Bart Kresa is an award-winning Master Projection Designer, with over 25 years of industry experience.

He is the founder of BARTKRESA studio and Bart and his team create unparalleled projection mapping experiences around the world. The firm has won numerous awards, including AV magazine, Biz Bash, IAAPA, and the Themed Entertainment Association.

Amanda Mayne is International Engagement Manager at the British Museum, in Bloomsbury, London. She is responsible for touring exhibitions , bringing the museum’s vast collection to audiences across the world.

With over 8 million objects , the museum has a wide-ranging programme of travelling exhibitions, with up to 14 openings a year. Exhibitions have included Egyptian mummies, Rome: city and empire; Italian Renaissance drawings; Ancient Greeks; an age of luxury: the Assyrians to Alexander, and Goddess, celebrating the power and diversity of the divine female in belief through the ages.

Mayne joined the British Museum in 2007 from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. She  has been an elected board member of the International Committee of Exhibition Exchange (ICEE) since 2016.

Mat Way is Global Director, Live Entertainment, Gaming & Interactive at the BBC in London.

He is a highly experienced media executive with extensive experience in the commercial, strategic, and creative development of Location Based Entertainment and Live Shows. He has a proven background working with major IPs and leading live event business development and execution in key markets including Asia, Europe, and North America. His role also includes managing the BBC’s Gaming and Interactive businesses.

Brandon Helgeson is Director, Digital Experience & Product Development at Universal Parks & Resorts. He is currently based in Japan.

He has been with Universal for over 14 years. Having started his career as an usher at the Blue Man Theater, he has since been involved in Entrance Operations, then as a Business Analyst and finally to working in Digital Experience & Product Development, where he is now the Director. Brandon leads a group of product managers responsible for an eCommerce platform, a Guest Experience Management System (GEMS), the admission ticketing system and the Hotel Experience Integration & Central Reservation System (CRS).

Paul Moreton is the Group Creative Director for Merlin Entertainments. Merlin is Europe’s number one and the World’s second-largest visitor attraction operator.

He runs the ‘Creating the Magic’ department of Merlin Magic Making (MMM): the creative, delivery and production arm of Merlin Entertainments.

Paul and his team create new attractions across Merlin’s entire estate. Working closely with colleagues in MMM and the Operating Groups, these new concepts are then bought to life in a range of stunning attractions, rides and experiences.

He also oversees the Research & Development and New Brands team focusing on new format development, as well as the Intellectual Property division of the business.

His remit includes the creative development of all new LEGOLAND Resorts including the recently opened LEGOLAND New York Resort, plus the development of all new LEGOLAND Discovery Centres.

In addition, Paul’s team develop all new rides, attractions and accommodation at Alton Towers, Gardaland, Chessington World of Adventures, Thorpe Park and Heide Park Resorts.

Paul has been in his current role for 10 years. Previously he spent almost a decade in the television industry in the UK. His earlier career was in marketing, in a variety of roles in the UK and US including launching the iconic London Eye and as Marketing Director for Madame Tussuads.

Jenefer Brown is executive vice president and head of global live, interactive and location-based entertainment at Lionsgate.

After the launch of Lionsgate Entertainment World in 2019 in China, Brown and her team opened more themed entertainment experiences featuring the studio’s intellectual property. There are plans to roll out the Lionsgate Entertainment World format to other territories around the world.

What sets Lionsgate apart from other IP providers in the attractions industry is its focus on largely adult-led licensed properties. One of its key film franchises is The Hunger Games, as featured within the Lionsgate-themed land at Motiongate movie park in Dubai. Meanwhile, at Thorpe Park near London and in Las Vegas, horror fans can enjoy The Walking Dead and SAW-themed rides and experiences. In 2021, a new Blair Witch-themed escape room opened in Las Vegas.

Brown has been named in the blooloop Theme Park Influencer list on three occasions.

For over 30 years, Sarah Sutton has led the US museum sector in sustainability and climate action. She is CEO of Environment and Culture Partners, a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening and broadening the environmental leadership of the cultural sector. She co-founded the company in 2021 with Stephanie Shapiro.

