Presentations on future leisure attractions projects from Abu Dhabi, China, Hong Kong, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. Presentations on "future proofing" leisure attractions by the use of appropriate technologies; understanding current & future visitors; a practical guide to sustainability; how to engage visitors and make them want more; design that stands the test of time; and predicting what will work in leisure attractions.

PROGRAMME:

0845  Registration & coffee

0915  Welcome
Richard Curtis, Managing Director, TiLE - Andrich International Ltd

Planning for and Designing Future Attractions
Session Chairman: Angela Wright, Managing Director, Crealy Adventure Park 

0930  Creating Experiences for the next generation of visitors - The Millennials
Rosalind Johnson, European Director, A Different View
Creating visitor experiences that stand the test of time means getting close to our audiences and understanding what makes them tick.  Using instinct alone just won't cut it anymore. We need facts and figures on an ongoing basis to track what's a trend and what's a fad.  So come and hear about one of the most important generations since the boomers - Millennials. Also referred to as Gen Y, Millennials are a complex, engaging and critical audience to 'get'.  Born between 1980 and 2000 they're simply a big proportion of who's at your front gate and for that matter who you are employing.  Using case studies, this session will be a high energy, straight talking look at them to help you understand how best to engage them and with what type of experiences.
Rosalind Johnson is the European Director of consulting firm A Different View and experience market research specialists Vivid View.  The Companies advise for-profit visitor attractions and non-profit cultural organisations on most aspects of business and engagement. Visitor experience, defining, implementing and evaluating is at the heart of what they do. Clients tend to come to them for research, knowledge and planning. With a portfolio balanced between the for-profit and non-profit sectors, A Different View are often commissioned because of their cross sector experience. Rosalind speaks regularly and throughout the world on consumer trends, visitor experience and engagement.  She specializes in strategic planning, creating brand-centric organisations, visitor experience and engagement strategy.  Clients range from The American Museum of Natural History to Arts Council England to The Royal Society For The Protection of Birds (RSPB) who operate over 200 reserves in the UK.  In 2010 they will be conducting a major piece of research into the motivations and behaviours of The Millennials across both the USA and UK.

0955  Audience development is not rocket science, so why is it so hard to get right?
Susie Fisher, Susie Fisher Consultants
Susie Fisher argues that audience development depends on audience engagement.  Drawing on projects conducted for the ASPIRE Academy in Qatar and the London Transport Museum, where  this seminar takes place, Susie discusses why some visitor attractions engage over the long haul and others don’t make it to first base. She asks the question ‘Who is responsible for seeing that the visitor’s needs make it through to the final installation?’ And if that person should turn out to be you, she offers a useful checklist of questions to apply to your own project to make sure it stays on track. Even though audience development is not rocket science, it can be elusive and hard to get right. This presentation gives you a good way in.
Susie Fisher runs her own consultancy, specialising in audience research for Museums, Galleries and Heritage sites. A psychologist by training, she holds degrees from Oxford and Harvard and is a founder member of the UK Visitor Studies Group. Typical clients include the Science Museum, the National Media Museum, the V&A, Kings Place, English Heritage and the British Library. And typical questions include; Who comes to our Museum and why? What are the barriers which stop people visiting? How is our programme performing in practice and what can we do to improve it? How should we develop this concept to appeal to visitors? Susie is interested in how audiences create their own meaning from  collections and events. Her expertise lies in qualitative research and interpreting what audiences have to say.

1020  Designing for the past and the future - exhibitions that draw visitors
Steve Simons, Owner & Executive Creative Director, Event Communications
The challenge of designing exhibitions that can stay fresh and current for many years, is not a new one. The designers task is to take collections and storylines, and bring them to life whatever the subject and the audience. Design includes dealing with the flow of visitors from space to space, allowing visitors to be absorbed yet comfortable to discover at their own pace. Space and layout can be used to deliver aesthetic sensibility and to inspire the imagination, and a well balanced design and careful use of appropriate technologies can ensure the stories and content excite the chosen audiences for decades. The session will review some of the many attractions that have survived and in many cases thrived over the years, iincluding the Imperial War Museum of the North and Dynamic Earth, with insights on the architectural decisions as well as the interior design. Some projects like the Kuwait Oil Museum and Glasgow Riverside are in production, and will also be explored along with some other projects around the world, looking at some of the issues and techniques that affect design and ultimately the client. Steve will also talk candidly about how technology can be a friend to a designer, but also lead to issues down the line, especially when developing larger scale projects that take years from concept to completion.
Steve Simons formed Event in 1986 and is responsible for the overall quality of creative output. Event are established as a leader in museum and attraction exhibition design, with over 150 projects completed worldwide. Involved directly in all major creative decisions, Steve acts as the catalyst, providing an overview for development and production. He has developed a specialist form of interpretative design that involves disciplines not always associated with mainstream design. These distinctive areas of education, film, television, theatre and artistic intervention form a common theme for creative staff at Event and shape their approach to design problems. Steve's broader background includes his film making with many televised and specialist film productions, creative direction for theatre and opera productions and his role as Creative Director for the Queens Silver Jubilee in Hyde Park.

