Charlotte Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.
Falcon’s Beyond Global, a fully integrated development enterprise for IP-driven parks, resorts, media and merchandise, has acquired Oceaneering Entertainment Systems (OES), a division of Oceaneering International Inc.
In the transaction, Falcon's acquired OES’s global portfolio of patented technologies and exclusive engineering and manufacturing processes. Falcon alsoassumed the lease for a facility exceeding 106,000 square feet to enhance its research, development, testing, and integration services.
Additionally, Falcon’s has employed essential members from the company’s experienced team. Falcon’s also has the option to acquire specific OES inventory, which can be exercised on or before 23 July 2025. This transaction follows a letter of intent previously announced on 19 November 2024, with Falcon’s, rather than Infinite Acquisitions Partners LLC, carrying out the purchase.
A legacy of innovation
For over 25 years, OES has been a trusted provider to the world’s top theme park developers and operators. Its innovative legacy features the development of intricate, award-winning rides, show systems, equipment, and tailored engineering solutions.
OES has been honoured with 12 prestigious Thea Awards from the Themed Entertainment Association for its ride and show systems. These include The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and Transformers: The Ride 3D at Universal Orlando Resort, Justice League: Battle for Metropolis at Six Flags, and the Shuttle Launch Experience at the Kennedy Space Center.
Falcon’s and OES have collaborated for more than twenty years, successfully delivering cutting-edge themed entertainment projects globally.
“The powerful combination of Falcon’s innovation with OES’s technical and engineering expertise is a game changer,” says Cecil D. Magpuri, CEO and co-founder of Falcon’s Beyond. “OES has been behind some of the best attractions and experiences in the world. Together, we’re ushering in a new era for the global experience economy.”
Shaping the next generation of experiences
The acquisition significantly boosts and speeds up Falcon’s Attractions' development as a vertically integrated global supplier of advanced entertainment systems, technologies, custom engineering, and turnkey solutions.
It strategically enhances Falcon’s Attractions services, diversifies its client portfolio, broadens market reach, and creates new revenue streams. It is anticipated to positively impact future earnings, bolster long-term growth goals, and increase shareholder value. Additionally, it strengthens Falcon’s capability to support its expanding range of destination developments and third-party clients with advanced, comprehensive attractions.
Going forward, Falcon’s will support all legacy OES products, maintaining continuity with the same personnel and technology supplied by OES as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
“Falcon’s Attractions has onboarded a deep bench of the top entertainment systems experts in the industry,” says Dave Mauck, president of Falcon’s Attractions and former general manager of OES.
“I’ve worked with some of these team members for decades, and their collective experience is truly remarkable.As Falcon’s, we offer an unparalleled combination of creative, technical, and operational excellence that will revolutionize the experiential entertainment industry.”
This acquisition highlights Falcon’s strategic vision to become the leading platform company in the experience economy, where storytelling, design, and technology intersect to shape the next generation of consumer experiences worldwide.
Earlier this year, Falcon’s Creative Group kicked off its year-long 25thanniversary celebrationswith a special proclamation from Orange County’s mayor, Jerry Demings. In recognition of the group’s pioneering spirit, growth and contributions to themed entertainment, Demings announced 1 February as Falcon’s Beyond Day in Orange County, Florida.
Charlotte Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.
Embed, a leading worldwide supplier of point-of-sale and revenue management systems, is marking International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month with the release of Rise & Renewal: Women’s Stories of Strength.
This is a tribute to the remarkable women who are embracing their power: rising, adapting, and reshaping what’s achievable across technology, business, and beyond.
Rise & Renewal celebrates women's courage, perseverance, and leadership in turning challenges into opportunities, inspiring future generations. From innovators and entrepreneurs to creators and change-makers, these stories highlight resilience and strength.
Empowering women at every level
“At Embed, we believe in the value and power of cultural and gender diversity in our talent pool; we’re proud to be the change that other companies, both large and small, aspire to achieve," says Renee Welsh, CEO of Embed. "We believe that when women rise, industries transform and strengthen.”
“Rise & Renewal is about celebrating the women who have shaped our journey, challenged the status quo, and continue to build the future of the business of fun with courage, creativity, and conviction.”
As a leading global technology company driving the world’s most popular family entertainment centres, Embed is deeply committed to empowering women at every level of the organisation and industry.
Embed’s gender parity now stands at 66% female at the chief executive level (up from 50%), an unprecedented achievement in technology and a testament to Embed’s dedication to gender equality across all organisational levels.
Through the women@embed platform, Embed continues to champion diversity, equity, and opportunity and to celebrate women's journeys.
“Every March during Women’s History Month and on International Women’s Day, we celebrate women in tech and the business of fun. And this year is no different," says Sara Paz, CMO of Embed.
"Every woman’s journey is a story of strength, navigating life’s challenges, rising to the challenge, stepping into their power, and the renewal, transformation, and growth resulting thereof. It’s the hero’s journey.
"The Rise & Renewal series is a reminder that our strength is not just in what we build and accomplish, but in how we lift and bring others with us as we grow, which can happen directly or indirectly through the gift of our example. When it comes to celebrating, we’re equal opportunity; we celebrate everyone! ”
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.”
After more than three years of work, Elephant Valley is opening at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park today (5 March).
The project is the largest and most transformative in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's 109-year history.
The new experience on a 13-acre site will provide an up-close viewing of the park’s herd of eight endangered African savanna elephants – Swazi, Ndlula, Umngani, Khosi, Zuli, Mkhaya, Nisa, and Kami.
Named the Denny Sanford Elephant Valley after its lead donor, the habitat is designed as a dynamic savanna and features more than 350 rare and endangered African plants to replicate the sights, sounds and smells of Africa's ecosystems.
It also serves as a bridge between the zoo's scientific work in San Diego and its elephant conservation initiatives across the African savanna.
At the heart of Elephant Valley is Mkutano House, a two-story restaurant featuring three distinct dining destinations: Mkutano, Ona Lounge, and Tu Grill.
Shawn Dixon, president and CEO of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said last year: "Denny Sanford Elephant Valley's innovative design celebrates the world's largest land mammal and the communities that coexist with them.
"Every detail of this habitat has been purposefully designed to reflect the elephants' natural environment, supporting their well-being while inspiring meaningful connections."
San Diego Zoo Safari Park is one of several zoos investing in enhanced elephant habitats, alongside projects such as Elephant Trek at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
Elephants in zoos across the world remain a controversial topic, with some organisations no longer keeping the animals.
The San Diego Zoo and its safari park are fully accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which has specific rules and guidelines for keeping elephants.
Dan Ashe, AZA’s president and CEO, told the San Diego Union-Tribune the association is committed "to managing elephants as elephants, in multi-generational herds, and allowing them the space and the opportunity to do what they want to do, to behave as elephants and as elephants do in nature".
He said zoos will likely look at the San Diego Safari Park's new habitat "and say, 'Wow, look what they're doing, can't we do that?'"
Images courtesy of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
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.
