The TEA Connect blog is an online platform for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) to share TEA announcements, event notices and reports with the TEA membership, the industry and the public, to share a selection of relevant articles from TEA members, TEA Divisions, and TEA Committees, and to provide a gateway to other TEA resources for the themed entertainment community and for the press.
Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim - The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) reported success and attendance numbers in line with a standard event year for its annual big weekend of events, April 21-23, 2022, consisting of the two-day TEA Summit conference, followed by the 28th Annual TEA Thea Awards Gala presented by Chimelong. #TEAsummit #TEAtheas
A busy week for themed entertainment it was, when Attractions Technology Collaborative (ATC) hosted their West Coast two-day workshop of the Attractions Technology Lab: Dark Ride Experience at Garner Holt Productions, Tuesday and Wednesday, April 19-22, 2022. Preceding the later festivities in Anaheim at the TEA Summit and Thea’s Thursday – Saturday that same week, the Collaborative invited members of the Themed Entertainment Association to a mixer and tour event in Redlands, CA, Tuesday evening, April 19th.
The TEA Western North America Division finished out February with a celebration of Black History Month, welcoming a panel of black professionals from across the breadth of our industry. The conversation was animated, friendly, and full of well-earned knowledge from panelists’ careers in engineering, show development, and entertainment design.
The primary activity of the night on Wednesday March 9th at the TEA Western Division’s in-person mixer at El Cholo in Pasadena was power networking. With margaritas flowing {see sponsors below}, beer and wine readily available, as well as non-adult beverages, it was clear this mixer was the first of 2022. It proved without a shadow of a doubt that in-person mixers are back! It had people musing, “What Pandemic?”
Networking with Board Members, part one in a series of board member networking events, was hosted by the Western Division on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. This session involved leaders from theme parks and film studios and was lots of fun. It was probably the closest thing to in-person networking via video call possible… a virtual tango and lively exchange filled with words of wisdom, shop talk and insight on how studios move projects from concept to development.
Sales for the prestigious Thea Awards Program have been extended to March 11th! There is still time to secure your Ad space and ensure your company exposure. The Thea Awards program is a digital magazine published by the Themed Entertainment Association in collaboration with InPark Magazine. It features descriptions of all the recipients of the 28th Annual Thea Awards, plus the comprehensive credits lists for each. Every attendee at the awards gala will receive a copy of the publication. As an added benefit the program is posted online as a valuable reference and permanent record for the industry and public. Past examples of the Awards program can be found here.
To our Members and the Themed Entertainment Community as a Whole:
On January 14th, 2022, the Themed Entertainment Association hosted its first Code of Conduct training to over 80 Board Members. The Two-Hour instructor led; interactive training engaged TEA leadership in discussions on all forms of inappropriate behavior as set forth in the TEA Code of Conduct policies.