If you are a TEA Thea Award recipient, or you are named on the official credits list of a Thea-awarded project, this information is to assist you in promoting the fact to your community, media channels and business network.

TEA promotions

TEA makes the first official announcement of the new slate of Thea Awards recipients in November. The 2019 announcement took place November 19, at 2:25 pm, Eastern North American time. This live press conference at the TEA booth at the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando was immediately followed by a TEA press release published at www.teaconnect.org and distributed through multiple channels. The press release shares information about the awards and the award recipients.

TEA's announcement of the Thea Awards is widely anticipated and shared internationally by the press, and many articles will appear in the months between the first announcement in November, and the formal Thea Awards Gala held the following year (the Thea Awards Gala is set for April 18, 2020 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California, USA, to be preceded by the TEA Summit and Thea Case Studiies, April 16-17.)

Your own promotions

You can share TEA's press release, or excerpts from the release once it has been published. We also encourage you to generate your own press announcements and share them with your local media outlets.

Keep in mind that the award is bestowed on the project owner. Team members and contributors receive their acknowledgment at the time of the Thea Awards Gala, when the official credits list is published. All those named on the credits lists will be able to order a Thea Awards trophy from TEA that acknowledges their role on the awarded project.

There are also opportunities to advertise in the official TEA Thea Awards Program, published at the time of the Gala and distributed in print and online. TEA will send an announcement email when the ad info becomes available.

Contact TEA if you have questions or need assistance. Please read on for additional guidelines.

Feel free to include any background text from the following three paragraphs with your announcements.

Additional background on the Thea Awards is at this link.

About TEA
The TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) is an international nonprofit membership association for the creators of compelling places and experiences. TEA was founded in 1991 and is based in Burbank, Calif. TEA presents the annual Thea Awards and the TEA Summit and hosts the annual SATE Conference series. TEA also produces a variety of print and electronic publications, including the highly respected international industry resource, the TEA/AECOM Theme Index. Click here for more about TEA.

About the Thea Awards
The Thea Awards were created by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) to help realize a key mission of the association: bringing recognition to achievement, talent and personal excellence within the themed entertainment industry. From a modest beginning in 1994, the Thea Awards have become internationally recognized as a symbol of excellence. Tickets will go on sale in early 2020 to attend the black-tie 26th Annual Thea Awards Gala, which will be held April 18, 2020 at the Disneyland Hotel, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim California USA. (The Gala is preceded by the TEA Summit conference, April 16-17, which includes Thea Case Studies.)

The name of the Thea Award is a play on three words: the first is "Thea," the Greek goddess from whom all light emanates. Thea was the mother of Helios (the sun), Eos (the dawn), and Selene (the moon). The second key word is "Theater," a word derived from the goddess Thea. The third word, is TEA, for the Association. 

The Thea Awards Committee and the awards process

TEA's Thea Awards Nominating Committee recommends the slate of awards recipients each year after an extensive selection and evaluation process. The TEA International Board of  Directors gives final approval to the slate of recipients. The Thea Awards Committee is a themed entertainment industry "who's who" of people who have distinguished themselves and been celebrated for leadership, creativity and innovation.  The members of the current Committee are listed in the Thea Awards section at www.teaconnect.org.

HELP TEA REPRESENT YOUR PROJECT IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY ONLINE, AT THE TEA SUMMIT AND IN THE THEA AWARDS PROGRAM

Description and images

Thea Awards recognize excellence in the creation of compelling experiences and places. As part of the awards process, TEA's Thea Awards Committee writes a description of each project that explains what the Committee found to be significant and breakthrough to make it deserving of Thea Award recognition. These descriptions are later the basis for coverage of each project in the Thea Awards Program, which is a printed program handed out the night of the Thea Awards Gala.

We invite you to contact us and share your resources (contact details below).

Terminology, spelling and culture - and some common misconceptions

• Thea is not an acronym (see "About the Thea Awards," above) and should not appear in all capital letters. (People frequently capitalize it by mistake.)
• Projects, people, and achievements named for Thea Awards are "recipients," "honorees," or "awardees." (They are not "winners.")
• The award is officially given to the project owner - the owner is the only recipient of the award. However, as part of the process, the owner must provide a full credits list to TEA, which TEA publishes as a permanent record. In this way, the team of artists, artisans, designers, vendors, technicians and other specialists receive credit and public acknowledgment. Those on the official credits list may purchase a Thea trophy as part of this public acknowledgment. This does not mean that the team member is the Thea Award recipient - the correct way to refer to it is that the team member contributed to or played a role in the creation of a Thea-awarded project. Examples: CORRECT - Abc Company congratulates [Project owner] on its Thea Award for [Project]. Abc Company is proud to have provided [services] on [Project]. INCORRECT - Abc Company won a Thea Award for [services] on [Project].

Share your news stories 

Let us know about coverage of your project and the Thea Awards appearing in your local press. We will share and link to them on TEA's website and social media channels. TEA can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Twitter handle: @tea_connect.  Hashtag: #TEAtheas

TEA Summit/Thea Awards project showcase

TEA holds a 2-day business Summit conference just prior to the Thea Awards Gala. The 2020 Summit will take place April 16-17 and includes Thea Case Studies - presentations by the current Thea Awards recipients, showcasing their projects. You can read about last year's events on the dedicated blog, at this link. TEA and the TEA Summit organizers will be contacting the project owners to discuss participation in the Summit.

The Summit and the Gala represent additional promotional opportunities. Member of the press will attend Thea Case Studies Day as well as the Thea Awards Gala. TEA will help you connect with these members of the media prior to and during the events to set up interviews, etc.

TEA Divisions

The Themed Entertainment Association has four Divisions by geography: Western North America, Eastern North America, Europe & Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Contact the head of the Division for your area to discuss possibilities for special Division activities and events that can help showcase your project to the TEA membership and build new relationships with the community and the industry. Click here for more information on TEA Divisions.

Contacts:

Judith Rubin, TEA publications, PR & Social Media, [email protected]

Jennie Nevin, TEA COO, [email protected]