SATE Las Vegas Program

2022

SHANNON MARTIN

Color Reflections Las Vegas

TEA, Vice President International Board

Shannon Martin has spent over 26 years in the graphics fabrication and production industry and prides herself on her attentiveness to the needs, trends, and emerging technologies of the museum, event, and themed entertainment industries. Shannon was recently recognized as one of the top women in wide format printing. She is also a passionate advocate for domestic violence victims and previously served as President on the Executive Board of Directors at Safe Nest. Shannon has been involved with the TEA for over 10 years serving as President of the Western North American Division Board as well as Co-Chairing SATE Seattle in 2019 and SATE Global 2020-2021. Shannon is currently serving as Vice President of the TEA International Board as well as Co-Chair for Summit and SATE 2022.

GREG SENNER

Scenario

TEA, President Eastern North America

Greg is a hands-on executive creative solutions strategist with a background in television, film and themed attractions development. With a career spanning over 25 years, he has developed a strong understanding of translating design to build packages and their completion. Greg has an unparalleled ability to identify and engage collaborators for each project. His detail-oriented technique for leading teams in project execution with close attention to maximizing profits and meeting (when not beating) the schedule make Greg an asset to every project. After several years leading the Themed Entertainment Associations Eastern North America Events Committee, Greg is now President for the Eastern North America Board of Directors.

CHRISTINE KERR

Principal, Kerr Creative Company

Christine has been involved in the development and operation of parks, attractions and events in North America and Europe for the past 30+ years. From leadership roles in operations and entertainment at Canada’s Wonderland, the CN Tower and LEGOLAND Parks in Windsor, England and Carlsbad, California, she moved to the world of creative and project development working with clients in in sports, culture and entertainment as a Vice President at BaAM Productions. In June of 2019, Christine joined Kerr Creative Company as an Executive Producer and Project Director for clients in the US and Canada. Christine is a Past President of the Themed Entertainment Association and has regularly spoken on the convergence of sports, entertainment and culture.

CONGRATULATIONS to our 2022 TEA Masters

ALFREDO AYALA

Discipline: R&D - Theme Park Technology and Animation Company: Walt Disney lmagineering R&D

Alfredo Ayala is a true “left brain/right brain” creator. Throughout his 29-year career at the Walt Disney Company, Ayala’s impact has ranged across multiple fields, including creative design; computer-based media and animatronic animation; special effects; new projection techniques; and most recently, bringing Artificial Intelligence (Al) characters to life.

Alfredo’s achievements are too numerous to list in full; here are a few samples. Joining Disney in June of 1993 as a technologist/engineer/chemist intern in the lmagineering R&D organization, Alfredo found his work falling into two broad categories: 1) Animation, and 2) Everything Else. He first developed new, longerlasting, more realistic synthetic skin materials for Disney’s Audio-Animatronics characters. He introduced breakthrough methods to program animatronic characters without the use of complicated sliders and buttons, allowing more intuitive, natural movement. He developed figures that used computer intelligence to read audience expressions and respond appropriately. Alfredo designed the animation pipeline for “Cars Land” at Disney California Adventure and programmed the “car dance” pattern of “Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters.” He delivered the animation for the most complex animatronic face ever built; the Shaman animatronic in “Na’vi River Journey”, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Most recently, Alfredo helped create the Al animation of characters at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience at Walt Disney World, and he is also a co-inventor of the interactive “Lightsaber Training Experience” there.

In the “Everything Else” category, Alfredo pioneered new imaging and special effects technologies around the parks. He created the optical imaging system for “Mission: SPACE” at EPCOT, which provides guests colorful space vistas with tremendous depth. Alfredo helped pioneer Interactive-Floor surfaces, allowing guests to literally “step into” attractions. He pioneered the use of advanced projection effects to create the “launch” environments for Space Mountain, and to bring the Ghost Bride at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion to life. He was the technical lead on the THEA award winning “Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure” at EPCOT and was the lead optical designer for the digital refresh of “Soarin’ over California” at Disney California Adventure.

Alfredo holds 17 patents and is widely honored inside and outside of Disney. He was honored with the Prestigious “Norman Lear IMAGEN Creative Achievement Award,” as well as the “CNET en Español. List of the 20 most Influential Latinos in Technology” Award. Most recently, Alfredo has been featured on the Disney+ streaming series, “One Day at Disney”. He is especially interested in reaching diverse next-generation creatives and technologists from communities that have not had as much exposure in the past. Alfredo Ayala is a true Master of his Craft.

DAVID WILLRICH

Discipline: Technical Systems / Audio Visual & Multimedia Specialist Company: DJ Willrich LTD (DJW)

Nominated in 2020 (by 2 different nominators and multiple endorsers) Bio and Nomination Justification: For over 3 decades as the founder of DJW, David has personally been responsible for working with clients to design and develop the audio-visual multimedia integrated systems that match their needs and aspirations to create memorable, immersive, and engaging guest experiences all over the world.

David and the DJW team’s body of work includes: hotels, museums, visitor centers, theme parks, and attractions. He and his fellow directors at DJW lead a multidisciplinary team all from their headquarters in the New Forest in Hampshire in the UK.

David has served both as the TEA’s International President (2017, 2018) and President of the EMEA Division (2015/2016) as well as being on the TEA International Board and the TEA EME Board and co-chairing SATE Europe and SATE Asia many times. David has inspired many newcomers to take on more active roles in the TEA and has helped them connect to others in the industry. AS TEA President, David always made himself available to the members at large and demonstrated time and time again that he genuinely cared about them. Many credit David with being their role model for someone successfully in the themed entertainment industry coming from Europe.

David is a master at using his enthusiasm for technology to deliver novel solutions, but never at the expense of the quality of the overall experience. Throughout his long career, David has built a reputation as a strong collaborator and colleague who works exceptionally well with all members of the project team.

As an industry leader David has worked the following notable projects:

• National Motor Museum, Beaulieu – UK

• Ski-Dubai – THEA Award

• RingWerk, Nürburgring - Germany

• The Shard, London – UK

• The British Music Experience

• Titanic Belfast Experience Center, Belfast – Northern Ireland - Recognized with a THEA Award

• Arch of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri - USA

• Indigenous Peoples Experience, For Edmonton – THEA Award

David Willrich remains an active member of the TEA community and has repeatedly demonstrated time and time again that he is the epitome of a TEA Master.

DESIREÉ SOTO-VAUGHN

Discipline: Art Direction

Company: Independent Consultant

Desireé Soto-Vaughn is more than just a figure finisher, designer, and art director. She’s a “secret weapon” that show teams are lucky to have on any project. She is intensely intuitive and often speaks quietly to herself about the tasks at hand: thinking through the best approach, the most artful decisions, and keeping a careful eye on schedule and budget. Soft-spoken and kind, Desireé is an artistic soul, a hard worker, and a nurturing teammate.

Soto-Vaughn has worked in the themed entertainment industry for many years, starting as a Figure Finisher and Field Art Director at Walt Disney Imagineering in the 1980s and 90s. There she mastered the delicate specialty of bringing well-known animated characters to life in the physical world, respecting the official models while delivering specific, storytelling poses.

In the late 90s and 2000s, Soto-Vaughn moved to Universal Creative, where she worked with an all-new aesthetic as Art Director of Animated Figures and Props for Men In Black: Alien Attack. Later she was an Art Director on the Universal Studios Singapore project, where she supervised the US-based sculpting and figure finishing of all the figures for the Madagascar Boat Ride. Desiree joined the team in Singapore and helped with overseeing installation of the ride and retail store displays that included sculpted DreamWorks Madagascar characters. These were done especially well, and are part of the charm of the ride and the stores. Working with construction teams as a woman in Asia can be challenging, but the local contractors respected her and appreciated her guidance. This is a testament to her creative skills, but also as a manager, a communicator and a human being.

