On 15 & 16 January 2025, the blooloop Festival of Innovation kick-started the new year with a stellar lineup of speakers talking about exciting projects and what the industry will look like in 2025.
The virtual event brought together innovators in the global visitor attractions industry to look at the latest projects, products, and organisations driving the industry forward.
Attendees heard from speakers at Universal Studios, Merlin Entertainments, The British Museum, Aquascope, MSC Cruises, Lionsgate, Netflix, International African American Museum, Phantom Peak and more.
The winners of the 2024 blooloop Innovation Awards, presented in partnership with Area15, were also announced during the event.
Festival of Innovation 2025: day one
Attractions industry trends for 2025
As blooloop’s news editor, Bea Mitchell shares around 3000 news stories annually via blooloop.com and our newsletter. Before making her selection for the day, Bea reviews at least five times that many pieces from various sources. None of this content is paid for or attached to advertising.
Rachel Read, co-founder and director of blooloop, has overseen blooloop’s news for the last decade. During this session, they identified five key common trends for the coming year from our news and innovation award entries. This included game IPs, AI and robots, as well as cruises and wellness/transformation.
They also looked further into the future, tipping ones to watch: ultra accessibility, sustainability, flying EVs, space and pets!
See also: Top 13 trends to watch in the visitor attractions industry in 2025
Innovation in the Guest Journey
Led by Mark Locker, founder and CEO of Attractions.io, Jim Denny, VP of digital experience at Six Flags, Tim Morrow, president and CEO at San Antonio Zoo, and Adele Keane, COO and creative director of Imvizar, this Festival of Innovation 2025 session looked at trends in the guest journey.
Denny spoke about the recent merger between Six Flags and Cedar Fair. The current focus is to unify the technology so they only have one solution rather than two. They will also be looking at AR and AI in the future.
All speakers talked about not using tech for tech’s sake. Keane said Imvizar “uses the world as a playground to tell/show stories.” Locker agrees, saying that it’s important to remember that tech is an enabler. When changing things that might affect operations, you need alignment across the organisation. Otherwise, operations, and by extension, the guest experience, will suffer.
Morrow then gave an example of how tech can engage people at the zoo. An AR app allows visitors to walk with the last three white rhinos.
Keane also noted that many inquire about personalisation and making experiences accessible. She believes AI will aid in translation for accessibility, allowing guests to be more involved in stories. AR headset technology will improve and gain popularity, but guests need control over their immersion.
Locker said that AI addresses significant challenges. The Attractions.io assistant is a conversational interface that enhances guest value, aiming for better engagement with less phone time. Denny questioned if there is a digital overload and wondered if excessive phone use causes guests to miss experiences. The main challenge is finding balance.
Morrow noted that guest expectations are increasing, and they want a new experience every time they visit. 90% of the zoo’s days have events added on to get people back into the zoo.
Technology should make the guest journey easy. But we still need the personalised touch we have with our guests and the one-on-one conversations they have with volunteers and staff.
Tech will also be able to help zoos “teach people about the conservation needs of the animals”. Morrow also gave the example of how AI-driven data can track rhinos in Africa.
Locker emphasised that there are changing demographics. He also said a big challenge is data privacy. An Attractions.io report showed that within this sector, trust in how attractions handle data is low. So, this is a barrier to the adoption of things that will drive personalisation.
Winners of the Guest Journey Innovation Award 2024, sponsored by Attractions.io
1st Place: RoboGuide – Your Social Interactive Guide Robot by Dyno Robotics AB
2nd Place: LOOP Website Platform for Attractions by Semantic
3rd Place: Giants of the Past by Magic Memories and Plantastia Tropical Zoo
Innovation in Creative Technology
Led by Jon Tozer, vice president of global delivery at Holovis, Pearl Verzosa, executive director of marketing and customer experience at Area15, Matt Usi, technical manager, experiences at Netflix, and Neil Lewin, owner of Semantic, spoke about trends within creative technology.
Usi spoke about how technology is helping bring Netflix experiences to life in LBE. It allows people to immerse themselves into worlds that they usually only see on TV and gives them agency in the outcome of the story. They are “looking to gaming technology to deliver key components like choice” – using passive and active sensing tech to dynamically adjust experience.
Verzosa explained that one trend she’s noticing is about bringing guests from “spectator to participant.” It’s about “bringing people into an environment where they can enjoy the experience with people they know and don’t know. More people want these environments where they can become part of an immersive experience.”
For Lewin, the website is an integral part of the experience. It helps tell the story from the beginning of the guest journey. He is noticing a trend of telling why attractions exist – moving from a transactional to a personal relationship and diversifying revenue. Plus, data-driven decision-making is so important.
Tozer cautioned against being led by technology. At Holovis: “We allow our tech to be a toolbox to help tell stories. We try not to be led by tech, it can lead to some good decisions but some bad ones too.”