She is the co-author of “The Green Museum: A Primer on Environmental Practice”, published in 2008, and was also a founding board member of AAM’s Professional Network dedicated to sustainability.

Sutton was recognised with the AAM Environment and Climate Network’s first Individual Impact Award in 2019. She was the plenary speaker for the International Council of Museums and represented the US Cultural Sector’s climate work at COP25. Sutton was one of 100 global representatives invited to advise ICOMOS-IPCC-UNESCO on the role of cultural heritage in IPCC Assessments, and also represented the US cultural sector at COP26.

She was voted into the Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer list for 2022.

Brent Bushnell is the Chairman and co-founder of Two Bit Circus, a Los Angeles-based experiential entertainment company.

The interdisciplinary team strives to create immersive, social fun and is opening the first network of micro-amusement parks featuring free-roaming VR, robot bartenders, an interactive supper club and more. Previously they launched STEAM Carnival, a traveling showcase of high-tech entertainment and student STEAM workshops.

They’ve captured action sports content in 360 video for brands like the NFL, NBA, Indy and the Olympics for use in VR activations at the Super Bowl, All Star games and in retail. The company regularly serves as immersive entertainment partners for brands and location-based facilities.

Previously, Brent was the on-camera inventor for the ABC TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

He was a founding member of Syyn Labs, a creative collective creating stunts for brands like Google and Disney and helped OK Go build the Rube Goldberg machine for their viral This Too Shall Pass music video that garnered 50+ million views on YouTube. Brent is board president of the Two Bit Circus Foundation, a 501(c)(3), that deploys STEAM-based programs to inspire students about invention and operates annual STEAM Carnivals bringing the excitement of STEM & STEAM to communities around the world.

He’s a Sir Edmund Hillary Fellow and enjoys mentoring teens in entrepreneurship via programs such as NFTE. He’s a supporter of Clowns Without Borders and publishes on Twitter @brentbushnell.

Helen Lockhart is the Communications & Sustainability Manager at Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa. She is interested in behaviour change, connecting people with nature, joining the dots so that people can see how everything is interconnected and that every action has a consequence for the natural world.
Helen has worked in communications, marketing, conservation and sustainability for 25 years.
She likes to use storytelling, photography and poetry to inspire and create an emotional connection to nature.

Blooloop Museum Influencer Ike Kwon is the COO at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. He is in charge of infrastructure, guest and building operations.

He has been with the California Academy of Sciences since 2008, initially taking on the position of director of guest services for the opening team. In this role, he played a key role in leading the museum’s public-facing operation as the Golden Gate Park facility reopened following a five year, $485million build of the LEED double Platinum facility.

Following this, he was promoted to director of guest operations in 2010 and to the role of general manager in 2012. He has served as the museum’s chief operating officer since 2015, taking on the additional role of head of government affairs in 2018. This means he now also works to secure city funds and to boost the institution’s influence in public policy matters related to organizational priorities.

Before joining the popular science museum, he worked for the Museum of Science Industry in Chicago and at the Walt Disney Company.

The California Academy of Sciences is home to a rainforest, a planetarium, an aquarium and a natural history museum all under a unique Living Roof and is one of the greenest museums on the planet. In 2021, blooloop named the institution in its list of the world’s most sustainable museums, and Kwon also spoke at the inaugural greenloop conference, addressing a session on museum sustainability strategies, successes, and challenges.

The Living Roof is also surrounded by solar panels. It catches excess stormwater, provides insulation to reduce energy consumption and transforms carbon dioxide into oxygen. It is home to around 1.7 million plants, which also makes it a haven for birds, insects and more. The museum building, designed by Renzo Piano, has many different sustainable features and is filled with natural light. It hosts around 40,000 living animals like penguins, stingrays, and octopuses.

Linda Spurdle is the Head of Digital at Birmingham Museums Trust and a Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer. At the Trust she manages digital strategy, digital engagement and ICT. She is committed to increasing access to its collections and images.

She was behind Birmingham Museum’s first open-access policy. This made it the only museum in the UK that made all of its out-of-copyright artworks available for free under a Creative Commons Zero License.

