Join us at 6 pm GMT on Wednesday 15 January for a session exploring Innovation in Immersive Experiences, as part of the Festival of Innovation.
Our guest speakers for this session are Kirsten Taylor-Hall, vice president, partner relations, Global Products and Experiences – live and location-based entertainment, Lionsgate, Zack Sugarman, chief strategy officer of Superplastic, and Meg Parker, chief marketing and communications officer of AREA15.
They will discuss the role of storytelling within immersive experiences, and what AREA15 looks for when choosing new experiences for the role. We will also hear about the new John Wick and Dopeameme experiences at AREA15.
The session will then be available to watch on demand for 30 days.
blooloop’s Festival of Innovation is taking place online from 15 to 16 January 2025. The event brings together the global visitor attractions industry to explore the most innovative projects, products, and organisations that are shaping the sector.
The expert panel
In her role as VP of partner relations for Lionsgate’s Global Products and Experiences group, Kirsten Taylor-Hall is in charge of expanding the studio’s global network of top-tier partners and creating live and location-based projects that honour the company’s classic film and television properties.
She has contributed to projects such as Lionsgate Entertainment World in Hengqin, China, Motiongate Park in Dubai, The Paddington Bear Experience in London, The John Wick Experience in Las Vegas (opening early 2025), and global touring shows like La La Land and Dirty Dancing.
Taylor-Hall’s focus on coordinating artistic and commercial goals has produced effective, innovative, and profitable operations. She is currently concentrating on leading trends in live performance, and scalable immersive experiences for high-traffic locations, theme parks and resorts.
Taylor-Hall was formerly a business development executive at Thinkwell Group, where she helped partners such as Warner Bros., The Smithsonian Institution, Nickelodeon, Universal Parks and Resorts, and Google, to create outstanding guest experiences. She has also served in artist and project management for The Walt Disney Company’s Feature Animation division, and graduated from the School of Theater, Film, and Television at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Zack Sugarman is an established sports and entertainment executive with two decades of experience in commercial strategy and revenue generation, and a focus on business development, partnership formation, digital strategy, new technology integration, valuation, packaging, and the execution of award-winning campaigns and projects.
He spent over 16 years in agency leadership positions at Wasserman, most notably directing the Properties division globally to assist venues/teams/leagues in optimising commercial revenue. Sugarman helped generate millions of dollars in commercial revenue for clients such as the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, FIFA, USGA, UFC, NASCAR, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, LAFC, New York Islanders, Vegas Golden Knights, CrossFit, Drone Racing League, and Salesforce.
Additionally, Sugarman worked for approximately two years as the chief strategy officer at Demand Inc., a top-of-funnel lead generation platform powered by AI, where he assisted teams and entertainment venues in obtaining leads for sponsorship and ticket sales.
As an avid tech geek, Sugarman ensures that he is at the forefront of developing technology and digital strategies. He also has a large collection of vinyl art figures, sports cards, comics, and comic cards.
Meg Parker, AREA15’s chief marketing and communications officer, is in charge of the organisation’s brand and the planning of all marketing and communication initiatives. By striking a balance between renowned tenant partners and AREA15’s distinctive blend of owned-and-operated experiences, Parker makes sure that marketing initiatives are smoothly coordinated across all platforms and categories.
Her leadership has been key in establishing AREA15 as a leading entertainment and events district in Las Vegas, which attracts millions of guests each year.
Parker is an integral member of AREA15’s corporate management team, reporting directly to CEO Winston Fisher. Under her direction, the marketing team develops creative campaigns, digital advertising, content, and storytelling projects that raise brand awareness, encourage travel, and drive ticket sales. This reaches beyond Las Vegas, and includes marketing and communications activities to position AREA15 as an industry leader in location-based entertainment.
Parker has over 20 years of expertise in marketing and communications for global consumer brands including Estée Lauder, PUMA, North Sails, and Honeywell. During her time at PUMA, she managed communications for two Olympic campaigns with Usain Bolt, two Volvo Ocean Races, and other celebrity-endorsed product launches. Parker has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Charleston.
The Innovation Awards
The blooloop Innovation Awards presented with AREA15 honour the extraordinary dynamism, imagination and creativity that drive the attractions industry.
The winners of the 2024 Immersive Experience category will be revealed at this session. Attendees can browse all the entries during the event, and vote for their favourite to win our Public Choice Award.
Register to attend here.
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