Desireé has also worked on a number of independent projects in Asia, including Imagica in Mumbai India, and Art Director for Chimelong Ocean Kingdom projects. This time period was 2014-2017. Soto-Vaughn returned to Disney in 2017, to Art Direct the Hong Kong Disneyland ‘Iron Man Experience.” She continued to work in both Glendale and WDI Asia Ltd. for the Frozen Ever After and Oaken’s Sliding Sleigh Ride, Desireé provided art direction, production, installation and integration of all show elements.Desireé is a longtime mentor and is happy to share and teach what she knows to all who wish to learn from her. For all these reasons — her skills and talent, her vast experience in the US and Asia, and her abilities to mentor — Desireé Soto-Vaughn is proudly submitted as a TEA Master for 2022.

TAKAYASU FUJITA KIMURA

For more than 20 years, Takayasu Fujita-san has been an amazingly talented and hardworking member of our industry, not just in the themed environments such as rockwork design and creation but as a renowned artist and wood sculptor from Japan. Takayasu-san has greatly contributed to the success of numerous world-class projects around the globe as a mentor, sculptor and art director. Starting his themed environment career on Mt. Prometheus at Tokyo DisneySea as a rockwork field art director, he continued to excel and develop his reputation as one of the most respected and sought-after professionals in the business.

In addition to his immense gift as a sculptor, Takayasu-san played a major role in developing the talent base for the Shanghai Disney Resort rockwork scope, one of the largest undertakings in the history of building Disney theme parks. With his quiet and humble manner, Takayasu-san has trained and led artisans for more than two decades globally.

Over the years his impressive portfolio includes monumental figures created with steel and sculpted cement for Dubai Land, UAE; treehouses at Hong Kong and Tokyo Disneyland; floating mountains at Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida; Cars Land at Disney California Adventure; Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland; and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan — just to mention a few.

In addition to helping to create world-class projects, Takayasu-san also creates and exhibits regularly throughout Japan his beautifully delicate “Hina Dolls” which are stylized wood sculptures treasured in the Japanese culture. His diversity in talent and scope is remarkable!

Fujita-san is currently working on the Fantasy Springs expansion for Tokyo Disney Resort as the rockwork field art director for the Never Land attraction. In addition to that, Fujita-san is one of the carefully selected figurative sculptors who will be creating dozens of sculptural interpretations of Disney characters incorporated into the landscape.

We are excited and honored to welcome Takayasu-san into our esteemed community of Masters of Their Crafts.

PHILIP BLOOM

Designer of Themed Rides and Guest Experiences

Philip Bloom has created an innovative process of design in which story treatments are developed into the most integrated, immersive and progressive themed attractions anywhere. An industry veteran of Walt Disney Imagineering and Universal Creative, Mr. Bloom established American Scenic Design Inc. (ASDI) to provide design and consulting services for theme parks, museums, guest experience venues and location based entertainment developments. Known for its expertise in the creation and design of themed rides, ASDI also specializes in attraction design, show set design and exhibit design.

Notable Projects include Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Ratatouille: The Ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Transformers: the Ride 3D and the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.

2022

LINDSEY K. NELSON, CAE

Executive Director

Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)

Lindsey joined TEA in June of 2021 and brings to the organization a depth of knowledge and experience of association management and demonstrated results of transforming organizations and growing revenues, most recently as Vice President of Operations with United Benefit Advisors (UBA). Lindsey has extensive experience leading strategic and operational initiatives and planning, and a history of growth through strategic industry partnerships. Prior to UBA, Lindsey worked for the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA), the trade association representing the $31B US convenience services industry. In her role as Vice President, Lindsey was responsible for driving non-dues revenue programs including events, education, and fundraising as well as the organization’s marketing and digital communications departments.

CHUCK FAWCETT

International Board President

Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)

Chuck Fawcett is an Emmy™ award winning designer, creative executive, real estate investor and entrepreneur. His largest enterprise to date was the founding, growth and sale of Animax Designs in Nashville, TN. His focus and determination over 30 years built a world-class animatronics and engineering firm that established itself through excellence and innovation. His career experience includes work with the largest entertainment companies in the world like The Walt Disney Company, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, NBC/Universal, Warner Bros. and Sesame Workshop. Fawcett is Chairman & Co-Founder of the newly launched company Medici XD focused on the creation of breakthrough experiences and integrated technology. He supports volunteer and mentoring efforts as Co-Founder of Big Break Foundation which promotes equity and inclusion within themed entertainment. Fawcett currently serves as International Board President for the Themed Entertainment Association, a role he cherishes as an advocate for the best and brightest creative professionals in the world.

2022

DAY 1 SCHEDULE : Thursday, October 13

7:45 AM Registration Opens

8:00 AM BREAKFAST

8:50 AM Welcome & Introductions -

SPEAKERS: Chuck Fawcett, Lindsey Nelson, Shannon Martin, Greg Senner

9:00 AM Keynote Conversation with Paul Steelman & Suzanne Steelman Taylor

SPEAKERS: Paul Steelman, Suzanne Steelman Taylor

9:50 AM Dimensions in Experiences for the 21st Century - SPEAKERS: Jean-Yves Martineau

10:10 AM The Race for Gen Alpha: How to Harness Innovation and the Metaverse to Attract the First Truly Digital Decision Makers of Today and Tomorrow -

SPEAKERS: Danny Burzlaff

10:30 AM BREAK

10:45 AM Stepping into the Digital Frontier -

SPEAKERS: Chris Conte, Chris Moore, Brian Merakian, Alex Willis

12:00 PM LUNCH

1:15 PM Welcome Back - SPEAKERS: Brett Jackson

1:30 PM Innovation in traditional and common character meet-n-greet experiences & how Santas are leading the way! - SPEAKERS: Mk Haley

2:00 PM Innovationaculars - SPEAKERS: Jon Binkowski

2:20 PM The Exhibition Beyond - SPEAKERS: Klaus Sommer Paulsen

2:50 PM BREAK

3:05 PM Retail Innovation: Creating Customer Memories -

SPEAKERS: James Anderson, Jake Lee-High, Matt Proulx, Nina Terjesen

3:50 PM Are We Just in Repeat Mode? - SPEAKERS: Paul Kent

4:15 PM 2022 TEA Masters - SPEAKERS: Adam Bezark

5:25 PM Day 1 Concludes

6:30 PM Reception at Illuminarium

2022

DAY 2 SCHEDULE : Friday, October 14

7:45 AM Registration Opens

8:00 AM BREAKFAST

8:45 AM Welcome and Introductions - SPEAKERS: Shannon Martin, Greg Senner, Brett Jackson

9:05 AM Busting the Myths That Made Las Vegas - SPEAKERS: David Schwartz

9:45 AM Innovation through Disruption - SPEAKERS: Matt Earnst, Ed Shaw

10:05 AM BREAK

10:25 AM What the Themed Entertainment Industry can learn from the Fashion World tracks and implements Trend Reports - SPEAKERS: Zoe Thatcher

10:45 AM A Plea to All Designers – Can the Industry-Wide Staffing Crisis be Resolved Through Innovation in Design? - SPEAKERS: Margareet Papamichael

11:15 AM From Zero to Hero: IDEA in the Project Lifecycle - SPEAKERS: Cynthia Sharpe, Jesse Cannady, Wendy Heimann-Nunes, Sina Barham,Corey Timson, Erica McCay, Nicola Rossini, Ray Giang, Rich Hill

12:00 PM LUNCH

1:30 PM Lighten Up! The Power of Tapping Into Your Own Personal JoySPEAKERS: Dave Cooperstein, AD Gladu

2:00 PM

Casting the Crowd: Innovations in Making the Guest Part of the StorySPEAKERS: Mark Stepanian, Adam Sharpe and Scott Swenson