When asked if guests expect high-tech experiences, Verzosa said she “would love to say guests are coming for the tech, but that’s not the case. They’re coming for the experience. The technology needs to be seamless. It’s about a place where you can unlock your imagination…when we get there, we’ll try new things”. IPs bring the story, so people come for the story.
“Tech can be a centrepiece for an experience”, said Usi. For example, if it’s a new technology, people may come to experience it. The advancement of tech can be the story, he explained, as it is in Spaceship Earth in Epcot.
Guests want to be thrilled and experience something that ignites all of their senses and wish fulfilment.
The evolution of tech is required to keep this newness for guests. However, it is important not to be formulaic in deciding which tech to use and not to overwhelm the guest.
When talking about getting guests excited for an experience, Lewin explained that 90% plus of guests will visit a website on mobile, and you can’t replicate an immersive experience on mobile, so put as much out there as possible to get them excited – but keep surprises a surprise. It’s also vital to blend online and offline experiences.
Winners of the Creative Technology Innovation Awards 2024, sponsored by Holovis
1st Place: FluidLED – Low Voltage LED Display System for Wet Environments by Octopus Design Studio
2nd Place: Entertainment on the GO by Forward Thinking Designs
3rd Place: Advatek Lighting – PixLite A4-S Mk3
Innovation in Brand Realisation
Anthony Chong, group MD at Kingsmen Xperience, kicked off the Brand Realisation panel at Festival of Innovation 2025 with Jenefer Brown, executive vice president and head of Lionsgate Global Products and Experiences and Philipp Edelmann, head of attractions at Netflix Experiences.
The panel highlighted several key trends impacting IP and brand experiences and highlighted several recent projects they have worked on. Chong talked about Space Explorers: The Infinite and Kingsmen’s work with Squid Games, coming to Seoul this year. Lionsgate has just opened the John Wick Experience in Vegas and the Paddington Experience in London, with a second experience coming to Hong Kong next year.
Netflix has worked on 170 experiences. Next year, it will be opening the 100,000-square-foot Netflix House experiences in Dallas and Philadelphia.
One key topic was a deep familiarity with the brand.
“It’s crucial to understand the core elements of the IP so they can be translated into physical and digital experiences,” said Chong. “Its about understanding the core creative pillars of the IP, and immerse into them” said Edelmann. “We have a lot of titles at Netflix. We have to dig deep and work closely with our creators, the content executives, and everyone who’s shaped the IP in the past to understand what it’s about. For example, Stranger Things is about friendship, supernatural and 80s nostalgia.”
Experiences must also be targeted to the local audiences. “You have to know your audience. Researching how that audience wants to experience the IP is as important as staying true to the brand,” said Brown. “It must be designed broad enough to target locals and tourists.”
IP and brands are a growing trend across all sectors, from thrills to museum exhibits to immersive experiences, including growing IP sectors like toy IP and video gaming. Whilst IP is everywhere, and it’s tempting for brands to rush into experiences, it’s not always wise:
“Not every successful IP should be an attraction. It may be great at other things. The next step is to create an attraction that can stand independently; it can’t be just the IP that carries it. It must do something with it that does something they can’t get in a film or TV series,” said Brown.
Fans know your brand incredibly well. If you do something that doesn’t feel right, they will call you out on it.
It’s also about creating new fans for the IP and characters and creating experiences everyone can enjoy. “Creating stand-alone stories, sitting in the mythology of the story and brand, but the attraction stands alone. Easter eggs are great for the super fans, but anyone can understand the objective and enjoy the experience,” said Edelmann.
“You must create an enjoyable experience,” said Chong. “Whether it’s a well-known IP or not, the most important part is an engaging attraction for people to enjoy coming back to again and again.”
Winners of the Brand Realisation Innovation Awards 2024, sponsored by Kingsmen Experience Inc.
1st Place: The Messi Experience by Moment Factory and Primo Entertainment
2nd Place: The Paddington Bear Experience by The Path Entertainment Group
3rd Place: The WWE Experience KSA by WWE and TAIT
Innovation in Game On
This Festival of Innovation 2025 session was led by Tom Lionetti-Maguire, founder of Little Lion Entertainment, joined by Jeffrey Godsick, executive vice president of global partnerships, brand management, and head of LBE at Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matthew Palmer, chief marketing officer at BRITE Management.
Godsick spoke about how the hunger for competitive social interaction is growing massively:
People are craving the need to experience different things. In general, we see IP of interest across the board globally; we know its value, and it can elevate every part of the guest experience.
Lionetti-Maguire added: “I have to believe and hope that people will continue to want shared experiences together.”
He also noted that LBE is absorbing nightclub customers looking for a more wholesome experience that isn’t totally around alcohol but is new, modern, fun and sharable.