This resulted in thousands of images being viewed millions or times and downloaded in the hundreds of thousands, a development that was especially important during lockdown.

As a result, the museum has been more digitally engaged than ever. Despite the pandemic, new projects have focused on community, well being and creativity.

Spurdle has always championed new and creative new ways for visitors to engage with the museum. To this end she has recently  run a series of hacks and workshops.

Alan Mahony is an award winning attractions professional and a blooloop 50 Theme Park Influencer.

He has been a specialist in the design, management and opening of numerous world class theme and water parks since the mid 1980’s.

Alan began his career with the Warner Village Theme Park Group in Australia where he held senior positions at Wet ‘n’ Wild Waterworld, Warner Bros. Movie World and Seaworld. For 16 years he was based in Asia, where he worked on numerous successful, and award winning waterparks. Alan’s projects include Ramayana Water Park, Thailand; Beijing Watercube Waterpark, China; Chimelong Water Park, China; The Carnival, Malaysia; Sunway Lagoon, Malaysia; Blue Lagoon, Taiwan; Saigon Water Park, Vietnam and Big Hippo Water World, China.

Alan is currently in Saudi, working on the ambitious projects planned by Saudi Entertainment ventures (SEVEN), which is investing over SAR 50 billion ($13 billion) in the development of 21 entertainment destinations across 14 cities in the kingdom.

Chad Kunimoto is the global business development manager, Immersive Experiences & Themed Entertainment, for Panasonic Connect.

She has over 15 years of global marketing and business development experience, especially with professional audio-visual technology for the themed entertainment industry. With her expertise and insights into trends in this immersive entertainment area, some of her experiences include working together with key partners to create memorable new experiences for guests around the world through Panasonic’s cutting-edge technologies.

Steve Alcorn is an entrepreneur, engineer, inventor, author, and teacher. In 1982 he joined Walt Disney Imagineering, where he helped design the electronic systems for Epcot Center. After opening he was appointed as Imagineering’s first Systems Engineer.

In 1986 he founded Alcorn McBride Inc. The company’s show control, audio, and video playback products are the park-wide standard throughout most of the world’s theme parks.

Mr. Alcorn is also a USA Today Best-Selling author who has written a dozen fiction and non-fiction books, including the Epcot history Building a Better Mouse: The Story of the Electronic Imagineers Who Designed Epcot, and Theme Park Design: Behind the Scenes with an Engineer.

Chris Lange is the founder and creative force behind Creative Studio Berlin. As a Blooloop 50 Theme Park Influencer and award-winning Creative Executive, he has over twenty years experience in the themed entertainment industry.

He is proud of the many unique and exciting visitor experiences he has created for audiences of all ages around the world.

Throughout his career, Chris has led international design and installation teams across the globe.

As a former Creative Executive at Europa-Park, Chris introduced a new era of storytelling and show quality to the park. Chris was responsible for all new stories, designs, and implementation of over 30 projects, including the highly themed “Rulantica” water park and “Kronasar” hotel. Before working for Europe‘s second-largest resort, Chris worked internationally on projects like 20th Century Fox World Malaysia, Adlab‘s Imagica Mumbai, LEGOLAND California, and midway brands such as SEA-LFE aquariums, the Dungeons or LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
Currently, Chris is working as an independent Creative Executive globally on various Local Based Entertainment and Resort Development projects.
Chris is also a regular guest speaker on expert panels at industry events like TEA SATE, or IAAPA. He proudly serves the Themed Entertainment Association on the board of directors in the EME division.

As VP of Nickelodeon Experiences Asia, Evi leads the development of real-world experiences for ViacomCBS International, in one of the most exciting markets for location-based entertainment.

Before joining ViacomCBS, Evi was senior Creative Director for Thinkwell Asia, delivering heritage attractions, theme parks and resorts for clients such as Lionsgate, Cartoon Network, BAIC Ferrari World China, Geely Volvo Automotive, MGM China and China Merchants Group.

