craig hanna – Thinkwell

Embracing AI

Craig Hanna, Chief Creative Officer – Thinkwell

Whether we like it as a tool or fear that it might steal our jobs, Artificial Intelligence is here to stay in all its manifestations and permutations. In fact, in one year from now, AI will be doing things, enabling actions, and disrupting businesses in ways we cannot begin to fathom right now.

Many in the experiential industry are afraid AI platforms like Midjourney and ChatGPT are going to render their businesses moot, but Thinkwell embraces Artificial Intelligence. Why? It’s quite simple.

Art is communication. Design is providing solutions. Building projects is hard.

Some in our field have pivoted to using AI as a means to get work done faster and cheaper. We use AI as a tool to inspire new takes on our communication tools and empower our artists, designers, and writers to lend new perspectives on our work or serve as a design inspiration tool.

It’s easy to stop there. Let’s be clear about what is going to happen right now. Clients will be coming to us with their own ideas, generated by AI. They will have their own pitch decks with grand art and straightforward narratives, showcasing a vision for what they would like their new project to be. By all appearances, this suggests that what we do (develop a strategy and approach, come up with the grand vision, then execute) becomes completely devalued, as clients could say, “Look, we’ve already developed the big idea. We don’t need your ‘Blue Sky’ phase any longer.”

Whether this is true or not doesn’t really matter. There are two adages that are true in this situation:

Perception is 9/10ths of a person’s reality.
The client is always right.

You could probably add a third: Clients want to save money.

So where do we go from here? For TAIT + Thinkwell we don’t even have to pivot. We are already the largest independent experiential design and production company in the world. With our team of seasoned, passionate creators, 1200 engineers, and one million square feet of fabrication space worldwide, we have the capability to turnkey deliver virtually any project.

AI will empower our clients to “pre-vis” their projects, aspirations, and big ideas. That’s amazing. Now TAIT + Thinkwell can bring those AI-fuelled “Blue Sky” concepts to life–while we continue to validate those big ideas by bringing our acumen and decades of experience to the strategic development, functionality, throughput, engineering, detailed design, buildability, budgeting, scheduling, and in-field direction, programming, and completion to our client’s projects. With hundreds of projects opened successfully around the world pleasing more than 430 million people, we know how to bring big ideas to life.

Artificial Intelligence is a tool that brings the power of pre-visualization into the hands of all. How those aspirations get brought to life still requires the best wetware on the planet: skilled, experienced humans.

The Return of Anticipation

Craig Hanna

Since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020, we all have gone through a lot. Whether it was missing a family reunion, an anniversary cruise, a vacation with best friends, or simply a special dinner out. What all these things have in common is the one thing we didn’t know we were going to miss: anticipation.

From the American Psychological Association: Anticipation is a state of expectation or excitement about an upcoming event or situation. It is a state of suspense and expectancy. For example, when you know an old friend is going to drop by you probably are in a state of anticipation while waiting for them–you are excited, maybe a little nervous, and filled with expectations about their visit.

Before the pandemic, our lives were full of anticipation. Upcoming movie releases, lunch with a colleague, a trip to the museum, a dinner with a loved one, a pending concert. These things all slowly (and quickly!) ended. Restaurants closed so reservations were canceled. Concerts that were months away became unceremonious credit card refunds. Family vacations turned into airline vouchers and cancellation emails from hotels and rental car companies.

But we need anticipation. The very nature of that feeling is all about future reward, and right now, almost more than many other things, we deserve a reward. From lunch to travel, anticipation is the bringer of excitement, the harbinger of adventure, or simply the feeling that we are going to be doing something unmapped, uncharted, and different. Anticipation often includes daydreaming, research, and planning.

The Doblin Group, an innovation consultancy based in Chicago, codified compelling experiences. Their research showed that one of the key attributes to any compelling experience is the first of three phases, attraction. “Attraction” referred to the build-up to the experience itself, notably research, planning, and daydreaming. In other words, anticipation.