1045  Break

Project Opportunities 1
Session Chairman: Malcolm Lewis, Creative Director, Media Projects Associates Ltd

1115  Heightened Experience
David Marks, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Marks Barfield 
London Eye architect David Marks will talk about Marks Barfield’s experience conceiving and designing various observation experiences, lessons learnt from more than a decade of involvement with the London Eye, the various attempts by cities and promoters worldwide to replicate it, the challenges and success of the recently completed Treetop Walkway in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and exciting new concepts in production such as the Brighton i360, or still at concept stage and on the drawing board.
David Marks was educated at the International School of Geneva and the Architectural Association in London.  After 7 years at Richard Rogers and Partners he co-founded Marks Barfield Architects with Julia Barfield in 1984.  In 1994 David and Julia founded the London Eye Company in which the roles of architect, client and entrepreneur were skillfully combined.  The London Eye has become the most popular attraction in the UK and is recognised as a new symbol of London and the UK.  In 2000 David was made an MBE in the Queen’s New Years Honours List, and received the Prince Philip Special Commendation for Outstanding Achievement in Design for Business and Society.  In 2001 David was awarded the Faculty of Building Trophy for outstanding work in the field of construction, and Marks Barfield received The Building Architectural Practice of the Year Award.  In 2003 Marks Barfield received the Queens Award for Enterprise (Innovation). In 2007 David was elected a Fellow of the RSA.  In 2009, Marks Barfield received the Sports and Leisure Architect of the Year Award.

1140  Abu Dhabi
Developing Abu Dhabi into a World Class Tourism Destination – A Destination of Distinction
Todd Lauchlan, Head of Strategic Services Team, Real Estate Services, TDIC (Tourism Development & Investment Company), Abu Dhabi
The Abu Dhabi 2030 plan is a key policy document that outlines Abu Dhabi ambitious growth plans over the next two decades and beyond.  The document was formulated in 2006 and outlines the economic sectors that are being focused on to diversify away from the dominant hydrocarbon sector.  With a target of doubling its tourism arrivals from 1.5 million people per annum to 3 million by 2015 Abu Dhabi is aggressively developing itself as a world class tourism destiniation.  The Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) is 100% owned by the Abu Dhabi Toursim Authority and has been has been tasked with developing the tourism infrastructure for the Emirate.  It currently has over 20 billion pounds of projects in the design, construction and operation phase from high end resorts to world class museums such as the Guggeheim and Louvre.  The presentation will provide an overview of the drivers of this strategy and highlight some of TDIC’s most high profile projects and partnerships that are helping it fulfil its vision of becoming a “Destination of Distinction”.
Todd Lauchlan currently heads the Strategic Services team within the Real Estate Services function of TDIC.  His role encompasses responsbility for the Research and Intelligence function within the business along with the development and execution of strategic business opportunities with external investment partners.   Mr Lauchlan has been an expatriate for the past 12 years having previously worked for Jones Lang LaSalle in New Zealand, UK, India and China before moving to Dubai to take up a role in late 2005 with Sama Dubai (a government of Dubai real estate entity) before moving to Abu Dhabi with TDIC 2 years ago.

1205  China
Karen Cheng, Trade & Investment Manager, UKTI, British Embassy, Beijing and Li Wenjun, Vice General Manager, Zhuhai Jiuzhou Tourism Group Co Ltd
Karen Cheng's will review specific opportunities in China, including Hengqin Island - a very large project backed by central government. Hengqin Administrative District has just obtained approval to develop the island in order to boost the Macau, Zhuhai, Pearl River area development - there is a vision to make it a leading recreation and leisure island. It is in the planning stage and is looking for projects and investors. She will also cover China OCT Group's six to seven projects.
Zhuhai Jiuzhou Tourism Group has two projects. Yuanming park regeneration project with a £100M investment to make an attraction centre and a current hotel resort rehabilitation project also with £100M.