Palmer said: “The more IP that becomes available, the more doors open for operators to recognise, reinvent and extend the franchise.”
The LBE market is filling a void of mid-price fantastic experiences, said the panel. But there’s still a lot of work to pull social gamification into VR and AR.
Winners of the Game On Innovation Awards 2024, sponsored by Arcade Arena, part of the Little Lion Entertainment Group
1st Place: Space Marine VR – Defenders of Avarax from Zero Latency VR
2nd Place: Nexus by Gel Blaster
3rd Place: Beat the Bomb
Innovation in Exhibits
Led by Judith Zissman, executive creative director at Blue Telescope, Malika Pryor, chief learning and engagement officer at the International African American Museum, and Amanda Mayne, head of partnerships: international touring exhibitions at British Museum, discussed trends in museums.
Pryor talked about the importance of place: “We are an institution that leans into the power of place. So when thinking about that notion of movement, particularly the involuntary movement of captive Africans, approximately forty percent of all African captives making their way to what becomes the United States… passing through the port of Charleston.”
The museum is in a former slave wharf, so “We are literally our structure. Our facility is a functional homage, dedication, and remembrance to those who made that trek. We do lean into the power of place, and we see that as an important space from which to begin.”
The building was constructed for purpose rather than being retrofitted. So, “The design of the building also aids in facilitating the visitors’ travel and movement through the space.
Zissman said Blue Telescope’s work looks at “Meeting people where they are, welcoming people of multiple audiences, multiple backgrounds, people bring their own stories, their own history, their own complexity.” It is crucial to tell underserved stories in ways that resonate with new audiences.
Pryor also said that the IAAM has exhibits that are in conversation with each other. One exhibit is a ‘hall of fame’ with artefacts, paper, photos, etc., on the sides, but in the centre are interactive maps that allow visitors to map these people and experiences differently.
It’s exciting to see them go from one space to another…we designed it with the notion they would start with traditional material, a lot of young people zoom straight to the digital, but then find the traditional material.
Mayne agreed about the importance of conversations. Many things influence the British Museum’s selection of exhibitions for touring but it starts with conversations. Now, they’re developing “more nuanced exhibitions based on stories,” such as the Feminine Power exhibition.
“The exhibitions we tour are not turnkey; we don’t send the objects and design in a shipping container, said Mayne. “It takes things longer, but it makes it relevant. We have to engage in those conversations. We’re very keen that our partners have an exhibition that speaks to their audience.”
Pryor said the most important innovation for museums is that they are “presenting the kind of content that will speak to the people we’re hoping to bring into the spaces.” Zissman added that it is about “moving away from the elite museum as expert…how we move away from that shift in storytelling and multiple perspectives and how the visitor can be inserted directly into the story.”
Winners of the Exhibit Innovation Awards 2024, sponsored by Blue Telescope
1st Place: Museum of the Future – Journey of the Pioneers by ATELIER BRÜCKNER
2nd Place: Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet by ATELIER BRÜCKNER
3rd Place: The People’s House: A White House Experience by Ralph Appelbaum Associates
Innovation in Thrills
In this Festival of Innovation 2025 session, attendees heard from Lora Sauls, assistant director of creative development and show direction at Universal Orlando Resort and John Burton, senior creative lead at Merlin Entertainments.
Sauls started at Universal as the “singing and dancing Bride of Frankenstein.” She became a pivotal figure in Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) despite initially not being a horror fan. “I never thought my trajectory would lead me to be such a big part of Halloween Horror Nights.” Meanwhile, Burton began as a costume character with Merlin and progressed to senior creative lead. “I started as a sheep running around the Sea Life Centre!”
Universal tries not to duplicate HHN content year after year, said Sauls:
“We try to create new content every year of the event, which is why I think people love to come to our events.” Fans are very important to HHN, and Universal listens to feedback when deciding what works and what doesn’t: “We stand at the end of the haunted houses and hear what they loved and feared.”
Merlin has events targeted at different demographics. For example, Legoland Brick or Treat focuses on younger audiences. Meanwhile, Fright Nights at Thorpe Park focuses on an older demographic.
Alton Towers has been looking to diversify the event to appeal to a broader demographic, keeping the scare mazes but also adding family attractions: “We’ve started introducing different types of experiences that may be younger-focused, actor-led experiences, maybe some trick-or-treat, knock on doors, get some sweet type back action,” said Burton.
Talking about Hyperia, he added: “It’s been such an exciting year here in the UK for new roller coasters.” Construction constraints like height and topography meant the team had to innovate when designing Hyperia. “All those challenges helped us drive the innovation of the product and develop something unique.”
On the future of thrills at HHN, Saul said: “We are trying to innovate what we do every year and make it uniquely different, yet still give them the formula that they love. Every year we’re trying to be more immersive, more innovative.”
