TEA Names 26th Annual Thea Awards Recipients; Awards Gala to be Held in Anaheim in 2020

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) announced the new slate of TEA Thea Awards recipients -- to be formally awarded April 18, 2020 at the 26th annual TEA Thea Awards Gala in Anaheim, California, presented by Chimelong Group. TEA made the announcement to an international crowd at a press conference during the annual IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida.

"TEA congratulates the new TEA Thea Awards recipients, representing excellence, innovation and leadership in the creation of compelling places and experiences," said TEA International board president Michael Blau of Adirondack Studios. "We invite our community to join us in Anaheim April 16 - 18, 2020 to celebrate these achievements at the annual TEA Summit and Thea Case Studies, crowned by the TEA Thea Awards Gala presented by Chimelong."

Nearly 1,000 entertainment professionals converge on the Los Angeles area every year for the TEA Thea Awards Gala -- an elegant, black-tie dinner event -- preceded by the TEA Summit Conference, which devotes much of its two days of sessions to exploring the Thea Awards recipients. The Thea Awards were founded in 1994 by TEA, a global nonprofit serving the visitor attractions industry, and the prestigious TEA Thea Award is considered one of the industry's greatest honors.

The themed entertainment industry touches all genres of visitor attractions, internationally -- including destination theme parks and waterparks, regional theme parks, museums, visitor centers, resorts, parades, immersive experiences and spectaculars. The industry has exploded globally in the last decade and is significant to international business in terms of travel, tourism, land development, hospitality, retail, entertainment, education, IP and branding, design, architecture and technology.

While the TEA Thea Awards recipients are announced each November, they are formally awarded the following spring.

From hundreds of nominations received each year, the Thea Awards Committee deliberates at length to produce the annual slate of recipients, which is submitted to the TEA International board of directors for approval. Chair of the Thea Awards Committee for the 2019-20 cycle is Susan Bonds of 42 Entertainment.

Ticket sales open soon for the TEA Summit and Thea Awards Gala, April 16-18, 2020 at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim at www.teaconnect.org.

The Buzz Price Thea Award - Recognizing a Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements
* Nancy Seruto, Shanghai Disney Resort Creative Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering

Thea Classic
* Pageant of the Masters, Laguna Beach, CA, USA

Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement (AOA) - recipient name, location (AOA category)

* Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Universal Orlando, USA (Attraction)
* Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi, UAE (Theme Park)
* The Cool Planet Experience, Wicklow, Ireland (Museum, Limited Budget)
* Wonderbox at Paradise City, Incheon, South Korea (Family Entertainment Center)
* Fram Museum, Oslo, Norway (Museum Upgrade)
* The Hebrew Bible Experience, Museum of the Bible, Washington DC, USA (Museum Exhibit)
* Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, London, England (Connected Immersion)
* Poverty Encounter, Children's Hunger Fund, Sylmar, CA, USA (Connected Immersion, Limited Budget)
* Popcorn Revenge, Walibi, Belgium (Attraction, Limited Budget)
* The Google Assistant Ride, 2019 CES Trade Show, Las Vegas, NV, USA (Brand Experience)
* Le Premier Royaume, Grand Parc du Puy du Fou, Les Epesses, France (Attraction)
* The Legend of the Gods, Huaxiacheng Tourism Scenic Area, Weihai Huaxia City, Shandong, China (Live Show)
* Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Disneyland Resort, CA, USA (Attraction)
* Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland, CA, USA (New Park Land)
* Christie Eclipse 4K RGB Pure Laser Projector (Technical Innovation)

TEA Peter Chernack Distinguished Service Award (recognizing exceptional volunteer service to the Association)
* Wendy Heimann-Nunes - Nolan Heimann LLP