SATE The Masses

By Michael - June 28th, 2010

A little something for those industry folks out there…

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) announced last week that its annual SATE conference will be held September 30th through October 1st at the Universal Orlando resort in Florida. The two-day conference will focus on the theme “Telling the Inherited Story,” with contributions from several prominent design groups in the theme park and museum industry.

The preliminary slate of speakers includes a team from Universal Studios, who will discuss the newly-opened Wizarding World of Harry Potter at their Islands of Adventure park. The designers will take conference-goers through their creative process, as they tried to retain the integrity of the stories from the books as they were translated into an immersive, interactive environment.

Disney will also be on hand; the Imagineers’ presentation is entitled “Keeping the Magic Fresh: Evolving the Legacy.”

Art for “Beyond All Boundaries”

Two museums are also scheduled to discuss their own new projects. The Hettema Group will talk about their creation of a new attraction for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans; Beyond All Boundaries, an award-winning “4-D” theatrical multimedia experience, has raised museum attendance to record levels.

From the Fort World Museum of Science and History, Van Romans and Chick Russell will be on hand to discuss that facility’s successful expansion, upgrade, and “re-imagineering.”

The SATE conference, which stands for “Storytelling, Architecture, Technology, Experience”, has been held annually since 2007 by the Themed Entertainment Association. This nonprofit industry group represents creative professionals in a variety of disciplines, and the annual conference is intended to bring these professionals together from all corners of the industry and all manner and scope of attractions. It serves as both an opportunity to network with other creative professionals, and to share and explore new ideas.

Registration for SATE 2010 is currently underway; interested parties can find out more via TEA’s website.