1230  Hong Kong
West Kowloon Cultural District
Salina Yan Mei Mei, Deputy Secretary, Home Affairs Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government and Yuen Lup Fun, Performing Arts Advisor, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
The West Kowloon Cultural District is a development project in Hong Kong to boost cultural and entertainment establishments. Located on 40 hectares of waterfront, reclaimed land west of Yau Ma Tei, the district will feature a new modern art museum called M+, fifteen world class performance venues under the management of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. The Authority is directly financed by the government with a one-off funding of HK$21.6Bn for construction and operation. Whilst the early proposal for the project was overturned in 2006 due to doubts on financing models, the project returned to track and public consultation was carried out again to decide what facilities to offer and how would they be managed. Conceptual plans to lay out the facilities are underway and will be available for public scrutiny.  Construction will be carried out in two phases and Phase 1 venues are expected to be in operation by 2015.

1245 France - Universcience
Marie-Sophie Mugica, Head of International Department, Universcience

1250  Lunch

Future Technologies and Sustainable Approaches
Session Chairman: Kevin Murphy, Development Director, Event Communications Ltd 

1400  From giant eyes to tiny guides: Emerging technologies and visitor engagement
Joe Baskerville, Head of New Technology, Cogapp
Museums and visitor attractions have long been among the early adopters of new technology - giving many people their first experience of a touchscreen, a 3D image, a video projection - but the pace of new developments, and visitors' expectations, are accelerating.  Technologies that were once exotic are now in consumer's homes (and pockets).  But the rapid development of new effects has thrown up new ways to engage and excite visitors; and the increasing sophistication of the devices that many visitors will now have in their pockets offers new opportunities to interact.  In this presentation, Joe Baskerville will discuss some recent developments (for clients such as MoMA New York, the Science Museum, Jaguar/Land Rover, Prudential plc) and some of the exciting possibilities he sees on the horizon.
As Cogapp's Head of New Technology, Joe often works on projects that fall outside the domain of traditional web development. An incurable neophile, he experiments with emerging technologies such as multi-touch screens or GPS devices, and is experienced in many programming languages including PHP, AS3, Cocoa, Java, C/C++ and Open GL.  Joe has worked successfully on some of the most challenging and innovative projects Cogapp has seen through in recent times. These include a software and operating system setup for Land Rover utilising GPS technology, and the development of the technical framework and platform for nine synchronized interactive kiosks for the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Joe took a lead role on the Prudential Eye for Prudential plc, being responsible for all the technical architecture and engine building, enabling four projectors to seamlessly merge separate projections into one ultra-widescreen moving image on a large custom built piece of Holopro glass. Joe is most interested currently in the possibilities mobile computing can offer our clients, and is having a lot of fun developing for mobile phones using the iPhone SDK, Android and Qt.

1425  Future proofing your visitor attraction: is technology the answer?
Joe Martin, Technical Designer, KCA
Be it a travelling exhibition, a major attraction, or a local museum, developers and commissioners of visitor experiences are always looking for new and interesting ways to sustain their offer so it remains credible, accessible and truly engaging to its audiences. But is technological innovation really the answer? Joe Martin, Technical Designer at KCA London and constant scourer of emerging interpretative devices, will explore the evidence. Drawing on his firsthand experience of developing interactive experiences for major projects such as the Massar Discovery Centre in Syria and case studies from around the World, Joe will assess the opportunities and limitations of technology to sustain visitor engagement.
Joe Martin directs the development of interactive and interpretative technologies for KCA London's projects. A skilled model maker with a background in the film and special effects industry, Joe worked for many years at the Science Museum, London, where he developed exhibits and technologies for a host of award winning exhibitions and attractions. From Azerbaijan to South Africa, Joe's international experience of delivering impactful visitor experiences is complemented by an in-depth, current knowledge of what existing and emerging technologies can be effectively employed to further connect audience with content.

1450  Practical Sustainability versus "Greenwash"
Blair Parkin, Managing Director, Visual Acuity
Developers, operators, designer and suppliers of public attractions are being deluged with green messages and demands. Much of this could be classified as "Greenwash". This presentation will present a practical guide to sustainability in creating new attractions and operating existing ones. In doing this he intends to give the audience some practical advice, reference points and contacts as well as debunk some of the myths and reduce the danger of the sustainability agenda being reduced to pure marketing "Greenwash".
Blair Parkin has extensive experience of the audio-visual, visualization, presentation and computing market places and works with clients in the leisure industry to define the project objectives, including timescales and digital and new media technology, content and architectural and operational impact. He is highly regarded and has worked on many of the world's most exciting projects including the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the world's largest and first LEED platinum rated building. He regularly chairs seminars and special interest groups on green technology, simulation and visualisation.