Kelsey Borresen, a Senior Reporter with Huffpost wrote a piece last year called, “The Psychological Benefits of Having Something to Look Forward To.” In it, she wrote:

Research suggests that living in the present moment and practicing mindfulness can increase happiness.

“However, during particularly stressful moments in time, like our current pandemic, it can be more beneficial to have something to look forward to,” said Atlanta therapist LeNaya Smith Crawford.

Anticipation, in many ways, is hope for the future. That state of suspense and expectancy is now its own ecstasy, an ecstasy we are can control. “It is the implicit knowing that positive emotion will happen in the future,” says Guy Kuchnick, a New York psychologist and founder of Techhealthiest. According to research published in the journal Psychological Science, planning your itinerary, booking tickets, and anticipating a vacation can boost your mood long before you step on a plane.

We’ve been stressed. We need anticipation.

Theme parks are open or are opening up. Vaccines are moving through their phases and the CDC’s guidelines for gathering are loosening as a result. Local jurisdictions are allowing, in many cities, for restaurants to open indoor dining again.

All these things bring hope because they are the impetus of anticipation.

Airlines and cruise lines have better, more flexible cancellation policies now than in the past. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon, we can journey again. Why not enter that “Attraction” phase of any compelling experience and start researching your next vacation, plan that cruise, start organizing the next family reunion, or simply consider where the first place will be when you go out to dinner again?

Let’s bring back anticipation.

Location-based Entertainment in a Post-COVID-19 World

Craig Hanna

As people consider what the future of location-based entertainment in a post-coronavirus world looks like, owners and operators of theme parks, entertainment venues, and family entertainment centers consider how they will run their businesses in whatever version of the “new normal” we will have.

This white paper was written in collaboration with Cynthia Sharpe, Principal Cultural Attractions, and Dave Cobb, Principal Creative Development.

Please note: This list is not exhaustive. It doesn’t take into consideration what is needed from an employee/cast member/staff standpoint (such as ensuring employees are virus-free before entering the workplace). It does not consider an obvious primary option for operators in a post-COVID-19 world, what we call, “pass to play.” In this (very short) version of this white paper, all visitors would be required to show they had been vaccinated for COVID-19. How this verification would be done so it would be clearly legitimate, easy to view for the park employee, and easy to provide for the guest remains to be seen. (In China, residents there use an app with a QR code that is scanned at the door to verify identity and travel of the individual at most shops, restaurants, and office buildings.)

Here are seven areas for owners/operators to consider when reopening their parks and projects. This is what it’ll take to get open again–for now, not forever–and it’ll require more staff with fewer guests, a proposition that may be hard to swallow.

1. Ticketing, Entry, Security & Park Capacity

Park capacity will be a huge concern in a post-coronavirus world. Crowds on a scale typically seen in the mega parks on both coasts and internationally will need to be adjusted to allow for social distancing. While many theme parks and some larger museums have had success at shifting guests to ticketing in advance via an app or website, many smaller institutions have online ticketing rates at under 10% of all tickets sold.

Not only must physical ticketing, including changing protocols and equipment to support the health and safety of front-line staff, be addressed, but venues will also need to evaluate and potentially redesign their online ticketing experience and platforms to reduce friction and encourage uptake.

In addition to the typical “mag and bag” security (running personal items through a scanner and people through another), security might also need instant forehead temperature scanners to ensure guests are healthy. Guests may need to also wear face masks throughout their visit. Parkwide and abundant hand sanitizer stations–similar to those seen on cruise ships but even more plentiful and obvious–will be necessary.

2. Queues

Near-continuous and visually obvious cleaning of queue railings will be necessary regardless of what methodology is used for attraction queues. With pulsed queues, guests would be given a specific time to return, whether that’s via an app, staggered entry paper ticket, or text message.

When the guest arrives at the attraction they are let in and then they make their way to the load area (either bypassing the queue theming and show areas altogether or allowing for guests to “explore” show-heavy queues).

3. Rides & Attractions

Social distancing will need to happen in rides as well. Ride vehicles may need to be loaded with empty vehicles between guests, while coaster trains will need to consider empty rows and seats between riders, and all vehicles will need extra time to have seats and touchable surfaces sanitized before boarding. These factors alone will greatly reduce the THRC of rides and attractions, which will have a ripple effect up to the original consideration of the overall park capacity.

4. Interactives

In a post-COVID-19 world, a heavy reliance on touch-based interactive screens is a thing of the past. There simply aren’t enough staffers to constantly be wiping down touchscreens between uses, so these interactives will need to be removed, covered, or modified. (Thinkwell Studio Montréal is developing two initiatives to deal with this issue. The first is a gesture-based retrofit that allows guests to interact with touchscreen-based digital displays, eliminating the need for touching a surface at all. The second initiative is called interactive mirroring. It puts the interactive on a guests’ mobile device, allowing them to touch their own device to input to the interactive. Both of these solutions are retrofits to many interactive stations in museums, theme parks, and other applications.)

Beyond touch screens, this is a real opportunity to consider more holistic, universal-design based approaches to interactivity, from how they can more meaningfully leverage machine learning, gesture-based inputs, and voice commands to the material choices themselves. Interactivity isn’t done for, but we’ll see the next big push forward in its design and use.

5. VR Goggles & 3D Glasses

Will people want a device, like a virtual reality goggle set and headgear at all so close to their eyes, noses, and mouths after the world goes back to some form of normal? Even with obvious cleaning, that puts the technology and the multi-use headgear and goggles uncomfortably close to the guests’ faces. What will happen with VR in public spaces?

The same holds true for 3D glasses. With as many attractions installed around the world that rely on 3D, operators need to consider single-use wrapped 3D glasses as expendables. If more than one 3D attraction exists at a park or complex, selling or giving guests a single pair of reusable glasses at the front gate that visitors keep with them would be ideal.

6. Parades, Spectaculars, & Shows

As some parks consider canceling parades, shows, and fireworks spectaculars due to the density of guests for such presentations, there might be ways to allow these things to continue. First, the peak daily in-park capacity comes into consideration again. Group sizes for these entertainments will be different than they used to be, so that will be one element to reduce some concern. Still, what is to keep people apart?

Just look to Japan for one possible solution. When visitors to theme parks in Japan want to see a parade and hold their place in line they put down a towel or blanket they brought with them, then run off to go on a ride or grab a bite to eat (more on eating in the next category). These spots are respected by all guests. Imagine if park staff taped off areas for groups—each appropriately distanced—to create spaces for guests to view parades or nighttime spectaculars. It would require guests to respect those partitions, but it would allow for the parade or spectacular to continue.

For live shows where seating is provided, social distancing is easier by simply putting a cover over seats, closing entire rows, and asking guests to put 2-4 seats between them and the next group. Loading times will need to be extended in order to ensure proper compliance with the plan. Using shows as a way to manage crowds and provide a “pressure valve” remains important.

7. Dining & Shopping

The capacity of shops and restaurants will need to be regulated to ensure social distancing. Marking tables as “out of service” will be required, or simply removing tables and chairs to open up space between diners could be considered as well. Self-service dining (buffets, salad bars, and “fixin’s” stations) will need to be shut for now. Order in advance systems, like those already found in some Disney parks, would help both with reducing time in lines as well as allowing spacing between guests.

Throughout parks, from the main gate to shops and restaurants, a touchless payment solution—like Apple/Google Pay, contactless chips in credit cards that are the standard in many countries outside of the U.S.—will need to be installed and adapted to avoid keypads, card-swiping/insertion, or signing receipts.

With all the considerations to employee and guest safety needed to make a park or entertainment complex safe (both physically and in the minds of the paying public), a lot will need to be done to prepare for reopening in a post-coronavirus world.

Of course, all of these suggestions require the guest to be an active participant in the plans and to willingly comply with these modified operational expectations. Even with all of these challenges and hurdles, we know that location-based social entertainment is going to be more important than ever for our own wellbeing and to help heal our communities. It’s become clear in the past several weeks how beloved these places are and how much we crave social experience.

If you would like to contact Thinkwell to help in your post COVID-19 plans, please contact us.

Interview with Thinkwell Group: How to Design an Experience

Andrea Yoo

An interview with Craig Hanna, Chief Creative Officer of Thinkwell Group.

1) How important is the analysis of the guest experience for anyone involved in the design of amusement parks?
For Thinkwell, every element of our designs is driven by creating the best guest experience possible, whether it’s a theme park, museum exhibit or live show. We always look at our projects from the guest perspective to serve as a guide. These spaces need to be resonant with the audience on an emotional level and create a unique shared experience that not only connects the guests to the space, but the each other as well. Without guests, these places wouldn’t even exist. At the end of the day, it’s about creating experiences that inspire people.

2) Any visitor experience at amusement parks strongly involves the five senses: How can mobile devices give more interaction?
What’s great about this industry is that it’s not about a single technology or single aspect of entertainment; we’re an industry of generalists, who understand the entertainment space as a whole, and create full systems of experience, engaging the guests with literally every sense, and multiple points of physical and social engagement. Rides, shows, exhibits, food, shopping, even buying your ticket and in-park wayfinding can be something that has the possibility of being augmented or enhanced through mobile technology.
Plenty of companies will create compelling experiences specifically for mobile devices. We don’t need to compete for that space, and it’s as much an opportunity as it is our competition. Our experiences can enable, enhance, and ultimately transcend that tiny screen space. Accept that guests might bring their own technology & distractions. Acknowledge what these technologies are capable of if you leverage them. Augment (but don’t replace) the real world experience with technology.
We innovate not by falling in love with a speciﬁc technology for its own sake, but rather by harnessing various technologies as they emerge to bring together the emotional power of physical places, the compelling power of storytelling, and the social power of groups, to create lasting, meaningful experiences.

3) Thinkwell also designs experiences in museum spaces, in which the environment is static, so it’s essential to improve the visitor experience with information and multimedia content. Amusement parks offer a dynamic experience. Are there points of contact between these sectors? What could managers learn from each other? Is there something that museums can learn from parks and parks from museums and vice versa?
The distinction between theme parks and museums is becoming blurred as competition for leisure time is only going to get more crunched — more after school activities for the kids, more moments when the office intrudes with the ping of an email on the phone, more experiential places to spend time. The attractions industry, whether we’re talking about theme parks, museums, or events, is going to have to continue to push the envelope on creating meaningful experiences. Those moments of personalization and customization, when guests or visitors are encouraged to be active participants in and co-creators of the experience, will become even more important. We see both technology and good old fashioned interpretive techniques and storytelling supporting this.

4) Finally, from your observation point, what are some trends in the design of new attractions?
We’re already seeing the rise of boutique experiences, like small-group escape games, Ollivander’s Wand Shop at Universal, and highly interactive meet-and-greets like Enchanted Tales with Belle at Disney. These aren’t necessarily high cost add-ons, like a separate VIP experience, but rather part and parcel of the overall experience. We only see this kind of jewel-like moment getting bigger. And of course advances in technology will be a big driver and not just in these personalized experiences. Advances in laser projection, for instance, are going to offer some new and exciting ways to tell stories.
Read the source article here.

Theme Park Master Planning

Andrea Yoo

Master planning for a theme park involves many elements of the theme park master plan effort. Land use planning, infrastructure development, site development (grading, etc.), traffic and circulation are all traditional components of theme park master planning. Specific to theme parks, theme park master planning includes program development to determine a projection of how many people will visit the park per year, during the peak month and peak day, and how many people will be instantaneously in the park on that peak day. Those projections are done in conjunction with operational consultants, economic feasibility consultants, architects, park planners and the creative team. On top of all that, the theme park master plan includes a matrix of attractions that comprise the total ride, show and attraction mix for the park. There are expansion zones for future development. There is facility programming that informs how many restrooms, ticket windows, retail venues and food and beverage outlets will need to be built in order to provide adequate services for all those visitors. These elements make up the traditional theme park master plan.

Thinkwell provides theme park master planning, integrated resort master planning, master planning for mixed-use projects and other types of projects that include location-based entertainment and/or education components. To be specific, Thinkwell goes beyond traditional theme park master planning and includes a new set of disciplines Thinkwell finds lacking elsewhere in the development of theme park master plans. Thinkwell includes in our theme park master planning efforts what we call Content Master Planning and Guest Experience Master Planning.

Content Master Planning is a new way to look at traditional theme park planning. Content Master Planning looks at not only the physical layout and programmatic aspects of a project, but also takes into consideration and pays particular attention to how that experience unfolds for a guest from the moment they pass through the project threshold until they complete their experience. Content Master Planning considers how the physical environment helps convey the story being told to the guests and how each element of the Experience Design – attractions, live shows, rides as well as food & beverage and retail – integrate into that storytelling and how the experience and story unfolds for a guest as they move from place to place within a project.

Much more than the mere placement of buildings, uses and guest flow, Content Master Planning and Guest Experience Master Planning takes all elements of the guest’s experience into consideration and looks at how each of these elements symbiotically relate to one another for the purposes of storytelling. It’s part of Thinkwell’s Environmental Storytelling® approach. It becomes a richer, more textured and meaningful experience for the guest when projects are approached and developed in this manner.
Thinkwell works with traditional architectural firms on the details: land-use planning, infrastructure development, traffic and circulation, etc. And Thinkwell works with economic feasibility and operations firms & consultants as a team to formulate a program and operational and business philosophies. Thinkwell’s approach leads us to unique creative solutions and business solutions as well. By considering how the guest’s experience unfolds as well as the strategic and business goals of our clients, we problem solve new ways to deal with traditional businesses, new ways of exploring guest experience that offers new possibilities, new ways to connect with audiences and new competitively advantageous project approaches.

The holistic nature of the theme park master plan – every aspect of the project can affect the next – is complex. These complexities are only exacerbated by the additional rigors of Environmental Storytelling, Guest Experience Master Planning and Content Master Planning. Layering each of those planning elements onto the theme park master planning process ensures additional effort, creative visioning, planning and thought go into each design. This is why Thinkwell’s theme park master plans are a dramatic improvement over many other’s theme park master plans. Very few projects in the world can boast they deliver Environmental Storytelling with Content Master Planning and the added richness and fullness of experience Guest Experience Master Planning brings to the project.

Here’s a simple example: A guest walks into a land of Park A. Ahead is a dark ride, themed as a haunted house. The exterior of the ride projects the theme outward with precariously hanging shutters, broken windows and chipped paint. It may be Victorian in setting. Adjacent to the haunted house the guest visiting Park A finds a hamburger stand, also Victorian in theming. Further away, a retail outlet sells t-shirts emblazoned with Park A’s logo and the park’s mascot.

Park B, developed by Thinkwell utilizing their proprietary planning disciplines of Content Master Planning, Environmental Storytelling and Guest Experience Master Planning offers similar components but in an entirely unique context: As the guest walks into the land of Park B, each element presented before the guest reinforces the next. The architecture, interior design and propping actually work to subliminally tell the fictional backstory of the zone, supporting the theme and storytelling found within the haunted dark ride. The lands themselves speak volumes to the guest: each area offers visual clues about the background context for the environment, while character graphics, signage, audio and performers enhance the storytelling. From one linear meter into the land to the next, each element of what the guest sees, hears and feels tells them more about the story unfolding in front of them. Yes, this takes more work. More planning. More design. More forethought in the development of the park. But these theme park master planning disciplines and techniques are what set apart the run-of-the-mill
from the world class.

Theme park master planning is part science, part art. When all the elements of the development, from the planning principals to the artistic are considered – while keeping of paramount importance every aspect of the development from the perspective of the guest – the project comes together in a harmonious, symbiotic way that is artful, meaningful and impactful.