3:05 PM BREAK

3:20 PM The End of the Rainbow: How Artificial Intelligence will revolutionize the art of storytelling - SPEAKERS: Michael Libby

3:50 PM MSG Sphere: A Venue for the Next Generation of EntertainmentSPEAKERS: Alex Luthwaite, Nathalie van Sasse van Ysselt, Nick Tomasino, Matt Barton

4:50 PM Closing Comments SPEAKERS: Brett Jackson, Shannon Martin, Greg Senner

5:00 PM Day 2 Concludes DAY

DAY 3 SCHEDULE : Saturday, October 15

8:00 AM BREAKFAST

8:20 AM Session 1 begins

9:30 AM BREAK

9:45 AM Session 2 begins

10:55 AM BREAK

11:10 AM Session 3 begins 12:30 PM LUNCH

2:00 PM Designing the Illusion - SPEAKERS: Tim Clothier

2:40 PM What they don’t teach you in class: the intersection of art, business, and feasibilitySPEAKERS: Greg Senner, Josh Updike, Garrick Hansen, Stefan Lawrence, Margreet Papmichael

2:30 PM TEA @ UNLV Introduction

3:40 PM Perfect Your Pitch - SPEAKERS: Arielle Rassel

4:20 PM From NextGen to Gen: Managing the Transition from Student to Mid-Career Success SPEAKERS: Shelby Honea, Kathy Dixon

5:00 PM SATE 2022 NextGen Program Concludes

2022

CREATING CONTEXT AND ESTABLISHING A SENSE OF PLACE

Keynote Conversation

SESSIONS

Paul Steelman and Suzanne Steelman Taylor converse on casinos, careers, and priorities when designing for gaming. Suzanne will explore the career of this visionary designer of global entertainment, hospitality, and gaming across four decades of working with mavericks of the global gaming industries including Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson, Francis Lui, Lawrence Ho, Stanley Ho, and Prince Albert of Monaco. Paul offers incredible international perspectives on the evolution of the industry from North America to Macau and many places in between.

Paul Steelman – CEO, Steelman Partners

Suzanne Steelman Taylor – Vice President of Strategy, Steelman Partners

2022

CREATING CONTEXT AND ESTABLISHING A SENSE OF PLACE

Busting the Myths That Made Las Vegas

The notorious gangster Bugsy Siegel founded Las Vegas. The mob owned the town for decades. The Mirage saved Vegas in 1989.

SESSIONS

Themed resorts were just a 90s fad—the architectural version of Beanie Babies. Casinos are designed to maximize gambling revenues over all else. In this interactive talk, David will explore and explode these misconceptions about the famous casinos of the Las Vegas Strip, sharing insights into the personalities and forces that made Las Vegas a global hospitality destination.

David G. Schwartz – Gaming Historian and Author

THE FRONTIERS OF INNOVATION

Dimensions in Experiences for the 21st Century

SESSIONS

An exploration of the possibilities provided by Non- Fungible Tokens (NFTs) & other aspects of the blockchain beyond artwork & pure memorabilia. Attendees will learn about this fascinating technology that paves the way for decentralized proof-of-presence and decentralized-proof-of-participation, two brand new dimensions that can be combined to yield powerful new experiences with a much stickier touchpoint for customers.

Jean-Yves Martineau – Miner Media

2022

THE FRONTIERS OF INNOVATION

The Race for Gen Alpha: How to Harness Innovation and the Metaverse to Attract the First Truly Digital Decision Makers of Today and Tomorrow

SESSIONS

In today’s world, technology-fluent Gen Alpha is emerging as a powerful influence on household spending - so creating immersive experiences that resonate with these influential digital-natives is key to building long-term loyalty.

Danny will explore how venues can embrace innovation by exploring emerging technologies and platforms such as mixed reality, gamification and the Metaverse to not only enhance and elevate their physical offering, but to unlock a whole new world of innovative experiences that transcend the physical and digital. Themed entertainment needs to prepare for a digitally-led future fast or risk being left behind. Gen Alpha’s influence will determine the culture-defining attractions and experiences of today and tomorrow - the race is on to be among them.

Danny Burzlaff – Head of Attractions, Attractions by Unit 9

2022

THE FRONTIERS OF INNOVATION

Stepping into the Digital Frontier

SESSIONS

Let’s explore a real-world approach to the new digital frontier. Consider opportunities of the metaverse, blockchain, and web3 and discover ways our industry can utilize these resources to diversify our businesses and create places for creative collaboration. How can industry partners can collaborate to blend real-world architecture and metaverse as the foundation for creating immersive and meaningful collaboration spaces that serve as the creative hubs of the future.

How can we utilize blockchain and web3 in the creative and design process?

Furthermore, let’s explore insights into how to engage in these digital endeavors and reveal opportunities for monetizing products and services.

Moderator: Chris Conte – Executive Consultant, Vice President, Electrosonic

Panel:

Chris Moore – Executive Consultant, Electrosonic

Brian Merakian – Senior Principal / Global Esports Director - Populous

Alex Willis – Chief Experience Officer, Disguise

2022

INNOVATION FUNDAMENTALS

Innovation in traditional and common character meet-n-greet experiences & how Santas are leading the way!

SESSIONS

This lively exploration of community-based character experiences – those without the resources of a large theme park or creative company behind them –comes after MK’s participation in the Worldwide Santa Summit as their keynote speaker.

We all understand the layers of story and connection that character meet-n-greets can add to a guest experience. But the larger actual, and potential impact / value of a Santa- based experience has some lessons to share.

Mk Haley – Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin

2022

INNOVATION FUNDAMENTALS

Creating an Original “WOW” for Live Attractions

Doing that, which has never been done - how to create the wow, and at the same time, infuse the “Art of the Wow” into everyone’s thinking, as new attractions come on line, or even as old attractions are re-imagined.

SESSIONS

Jon will explore: The owner’s need for innovation - even if they don’t know it; A strange timeline for the creative process; Presenting innovative ideas to a receptive audience; and What to look for in the future.

Jon Binkowski – CEO, Renaissance Entertainment, LLC

2022

INNOVATION FUNDAMENTALS

The Exhibition Beyond

Innovation patterns lead museums into the future of the industry.

SESSIONS

Klaus will let SATE attendees craft their own path through a collection of insights into museuminnovations. Their journey will explain how museums adopt experiential innovation through elevated guest experience design, integration of technology, crossindustry collaborations and more.

It will renew our understanding of the museum’s role in the industry and explore how museums and cultural heritage sites become competitive attractions by adopting strategies for guest experiences that take them beyond their traditional image.

Klaus Sommer Paulsen – CEO and Founder, AdventureLAB

2022

INNOVATION FUNDAMENTALS

Retail Innovation: Creating Customer Memories

SESSIONS

The recent shift to online shopping has been rapid. Brick and mortar retailers realize their survival depends on embracing retail concepts that deliver enhanced value to in-person experiences, from experiential retail concepts, to personalized customer experiences to technology that allows customers seamless transitions from online to in person.

In this round-table discussion brings together an Experience Designer, a Retail Operator, a Brand Builder, and a Technology Designer to discuss evolving retail innovation and experiences and how they can be catalysts for our industry. The conversation will include a review of global trends and how these applications and ideas can be incorporated successfully into projects.

Moderator: James T. Anderson – Senior Director Visitor Attractions, FORREC Ltd.

Jake Lee-High – CEO, Future Colossal

Matt Proulx – Vice President, Location Based Entertainment, Hasbro, Inc.

Nina Terjesen – Divisional Vice President of Creative Store Design, Marshall Retail Group

2022

INSPIRATION

Are We Just in Repeat Mode?

SESSIONS

There has been an explosion of new technologies over the past decade, some of which have been grabbed as buzz words by the Experience Economy to talk about how the sector is moving ahead and embracing these technologies. But are we really using them to their full potential to drive guest experience? Or are we just using new buzz words to describe the same old thing or replacing something that does a great job because we are selling the dream to the client? Paul will challenge attendees to ask themselves some tough questions.

