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Rise of the TEA's European and Middle East Division
In the 20 years since its founding, the Themed Entertainment Association has become a global organization recognized as bringing together - around events and conferences - the interests of the world’s leading creators, developers, designers and producers of compelling places and experiences.
The TEA's presence on the international scene was strengthened in July 1998 with the creation of the European and Middle East (EME) Division. It all started in March of that same year when a group of 10 professionals had a first meeting in London to discuss joining the association they admired for what it was realizing in the United States. The members of this group included Nick Farmer, director of Farmer Attraction Development, who was later to become TEA's first international president. They met several times and even received guidance and encouragement from Keith James (president of Jack Rouse Associates, and past president of TEA). TEA's EME division was officially launched at the TiLE conference in Strasbourg that year.
The principal motives for these European professionals to join TEA were to expand their networks, facilitate the exchange of information, and improve business practices and techniques that benefit producers, developers, vendors and clients. “We found our new American friends extremely welcoming, and suddenly our networks were dramatically enhanced,” explains Nick Farmer. “Meeting up with our TEA colleagues around the world is of tremendous advantage, as we all learn from each other.”
Because the EME Division covers a large geographic area with many countries and languages, special events and gatherings have been the best way of bringing people together. Farmer adds, “In this way members get to see the latest attractions and to meet the operators in open and frank discussions, and also to meet up with fellow members who are all part of the food chain that makes up our industry. No one company does it all: we need to work together to deliver our client's requirements, and the TEA is a great place to find the resources we need.”
Growth
Year after year, the EME Division has steadily grown to rely today on about 125 members representing 15 countries and 11 different languages. It has organized mixer events at relevant trade shows and conferences throughout the region as well as successful behind-the-scenes gatherings at such locations as Disneyland Paris, ring°werk, and Thea Award recipient projects BeWILDerwood and The Heineken Experience.
Philip Hartley (owner of Philip Hartley Associates) became President of the EME Board at the end of 2010 and under his direction, with the help of the EME board members, the Division's membership has grown 24%. The number of EME Division events has also increased and this groundswell led to organizing the first European iteration of TEA's annual SATE conference (Storytelling, Architecture, Technology, Experience) which has further boosted the EME Division. “A side effect of these improvements has been a much increased interest in being a Board member,” Hartley says.”In 2009/2010 we had five volunteers for four positions and in 2010/2012, we had nine volunteers for five positions!”
Thea Awards
Since the establishment of the Thea Awards in 1994, about 30 European projects have been honored with a Thea - a relatively large number compared to the EME Division membership of 125. The 2012 Thea Awards again took notice of Europe, including two French recipients (Arthur l'Aventure 4D at Futuroscope, and Puy du Fou), and a third project (Yo México) that relied very heavily on a French firm. "We don’t have the same awards culture in Europe that they have in America,” comments Hartley. “So it’s quite an achievement that three awards go to the same European country!”
Those three Thea Awards signify international recognition of the quality of French expertise in the design and production of major events and themed entertainment. "Yo México" receiving a Thea Award imparts accolades to the project owner as well as the creative team of Les Petits Français.
Theme parks Puy du Fou and Futuroscope, respectively opened in 1978 and 1987, are both operators and developers with strong identities and the power to take innovative risks. They have now reached a certain maturity in terms of positioning on the French market and are achieving greater awareness abroad.
Le Grand Parc du Puy du Fou and La Cinéscénie, this year receiving the prestigious Thea Classic Award, were built around a regional theme delivering French history and culture with authenticity in an exceptional natural environment. These qualities have made it the "favorite park of the French" according to a study conducted in July 2011. The park owners now want to export the know-how abroad and continue the development as a destination for short stays, particularly with hotels that prolong the visitor experience.
In recent years, Futuroscope has embarked on transforming a portion of its facilities to inject a stronger entertainment component. Under the leadership of CEO Dominique Hummel, and expressed in the advertising slogan "Osez l'expérience" (Dare to experience), the park is re-imagining the contemporary pavilions as new places of experience in which technology is mixed with amusement, theming, learning, discovery and even thrills. The attraction Arthur: L'Aventure 4D, which is honored this year with a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement, summarizes completely this new state of mind!
