Volume 1, No. 15. August 24, 2001
Invitation to TEA
In an attempt to boost its exposure and
widen its accessibility, the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) has revamped
its annual awards ceremony to make it more inviting for industry employees and
the public to participate. Though still a black-tie event fetching $125 per
ticket, the September 22 "Thea Awards" gala will abandon the sit-down dinner
format of the past and use the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, as a venue
to honor themers' achievements. The association also is selling tickets on its
web site (www.themeit.com) and through
amusementpark.com.
"It's more conducive to having a broader spectrum of audience in attendance,"
said Jim Presnal, the association's executive director. "If' you've got people
seated at round tables, you're inherently stuck with matching strangers with
strangers. That would have been even more challenging for us had we had civilians
coming in. This year, it's easier with reserved seats in a theater setting:
you still get a chance to mingle, but it will be more casual."
The mingling element is an important aspect of the gala and a primary reason
TEA teamed up with amusementpark.com to widen availability of tickets. "They
could reach young people in the industry trying to promote themselves," Presnal
said of the web site's role. "(Amusementpark.com) has been very proactive in
contacting us to find out what we're up to and make (that news) available to
the people who visit their site." For amusementpark.com, which has been selling
amusement park tickets and posting industry news since its debut in May, this
is the first time the site has sold tickets to a particular event, said Joie
Pitre, the site's vice president of marketing.
The neon-brimming, art deco Alex Theatre seats 1,500 people; TEA is currently
only selling the 740 floor seats to its 8th Annual Thea Awards gala. The awards
are based on nominations turned in last November and honor achievements in theming
at "attractions across a broad spectrum," Presnal said, from theme parks to
museums, retail stores to workout facilities. This year Theas are going to the
following winners, (TEA's web site has links to descriptions of the facilities
and their creative teams):
Lifetime Achievement: Tony Baxter
Thea Classic: Silver Dollar City
Attraction: Millennium Village Event
Attraction: Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Buccaneer Gold
Attraction: Nickelodeon Flying Super Saturator
Attraction: Men in Black Alien Attack
Event Spectacular: Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony
Visitor Center: The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument
Visitor Center: HollandRama
Marine Park: Discovery Cove
Interactive Sound and Light Show: Lights of Liberty Show
Theme Park: Kid's City / La Ciudad de los Niños
Themed Retail: Desert Passage
Corporate Land: Volkswagen Autostadt
Achievement on a Limited Budget: Exploration in the New Millennium
Achievement on a Limited Budget: L'Oxygenarium
Breakthrough Innovation: Stealth World's First Flying Coaster
Breakthrough Innovation: Disney's FASTPASS