Paul Kent – Vice President, TEA EME Board

2022

INSPIRATION

Lighten Up! The Power of Tapping into Your Own Personal Joy.

SESSIONS

How can we help bring the JOY back into creating amazing, compelling experiences that give joy to others? Join AD Gladu and Dave Cooperstein as they help you tap into your own personal joy to pull you out of the morass and bring fun back into the world.

AD and Dave will reveal the importance of finding joy, laughter, and fun in the design process, in the creation of experiences, in the lifespan of a project, and even just in how we work with others...particularly when the project gets challenging, clients get frustrating, and things aren’t going as planned or expected. Let’s figure out together how to infuse the joy back into what drives our professional happiness!

AD Gladu – Senior Creative Writer, PGAV Destinations

Dave Cooperstein – Senior Creative Designer, PGAV Destinations

2022

DISRUPTORS

Innovation through Disruption

SESSIONS

The attractions industry has adapted to and moved beyond the dramatic disruption to the worldwide tourism and attractions industries of the past 2 1/2 years. From an experiential standpoint, the operational flexibility and economic uncertainty created by the pandemic has spurred developers and operators to lean into new, more cost-efficient attraction types. There has been an increased use of both outdoor and indoor space, to mitigate capacity constraints and accelerated implementation of in-attraction technologies to facilitate touchless transactions. In 2022, pent-up demand for travel and outside entertainment has been strong.

Leading attractions have seen higher revenues as a result of less discounting, more ticketrelated u charges, and higher in-attraction spend. Ed and Matt will explore the new attraction types and strategic business approaches that developers and operators have implemented to navigate the post-pandemic attractions world.

Ed Shaw – Principal, Entertainment + Culture Advisors

Matt Earnest – Principal, Entertainment + Culture Advisors

2022

DISRUPTORS

What the Themed Entertainment Industry can learn from how the Fashion World tracks and implements Trend Reports.

SESSIONS

So, what can the Themed Entertainment Industry learn from the Fashion World? First, and most importantly, fashion trend recaps compile all their research and sources to tell story rooted in the motivations, cultural events and influences that are causing these trends to appear.

Usually simplified down to a handful per year, these macrotrends allow designers to get a big picture of what is changing, what is popular, and what their customer desires. Let’s explore the connections that would allow the Themed Entertainment community –working on projects that often have much longer lead times – to use macro influences to understand the motivations behind the ongoing changes in our Industry.

Zoe Thatcher – Designer and Illustrator, Creative Principals

2022

DISRUPTORS

A Plea to All Designers and Technologists – Can the Industry-Wide Staffing Crisis Be Resolved Through Innovation in Design?

SESSIONS

This session will explore why the industry is facing a staffing crisis, why this is set to get worse and why we must therefore act now to preserve the quality of the attractions and the entertainment we create. With a focus on debunking many of the typical thinking around “the new generation doesn’t know what work is, the approach to staffing we may have had in the past will no longer allow us to deliver quality entertainment and remain financially viable.Together we must change the paradigm, make work fun and financially rewarding.

Design, technology, and engineering will help us innovate to resolve the models we currently use for staffing, so that human resources can be better employed where they count in the creation of memorable experiences. Let’s change our thinking and be inspired to solve this crisis pro-actively!

Margreet Papamichael - Principal, CLEAR Associates

2022

DISRUPTORS

From Zero to Hero: IDEA in the Project Lifespan

SESSIONS

Few things say Las Vegas razzle-dazzle and excitement like 40 minutes talking about project lifespans. Sure, we’ve talked about IDEA at previous conferences, so you already know that the world is changing, and you’ve got to keep pace if not be one step ahead. Technological wizardry is great, but if you really want awesome and innovative, how about project structures that can save you hundreds if not millions of dollars, bring in more revenue after opening, and keep you from getting ruthlessly dragged on social media? Contracts and project schedules get a glow-up from much maligned documents to shining jewels in your arsenal to kick ass, take names, and be a beacon of justice. Playtesting: it’s not just a dog and pony for executives in a conference room! And so much more.

To sweeten the pot, we’re going to do it all as a show. Pack your popcorn and come prepared for a wildly different ‘panel’.

Cynthia Sharpe – Principal, Thinkwell Group

Jesse Cannady – Director, Project Development, Thinkwell Group

Wendy Heimann-Nunes – Co-Founder, Managing Partner, Nolan Heimann LLP

Sina Bahram – President, Founder, Prime Access Consulting

Corey Timpson – Prime Access Consulting

Erica McCay – Creative Director, Valtech Themed Entertainment Studio

Nicola Rossini – Founder, Riding Chaos

2022

COMING TOGETHER

Casting the Crowd: Innovations in Making the Guest Part of the Story

SESSIONS

Creators in our industry are constantly looking to create more personal and unique experiences for guests. What once were passive or gameplay experiences are changing to place guests in the driver’s seat, allowing for real-time decision-making without any predefined path from beginning to end. To make an experience truly immersive, the guest needs to be more than an innocent bystander –they need to play a role. This gives guests a deeper emotional connection with the story and, in the best cases, drives deeper memory creation, more spending, and higher guest satisfaction.

Mark Stepanian – President, CAVU Designwerks

Adam C. Sharp – Writer, Director, Producer

Edutainment Creator at Blue Hush Productions, Instructor at Spokane CommunityCollege

Scott Swenson – Owner/Creative Director, Scott Swenson Creative Development LLC

2022

COMING TOGETHER

The End of the Rainbow: How Artificial Intelligence will revolutionize the art of storytelling

SESSIONS

Once purely the stuff of science fiction stories like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Rainbow’s End, the idea of an “Artificial Intelligence” has broken into the mainstream recently with new advanced tools like GPT-3, MidJourney, and DALL-E. These computer models are now able to generate original text that looks like it was written by a real human being, or new concept illustrations for places that haven’t actually been built.

Furthermore, A.I. has recently started showing indicators of a huge leap in sophistication and capabilities, and the job disciplines once thought forever safe from A.I. replacement -- namely, the creative ones like design, creative writing, brainstorming, and artistry -- are now sensing that there might be some new competition in the job market soon. Was this panel description itself written by a real person, or buy a machine? Find out only at SATE

Michael Libby – Founder & CEO Worldbuildr

2022

COMING TOGETHER

MSG Sphere: A Venue for the Next Generation of Entertainment

SESSIONS

MSG Sphere – scheduled to open in Las Vegas in the second half of 2023 – will be a new medium, powered by cutting edge technologies that enable multi-sensory experiences at an unparalleled scale. Hear directly from the MSG Sphere team about how this venue is taking storytelling, architecture, and technology to the next level to create shared immersive experiences unlike anything that has ever existed before. As the closing session of SATE 2022, let MSG Sphere excite and inspire you not only for what’s to come in Las Vegas, but also the future of entertainment experiences.

Alex Luthwaite - Vice President Show Systems Technology, MSG Entertainment

Nathalie van Sasse van Ysselt - Senior Director, Design and Creative Services, MSG Entertainment

Nick Tomasino - Senior Vice President Construction, MSG Entertainment

Matt Barton - CEO, 7thSense

2022

JAMES T. ANDERSON

James is storyteller-in-chief and go-to-person for attraction design at FORREC Ltd. For over 25 years, James has brought his thoughtful manner and creative eye to ensure that every visitor attraction designed by FORREC is an irresistible magnet for guests. His creative mind has found new ways to engage people for successful projects in the USA, Asia, and Europe. Many international clients, including LEGO, Nickelodeon and Universal, have trusted James to translate their iconic brands into successful projects. At FORREC, James leads the multidisciplinary design team in the development of attractions, combining media, special effects, themed sets, and lighting to tell original, engaging stories.

