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Chimelong’s Mr. Su, Liseberg park, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi headline new slate of TEA Thea Award recipients announced Nov 14, 2023

By Judith Rubin

November 14, 2023

SeaWorld-Abu-Dhabi-Arabian-Gulf-scaled — SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, Thea Award Recipient for Outstanding Achievement, Indoor Marine Park. Courtesy Miral.

BREAKING – The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) announced the new slate of Thea Award recipients at its annual International Mixer Nov 14, held at Discovery Cove during the 2023 IAAPA Expo in Orlando. The prestigious Thea Awards are regarded as the highest honors in the attractions industry. The year 2024 will mark the 30^th anniversary of the Theas, which began in 1994 with a single award, honoring Harrison “Buzz” Price for lifetime achievement (the late Price was a pioneer in the field of entertainment feasibility). The new slate of recipients will be officially awarded at the annual Thea Awards Gala on March 16, 2024 at Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. The elegant, black-tie Thea Awards Gala is preceded by TEA’s annual, two-day INSPIRE conference, March 14-15, in the same location. More info: www.teaconnect.org.

Related: The TEA Recipe for success, by Martin Palicki, June 2023

TEA President Melissa Oviedo announces the newest group of TEA Thea Award recipients. Photo courtesy Alicia Stella, orlandoparkstop.com

The crowd awaits the announcement of the Thea Award recipients. Courtesy Alicia Stella, orlandoparkstop.com

Clara Rice of Adirondack Studios and Steve Birket of Birket Engineering at the Thea Awards announcement. Photo courtesy Steve Birket.

TEA Past President Christine Kerr of Kerr Creative Company, TEA International Board President-Elect Matt Barton of 7thSense, Ifat Caspi of P&P Projects and Evi Sari of WildBrain CPLG. Photo courtesy Steve Birket.

A congratulatory photo (taken at the Nov 14 announcement of the new Thea Awards slate) in honor of Chimelong founder Mr. Su, who has been named to receive Thea lifetime honors. L to R: Rebecca Chen (Chimelong Group), Lindsey Nelson (TEA Executive Director), Tony Sze (General Manager, Chimelong Group), TEA Past President Chuck Fawcett (Allureum), Chris Ho (Executive Creative Officer, Chimelong Group), TEA International Board President Melissa Oviedo (The Companies of Nassal), TEA Past President Steve Birket (Birket Engineering). Courtesy TEA.

30th annual TEA Thea Awards recipients

Thea Classic Award

Liseberg – Göteborg, Sweden

Courtesy Liseberg

Buzz Price Thea Award Recognizing a Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements

Su Zhigang (Mr. Su), Chairman and Founder, Chimelong Group

Mr. Su, founder, Chimelong Group, helps kick off the Thea Awards Gala in 2018 in a toast with former TEA COO Jennie Nevin. Courtesy TEA.

Thea Catalyst Award

Paul C. Hutton, Sustainability Officer, Cuningham Group

Courtesy Cuningham Group.

Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, Yas Island (Indoor Marine Park) InPark’s extensive SeaWorld Abu Dhabi coverage

Photo by Joe Kleiman for InPark Magazine.

Bermuda Storm, Chimelong Spaceship, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China (Attraction)

Courtesy Chimelong Group.

Musikkfabrikken “The Music Factory” – Hunderfossen Eventyrpark, Lillehammer, NORWAY (Attraction, Limited Budget) VIDEO

Courtesy FilmFreeway.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – EPCOT, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA (Attraction)

Courtesy Walt Disney World. Photo by Kent Phillips.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street – Edinburgh, Scotland (Brand Experience) VIDEO

Courtesy Diageo Brands.

Disney Encanto x CAMP – New York City, New York, USA (Retail Experience, Limited Budget) VIDEO

Courtesy CAMP.

Geneva Journey – Geneva, Switzerland (Live Spectacular) VIDEO

Courtesy Groupe F.

The Titanic Experience Reimagined – Belfast, Northern Ireland (Visitor Center Re-envisioned, Limited Budget) VIDEO

Courtesy Titanic Belfast.

“Aura: The Forest at the Edge of the Sky” Atrium of Haikou International Duty-Free Shopping Complex Haikou, China (Immersive Mall Experience) VIDEO

Courtesy Weta Workshop.

Peaky Blinders – The Rise, The Camden Garrison, Stables Market, London UK (Live Interactive Experience) VIDEO

Photo by Mark Senior.

Deutschlandmuseum Berlin, Germany (Museum Attraction, Limited Budget)

Courtesy Creative Studio Berlin.

“Le Mime et L’Étoile” Puy du Fou, Les Epesses, France (Live Show) VIDEO

Courtesy Puy du Fou.

COLORED an augmented reality experience – Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France (Extended Reality Exhibit) VIDEO

Courtesy Centre Georges Pompidou.

Eatrenalin – Europa-Park, Germany (Experiential Dining Attraction) VIDEO

Courtesy Europa-Park.

Peter Chernack Distinguished Service Award

David Green and Lisa Passamonte Green, Visual Terrain

David and Lisa (center), surrounded by the Visual Terrain team. Courtesy Visual Terrain.

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Judith Rubin ([email protected]) is a leading journalist, content marketing specialist and connector in the international attractions industry. She reports on design and technical design, production and project management, industry trends and company culture. From 2005-2020 she ran communications and publications for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2013, she was honored with the TEA Service Award. She was development director of IMERSA and publicist for the Large Format Cinema Association, and has contributed to the publications of PLASA, IAAPA and the International Planetarium Society. Judith joined World’s Fair magazine in 1987, which introduced her to the attractions industry. She joined InPark in 2010. Judith earned a BFA from Pratt Institute. She has lived in Detroit, New York, Oakland, and now Saint Louis, where she is active in the local arts community.

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