November 15, 2022 — The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) today announced its 29th annual Thea Award recipients in front of an international crowd at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando.
The prestigious TEA Thea Award is considered one of the greatest honors in the themed experience industry. The Thea Awards honor individuals, projects, and technologies in the arena of themed attractions and experiences worldwide. This year, 20 recipients were recognized for their innovative work.
“We are thrilled to announce this slate of amazing individuals, attractions, and experiences as this year’s Thea Award recipients. We look forward to celebrating them – and joining together as an international community – next April for the Annual Thea Awards Gala,” said TEA International Board President Chuck Fawcett.
The Thea Awards were founded in 1994 and have since celebrated hundreds of people and companies for remarkable achievements and contributions to the themed entertainment industry. Honorees and their teams share expertise in storytelling, design, economics, logistics, architecture, construction, manufacturing, and more.
This year’s Thea Award Recipients include:
Buzz Price Award (recognizing a lifetime of distinguished achievements):
- Roland Mack, Founder and Managing Partner, Europa-Park
Catalyst Award (recognizing individual contributions to the advancement of the industry):
- Susana Tubert, Creative Director, Disney Live Entertainment, Disneyland Parks & Resorts, The Walt Disney Company.
- Chevy Humphrey, President & CEO, Museum of Science & Industry – Chicago, and Board Chair of the American Alliance of Museums.
Classic Award (celebrating a guest experience that has stood the test of time):
- Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade, Anaheim, CA – USA
Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement:
Note: A credits list for each Award for Outstanding Achievement will be published in the official Thea Awards program.
- Attraction: Chasseurs de Tornades, Futuroscope, France
- Attraction: Jurassic World Adventure, Universal Studios Beijing, Beijing, China
- Attraction Limited Budget: Underlandet, Liseberg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Connected Immersion: ‘JUMP’ by Limitless Flight, Bluffdale, Utah, USA
- Immersive Dining Experience Limited Budget: Absurdities Vol. 1, Andsoforth, Singapore
- Immersive Live Experience: Particle Ink: Speed of Dark, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
- Live Event: How to Train Your Dragon: Untrainable, Universal Studios Beijing, Beijing, China
- Science Center: Shanghai Astronomy Museum, Shanghai, China
- Museum Limited Budget: The Irish Racehorse Experience, Irish National Stud & Gardens Co.; Kildare, Ireland
- Historical Experience Limited Budget: QUAKE, Lisbon Earthquake Center, Lisbon, Portugal
- Brand Experience: Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, USA
- Theme Park: Universal Studios Beijing, Beijing, China
- Technology: Beaudry Interactive, Los Angeles, California, USA
TEA also announced its most prestigious award presented to volunteers of the association. These recipients will also be recognized at the Thea Gala
Peter Chernack Distinguished Service Award:
- Kevin Murphy, for his many years of service and support of the TEA, our EME Division and our global members.
- Peter Weishar, for his exceptional promotion of our themed entertainment industry through education, program development and support of our TEA NextGen members.
“Our field is constantly changing. Honoring these recipients from around the world highlights their success in bringing forth highly engaging, out of the home visitor attractions and experiences in the leisure and travel sectors. They are everything from problem solvers to specialists that create what our imaginations can only dream of and bring it all to fruition,” Fri Forjindam, Thea Committee Chair. She continued, “We invite the industry to join us for our big weekend next April at the Disneyland Resort to formally award these leaders in our field at the TEA Annual Thea Awards Gala, presented by Chimelong”
TEA’s Annual Thea Awards Gala will take place April 15, 2023, at 5:00 PM at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, USA. Tickets to the Gala and the TEA Annual Summit will be available on the TEA website, TEAconnect.org in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned to TEA’s social media channels: Facebook, Twitter,Instagram,LinkedIn and Youtube over the next several months leading up to the Awards Gala as more is revealed about behind-the-scenes. experiences of the 2022 Thea Award honorees. Join the conversation and learn more about honorees and the upcoming Thea Awards in April 2023 by following and using the hashtag #TheaAwards.
