15 Nov 2016
IAAPA 2016: Shanghai Disney wins big in Thea awards, with Peter Chernack receiving posthumous honour
BY Alice Davis
The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) announced the winners of its annual Thea awards at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday, with Shanghai Disney Resort sweeping several of the prizes.
The mega-resort, which opened in June this year, was the recipient of three Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement, for the Shanghai Disneyland theme park, and for the Camp Discovery and Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure attractions at Shanghai Disneyland.
Meanwhile, Peter Chernack of the Chernack Group, who passed away in April this year, received a posthumous Distinguished Service Award.
The Buzz Price Thea Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement, went to Jeremy Railton, founder of Entertainment Design Corporation.
“As the TEA heads into its 25th anniversary year, our annual Thea Awards reflect an industry that is increasingly global and technically sophisticated,” said TEA president Steve Birket.
“Entertainment is ever more immersive and interactive and audience place ever more value on storytelling and the quality of the guest experience. Themed entertainment is and will always be on the cutting edge, because it simply must – that’s what brings people back year after year. We invite the community to become familiar with the new slate of Thea Awards recipients - because they represent the very best our industry has to offer - and to celebrate with us at the Gala in Anaheim next spring.”
The other Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement went to WhiteWater’s Slideboarding (Technology on a Limited Budget); Mack Rides’ Suspended Power Coaster (Innovative Ride System); 5D Castle Theatre, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom (Attraction); Décrocher la Lune, La Louviere, Belgium (Live Event Spectacular on a Limited Budget); Ghost Post, Disneyland Parks & Resorts (Connected Immersion on a Limited Budget); House of Eternal Return by Meow Wolf, Santa Fe, New Mexico (Connected Immersion on a Limited Budget); Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience, the Van Gogh Museum (Immersive Museum Exhibit: Touring; Springfield USA, Universal Studios Hollywood (Themed Food & Beverage Experience); Transformations, Museum of Latin American Art, California (Museum Exhibit on a Limited Budget); Senate Immersion Module, Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate, Boston, Massachusetts (Connected Immersion in Education); Le Dernier Panache, Puy du Fou, Les Epesses, France (Live Show); Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims, Les Trois-Moutiers, France (Eco-Friendly Destination).
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