When discussing new technologies in scare attractions, she said HHN has tried to use VR in the past, but
our characters are the backbone of our experience. It’s because it’s that human interaction that people get when someone scares you.
Finally, the session touched on how technology will shape the future of rides. Burton said: “Technology should be a hidden piece of technology, and that’s how I hope our future attractions would be, whether that’s through haptics or digital environments that are so seamlessly integrated within the physical space.”
Winners of the Thrills Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: Thorpe Park – Hyperia from Merlin Entertainments
2nd Place: Primordial from Triotech
3rd Place: Crown’s Edge, Icon of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International
Innovation in Experiential Technology
Jim Shumway, VP of project delivery at TAIT, Erica McCay, executive creative director at Valtech Themed Entertainment Studio, Rachel Nakamura, product manager and producer, and Felix Erdmann, managing director of BeWunder, talked about experiential tech in this session.
One key trend that Erdmann notices is that “Exhibitions are becoming more and more immersive, interactivity is more requested”. He explained that museums are becoming more digital, and he thinks this trend will continue. BeWunder is going more into full exhibition fit-out as the multimedia scope is increasing.
“Visitors are becoming more tech-savvy, but it depends on how well the technology is integrated into the design,” he added.
For McCay, personalisation is key:
“People expect to be a participant in the world they enter now and that it matters that they were there that day” and can engage more deeply. They expect an entire world, not just an attraction.
Nakamura noted the trend of adding a layer of experiential technology to another experience, particularly in retail–themed entertainment, which is integrating into other areas.
For Shumway, it’s important to “provide individualised experiences in a group setting”, although this makes the technological backbone more challenging. He cautioned against over-ambitious technology that doesn’t work correctly. This can put off less experienced visitors who then think that experiential isn’t for them.
In the future, McCay wants tech to be more human and rely more on performers and interactivity, to “leverage the emotional connection from humans” and use this to personalise and adapt to each guest. Nakamura sees more physical and digital tie-ins where the digital tie-in is only possible because you attend a physical location. This would work well with brand activations, to give people something extra for going in person to a shop.
Shumway thinks AR will win out over VR. The technology hasn’t caught up with the ambitions yet, but it will be exciting when it gets there so we have a personalised experience in a community setting.
McCay agreed, adding that she “looks forward to when it’s an experience not a gimmick” so people can “experience a version of life that would not be possible otherwise.”
Nakamura agreed that AR can be gimmicky. We need to refine how we use it as it’s the future. She also highlighted that when using tech, we need to keep the feelings and souls of humans, especially when using AI.
Then, Shumway highlighted the challenge of making technology robust enough, especially with children involved. McCay and Nakamura also spoke about the challenge of the way we often work as teams to create an experience, but those teams are too often siloed from each other. Teams need to work together from the beginning.
Winners of the Experiential Technology Innovation Awards 2024, sponsored by TAIT
1st Place: WDI Bipedal Robotic Character Design and Control by Walt Disney Imagineering
2nd Place: Alice® – the patented AI virtual docent system by Mad Systems
3rd Place: Currents Immersive Experience by Beaudry Interactive
Innovation in Immersive Experiences
Kirsten Taylor-Hall, vice president of partner relations and global products and experiences – live and location-based entertainment at Lionsgate, was joined during this Festival of Innovation 2025 session by Zack Sugarman, chief strategy officer of Superplastic, and Meg Parker, chief marketing and communications officer of Area15.
The panel talked about the new John Wick and Dopeameme experiences at Area15. In Dopeameme, visitors are an active part of the experience. They have to fulfil particular challenges like a dance game, and it blends physical and digital realities. RFID and motion capture track the experience so guests know how to get more dopamine at the end – get videos/photos to share, and it’s gamified with a leaderboard.
In the new John Wick experience that will open next month, guests will step into Continental Hotel Las Vegas. “Our guests want an experience where they have an impact,” said Taylor-Hall. The team worked with the filmmakers to expand the universe of John Wick. When deciding what to do with IPs: “We look at this as a long-term experience. As that happens over the years, we will learn more about the world of John Wick…Whatever we create, we know we need to update and refresh it.”
Parker said: “Area15 can be the catalyst between these two very different types of IP…what’s amazing is they are seamlessly connecting in a place like Area15.” She said the team looks for business models that work with throughput and creativity.
On storytelling, Sugarman said longer form narrative is the hook and keeps people interested, bringing it into other content outside the experience as well.
When we provide more story to our fans, they love it. It allows us to monetise it better and allows us to connect those who watch our animated content, to those who go to an experience to those who buy merchandise.
Taylor-Hall added: “There are so many fabulous ways to tell stories. We love it when they merge and overlap in exciting new ways”.
Parker reflected on how much the industry has grown over the last couple of years; there are immersive experiences in many markets now.