SINA BAHRAM

Sina is a consultant, computer scientist, researcher, speaker, and entrepreneur. He works with executive management, policy makers, engineering teams, content creators, designers, and others to promulgate accessibility and inclusive design throughout an organization. In 2012, President Obama recognized Sina as a White House Champion of Change. Sina and his PAC colleagues collaborate on creating digital experiences (web, app, imbedded, projected, and more), immersive media, themed entertainment, capital builds, and any/all aspects of experiential design in order to welcome the widest possible audience. Sina serves on and chairs various corporate, academic, and non-profit boards. He’s working to make space travel accessible.

SPEAKERS

MATT BARTON

Matt Barton is CEO for 7thSense specialists in advanced Media Serving and Show control for markets such as Theme Parks, Planetaria, 3D Entertainment Theatres and Visitor Attractions. Matt’s background is in advanced display systems, prior to joining 7thSense, Matt honed his skills working on display systems in the flight simulation industry in project and product management roles. Matt has served the TEA as EME Division board member, EME Division President, International Board Secretary and is currently in the position of Vice President International Board.

2022

JON BINKOWSKI

Co-Owner & CEO Renaissance Entertainment, LLC

Mr. Binkowski is an industry veteran providing creative direction for The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, The Chimelong Group and more. With over 40 years of experience, Jon is one of the most highly respected creators of innovative theme park design, live entertainment and multimedia productions in the world. He has written, produced, and directed numerous top-rated shows, attractions and spectaculars including Universal Orlando’s award winning Bourne Stuntacular and Shanghai Disneyland’s highly acclaimed Eye of the Storm – Captain Jack’s Stunt Spectacular. Additionally, Jon has written and directed six independent feature length films.

SPEAKERS

DANNY BURZLAFF

Danny has designed, created and produced major shows, attractions, exhibits, events and experiences in a career spanning over 35 years and across 20 countries. He excels in the creation and development of deeply immersive and brand-changing permanent installations that drive fan loyalty and move the needle on attendance and customer engagement. Danny previously worked as EP on the immersive side of Roald Dahl Story Company and led the early design and production planning for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for Universal Studios Beijing before joining Attractions by UNIT9 as Head of Attractions in 2022.

JESSE CANNADY

Jesse Cannady (he/him) leads the global project development and business development team for Thinkwell Group, a TAIT company. Jesse comes to themed entertainment from the theater world where he spent time working in various management roles at Chicago’s Second City theater, and Los Angeles area theaters including Pasadena Playhouse and the Echo Theater Company. He holds a Masters in Legal Studies specializing in Entertainment and Media Law from the UCLA School of Law, and Bachelors degree in Theater Studies from Illinois State University. Jesse can be reached at jcannady@thinkwellgroup.com.

2022

TIM CLOTHIER

President and CEO of Illusion Projects Inc.

Passionate about creating amazing things, Tim is the founder of Illusion Projects, Inc., a technical design, engineering and fabrication firm that specializes in making and sharing incredible moments. Currently in its 14th year, Illusion Projects works with companies including Cirque Du Soleil, Disney and Blue Man Group and performers from Gene Simmons of Kiss to David Copperfield. Tim invents, designs and engineers stage sets, experiential marketing displays, special effects and illusions for production shows, museums, art installations, television, Broadway, theme parks and special events in 26 countries across the globe.

Tim has taken the company from small beginnings to a global resource for those looking to create the amazing, the intriguing and the unusual. Illusion Projects is staffed with a management team, design team, fabrication team and board of advisors. Tim’s passion are projects that are unique and challenging. He has a firm belief that he and his team can take on impossible challenges. Within his company, Tim promotes an attitude of creative problem solving and blending imaginative and technical thinking. Tim is a designer, fabricator, consultant, writer and speaker. He is a husband and a proud father. He is also pretty good a loading the dishwasher.

SPEAKERS

CHRIS CONTE

Vice President, Executive Consultant, New Business Development Electrosonic

Celebrating 20 years with Electrosonic, Chris has been an integral part of the company’s involvement and success on some the most prestigious projects worldwide. Today, Chris serves as Executive Consultant working in concert with both the Design Consulting Division and Systems Integration engineering teams. His extensive experience in technology design, production, and construction brings real value to any project team allowing him to help guide projects to success. Chris also works closely with the New Business Development team to not only seek and pursue new and unique opportunities that are a perfect fit for our company, but he is highly skilled at building and maintaining trusted relationships with new and existing clients alike.

Audiovisual technology design is Chris’s forte, and throughout his career he has work on projects around the world in theme parks, museums, World Expos, theater, spectacles, and hospitality. His background as a Technical Director for numerous themed entertainment projects gives him great credibility with his peers and clients alike.

2022

DAVE COOPERSTEIN

Dave Cooperstein combines his training and skills as an architect and creative designer with his life-long love of entertaining, as an industry expert in storytelling, show production, script writing, media development, art direction, and more. Dave brings his passion for storytelling, sense of humor, and flair for the dramatic to all his projects. Over the past 24 years at PGAV Destinations, Dave has worked as an Architectural Designer, Storyteller, Immersive Experience Designer, Scriptwriter, Media Producer, Animal Exhibit Designer, Graphic Designer, Production Designer, Computer Programmer, Museum Exhibit Designer, Scenic Designer, Visualization Artist, 3D Modeler, Mentor, Professional Actor, Amateur Juggler, Escape Room Artist, and sometimes Captain of the Trivia Team.

KATHY DIXON

Kathy is a multifaceted designer and leader, having worked as a designer, technical manager and project manager on projects domestic and international. She has an extensive professional background in ride track layouts, as well as show set design, development, and fabrication. She is a graduate of Northeastern University’s Mechanical Engineering program and the pilot Themed Entertainment Design Program at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). In addition, she was the founding President of TEA@SCAD

SPEAKERS

MATTHEW EARNEST

Matthew Earnest is a founding Principal of Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA), a firm focused on strategy and business planning for entertainment and cultural attractions, headquartered in Los Angeles. Clients include media and IP licensors, attraction operators, investors, non-profit institutions, and public agencies. Project work has included assignments across North America, Europe, Middle East, South America and Southeast and East Asia. Mr. Earnest is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), IAAPA, and Themed Entertainment Association (TEA).

2022

APRIL DAWN GLADU

April-Dawn Gladu is a writer and director with over 25 years of experience in live theater, special events, and storytelling. Before coming to PGAV, she spent years writing shows and special events for Walt Disney Entertainment in Orlando, FL and developing theme parks around the world with ITEC Entertainment.

Her love of language was honed during her eight years writing, directing and teaching with the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, as well as time in New York City working with off-Broadway companies such as Women’s Project & Productions and INTAR.

Mk HALEY

Mk is teaching Themed Entertainment Design at UT Austin and had more than 25 years of experience at Walt Disney Imagineering in Themed Entertainment Design, Production, and R&D. She has also taught Computer Animation, Game Design and Themed Entertainment Design at Carnegie Mellon University, Florida State University and UCLA. With over 30 years of service to industry associations, Mk is also a huge supporter of the ACM SIGGRAPH Conference planning process as well as the Themed Entertainment Association Conferences and The Themed Experience & Attractions Academic Society.

SPEAKERS

GARRICK HANSEN

Garrick Hansen, PE, principal at EXP, is an architectural engineer with over 20 years of experience in the themed entertainment, hospitality and gaming industry. Garrick’s expertise spans MEP project management, electrical engineering and extra low voltage, with technical proficiency in power, lighting, computer networks, security systems, campus wide fiber distribution and audio/visual systems. Working with some of the industry’s most recognizable clients, Garrick has contributed innovative, distinctive, and reliable solutions to hundreds of projects across the globe. He is a graduate of Milwaukee School of Engineering and is a long-term member of TEA.

