by Stefan Lawrence, The Bezark Company
I’ve been to the UK many times, but never Blackpool. So when I got the opportunity to present at TEA SATE Europe at the iconic Blackpool Pleasure Beach, I leapt at the chance. Brian Yessian (Yessian Music), Chris Willrich (DJW), and I had collaborated on a proposal, all about the Emotion of Sound – a topic we started discussing at SATE North America in the fall.
At The Bezark Company, we believe in the power of creative collaboration across disciplines – a conviction that Brian and Chris share as well. We traveled to Blackpool to help remind our colleagues of the immense emotional power that audio can conjure. If sound is considered early in the design process, it can immensely improve the guest experience.
Discussing the emotion of sound at TEA SATE in Blackpool
Our idea was to explore this idea in three chapters.
First, we immersed the audience in a soundscape that evoked the world of Blackpool – the seaside, the donkey rides, the ballroom with its famous organ music. We asked the audience to close their eyes and imagine that world as we conjured it solely through sound. For extra impact, Chris designed and installed a spatial audio system throughout the room.
Next, we demonstrated how we culturally understand the emotions contained in music. While there is much debate as to why some music affects the emotions, many scientists agree that there is a large learned component.
We played a selection of chords and melodies for the audience to identify. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of consensus in the answers we got. They knew which were sad, uneasy, joyous, etc.
Finally, we explored the various ways immersive experiences use audio to tell stories.
For instance, at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge, spatial audio is used to create the illusion of spaceship flybys. At Epic Universe, the land entrance portals use music to create threshold moments. And in the Ka Maka Grotto at Disney’s Aulani, underwater speakers create a surprise aquatic soundtrack for swimmers.
What follows are a few highlights of our week at SATE Europe in Blackpool.
Monday 5 May
3:37pm: Get off the train and immediately see The Big One (Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s hyper coaster) looming above the Big Blue Hotel, where I’m staying. Not your typical train station view. Check into the hotel. I open my window to see the coaster track going right by my window. This is going to be a great week!
5:54pm: I decide to take a walk along the seaside to get my bearings. I don’t get far – I spot Chris Willrich and a motley crew of early arrivers through the window at the hotel next door. Seaside will wait. Deconstructed fish pie and pints of ale for everyone!
Tuesday 6 May
10:07am: Try again to explore the seaside with Brian, but get called to tech rehearsal at the Horseshoe Room in the Casino building. The venue is gloriously louche. There are disco balls everywhere. There’s an air of entertainment decadence. I like it. Feels a bit dangerous.
Tech is good. Audio setup sounds great. This is going to work, I think.
1:57pm: Run across traffic to catch the tram for our excursion. Try to remember left-hand traffic rules.
2:15pm: Visit Showtown, a museum all about Blackpool’s entertainment history. It’s legit. Designed by architects Buttress and experiential agency Casson Mann, this space is GREAT. Punchy graphics. Entertaining interactives. Fun moments. Little surprises. Really clear story. I’m very impressed.
3:07pm: What can I say, I’m a sucker for gorgeous brick, tile, and iron structures. I found myself relentlessly enchanted by Blackpool Tower, including its famous ballroom (home of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing). Ornate and overdone, in a showy (yet elegant) way.
There’s a 4D movie that you can watch before taking the elevator to the top, and even that was charming (if a bit wet). The view from 500 feet is pretty stunning. The tower does what it says on the tin.
3:55pm: We visit Blackpool Tower Circus, which has been running for 130 seasons. When we enter, there’s a woman wielding laser beams while loud EDM pumps through the sound system. Every inch of the space is encrusted with ornament. It’s cheerfully, gaudily gauche. Puts circus tents to shame – this is how all circuses should look.
Wish we had seen the Ball of Death in action. Love a good Ball of Death.
4:57pm: Still haven’t eaten since breakfast. I have some chili-flavored bar snacks and a Coca-Cola.
Wednesday 7 May
9:02am: Last night’s reception was a good preview of the rest of the week. I think I knew this, but the SATE Europe contingent is a very social bunch. Dinner turned into drinks at the hotel bar, and the night continued for a more-than-respectable length of time. Solid social stamina, everyone. Time for coffee. Or tea. Or both.
10:43am: Got shot into the air on Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s newly refurbished launch tower. Wheeeeee!
11:15am: I settle in to listen to the speakers and presentations, which were of uniformly high quality.
Personal highlights included Cathrin Winsor (Katapult) presenting on behavioral psychology and LDP’s Yael Coifman and James Kennard presenting a delightfully wonky analysis of IP in attractions. They give us tin foil that we use to make tabletop attractions. Our table makes Illuminations. We don’t win. I run our presentation in my head.
3:32pm: Showtime! Brian and I present our talk on the importance of sound in experiences. I truly believe that sound is undervalued as a theming element. We argue that sound should be at the table as early as possible in design, that sound is incredible bang for buck. Presentation comes off without a hitch.
We are followed by Marilyn Willrich, who is profoundly deaf and helps us understand what that means when it comes to attractions. I appreciate how they placed our presentations back-to-back – while sound is important, it’s equally important to consider all guests during the design process. I facilitate the on-stage Q&A afterwards.
Embracing Blackpool’s entertainment heritage
5:49pm: Theme party night for TEA SATE in Blackpool. Emerge from my hotel room dressed as Liam Gallagher of Oasis in a green parka, bucket hat, and little round sunglasses. Meet up at the BLVD Hotel, surrounded by Eltons, Spices, Ozzies, Freddies, and Lemmies. No other Liams. Realize I shouldn’t have stressed so hard about my parka being more forest green than olive.
Joined by Brian, who’s dressed as George Frideric Handel. Obviously.
7:32pm: Realize that it’s way too hot in the Paradise Room to eat a Sunday roast whilst wearing a full parka and wig. Take off both. We enjoy an incredibly high-effort, multi-costume, ostrich-feathered performance by a dozen bedazzled dancers and crooners. Show Town indeed. An old-fashioned razzle-dazzle spectacular.
Thursday 8 May
10:03am: Talks continue the next morning at TEA SATE in Blackpool. Again – many highlights. David Debouverie (P+A Projects) speaks about the experience of being a physical body within space. Chris Manson (TAIT) challenges us with place-based art installations. Emma Bashford (Creative Studio Berlin) explores the qualities that make us humans, not robots.
I think about the conference theme, which is “Emotions”. Not every conference theme is created equal, but this one seemed to have worked exceptionally well. Good talks, lots of angles, great conversation starters.
7:25pm: Conference is almost over, one more night of festivities – this time in the park proper. They open up the Big Dipper (1923) and Icon (2018). The Big Dipper is a classic tooth-rattler in the mold of the Coney Island Cyclone. Icon is a state-of-the-art thrill machine with a freely rotating backseat. Both are lot of fun.
We have drinks at a venue called, appropriately enough, Coasters. The patio looks out on a coaster track soup of four different coasters. It’s impressive and perfect for our gang of amusement weirdos. Later, there’s pizza and more socializing. I don’t overdo – I have an early train.
Friday 9 May
7:33am: I board my train back to Manchester Airport. I listen to Oasis, live from Knebworth in 1996, while passing through the bucolic English countryside. It feels appropriate. I’m exhausted, I have a long way back to Los Angeles. But it is good, and I’m satisfied. So many things to think about on the way home. Well done, SATE Europe. Well done
