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SATE 2012 : new details about the program of the
Experience Design conference
Update : 17/09/12 - 17h43Published by François Mayné the 9 July 2012, Event.
The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is currently preparing its annual SATE Experience Design conference to be held 19-21 September at the convention center of Disney's Hotel Newport Bay Club at Disneyland Paris, France.
SATE - whose acronym stands for Story + Architecture + Technology = Experience - brings together each year the professionals that work in creating themed experiences for visitors. Between 200 and 250 international designers, technicians and operators will gather once again around various sessions composed of case studies, testimonials, Q&A or panel discussions with industry’s experts and leaders.
“To move the international theme park industry forward calls for international dialog," explains Themed Entertainment Association president Rick Rothschild of FAR Out! Creative Direction. "This dialog will be led by producer Yves Pépin, and Joe Rohde of Walt Disney Imagineering - both living legends of the attractions industry. Bearing the theme of Cultural Diversity and conducted in English and French, SATE 2012 will draw participation from Europe and the Americas - as well as Asia, now the 2nd largest theme park market after the US."
An international dialog for a multicultural environment
SATE 2012 preliminary programme that was released a few weeks ago (see related articles below) has been updated, mainly with the addition of new speakers.
Wednesday, September 19 (evening)
The welcome reception - which will be sponsored by Puy du Fou and Futuroscope, both winners of a Thea Award in 2011 - will be followed by the opening session with a keynote of Joe Rohde that will form the foundation of the discussions. Special guests will also be invited.
Thursday, September 20
The first session will focus on "Working Within a Multicultural Environment with a Multicultural Team" or how to successfully blending the diverse talents and perspectives of clients and creative teams for the best possible guest outcomes and how to finding ways to better understand and communicate with each other.
This session will be divided into several presentations :
- a case study of the Big-O project at Yeosu Expo 2012 in Korea by Berni Jo (project director for the organizing committee), Jean Christophe Canizares (ECA2, show producer) and Wyatt de Freitas (WET, fountains producer) ;
- a case study of Disney Shanghai Resort by Bob Weis from Walt Disney Imagineering ;
- "Multicultural teams for cross-culture projects: good reasons or bad excuse?" with contributions from Matthew Jessner (Franco Dragone Entertainment Group), Bart Dohmen (BRC Imagination Arts) and Patrick Stalder (International Olympic Committee) ;
- "From concept to logistics, how project teams penetrate cultural barriers" with contributions of Keith James (Jack Rouse Associates) and Steve Rhys (Forrec) around projects like Ferrari World Abu Dhabi or Aqua Dunya in Dubai.
The second session will focus on "Challenges & Responsibilities of the Interpretation/cultural Representation" or how to overcoming the inherent views and approaches when working with different cultures; setting aside built-in biases to better satisfy the client’s and visitor’s objectives and needs.
This session will include :
- a presentation of several speakers regarding projects abroad, including the Mexico Bicentennial with Martin Arnaud of Les Petits Français ;
- a case study on Disney Aulani Resort & Spa, Hawai, presented by Joe Rohde and Jeanette Lomboy of Walt Disney Imagineering as well as Djuan Rivers, Vice President Hotels and Business Solutions at Disneyland Paris.
Friday, September 21
The third session will focus on the theme of "New Cultural Territories within the Global Market" or how to identify new and different geographic, topical, industrial, and cultural opportunities; apply the skills and talents to help new markets tell their stories.
This session will be divided with :
- "Reaching broader audiences" with topics that will include: introducing museums into the Middle East, using social media to broaden audiences, and expanding access to heritage sites.
- "Taking our skills into new sectors" : in what new sectors could skills and experience be applied for mutual benefit? Attendees will learn from speakers who have moved into new areas and discuss how to identify others for the future.
Finally, SATE 2012 will end with a closing session where attendees will be invited to discuss ideas, trends and topics presented during the various sessions. The conversation will be facilitated by TEA past president George Wiktor of the GW Group and will lay the groundwork for future TEA conferences and seminars.
Opportunities for students and young graduates
Students and young graduates interested in pursuing a career in themed entertainment industry will have the opportunity to attend SATE through the action of TEA NextGen Initiative that has decided to make available a number of student scholarships that will cover the registration fees for the conference (all sessions, presentations and networking events including catered meals).
Candidates should send a cover letter and resume to Christine Kerr (christine@baamproductions.com). They will have to describe their interest for the themed entertainment industry in a few sentences explaining why they wish to attend SATE. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2012.
TEA NextGen Initiative aims to open the themed entertainment industry to the next generation through the implementation of initiatives to promote exchanges between young and experienced professionals. Besides the student scolarships, other actions have been implemented such as a Facebook page (TEA Cafe experience) which aims to bring people together around discussions about the latest news of the industry.
Post-SATE excursion
SATE 2012 attendees are invited to participate in an excursion that will follow the conference in order to discover the two famous French theme parks rewarded by Thea Awards.
The current agenda plans an arrival at Puy du Fou on Friday with a night in one of their two hotels. The Saturday will be devoted to the discovery of the major shows of the park and several behind the scenes tours with officials. In the evening, attendees will arrive at Futuroscope to enjoy the night show of "Mystery of the Blue Note" and will be staying in a hotel nearby. They will visit the park on Sunday - including a behind the scenes tour of Arthur l'Aventure 4D - and will have the opportunity to meet CEO Dominique Hummel.
The cost of the trip is not yet known but interested participants are invited to manifest as soon as possible so that the TEA can organize accommodation and transport.
Useful information
SATE 2012 is open to all and it is strongly recommended to register early because the last edition was sold out.
The rate is $499 (€395) for TEA members and $699 (€550) for non-members. This includes access to all sessions (including the welcome reception and closing session) and catered meals during the day. Transportation costs and accommodation are to be considered separately and TEA proposes negotiated rates on overnight stays at the Disney's Newport Bay Club Hotel.
There are different categories of TEA memberships: student (€40 per year), individual ( €140 per year) and corporate (from €250 per year for a small company of five persons for example)
TEA reminds to interested companies that they are looking for sponsors for SATE 2012. NewsParcs is proud to be part of them alongside Disneyland Paris, Puy du Fou, Futuroscope, Electrosonic, Sennheiser, Fountain People, Edwards Technologies Inc. and Canyon Creative. For more information, please take a look at this document.
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NewsParcs will do a full coverage of the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2013 in Orlando to have a look at the latest trends and developments of the global theme park industry.
This session will be divided into several presentations :
Candidates should send a cover letter and resume to Christine Kerr (christine@baamproductions.com). They will have to describe their interest for the themed entertainment industry in a few sentences explaining why they wish to attend SATE. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2012.