“We can’t rest on our laurels. It’s time to double down and make sure storytelling is there and is authentic and creative…audiences are sophisticated”. There are many opportunities with new tech – how are they becoming part of the experience? What tech allows us to personalise the experience? And what is the follow-up to deepen the connection with guests after the experience?
Winners of the Immersive Experiences – Culture Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature
2nd Place: ARTE MUSEUM Las Vegas
3rd Place: Ephesus Experience Museum
Winners of the Immersive Experiences Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: Phantom Peak
2nd Place: Rumble in the Jungle Rematch
3rd Place: ‘The Legend of Luna’ at Great Wolf Lodge Perryville
Day two
Innovation in Storytelling
Day two at the Festival of Innovation 2025 opened with a session featuring Julie Swanston, executive creative director of Merlin Magic Making, and Nick Moran, co-founder/creative director of Phantom Peak.
Swanston said storytelling is “at the heart of everything we do. Not every guest that comes to a Merlin attraction engages with every level of detail…nevertheless, we ensure there are levels and levels of storytelling.”
For Moran, he said his team considers: “What are the stories we want to tell? What are the mechanics we can use to tell those stories?” They divide stories along sequences so visitors can consume everything possible. “Having an experience that feels like you’re the main character” is the aim of Phantom Peak.
Environment and guest experience are important, said Swanston, as not everyone wants to delve deeply into story – some people just want to go on the fastest ride or see the latest celebrity at Madame Tussauds. However: “We need to deliver for those who want a premium experience…then we’ll scoop everyone up.”
There is a 30% return rate at Phantom Peak, with nearly 100% of people completing at least one storyline. People feel safe and in control, as they’re guided by an app – good for nervous audience members. There are 116 trails – some people have completed them all. “We have a strong community,” said Moran.
Our goal at Phantom Peak was to make somewhere people feel happy and comfortable to play in a themed environment.
He added there is an appetite for risk: “People are willing to try and make more interesting types of storytelling” and “seeing brand and IPs getting into the space…they’re a great gateway.” Swanson said everyone is pushing into new formats, and the appetite for testing and learning will only grow”.
Attractions can use storytelling to differentiate themselves as guests leave feeling like they’ve spent time well and done something of substance, she said. When working with IPs, people have a preconceived notion of what they’ll experience. Merlin works closely with brands to bring those experiences to life in new and exciting ways.
Winners of the Storytelling – Culture Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: International African American Museum
2nd Place: The Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum
3rd Place: Guinness Storehouse Ingredients Experience
Winners of the Storytelling Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: Bullanginya Dreaming – Luna Light Journey
2nd Place: 360, An Extraordinary Experience
3rd Place: Alton Towers Resort – Nemesis Reborn
Innovation in Immersive Attractions
This session was led by Ernest Bakenie, senior director of entertainment at Christie, who was joined by Ernest Yale, president, CEO and founder of Triotech, and Kees Rijnen, strategist at Efteling.
Kees talked about Efteling‘s new ride, Danse Macabre, a combination of an immersive show and thrill ride: “A new way for an immersive experience”. The building was an iconic part of the park, and after the previous ride had closed, guest satisfaction and numbers were lower.
Rijnen led the concept team, and it took around 6 months to develop the concept. The ride is a haunted mansion but in a more Efteling way. They took the idea of ride they wanted to Efteling suppliers, looking for proven technology but “combined in a completely new way” and chose Intamin.
Yale believes the industry is going in the way of Danse Macabre with the level of immersion for the guests. He also said, “Parks want proven technology. We want to be innovative, but proven technology is an issue. It also has to be easy to understand, and it has to be engaging.”
When you try new things, you must be careful; if it’s completely new, the guests don’t have a reference point.
Bakenie explained that the more tools you have, the more immersive the opportunities are. However, people often get caught up in trends like interactive and 3D rather than thinking about what works best in the space.
Rijnen discussed integrating technology for a more seamless and personal experience. Some guests will “want a different experience each time they return”. They are thinking about how that fits with Eftelting, as it “still needs feeling it’s been there for a thousand years; how do you integrate technology within a more traditional environment”, he said.
Rijnen also said that accessibility and sustainability are key, and Bakenie agreed that accessibility is very important as parks allow people to experience things together.
For Yale, AR might be a way for more connectivity as you “go to the park to be in a group environment, to be together”, and AR gives this in a way VR doesn’t. Another trend Yale spoke about is group dynamics, such as the rise in social gaming. He wondered how best to bring this to parks.
Yale also spoke about needing to engage visitors, particularly children, so they spend less time on their phones and engage more with the attraction and their group. He said this issue hasn’t been resolved yet, although Triotech is working on concepts. Bakenie noted that at a recent concert, they sealed people’s phones so they couldn’t use them- forcing people to engage in the concert.