Trained as an architect, Evi has 15 years of experience in leading multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural creative processes. She was head of Tim Yip Studio, the Oscar-winning creative team behind “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” directed by Ang Lee. At Tim Yip Studio, she worked on diverse projects inspired by “New Orientalism”, a design language both cutting edge and traditionally Chinese, ranging from “Red Cliff, a Chinese blockbuster directed by John Woo, the Netflix series “Marco Polo”, water show spectacular “The Han Show” directed by Franco Dragone, to an avant-garde art installation for the “China Festival” at the Kennedy Center.

Built on a lifetime of personal experience, Evi is passionate about building cultural bridges, and promoting diversity in the LBE industry, with an Asia perspective.

Eleanor Harris is the Director of  I-Xperience, a visitor attraction marketing and business consultancy working with museum, cultural and  leisure attractions businesses. It helps its clients to become more profitable, develop new income streams and to attract more visitors.

With extensive experience working with major attractions, from London Zoo to Royal Museums Greenwich, Eleanor is also a Director of British Airways i360, Brighton’s most visited paid-for attraction and was CEO during its opening (2014-2016).

Steve Tatham is executive creative director for Universal Creative in Orlando.

He started his theme park career at Walt Disney Imagineering immediately after graduating with a masters of Architecture from UCLA.

He was at Disney for 28 years in the roles of show designer, show writer, copywriter, manager of advanced projects, senior manager of connected experiences, and principal at Walt Disney Imagineering R&D.

In 2014, Tatham was approached to lead a team for Universal Studios Japan. He then spent four productive years in Japan before taking up a role leading the development of new projects for Universal in Orlando.

Winston Fisher is the chief executive officer of AREA15, a collaborative venture between real estate development firm Fisher Brothers and creative agency Beneville Studios.

AREA15 was launched in September 2020.

AREA15 is an experiential art and entertainment complex in Las Vegas, home to immersive activations, art installations, state-of-the-art technology, retail and F&B. Experiences include a permanent gallery that showcases artwork inspired by festivals, an ever-changing Japanese maple tree and canopy with more than 5,000 LED lights, and an interactive giant skull covered in 3D projection mapping. It’s also home to Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart.

“It’s a cool space; it’s entertainment, it’s amusement,” Fisher said. “We are a storytelling company. It’s a word that you hear a lot, though only a few people actually do it with authenticity.”

Fisher was a judge for the inaugural blooloop Innovation Awards in 2021 and joined the panel of judges again in 2022. Speaking about the awards, he said:

“This collaboration is rooted in a shared philosophy; to celebrate the projects shaping the future of visitor attractions and immersive experiences.”

Fisher has been in the blooloop Theme Park Influencer list for 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Mary Coriano is the Head of Products and Corporate Portfolio at Merlin Entertainments, the world’s second biggest operator of visitor attractions and the biggest in Europe.

She is a Business Transformation and Digital Supply Chain Professional with a proven track record of delivering major change programmes globally.

David Rosenberg is VP, Guest Experience at Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. His responsibilities include  daily operations, public and fee based programming, volunteer docent programs and interpretive training. He is also is chairman of the aquarium’s Visitor Experience Steering Committee.

David was Chairman of the Board for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) 2018 to 19 and is award winning community leader, keynote speaker and a passionate contributor to the global visitor attractions industry.

His special expertise is in creating  unique and memorable guest experiences for visitors to attractions, hotels, museums and other large scale facilities.

Just East is the Global Senior Creative Director, Research and Development at Merlin Entertainments, the world’s second biggest attractions operator and the biggest in Europe.

An award-winning professional and Blooloop 50 Theme Park Influencer, he has substantial experience directing strategic planning and creative design for high-growth corporations. He works globally across all Merlin’s attractions, ranging from LEGOLAND to Madame Tussauds.

Justin has held his current role since 2012. Before this, he served as group creative director at Merlin from 2007 – 2012 and spent over a decade at the LEGO Group, where his last role was as group creative director of LEGOLAND’s global family attractions in 2005.