2022

SHELBY HONEA

Shelby is an Executive Producer, Media for Universal Creative. She was the Producer responsible for developing and delivering Jurassic World VelociCoaster, an award-winning attraction, notably delivered in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is a graduate of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Entertainment Engineering and Design Program. She was a part of the NextGen pilot group and currently sits on the TEA Eastern Board. Outside of work, Shelby has yet to find the odd roadside attraction she didn’t like, but she is still looking.

BRETT JACKSON

Brett Jackson is an award-winning creator of live games and experiences. When not writing self-aggrandizing bios, he makes interactive attractions for Meow Wolf, Disney, Universal, Two Bit Circus and the World’s Fair. Brett’s own work promotes positivity, creativity and progressive causes. Always playful and comedic, he has applied it to stop poaching, combat misinformation, change international climate policy and train citizen activists to phone bank. Brett holds an MFA from Parsons, if anyone’s asking. And Brett is thrilled to be the founder of Live Action Attractions, the creative agency for creative agency. Specializing in funny, delicious and/or illuminating.

SPEAKERS

PAUL KENT

Paul has been involved in the entertainment business from an early age starting in theatre, working for design and production companies as well as audio-visual technology companies. Paul has been acknowledged in the industry as one of the Blooloop top 50 influencers. As a technology based person Paul has worked on projects around the world, that have won industry awards and acclaim from the millions of guests that have experienced them. These roles have covered the whole gambit from designer through to site level management, across a range of market sectors, including corporate communications, retail environments, museums, science centres, theme parks and live shows. This active understanding of the whole process from concrete pour to opening day and beyond has allowed him success when working on all sides of a project whether that is as a consultant, contractor, owners’ representative or part of the project team. This has allowed him to fit into and build teams for projects that fit seamlessly into the requirements for the projects.

2022

STEFAN LAWRENCE

Stefan Lawrence is a Creative Director with over 20 years of experiential storytelling experience, having created experiences for such clients as Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative, 20th Century Fox, Marvel, Lionsgate, Nickelodeon, Merlin, Hasbro, BBC, Aardman Animation, Nintendo, Red Bull, and many more. Most recently, Stefan was Creative Director at THG, where he worked on numerous theme parks, attractions, FECs, and other experiential projects, including the new Crystal Lobby at the Galaxy Macau. When he’s not at work, Stefan enjoys old ships, watching movies from 1984, tiki drinks, special effects, Japanese action figures, Swedish detective novels, and doing the crossword.

JAKE LEE-HIGH

CEO, Future Colossal

SPEAKERS

Jake Lee-High is an artist, creative technologist, and CEO of Future Colossal, an award-winning innovation lab for experiential technologies in themed entertainment, advertising, and art. His vision shapes Future Colossal’s trajectory innovating new technologies and immersive experiences for clients such as Universal Studios, Nintendo, BMW, Showtime, JayZ, and Disney. He’s been featured in major publications including the Washington Post, Fast Company, PSFK, and Art in America and received prestigious awards such as Cannes Lions, Clio, Andy, Adweek, and Art Directors Club.

MICHAEL LIBBY

Michael is an industry-recognized creative thought leader for location-based immersive attractions. With a B.A. in English and M.F.A. in Interactive Media & Game Design from the University of Southern California, his work has taken him to many diverse outlets including Walt Disney Imagineering, Thinkwell Group, and Microsoft. His company, Worldbuildr, uses real-time game engine technology to create futureproof, Metaverse-ready digital twins of location-based experiences and attractions.

2022

ALEX LUTHWAITE

Vice President Show Systems Technology, MSG Entertainment

Alex Luthwaite’s career has spanned various areas of entertainment technology and production, where he has been part of creating groundbreaking live experiences for some of the world’s leading artists, brands, performing arts spaces, and venues. At MSG Entertainment, Alex oversees the show technologies and show control systems for MSG Sphere.

Prior to joining MSG Entertainment, Alex’s experience includes as a project manager at TAIT, a global live experiences company, as well as NEG Earth, a leading entertainment and lighting company in the UK. Alex graduated from The University of Salford with a degree in Popular Music and Recording.

SPEAKERS

JEAN-YVES MARTINEAU

Jean-Yves Martineau began his storied and colourful technology career as co-founder and CTO of Cactus Commerce, a world-class e-commerce solution provider in 1995. As an e-commerce visionary, Cactus grew from start-up of three to family of over 250 employees, within 10 years. In 2007, Jean-Yves was invited by Microsoft to jointly develop and market Commerce Server, Microsoft’s e-commerce solution which was designed to replace cumbersome document and metadata management “web sites” with a high-performing, familiar to use and easy to manage e-commerce platform.

ERICA MCCAY

Erica McCay (she/they) is a writer and designer of stories that connect people and place. Erica has an MFA in Creative Writing and previously spent seven years at Universal Creative designing large-scale interactive experiences for theme parks around the globe, including wand magic for Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood and the land-wide game for Thea Award winning Super Nintendo World in Japan, Hollywood, and Orlando. Erica is dedicated to innovating how we experience stories through interactivity, holds multiple patents in location-based interactive game design, and recently published her “7 Principles for Creating Immersive Worlds” on Medium.

2022

BRIAN MIRAKIAN

Senior Principal, Director of Esports

Populous

Brian leads the practice’s esports and digital entertainment project initiatives. Through a core focus on future-forward innovation, next-gen consumerism, and connective strategy in the esports and gaming, entertainment, and hospitality industries, he masterfully creates opportunities for his clients by elevating their brands and businesses and amplifies engagement by linking people to immersive user experiences on all levels, design mediums and interactive technologies. His award-winning work has garnered international acclaim in publications such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fast Company, and has been featured on Cheddar and the Discovery Channel. He has helped create transformative design solutions for his clients, having collaborated with countless professional teams, some of the world’s leading advertising agencies, the Olympic Games, the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball, and top brands including Adidas, Pepsi, Comcast, Activision Blizzard and Tencent.

SPEAKERS

CHRIS MOORE Executive Consultant

Electrosonic

Chris is a highly qualified technology professional with more than 20 years’ global experience in the industry. He has taken many different roles, including Creative Designer, Engineer, Programmer, Sales and Consultant across arts and entertainment, brand, and retail, corporate, hospitality, healthcare, mixed-use, sports and more. Chris uses his creativity, passion, and technical skills to support clients on the path from conception to completion. He is passionate about the ability of technology to tell stories and bring people together. Chris has worked closely with clients around the world to create flexible, intimate, efficient, and innovative spaces that promote dialog, encourage shared experiences, and inspire human interaction.

2022

WENDY HEIMANN NUNES

Wendy is co-founder and managing partner of Nolan Heimannand the force behind our reputation for being the premiere lawpractice serving location-based and immersive entertainmententities worldwide. She provides forward looking strategiccounsel to her clients by identifying and structuring monetizationopportunities for their intellectual properties, creative content,brands, and technologies. Wendy’s in-depth, front-line locationbased and immersive industry knowledge and her wide reach ofindustry relationships enable her the ability to provide truly informed, experienced counsel. And, her unique “crow’snest” position at the hub of this diverse industry enables herrepresentation to be strategic and forward-looking. As anattorney, entrepreneur, and former executive, Wendy’s counsel isalways rooted in business reality.

It was in the windy city, where she began her legal career with the internationallaw firm Mayer Brown. In furtherance of her belief in the power of entertainmentto create “places”, Wendy made her way to Los Angeles where she served as anexecutive at Universal Studios, heading up Business and Legal Affairs forUniversal Creative, the division responsible for the concept, design, and development of all domestic and international theme parks, resorts, andattractions.