Kees explained that Efteling is having this debate about phone use as well. “People come here to share in our environment and attraction and make beautiful memories…we hope that what we create our guests will only use their phones when they navigate through the park” or perhaps a way for guests to keep phones in their pockets. However, it still knows it’s you for extra experiences.
Winners of the Immersive Attraction Innovation Awards 2024, sponsored by Christie
1st Place: Zootopia: Hot Pursuit
2nd Place: Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure at Tokyo DisneySea
3rd Place: PUBG Battlegrounds World Agent
Innovation in Sustainability
Next at the Festival of Innovation 2025, Terra Pavilion, Expo City Dubai’s Sheena Khan, head of environment and culture programmes, education and culture, and Phillip Dunn, senior manager – sustainability, education and culture, joined us to discuss creating a sustainable legacy with impact.
The Terra pavilion was an iconic part of Expo 2020 Dubai. However, once the Expo was over, the team discovered that their operations were not meeting the environmental targets they had set.
This session follows the work done by the Terra team to meet those targets and how they have gone on to share that knowledge through innovative new programmes. It’s worth noting that these educational offerings have been created at very little cost and are generating revenue.
See also: Building a sustainable legacy for Expo 2020 Dubai
Sheena said: “More knowledge doesn’t always equal more action.
“For us, it isn’t about sharing knowledge. It’s about having our visitors first connect to nature … the idea is that if visitors can contemplate what their role in a brighter future is, then we’ve done our job because when we see how our individual purpose connects back to the larger purpose, society, community, and how we’re all part of nature, we think that that’s the real unlock there. It’s okay; where do I fit into this? And how do I equip myself to be part of it?”
Winners of the Sustainability Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: Turning Super Power into Superpowers at Terra
2nd Place: Traceless Materials
3rd Place: Climate Resilience Resources for Cultural Heritage
Innovation in Inclusion
In a truly inspirational session, Gordon Hartman, founder of Morgan’s Wonderland, talked us through what’s happening at Morgan’s and gave valuable insights into successful innovation.
Morgan’s Wonderland is opening $6m of new attractions this year and also has plans for an ultra-accommodating hotel, and the recently announced Morgan’s Inclusion Institute.
Hartman explained how Morgan’s hotel will revolutionise the sector by serving the significant number of families who have a member with special needs. But he is realistic that to make this happen, Morgan’s will have to lead the way and demonstrate that it can be done:
“I had the opportunity to meet with the CEOs of the three major chains in the hotel business. And they all were very kind and very willing to listen. But I think at this point, they still do not see the opportunity that exists here. I’m quite confident that as we build this and show that there’s a true market for this, they will be coming forward similar to folks who build rides for amusement parks and saying, we want to learn more…
The last twenty years of my life and the work that I’ve done in bringing it about, working with so many different people and new innovative ways to bring about more inclusion, has truly been the most fulfilling time of my entire life.
“That’s really what we try to do here at Morgan’s, which is try to develop things that many times people may look at or think about or say would be kind of cool or neat or whatever. And we just go do it. We jump off the ledge … we land on our feet. And when we do that, we open the opportunity, I believe, for others to say, ‘It’s time for us to do that as well’.”
Hartman closed the session by explaining how a passion for inclusion and innovation has shaped his life:
“You know, I was in the business world for twenty-two years before I sold all my companies and got involved in the work I do today. And I will tell you that that was by far the best thing that ever happened to me because it opened up an opportunity to become innovative. And with innovative opportunities comes more fulfilment.
Winners of the Inclusion Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: The World’s First Standing Wave Lift System
2nd Place: Access For All
3rd Place: The Accessible Interactive Oche
Innovation in Blue Sky
Festival of Innovation 2025 attendees heard from Kimberly Beneville, co-founder of Beneville Studios, Sam Bompas, director of Bompas & Parr, and Ben Wilson, head of architecture and concept design at MSC Cruises, in this session.
On how to get stakeholders on board with a blue sky idea, Wilson said: “If the seed has already grown in your own mind, it’s trying to plant that seed in other people so that when you’re in the room with other key players, and you’re trying to sell to the ultimate decision maker, it’s better that there’s a group of you instead of just the one person saying, I think this would be great.”
Beneville said it’s important to have a USP that makes the idea stand out: “The market saturated with so many great ideas and concepts that are the same…I’m always looking for what makes you different. What’s that differentiating factor that will give you that edge?”
When asked what advice they would give creators when blue sky thinking, Bompas said: “I sit around the table a lot with people peering into the future.”
One of the things I always make a case for is to go back into the past and plunder it because, over the course of human history, the things that delight us as human beings don’t change remarkably.
On the topic of how to decide which trends and experiences from the broader attractions sector to bring to the cruise industry, Wilson said when they see an idea they like, they then have to work out logistically how to put it on a cruise ship.