East has been behind a raft of new product developments. These include the LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, a rollercoaster bearing Derren’s Brown’s name at Thorpe Park, the relaunch of The London Dungeon, and the redesign of Cadbury World. He has extensive knowledge and experience in bringing new technology, such as VR and robotics, into attractions.

In 2022, Merlin R&D and blooloop joined forces to hold a first-of-its-kind one-day online event, brainstorming the evolution of dark rides and inviting ideas from the next generation of innovators.

Vince Kadlubek co-founded Meow Wolf, an arts complex that captured the public’s imagination so much that it became a profitable business. Meow Wolf’s latest permanent exhibition, Convergence Station, launched in Denver in 2021. The psychedelic attraction follows the House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe and Omega Mart at AREA15 in Las Vegas.

Non-linear storytelling is key to the experience at this award-winning attraction, which also stages after hours concerts, parties and events. Meow Wolf has been described has an innovative take on an amusement park funhouse.

Meow Wolf is also heading to Texas, with two new permanent installations opening in a shopping mall in Grapevine and the Fifth Ward of Houston in 2023 and 2024.

Rachel Kuhn is an Associate Director at BOP Consulting. The firm is a research and consulting practice with expertise in the cultural sector.

Rachel has  extensive experience in planning and opening exciting cultural venues and destinations. Leading much of BOP’s Master Planning work, she helps the firm’s clients to realise new programmes, capital projects and shape destinations.

Specialisms include strategic, business, commercial and operational planning. An expert on visitor experience and operations in museums, galleries, and visitors attractions.

Proud trustee of Kids in Museums.

Ben Thompson has  over 20 years experience in marketing and strategy roles in the themed entertainment and theme park industry.

He spent five years at Walt Disney where his most recent role was as Marketing Director EMEA in Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. In this role he was responsible for EMEA-wide marketing programs on major film franchises including Star Wars Episode VII, Frozen, Cars 2, Brave and several MCU releases.

Between 2015 and 2018 Ben was Global Marketing Director for Merlin Entertainments. He had responsibility for the openings of 4 LEGOLAND theme parks and 40 Midway sites.

In 2018 Ben founded 9 Degrees West, a strategy consultancy for the experience economy, specialising in theme parks, visitor attractions and brand homes.  Ben’s consultancy work included global children’s edutainment brand KidZania, Europa Park, the Cataratas Group (the largest park operator in South America), M&Ms World, and Tony’s Chocolonely.

Ben joined Storyland Studios as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Clients in July 2020. Ben runs the Storyland international office and is a member of the Storyland executive board. He is highly active in developing new theme parks and attraction concepts, including the recently announced partnership with the global gaming giant Ubisoft.

James Dwyer is Design Director at Lumsden, an award-winning design firm specialising in creating unique retail environments for museums, galleries and visitor attractions worldwide.

With Lumsden for twelve years, James and his team work with major global brands, world leading museums and cultural attractions. Clients include the V&A, TATE, Warner Bros. and M+ Hong Kong.

Lumsden recently completed work on The Burrell Collection‘s  retail environment as part of a major refurbishment project.

Choni Fernandez Veciana is the director of central services and sustainability at PortAventura, the first carbon neutral theme park in the world. She joined the company in 2007 and is a key player in PortAventura’s efforts to minimise its environmental footprint.

In 2020, PortAventura World became the first carbon-neutral theme park. The attraction will now offset 100 percent of the direct emissions generated. Its programmes include a large solar energy plant, plastic elimination targets and the first carbon-neutral hotel, Colorado Creek.

“The carbon-neutral resort project is integrated into the global corporate responsibility strategy that guides the company’s decision-making to continue being a benchmark in sustainable tourism,” Fernandez Veciana said. “Our strategic approach also demands that we integrate compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), defined in the 2030 Agenda, into our management in order to continue generating value.”

She is not content just to rest at carbon neutral, however. Speaking at greenloop 2022, Fernandez Veciana outlined the next steps in decarbonisation for one of the most sustainable theme parks & resorts in the world and explained how and why PortAventura is adopting Science Based Targets.

Fernandez Veciana was in the blooloop Theme Park Influencer lists for both 2021 and 2022.