May 2025: Managing Director Pamela Nelson attends the TEA SATE Europe event in Blackpool:
From the minute I arrived, the atmosphere was vibrant and open. A lovely welcome letter from Amanda Thompson OBE, CEO of the Pleasure Beach awaited me in my hotel room, which truly had one of the best and most unique views of any hotel I’ve ever stayed in!
David and Lynn Willrich from DJW had briefed me so well before the event so knew what to expect. My first meeting was with David Michaels (Framestore and TEA EME Board member) who made me feel even more at ease and excited for the event. I have to say that all the TEA Board members past and present went out of their way to be super welcoming. As a solo traveller and first-time attendee I was a little nervous- but I needn’t have been.
The event is set up to encourage meetings to happen organically – the Themed Entertainment community is vibrant, diverse and hugely collaborative – everyone that I reached out to either beforehand or simply bumped into was genuinely delighted to chat and share a conversation. Networking events were incredible – it’s wonderful to share the group photo from the ‘Themed Dinner’ this year the theme was ‘The Best of British Music’ – I’m sure you’ll agree everyone looked magnificent.
The theme for the event this year was ‘Emotion’. Given the challenges across the whole of the creative industries it really resonated with me. James Cox from Blackpool Pleasure Beach gave the keynote and like many Brits the memories and feelings of visiting Blackpool as a child with my parents and grandparents came flooding back and that I can truly say was very emotional– a reminder of the real lasting impact and importance of themed entertainment and location-based experiences in connecting and resonating in real life.
All the sessions and panels were really inspiring. From Day one – really delving into emotion and how we feel – from Uncovering the Hidden World of Emotions, to sessions in neurodiversity and the power of creating with accessibility at the forefront of design. Day two really delved into creative storytelling – how every aspect of the experience can tell the story – The Power of Space looking at architectural and spatial design to other sessions exploring the more extreme emotions of horror and fear. Lastly Emma Bashford’s session, given our increasingly digital world with AI on everyone’s mind – in that session Emma told us – ‘I’m Not a Robot’.
Looking for a partner for your next immersive, themed entertainment project? Reach out to us at info@revenant.tv.