SPEAKERS

MARGREET PAPAMICHAEL

Margreet has around 25 years of consulting experience covering areas such as theme parks, visitor attractions, mixed use developments, tourism strategy, urban and resort hotels, restaurants, conference venues, golf resorts, racecourses and leisure real estate. Projects have included feasibility studies, operational reviews, market assessments, strategy development and operator selections. Based in the Netherlands, she works mainly throughout Europe and the Middle East, but has also worked in the USA, China and India. Mark Stepanian, President & CXO, CAVU Designwerks

2022

KLAUS SOMMER PAULSEN

Klaus Sommer Paulsen is an award-winning creative strategist, concept developer and designer who has worked with storytelling and media for almost four decades and digital multimedia and experience design since the mid-1990s. He is the author of “IntegratedStorytelling by Design”, published by Taylor and Francis in 2021, which will be translated and published in Chinese in 2023. Besides his industry work, he gives talks and lectures on new narrative dimensions and themed experiences and works with educational institutions developing programs. Furthermore, Klaus has been active on several boards, including TEA’s EME Division and TEA’s International Board of Directors.

MATT PROULX

Matt has been with Hasbro since 2007 after completing his MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Matt has held various positions during his 15+ years with Hasbro, including managing the Transformers brand through the first three movies, overseeing the marketing and business development functions for Hasbro Studios, and most recently, leading a multi-business global division (Location Based Entertainment and Music) within the Entertainment & Licensing segment for Hasbro, Inc. Executing against Hasbro’s Brand Blueprint, Matt has been responsible for formulating, constructing and implementing a long-term, global strategic plan for themed location-based entertainment to benefit long-term brand building and revenue growth for Hasbro. Included in this remit is to further enhance the company’s global presence in theme parks, themed entertainment attractions, FECs, hotels and resorts, exhibits and live events. That strategic plan has led to long-term partnerships with various partners, including Universal Theme Parks, Kingsmen, Gamepath and new innovative products such as Monopoly Lifesized and the Top Hat Restaurant in London.

SPEAKERS

ARIELLE RASSEL

Arielle is an experienced creative project leader with over a decade of experience in design, management, and project development. Her projects to-date include theme parks, zoos, brand centers, aquariums, museums, retail, dining, and other attractions. Arielle’s work experience includes Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative, Thinkwell Group, and currently Scenario in Orlando, FL. When not delivering world-class attractions for the LBE industry, Arielle enjoys a variety of crafty hobbies (especially those involving yarn or outlandish costumes), traveling, and helping develop themed entertainment’s next generation of talent through guest lectures and workshops.

2022

NICOLA ROSSINI

Presently a Technical Program Manager and Digital Producer with AOA’s Creative Technology group, Nicola uses both technical innovation and creative development to build integrated toolkits for creating moments of awe and thrill all over the world. As Co-Founder of Harriet B’s Descendants she works to build supportive networks among LBE practitioners worldwide connecting humans in production and design. They also teach workshops on Human Centered Management which asks the question “How much better are the experiences we create if all team members are fully supported?

DAVID SCHWARTZ

David G. Schwartz, a professor, gaming historian, and Ombuds at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, studies gambling and casinos, video games, popular culture, Las Vegas, tourism, and conflict resolution. An Atlantic City native and former casino employee, Schwartz has written books about the Sands hotel (At the Sands), the Wire Act (Cutting the Wire), gambling history (Roll the Bones), Las Vegas casino builder Jay Sarno (Grandissimo), and Atlantic City (Boardwalk Playground). He has also edited collections of essays and oral histories. He earned his Ph.D. in United States History from the UCLA, and teaches classes on a variety of topics, including casino history, video games, conspiracy theories, and alternate history.

SPEAKERS

ADAM C. SHARP, MA

Writer, Director, Edutainment Creator for his company, Blue Hush Productions. Adam has written, directed and produced more than 50+ live theatrical productions, character walks, event productions and guest experiences. He holds a BA in Creative Writing and an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies on the Creative Process. He has taught theatre, speech, English, film, media production and humanities at six colleges throughout the United States. He has worked with companies such as Bozzi Media, City of Spokane, Four Rivers Cultural Center, KHQ News, Blue Zoo Aquariums many more media and entertainment companies to help create interactive and educational experiences for guests.

2022

CYNTHIA SHARPE

Cynthia dreamt of a career as a research scientist as a human geneticist – until she realized she could change the game for more people if she weren’t in the lab. She’s dedicated her career in themed experience to eliminating barriers, both front- and back-of-house. Now, she wears many hats – creative director, project executive, and executive liaison for Thinkwell’s Diversity & Inclusion Council; co-founder of Harriet B’s Descendants; and tireless mentor, coach, speaker, and author. She is the recipient of several THEA awards and the Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Leadership in the Field from ASTC.

EDWARD SHAW, ECA

Ed Shaw is a Principal with ECA where he leads strategic positioning, business planning, and project feasibility for entertainment driven projects. His clients include entertainment and attraction companies, professional sports franchises, resort developers, stadium and venue developers, and municipalities throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia.

On-site project work in USA, Canada, Mexico, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica, Turkey, Russia, Czech Republic, India, KSA, and U.A.E.

SPEAKERS

Clients include Warner Bros. Discovery, National Basketball Association, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Universal Parks & Resorts, US Soccer Federation, LEGOLAND, Merlin Entertainments Group, Olympia Development/Ilitch Holdings, SEVEN, and KidZania.

MARK STEPANIAN

Mark assumed the role of President and owner at CAVU Designwerks in 2021. As the President of CAVU, Mark has been focused on leading the young and passionate team to push the boundaries of themed entertainment. Mark has a Civil/Mechanical Engineer background from Cornell University and then pursued an MBA from John’s Hopkins University School of Business to round out his professional skill set. Mark has extensive experience in the engineering and project management of large-scale amusement ride projects from $5 million to $32 million. Mark has a strong insight into the identification, prioritization, and solution generation of technical and business issues across several concurrent projects.

2022

PAUL CURTIS STEELMAN

CEO, Steelman Partners

Paul Steelman, a native of Atlantic City, New Jersey, is recognized as a visionary designer of global entertainment, hospitality, and gaming architecture. Paul has designed buildings for the mavericks of the gaming industry, including Kirk Kerkorian, Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson, and Stanley Ho. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Steelman Partners is an international architectural and interior design firm specializing in the multi-disciplinary facets of entertainment architecture, interior design, graphic design, lighting, and branding. The company has offices in Macau and Zhuhai, China; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Amsterdam, Holland. Renowned completed projects include: Circa Resort and Casino, Four Seasons Macau, Sands Macau, Galaxy Macau, The Grand Ho Tram, Solaire Manila, Venetian Macau master plan and Cotai Central master plan. Steelman Partners owns and operates several other design companies including shop12 (lighting, theater, ride and attraction design), MARQI (branding and corporate identity), and Competition Interactive (gaming equipment).

SPEAKERS

Paul was honored as the 2010 SARNO Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and received the 2006 HOSPY Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also been featured in many publications and visual media, including Forbes Magazine “Designing for Dough” and the Oceans 13 DVD (The Opulent Illusion). Paul serves on the board of directors for The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas, The Federal Law Enforcement Foundation in New York, and The Clemson School of Architecture at Clemson University in South Carolina. He is an avid skier and sailor, and spends much of his free time in Mammoth Lakes, California. Paul and his wife, Maryann, have been married for over 35 years and have two adult children, Stephen and Suzanne.

SCOTT SWENSON

For over 30 years, Scott Swenson, ICAE has been bringing stories to life as a Writer, Director, Producer and Performer. His work in Theme Park, Consumer Events, Live Theater and Television has given him a broad spectrum of experiences. In 2014, after 21 years as the Director of Production at Busch Gardens Tampa, Scott formed Scott Swenson Creative Development LLC. Since then he has been writing and producing live shows, creating and implementing themed festivals and developing communication classes for theme parks, museums, zoos and aquariums around the world. For more information please visit www.scottswenson.com.

