attractions market.
A familiar figure in the industry community, Aaen has also previously served as a judge for the blooloop 50 Theme Park Influencer List.
He holds degrees in economics, business administration and international marketing and management from Copenhagen Business School, and undertook further MBA studies at Cornell University. He is based between Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