He referenced the example of Cliffhanger, the world’s first over-water swing on a cruise ship, using a similar system to the rooftop swing in Amsterdam: “It’s a matter of thinking how do we get that onto our ship? And physically, we can place it on. That’s not a problem. But our ship moves. It contorts. It twists. It’s a steel box. It’s also a steel box that’s going against the winds.”
Regarding marketing blue sky ideas, Bompas said: “The joy of blue sky thinking is you can market it terrifically. Everyone’s hungry to know what’s novel, what’s new, what’s first. The challenge comes because people’s expectation can either be remarkably high, or it’s hard to focus, they don’t know what they’re expecting, because it’s something that’s never been done before.”
On trends that guests are wanting at the moment, Beneville highlighted AR experiences. “We’re seeing a rise in digital overlay over physical experiences. We have a new experience called ‘Bot Breach’. When you enter Area15, you scan a QR code and are taken on a journey through Area15 exclusive IP. It’s deepening the experience for the consumer and the customer journey.”
Winners of the Blue Sky Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: Scaniverse 4 by Niantic Inc.
2nd Place: Michelob ULTRA – Lap of Legends by The Mill
3rd Place: Imvizar
Innovation in Splash
For the splash session, Pauline Ravry, project manager at Futuroscope, shared insight into the new Aquascope water park in France. The session was moderated by Alan Mahony, chief operations officer for entertainment at Keyestone Group.
“Its not a normal water park” said Ravry. The 6000 sq foot park immerses guests in a story around Kraki – the park’s mascot – using projection mapping, tracking technology, lighting and special effects. The experience was created with multimedia entertainment studio Moment Factory.
We wanted to develop a water park with Futuroscope’s DNA to give the visitor a change of scenery and an inventive world of total immersion.
The indoor waterpark has three immersive areas. ‘Les Abyss de Lumière’ includes projection mapping, lighting, and choreographed water effects. ‘La Faille de Kraki’ is the children’s aquatic play area, with five waterslides and interactive games. The third area is for thrill-seekers with eight waterslides. The areas can hold up to 1700 people at any time.
“In a time where everything – particularly in the Middle East is about being big, big big, what you’ve done in 6000 sq feet is interesting,” said Mahony. “Big parks are looking at what experiences they can do”.
Ravry and Mahony also spoke about trends impacting the water park sector. One of the things that shaped Aquascope’s ride mix was the power of a shared experience. “Interactive slides allow guests to experience that moment together’.
Mahony agreed that technology allows for new shared experiences: “Where else can you stand in one foot of water, splash your friend, see projection mapping and watch a drone show?”
Another trend is the increasing use of IP and story in parks. “We are also seeing a strong interest in IPs in China and how we can blend these stories into the experience. We are looking at adding immersiveness within the rides for more storytelling, but we need to put those stories into shows and attractions within the park, too,” said Mahony.
Winners of the Splash Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: Saifa: The Ultimate Dueling RocketBLAST Water Coaster
2nd Place: Category 6 Waterpark, Icon of the Seas
3rd Place: Montgomery Whitewater
Innovation in Themed Environments
Erik Burdock, senior director of experience design at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI); Arik Lubkin, chief creative officer at Camp; and Jacquelyn Sorvillo, chief retail officer at SSA Group, spoke about innovation in themed environments in this Festival of Innovation 2025 session.
Exploring why it is important to look at the design of a project so early, Sorvillo said: “We combined technology, creativity and guest-focused design to create a reimagined retail space” for a project with COSI. “We transformed the store at COSI with them. We upgraded lighting, sustainable fixtures, and interactive elements. Our goal was to create a store that was an extension of the COSI experience…that reflected and furthered the mission of COSI.’
On trends, she added that mission-driven retail is becoming really important, as well as food integration in retail.
Lubkin spoke about the upcoming Camp Dallas site, which will roll out exciting new ways to play. “It’s important to meet kids where they are,” he said, in terms of interests, abilities, and which IPs and brands they want, such as Bluey or Encanto.
He added that Camp is redefining the genre of “what is immersive, what is experiential…we’re maturing as an immersive industry and saying ‘This isn’t enough yet, we need interactive moments’.”
The immersive/interactive guest journey extends throughout the entire experience, from the initial attraction through to the gift shop, to the canteen, and when visitors are back home.
Burdock then discussed SSA’s work with COSI, calling it a ‘Great partnership between SSA’s initial creative ideas and our experience’. One element was a dinosaur in the store that was super engaging – employees could press a remote button that made the dinosaur roar with a loudspeaker.
He also talked about the trend for data-driven experiences, saying that AI will inform what the guest experience might be and make it unique.
When designing spaces, Burdock added, the challenge is in trying to balance creativity with practicality; taking chances takes a lot of investment.
At some point you have to take the chance, and that’s why it is nice to have partners like SSA, so we’re in it together.
Sorvillo said: “At SSA, we dream big. With our partners, we have to figure out how to achieve the same level of uniqueness across multiple attractions.”