2022

SUZANNE STEELMAN TAYLOR

Suzanne Steelman Taylor is the Vice President of Strategy of Steelman Partners. She began her career with the firm at the Steelman Architecture Asia office in Macau, China, where she worked for three years before moving back to the Las Vegas headquarters. While in Macau, Suzanne saw the importance and necessity of collaboration between the six global offices. Suzanne received a Master of Architecture degree from Clemson University and a Bachelor of Interior Design degree from University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner). While she has spent time away from Las Vegas, it is where she has always called home. Suzanne’s position at Steelman Partners is multifaceted. She continues to work in the architecture department designing and coordinating interior spaces, while she also works on talent acquisition and takes an active role in client development. Her recent work includes the interior architecture of the Tower of Circa Las Vegas, the interior architecture of Gila River Santan Mountain, that is currently under construction.

SPEAKERS

NINA TERJESEN

Nina Terjesen is a retail store design and visual merchandising professional with over 30 years in the industry. Nina has a BFA in Commercial Art and a BS in Architecture. She combines both studies to create inspired spaces, playing close attention to every detail. Nina has worked for retailers such as Foot Locker, Ralph Lauren and Nautica, before landing at airport and casino retailer, Marshall Retail Group. In her current role as Divisional Vice President of Creative Store Design, Nina infuses local nuances into each store concept that she creates.

ZOE THATCHER

Zoe Thatcher is a talented designer and illustrator. After being named the female scholar athlete of the year, she graduated summa cum laude from Auburn University in 2018. Zoe worked in in costume design for two years in St. Louis before being recruited to work full-time with Creative Principals. She has distinguished herself working on projects for Animax, FM Global, Yokogawa, JRA and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is also the illustrator of The CEO’s Time Machine.

2022

COREY TIMPSON

Corey Timpson is a recognized expert in multi-sensory experience design and digital media. He was the project director for the design-build of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights where he led the creation of the world’s most inclusively designed cultural institution. Corey’s focus was on interpreting difficult knowledge and presenting it through a multi-sensory, mixed, and transmedia storytelling approach. Corey serves as the Chair of the American Alliance of Museum’s Media & Technology Professional Network, is an Advisory Board member of Europe’s Best in Heritage, and is a board member of the Portrait Gallery of Canada. Cynthia dreamt of a career as a research scientist as a human geneticist – until she realized she could change the game for more people if she weren’t in the lab. She’s dedicated her career in themed experience to eliminating barriers, both front- and back-of-house. Now, she wears many hats – creative director, project executive, and executive liaison for Thinkwell’s Diversity & Inclusion Council; co-founder of Harriet B’s Descendants; and tireless mentor, coach, speaker, and author. She is the recipient of several THEA awards and the Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Leadership in the Field from AST.

SPEAKERS

NICK TOMASINO

Senior Vice President Construction, MSG Entertainment

Nick Tomasino is a highly-experienced construction management executive, who as Senior Vice President of Construction is responsible for overseeing construction of MSG Entertainment’s first state-of-the-art MSG Sphere venue – MSG Sphere at The Venetian – which is scheduled to open in Las Vegas in the second half of 2023.

Prior to joining MSG Entertainment in 2018, Nick’s past experiences include working in project management on several high-profile projects in the Las Vegas area, including for The Howard Hughes Corporation, MGM Resorts, and The Cosmopolitan.

Nick graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Construction Management.

2022

JOSHUA UPDIKE

A seasoned Creative Executive and former Walt Disney Imagineer, Josh Updike has been leading out-of-home entertainment projects for nearly 25 years. Working with clients including The Walt Disney Company, Universal Creative, Marvel, ITV, The London Resort, Sony Pictures, and the NFL, his work is featured in attractions around the globe. Currently Josh is leading developments in North America and Europe, using business travel as an excuse to further his passion of documenting regional menu items at McDonald’s restaurants worldwide.

DR NANCY USCHER

Dr. Nancy J. Uscher is Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Presidential Professor of Music at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She oversees seven departments and schools, as well as the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art and the UNLV Performing Arts Center.Prior to joining UNLV in 2016, Dr. Uscher was President of Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle for five years. Before that, she was Provost and music faculty member of the California Institute of the Arts. She previously spent 12 years at the University of New Mexico as Professor of Music, where she also served as Director of the Center for the Arts in Society and as Associate Provost of Academic Affairs and Department Chair.

SPEAKERS

A concert violist, Dr. Uscher earned a Bachelor’s degree with distinction at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, a Master’s degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Ph.D. and distinguished alumni award from New York University. She also holds an A.R.C.M. from the Royal College of Music in London. She has performed in recitals and chamber music concerts and given master classes and seminars internationally, as well as having authored numerous articles. Additionally, she is the author of The Schirmer Guide to Schools of Music and Conservatories Throughout the World and Your Own Way in Music: A Career and Resource Guide. Dr. Uscher is a Board member and President-Elect of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans (ICFAD).

2022

Rama Venkat is the Dean of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering and a Professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering. While serving in this capacity, he has been instrumental in growing the College including developing the College of Engineering Senior Design Competition, spearheading collaboration between various schools at UNLV, and creating partnerships with government agencies and the private sector to help bring university innovations to the public and enhance employment opportunities for students. His research areas of interest include solid state sensors, devices, physics, and modeling of devices and photonics.

Venkat first came to UNLV in 1989, becoming a full professor in 1998, and serving as Chair of the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 2000-2006. He became Dean of the College in 2010. During his tenure, he has authored or co-authored 43 referred journal publications, supervised and graduated nearly 30 graduate students, won a variety of teaching awards, and brought in more than $2,000,000 in research funds. Venkat has a Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, an M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Technology in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute Technology in Madras, India.

SPEAKERS

DONNELLY WILLIAMS

Donnelly Williams is an Engineer and Business Developer for a company that designs and supplies equipment for entertainment, rides, and theme park attractions.

Entering the entertainment industry as a Professional Mechanical Engineer (P.Eng.) Donnelly applied his skill set to design, develop, test and implement all aspects of mechanical components, equipment, and machinery for many theme parks.

Donnelly then expanded on his initial engineering background and returned to school to earn his Electrical & Computer Engineering Technologist diploma. This combined experience allowed him to broaden his skills and work with teams designing motion control systems and programming PLC with the same entertainment and thrill ride focus.

Now as a Director and the Business Development Manager; Donnelly focuses on bringing together teams with diverse skills to effectively collaborate and turn his customer’s attraction dreams into theme park realities.

2022

ALEX WILLS

Alex Wills is disguise’s Chief Experience Officer and Head of Metaverse Solutions. Responsible for delivering the overall brand & user experience across every touch point of the business.

Alex has been focused on immersive and spatial technologies, platforms and XR design for over 15 years and is now leading the charge within disguise to build out the end to end metaverse solution stack for brands, studios, broadcasters and bands.

Whilst at AKQA, R/GA and The Mill Alex worked directly with some of the world’s most innovative brands, including Nike, Google, Magic Leap, Riot Games and Beats by Dre to develop transformative experiences.

NATHALIE VAN SASSE VAN YSSELT

Senior Director Design & Creative Services, MSG Sphere Studios

SPEAKERS

Nathalie van Sasse van Ysselt is an award-winning creative director, focusing on immersive experiences that merge culture, art, music and live entertainment. At MSG Sphere Studios, she works at the nexus of technology and design to develop experiences and creative toolkits for MSG Sphere. Previously, Nathalie was creative lead of Moment Factory’s New York City studio, directing innovative experiences for brands and spearheaded the projection mapped event space “25 Broadway” in Manhattan, a joint venture with Cipriani.

Nathalie also spent many years in Europe curating art galleries and directing large format and interactive installations for museums, brands and expos.

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