1515  Break

Project Opportunities 2
Session Chairman: Lesley Morisetti, Director - Economics, AECOM

1545  Poland
Needs and Opportunities in the Polish Museums' Market
Professor Dorota Folga-Januszewska, Head of Arts, Theory and Modern Museology, Department at the Institute of Art History, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw in co-operation with Pawel Jaskanis, Wojciech Gorczyca and Marek Belczyk
Previously at the National Museum in Warsaw, Professor Folga-Januszewska has recently completed a report on the museums in Poland, which was commissioned by the Polish Ministry of Culture. This report will form the basis of her presentation on the needs of Polish museums and the business opportunities offered.

1610  Saudi Arabia
Review of upcoming projects in Saudi Arabia
Ayesha Haider, UKTI Assistant - Kingdom wide lead, British Embassy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s 2010 budget is the largest in the country’s history (14% more than the 2009 budget) with the Tourism Industry expected to grow 6% per annum until 2013 and the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities (SCTA) formed to implement and monitor tourism projects. King Abdullah’s reign has resulted in significant social changes and business  opportunities for leisure & entertainment in the country – KAUST. After an introduction on doing business in Saudia Arabia, Ayesha Haider will present specific projects that offer opportunties to companies in the experience economy business ie Al–Uqair Tourism Destination, King Abdulaziz Centre for Knowledge & Culture, Al Hail Economic City, Red Sea Tourism Strategy, Jeddah Eye & City Center Development and a government initiative to restore, preserve and promote Saudi & Islamic Heritage.

1635  Taiwan
A New Experience in International Expositions
Sandy Lin, Vice President, Angel Art Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
Angel Art Gallery has been chosen by Taipei City Government to run the Pavilion of Modern Living located inside a park in Taipei City for 9 years. The pavilion will be one of the venues for the upcoming 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo from Nov 2010 to April 2011. The Pavilion of Modern Living has received the diamond level rating from Taiwan’s green building rating/certification system. The new building includes environment-friendly features such as solar panels, permeable bricks, and an energy-efficient radiant cooling air condition system. Focused on the “art of living”, this pavilion presents the many aspects of flowers using audio-visual and other technologies. Angel Art Gallery is seeking for expertise in UK Creative Industries for exhibition consultancy, curators, designers & design products to make the Pavilion of Modern Living the best tourist attraction at the Taipei Expo - and many years to come.

1655  Will it work or wont it? Predicting success or failure for attraction and entertainment offers
Tony Sefton, Founder of Vision XS Ltd
Tony and his colleagues specialise in applying the most technologically advanced techniques to establish how new concepts for the attraction industry will work for their intended market. This brief journey into some of the science and principals behind this work will outline five key parameters that often determine whether a new scheme will work or not. Each point will be supported by an Angel and Demon case study.
Realising a real lack of science behind major ride and show investments, working as a ride designer working in many of Europe's largest theme parks, Tony Sefton, CEO of Vision XS Ltd., began his research into what visitors really want. Over the next eight years, he devoted himself to understanding how visitor experience can be broken down into measurable parameters, which led to the development of Vision's current analysis software, X-MOD. During this time, Tony has also administered business recovery packages for attractions, alongside developing his core business of understanding the science of experience. 

1720  Richard Parry (UKTI) and Closing Discussion

1730  5th TiLEzone London seminar closes

1800 TEA Mixer at Fuel Bar, Covent Garden Piazza (all TiLEzone delegates and TEA members are welcome - cash bar and food on own account)

Attending - delegate fees & registering.

Promotional Opportunities.

On the evening before the TiLEzone (Wednesday 24th February 2010) at the Tate Modern, UKTI are hosting a International Business Networking Reception to promote the expertise of UK based companies that supply products and services to leisure venues and attractions that entertain, educate or inform. This evening reception will be attended by invited buyers from overseas, representatives of UKTI and invited UK suppliers. UKTI will be launching the new UK Experience Economy brochure and online Directory of UK companies. The primary purpose of the Directory will be to provide a means by which UKTI and its Commercial Officers in British Embassies and High Commissions around the world can identify and contact UK companies in this market. All appropriate UK companies can be listed on this website free of charge. More detailed information will follow, however to register your interest & find out more, please contact UKTI ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ) and Andrich International Ltd ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ).