The TEAAS would like to thank our Partner Level Sponsor IAAPA –The Global Association for the Attractions Industry for making this Symposium a reality. Thank you to our supporting sponsors ThemedAttraction.com, the Farmingdale State College School of Business, the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management, and the University of Central Florida College of Arts and Humanities.
AGENDA
09:00-10:00
Industry Breakfast, Welcome, and Thanks
Martin Lewison, TEAAS Symposium Chair
Peter Weishar, Chair of TEAAS Steering Committee
Welcome from IAAPA
Nate Naverson, ThemedAttraction.com
10:00-10:35
AM Keynote: Len Testa
10:40-12:00
Presentation Session I
Ken Neville (Meow Wolf, Executive Producer) – “UCF/Meow Wolf Writers Workshop”
Carissa Baker (Rosen School, Univ. of Central Florida) – “The Prevalence of Storyworlds and Thematic Landscapes In Global Theme Parks”
Florian Freitag (Univ. of Duisburg-Essen) and Salvador Anton Clavé (Univ. Rovira i Virgili) – “Writing Key Concepts in Theme Park Studies: An Interdisciplinary Experiment”
Joel Zika (Kent State Univ.) – “Apparitions: Designing For Illusionistic Screen Space”
12:00-13:35
Poster Session with Lunch
13:35-14:10
PM Keynote: Ellen Lupton
14:15-15:15
Paper Presentation Session II
Kathryn Woodcock (Toronto Metropolitan Univ.) – “Systems Safety in Theme Park Attractions: Failure Cases”
Jordan Zauha (Univ. of Central Florida) – “Waiting In A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Core Design Elements From Immersive Theatre For Diegetic Theme Park Queues”
Michael Burstein (Cardozo School of Law) – “Why Spider-Man Can’t Go to Disney World: Intellectual Property, Private Ordering, and the Modern Entertainment Franchise”
15:15-15:30
Break
15:30-16:30
Paper Presentation Session III
Chip Limeburner and Rilla Khaled (Concordia Univ.) – “Doing Whatever a Spider Can: The convergence of embodiment and interactivity in themed entertainment”
Will Henderson and Karen C.N. Tavares (Clemson Univ.) – “Gratifications Of Theme Park Employees’ Social Posts”
Sarah Hicks (Middle Tenn. State Univ.) – “The Role of Narrative Structure in Location-Based Experiences”
16:30
Closing and Thanks
Martin Lewison, TEAAS Symposium Chair
Peter Weishar, Chair of TEAAS Steering Committee
Morning Keynote: Len Testa
Len Testa’s work spans the boundaries between commerce, scholarship, science, technology, culture, and theme parks. A mathematician and computer scientist, Len is a co-author of the comprehensive Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, Amazon’s #1 Best Seller for Orlando, Florida Travel books. He is also a co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, The Unofficial Guide to the Disney Cruise Line, The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C., and has contributed to many other books in the Unofficial Guide series. Len also owns and operates TouringPlans.com, a website and mobile app that crunches real-time data to create “Touring Plans” which help visitors optimize their use of time at the Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Orlando resorts. He has published and presented on the topic of queue time efficiency, as well as on data-based cost-saving strategies for those with Type II Diabetes, for which he developed and operates the website GlucosePATH.com. A respected source for Disney theme park analysis, Len’s commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, Wired, Orlando Sentinel, and many other news outlets. He also co-hosts, with entertainment writer Jim Hill, the extremely popular Disney Dish Podcast.
Afternoon Keynote: Ellen Lupton
Ellen Lupton is one of the most influential and engaging design thought leaders working today. She is the currently the Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Design Chair at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, and she is also the Director of MICA’s Center for Design Thinking. She has authored and co-authored numerous books on design processes, including Design is Storytelling, Thinking with Type, Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming, Bauhaus Typography at 100, The ABC’s of Triangle Square, Circle: The Bauhaus and Design Theory, Type on Screen: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Developers, and Students, Graphic Design: The New Basics, Health Design Thinking, and Extra Bold: A Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-Racist, Nonbinary Field Guide for Graphic Designers. After 30 years of service, she was named Curator Emerita at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City, where she organized numerous exhibitions, including Herbert Bayer: Bauhaus Master, Face Values: Understanding Artificial Intelligence, The Senses: Design Beyond Vision, and Design and Healing: Creative Responses to Epidemics. She has contributed to many publications, including Print, I.D., Metropolis, and The New York Times. She is also an AIGA Gold Medalist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
