by Jordan Zauha, InPark Magazine News Editor
In today’s landscape of intensely short deadlines, swifter visualization demands, challenges surrounding artificial intelligence usage, and the need to stay on the bleeding edge, the design and construction of visitor attractions feels more complicated than ever. The need to raise the bar for guests often requires pioneering technologies to meet heightened guest demands, creating a sense of uncertainty with each and every project. After all, we live by Arthur C. Clarke’s oft-repeated tenet: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
And that’s why in spite of all the above realities of our work, I have come to adore the Thea Classic Award as one of my favorite categories of the TEA Thea Awards. When one strips away a sense of nostalgia for the attractions this award honors, the category can be an excellent reminder to the entire industry that well-made, engrossing experiences transcend the novelty of yesterday’s cutting-edge technology. Like all attractions, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man leveraged incredible technology for its time. (In fact, the creators have told many stories over the past years of the immense and unforeseen challenges while developing and building this guest favorite.) Yet, even after decades of new technological upheavals, the attraction remains a staple of Universal Islands of Adventure due to its central design focused first and foremost on the holistic guest experience rather than any one part or new-fangled feature.
The technology and construction of our industry’s greatest attractions support an overall visceral and engaging experience that never tires of itself. The experiences we make – no matter our role – have the potential to endure long past the initial “fad” phase and linger in the hearts of guests and our fellow (and future) creators. It’s this universal rule that should always guide our work and creations, whether or not we’re using the latest technology or relying on centuries-old tricks. (I’m looking at you, Pepper’s ghost.)
And that is something that – I dearly hope – never changes.
