Winners of the blooloop Innovation Awards 2022 revealed

From 6 - 8 December 2022, the blooloop Festival of Innovation took place online, celebrating the spirit of creativity and inventiveness that continues to drive the attractions industry forward. During the virtual event, the winners of this year's blooloop Innovation Awards were also announced.

The awards were run in partnership with AREA15, the world’s first purpose-built experiential entertainment district. Located in Las Vegas, with a new venue set to open in Orlando in 2024, it is home to innovative experiences from the likes of Meow Wolf, Lost Spirits Distillery, Wink World, and Illuminarium.

Speaking about the awards, CEO Winston Fisher said:

"AREA15 is thrilled to partner with blooloop in this, the second blooloop Innovation Awards. This collaboration is rooted in a shared philosophy; to celebrate the projects shaping the future of visitor attractions and immersive experiences."

Innovative projects celebrated across 13 categories

This year, there were more than 120 entries, across 13 categories. These were judged by a panel of thought leaders and industry insiders, including experts from Merlin Entertainments, Universal, Mall of America, Eden Project, Meow Wolf, AREA15, Paramount, Saudi Entertainment, California Academy of Sciences, reefLIVE and more.

Blue Sky

In the Blue Sky category, NEWSUBSTANCE won first place for SEE MONSTER, a retired oil rig that has transformed into one of the UK’s largest public art installations.

SEE MONSTER

In second place was 7thSense with its Reactive Projection Mapping on Moving 3D Objects. Medici XD took third place with its TruFlight Theater, designed to improve upon decades of flying theatre technology to deliver a versatile new tool. 

Creative Technology, sponsored by Panasonic Connect

HOLOPLOT took first place in the Creative Technology category, with the HOLOPLOT X1 Matrix Array, a new category of professional loudspeaker system.

Second place went to House of Music Hungary, a musical experience that provides a personal connection to the world of sounds and music. Freckled Sky was third in this category, with The Imaginary Friend, a live multimedia performance that narrates a story about friendship with a digital “imaginary” friend.

Experiential Technology

For the Experiential Technology category, first place went to Unit 9 's Feel Every Beat, which enables deaf and hard-of-hearing fans to enjoy a full festival experience, using innovative haptic suits powered by Vodafone’s 5G network.

Feel Every Beat

Beaudry Interactive LLC was in second place, giving a voice to puppeted walk-around characters, in collaboration with Sesame Workshop and SeaWorld. Then, Bluecadet took third with its MIT Museum project, inviting visitors to experience MIT innovations for themselves.

Guest Journey, sponsored by accesso

When it came to the Guest Journey category, Showtime Pictures ' new robot photographer and customer service assistant, Purple, took first place.

In second place was Convious with its Personalised Engagement Tools and Vantage Technology came third for its Vantage platform.

Immersive Attraction, sponsored by SPREE Interactive

Next up, in the Immersive Attraction category, Triotech was recognised in first place for its Hive Break double walkthrough experience, a 3-in-1 multisensory, immersive, and interactive adventure.

Hive Break

SPREE Interactive was second with its Battery-Powered VR Bumper Cars, and HOLOGATE third, with its Ghostbusters VR Academy.

Immersive Experience, sponsored by SPREE Interactive

Electrosonic won first place in the Immersive Experience category, with its work on Summit One Vanderbilt, an immersive, multi-sensory 65,000 square-foot observation deck experience.

Second place went to The Gunpowder Plot Immersive Experience, a co-production between Layered Reality and Historic Royal Palaces, which immerses audiences in history’s most daring conspiracy. Finally, Moment Factory 's Grand Magic Hotel project took third place, thanks to the company 's work in transforming the hotel's hall into an innovative immersive storyworld.

Inclusion

In the Inclusion category, SEE MONSTER took first place once again, while Unit 9 got another nod for Feel Every Beat, which came second.

PortAventura Dreams

Third place went to PortAventura Dreams, which hosts 200 families from all over Spain each year for a free six-day stay. This focuses on children between 4 and 17 years of age who suffer (or have suffered) serious illnesses.

Spectacular

Kraftwerk Living Technologies won first place in the Spectacular category, with its work on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, which housed customised and cutting-edge multimedia technology, both inside and out.

Thinkwell Group took second place with its outdoor, nighttime woodland trail, Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience. Lastly, Squint/Opera and Casson Man were recognised with third place, thanks to The First Light Pavilion exhibition at the Jodrell Bank observatory.

Splash

SwitchBACK by Proslide Technology Inc., the industry’s first multi-feature tubing wall ride, was in second place while PlayFountain International came third for its interactive PlayFountain.

Storytelling, sponsored by Storyland Studios

For the Storytelling category, the overall winner was the Department of Wonder by Experience Trust, which invites visitors to step through a portal into an immersive fantasy of exploration and discovery.

Second place was another win by The Gunpowder Plot, while Jora Vision took third place for The Quake Lisbon Earthquake Experience. This pushes the boundaries of visitor immersion into an educational story, through a highly accurate physical environment, custom soundtrack and video media.

Sustainability

Marwell Wildlife's Zoo Poo initiative took home first place in the Sustainability category. This world-first initiative harnesses the power of zoo poo to generate renewable energy.

Zoo Poo

Second place went to Chester Zoo for its work on sustainable palm oil communities and in third place was another nod to Sub Sea Systems for Aquaticar.

Themed Environment, sponsored by Lumsden Design

In the Themed Environment category, Jora Vision enjoyed another mention, with its first-place award for The Quake Lisbon Earthquake Experience.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter took second place. For the summer of 2022, the tour introduced a brand-new feature called Mandrakes and Magical Creatures. Third place went to Greenspan Projects Ltd., which brought the world's first underground adventure golf course to Zip World Llechwedd, inside a former slate mine.

Zip World

Thrills

Finally, Dynamic Attractions took first place in the Thrills category, with its Motion Theater/Chasseurs de Tornades. The runners-up were Zamperla Group in second, for the Double Heart Coaster, and Vekoma Rides in third for the Wildcat Looping Coaster ‘ Fønix '.

The public vote and best in show

Attendees at the Festival of Innovation 2022 also had an opportunity to see all the entrants, and to vote for their favourite.

The winner of the Public Vote was DOF Robotics with Mission Space, its immersive digital park experience. Meanwhile, Summit One Vanderbilt from Electrosonic was voted best in show.

Blooloop would like to thank our sponsors for their support, and congratulate all of this year's winners and runners-up.

You can still register for the Festival of Innovation to watch the incredible line-up of speakers, including Walt Disney Imagineering, Merlin Entertainments, Universal Creative, Paramount, SEE Monster, Two Oceans Aquarium and more. All sessions are available on demand for 30 days.