Winners of the Themed Environment Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: Village Parallèle
2nd Place: Rhino Pagoda
3rd Place: Chessington World of Adventures Resort – World of Jumanji
Innovation in Nighttime Spectaculars
This session featured Jason McManus, principal, executive creative at TAIT and Michael Aiello, senior director – entertainment creative development at Universal Destinations and Experiences.
They spoke about creating the new nighttime show at Universal, CineSational. It was a two-year process to create the show, and both McManus and Aiello are passionate about the IPs they can bring to the show. They’ve worked together for many lagoon shows at Universal, so they now have a seamless working relationship between Universal and TAIT, and this allows them to take risks.
On starting on a show like this, McManus said, “Everyone says it starts with a story. And it kind of does, but it also starts with, what do we want to achieve regarding a guest experience? What properties and IPs do we think we want to incorporate into this? Then, how do we frame a story around that?”
It starts with forming the ambition of what we want the guest experience to be and then setting on a path to achieve that.
Aiello said they also examined the previous show and looked at what they can improve on, and “then from that defining the pillars with which we wanted to move forward with in a larger kind of creative brainstorming session”. He said they decided on a “musical roadmap through the emotional values of the music that manifest the brand.” McManus explained that “emotion is like a paintbrush that we weave across this. Emotion is what tells the story of this.”
Aiello also talked about the business side of creating the show. They had to understand how the show was positioned in and around the new content at Universal Orlando that summer. Also, they looked at past feedback for ‘end of day moments’ at the park, which showed that the previous show felt segmented; people knew when they’d get something new. So they knew they wanted to surprise the audience in the show:
“We’re not informing you of when we’re finished with one thing and moving on to another,” he said. McManus agreed, saying, “That started with just the moments and the music but then led into the tech as well. So that’s why we held back revealing drones. It’s almost like it shows up at the last moment you’d expect. There’s just constant reveals and surprises through the show.”
Aiello and McManus also noted some trends in nighttime spectaculars: they’re getting better, the technology means everyone can create these types of shows, guest interactivity in the show is becoming more important, and rather than being the biggest show, it’s now how can you move your guests emotionally through these shows.
Seasonal nighttime spectaculars are also on the rise; three different versions of a Halloween lagoon show at Universal Orlando exist. Aiello explains this is part of the business side of spectaculars. Because they’re versatile and can be changed, you can capitalise on the spend. McManus agrees, saying the cost of these shows is high, so seasonal shows help justify the cost.
Winners of the Spectacular Innovation Awards 2024
1st Place: Kiss of the Sea
2nd Place: Viva Vivaldi – The Four Seasons Immersive Concert
3rd Place: Disney Electrical Sky Parade
Best in Show and Public Vote with Winston Fisher
blooloop’s Charles Read and Area 15’s Winston Fisher then closed out the Festival of Innovation 2025. Area15 has been a sponsor of the blooloop Innovation Awards since its inception.
Fisher shared key attractions coming in 2025 to Area15, including John Wick, Superplastic and, of course, the campus will be doubling in size to 600,000 sq ft with Halloween Horror Nights:
“We are so excited. The building is up. They are actually in the process of building it out. So I won’t give away anything inside, but all I can say is, if you’ll excuse my French, it is badass what they are building. Universal is just top-tier. It’s really exciting.”
Reflecting on the market in 2025, Winston acknowledged the more challenging environment but highlighted that AI could help companies, “do much more with so much less technology”.
I think the companies that harness that and use that and are pushing the envelope with all the different facets of AI will be some of the ones that thrive, coupled with providing incredible storytelling. So content refresh, great storytelling, and good value proposition will succeed through 2025.
Winston then announced the Best In Show award, which this year went to the WDI Bipedal Robotic Character Design and Control saying, “It is pretty damn cool”. This is the first time any entry has received full marks from all our judges!
The winner of the Public Vote award was also revealed to be 360, An Extraordinary Experience from Princess Cruises. This immersive dining experience is on board the Enchanted Princess and Discovery Princess. Twenty guests are transported through the Mediterranean with a live host and digital and physical enhancements. Attendees of the Festival of Innovation chose this award.
An awarding experience
Our online Festival of Innovation has developed rapidly to become the attraction industry’s major showcase of the very latest, boldest and most inspiring innovations. With the biggest audience of attractions professionals, a fantastic panel of expert judges and entries from major operators, institutions and attractions across the world, it is, as one attendee suggested, becoming the “Oscars of the attractions business”.
A huge thank you to all who attended, presented, voted, judged and, of course, entered the awards. A big shout out too, to our friends at Area15 – itself a hotbed of innovation, who have kindly supported the Innovation Awards since its inception.
Top image: Best in Show winner WDI Bipedal Robotic Character Design and Control. Image ©Disney / © & ![™]()
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