Director/producer of Arthur 4D was French filmmaker Luc Besson and the attraction is based on Besson's film Arthur et les Minimoys. The extensive multicultural creative team for Arthur 4D included Austrians Kraftwerk and Markus Beyr, the Dutch firm JoraVision and UK-based Simworx. (Official credits for all Thea recipient projects are published in the Thea Awards Program, available free upon request from TEA.)
TEA's SATE conference returns to Europe
The celebrations of TEA's 20th anniversary year will peak with TEA's signature conference on Experience Design: SATE 2012. The conference is now held alternately in North America and Europe. SATE 2012 will take place September 19-21 in France at the heart of Europe's top tourist destination, Disneyland Paris. The event is co-chaired by two well-known figures of the industry, the American Joe Rohde (Walt Disney Imagineering) and the French Yves Pépin (founder of ECA2), both recipients of The Buzz Price Thea Award for Lifetime Achievement.
For SATE 2012, Rohde and Pépin have set forth a main theme of Cultural Diversity: Obstacle or Opportunity? This invites discussion of the unique challenges cultural diversity presents to the themed entertainment industry. The discussion will unfold through case studies, testimonials and panel discussions. A principal issue for the participants will be how cultural differences on the one hand can contribute to unproductive stereotypes, and on the other hand, offer tremendous opportunity to find new expressions. Logistics and program updates are being posted online at http://teaconnect.org/sate-conference.
"Cultural diversity is not only something that is encountered when working across geographic borders," says Yves Pépin. "It is also a challenge to which we must bring all our know-how for understanding the very different cultural backgrounds that may be in the same country as ours! Understanding and learning to work with these concerns in the arena of themed entertainment can lead to productive collaborations and to market development. In local communities for example ... cities are becoming more open to projects, whether permanent or temporary facilities, and they can benefit greatly from the members of our profession.”
Outlook
Despite these times of economic difficulty, the overall prospects for the European entertainment industry are positive. The attractions sector remains, more than ever, a safe haven for consumers seeking amusement and fun. Regional operators benefit from the proximity of their visitors and seek to position themselves in an original way with theming (sometimes by licensing intellectual properties), learning, content and experiences. Looking 5 or 6 years out, there is still a wide range of leisure activities with good development potential for the European continent, while in the Middle East significant professional opportunities have also emerged. The outlook for designers and technical providers are a little more difficult because the market for short-lived events - the leading source of the activity - is highly dependent on the economic situation with regional disparities that can be very important.
Looking ahead for TEA's EME Division, the challenges will be numerous and the association will have plenty to do. Philip Hartley states that the objectives for the months to come begin with continuing membership growth. “The Board is looking for more diversity and especially to bring in more academics and operators. We will also put more effort into increasing Middle East membership, and find a potential board member based in that region. Finally, the EME division will also focus on more contents and locations for its events, with an emphasis on education.” There is no doubt that 2012 will be a year full of opportunities for TEA and its EME Division.
This article first appeared in the 2012 Thea Awards Program, published by TEA. For more information, please visit www.teaconnect.org.
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The NewsParcs' Theme Park Supplier's News of the Week is a round-up of the latest news relative to companies supplying the theme park industry around the world. This weekly report covers topics such as corporate announcements, ...
Our Industry Roundup is a summary of the latest major news related to the theme park industry worldwide. We report news specifically on operators, owners, trade associations and related organizations, including trends, attendance...
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.
The principal motives for these European professionals to join TEA were to expand their networks, facilitate the exchange of information, and improve business practices and techniques that benefit producers, developers, vendors and clients. “We found our new American friends extremely welcoming, and suddenly our networks were dramatically enhanced,” explains Nick Farmer. “Meeting up with our TEA colleagues around the world is of tremendous advantage, as we all learn from each other.”
