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27 February 2021Location-Based Entertainment Specialists Form Spider Entertainment
Firm to Provide Concept-to-Operations Services to the Out-of-Home Entertainment industry. Industry leaders Rob Hetherington, Kevin Williams, Tracy Balsz and a consortium of founding partners have established Spider Entertainment – a full turnkey location based entertainment operator and provider of strategy, design, project management services to the retail property market and to entertainment brands.
Founder and CEO Rob Hetherington comes from a background with Lappset Creative, working on key entertainment and IP accounts, said “Retail destinations are turning to entertainment to drive foot traffic, enhance the customer experience, and to rejuvenate malls. They need experienced operators to help operate successful, revenue-generating attractions. Spider helps LBE suppliers and brands access retail destinations and provides developers with turnkey attraction operation.”
Spider launches with a global team, opening offices in London, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong.
International immersive out-of-home expert Kevin Williams, speaker, and publisher of The Stinger Report, joins Spider as Co-Founder and Technology Director. As a former Walt Disney Imagineer, he has provided creative experience consulting for leading developers, operators, and investors. Speaking on his new role Williams states, “The vision combined in this venture offers an amazing opportunity and I am honored to play a part in shaping its direction. I feel many across the industry will be surprised by what Spider Entertainment represents, in driving a new direction for the industry.”
Hetherington remarks, “We have assembled a truly stellar line-up of executives and I am delighted with the talent and experience Spider is now offering to clients, right at the time when retail destinations need new entertainment strategies to navigate the seismic changes the sector is facing.”
The other appointments to the Spider team include:
-
Tracy Balsz, Director, Business Development, USA – Balsz is a Board member of the
Themed Entertainment Association and brings 25 years in the Location Based
Entertainment industry
-
Kevin Smith, Operations Director – formerly Director of Attractions at Continuum Attractions
in the UK
-
James Orchard, Director of Projects and Programming – formerly lead Project Manager on
the International roll-out of Kidzania
-
Ashley Lynch, Director of Design – formerly Head of Design at Lappset Creative on FEC
projects such as Mattel Play and Peppa Pig World of Play
- Sean Curtis, Group Marketing Director and Retail Strategy – Curtis held the position of Marketing Director for retail developers LandSec, Lendlease, Westfield and M&S
Kevin Smith adds “Operations is at the heart of everything we do. Retail destinations want to quickly introduce new entertainment attractions to drive traffic, increase dwell time and enhance the guest experience and we help landlords, developers, IP brands and attraction owners achieve this at pace by offering a turnkey operations solution.”
Hetherington concludes, “Spider’s current mission is to transform the way out-of-home entertainment is imagined, strategized, created and operated for retail destinations, with the aim to become the industry leader in creating the next generation attractions for IP owners, investors and landlords”.
About Spider Entertainment
Spider Entertainment's mission is to transform the way out-of-home entertainment is imagined, planned, created and operated for retail destinations. The company is a global leader in out-of-home entertainment for retail destinations and entertainment properties, offering unparalleled industry expertise, international scale and financial network to the development of entertainment experiences. Spider anticipates and transforms trends into successful permanent and pop-up destinations for exciting guest experiences with trusted four-wall economics, specializing in the retail marketplace. Clients include property owners, intellectual properties, and brands, providing turnkey solutions to deplay sustainable and profitable attractions and out-of-home entertainment. More at www.spiderentertainment.com.
Press contact
UK - Sean Curtis - [email protected] 07769741941
US - Tracy Balsz - [email protected] 323-428-9075
Posted by IndieMarketing
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