Podcasts about immersive experiences

In this episode, we chat with Choni Fernández, Chief Sustainability Officer and Customer at PortAventura World, the first carbon-neutral theme park in the world, and now proudly B Corp certified.Choni isn't just ticking ESG boxes, she's leading a cultural shift in how attractions operate. From zero-emissions hotels to renewable energy and deep supply chain work, PortAventura is setting the global standard.In this episode, we dive into the real work behind the headlines. How do you build a sustainability culture that actually sticks? Can you lead without a big green team? And what does digital sustainability really mean?If you're serious about sustainability, or wondering where to start, this is the conversation you need to hear.Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden, with co host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references:  PortAventura World website: https://www.portaventuraworld.com/nosotros/trabaja-con-nosotrosChoni Fernández on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/choni-fern%C3%A1ndez-veciana/Choni Fernández is Customer, Sustainability and Communications Director at PortAventura World. With a background in Economics and over a decade at BASF, she joined PortAventura in 2007, where she has led Procurement, Logistics, and Sustainability. She spearheaded the company's sustainability strategy, achieving the milestone of B Corp Certification, and now leads the newly created Customer Department to drive a more customer-centric approach. Choni also serves as Catalonia Delegate at DIRSE and is Chair of the IAAPA EMEA Sustainability Committee. Plus, live from the IAAPA Expo Europe show floor, we catch up with:Jakob Wahl, President & CEO of IAAPAhttps://iaapa.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakob-wahl/Elliot Hall from Expression Capital Partners LLPhttps://expressioncapitalpartners.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-h-1b804a6a/Matt Barton, CEO / Co-Founder CurtainUp Ltd. & President of Themed Entertainment Association TEA https://www.curtainup.livehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-barton-99a8039/Melissa Oviedo, Chief Executive Officer, Themed Entertainment Association TEA https://www.teaconnect.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-oviedo-ruminot-90a63228/Kevin Murphy, Senior VP, Kraftwerk Living Technologieshttp://www.kraftwerk.athttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-murphy-854439/Jacob Thompson, CX Director, Attractions.io https://attractions.iohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-thompson-icap-151271149/ Transcriptions:  Welcome, skip the queue, to Barcelona.Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, the podcast about the world's best attractions and the amazing people that work in them. I'm your host, Paul Marden, and along with my co-host, Andy Povey, and roving reporter Claire Furnival, we're bringing you the latest news from IAAPA Expo Europe in Barcelona.Paul Marden: You join me today tired and just a little bit emotional at the airport after an amazing week at the show.Paul Marden: In this episode, we wrap up our time at IAAPA Expo Europe with a final look back at the show floor buzz. I catch up with Jakob Wahl, Chief Executive Officer of IAAPA, to get his reflections on an unforgettable week, from standout innovations to what's next for the global attractions industry. But first, Andy sits down with Choni Fernandez, Chief Sustainability Officer at PortAventura World, to explore what it really takes to become the first carbon neutral theme park on the planet and why sustainability must be at the heart of guest experience going forward.Andy Povey: So hello, everybody. I'm joined today by Choni Fernandez from PortAventura World. Choni is responsible for sustainability and guest experience and a number of other things, I believe, Choni. Hello and welcome to Skip the Queue. Hello. Choni Fernandez: Thank you very much for your invitation. Andy Povey: So, Choni, you guys at PortAventura World are really leading the industry and probably more than just our industry. In terms of sustainability, you were the first carbon neutral theme park in the world and in '24, the first theme park company to achieve a BCorp certification. Am I right?Choni Fernandez: Yes, you're right. It was, in fact, we are VCOPS since 2022. And yes, we were operational carbon neutral because we reduced our emissions during several years. And after that, we acquired some carbon credits to compensate the result of the balancing emissions. For scope one and two. Yes. So since then we are operational carbon neutral. That is not really an official name, but it's easy to explain what we are doing. Andy Povey: Okay. So what is the official name?Choni Fernandez: The official name, in fact, now that's interesting because it's a big discussion in the European community. We chat the terms we can use or not. In the new CCRG, that is going to change. Some words like green, sustainable, are probably forbidden, words that cannot be used any longer. And you need to speak properly about the impact of your activity without using these words that can lead to a type of greenwashing. And you need to be more clear about when you say, for instance, 'carbon neutral,' you need to say, 'we have reduced emissions, we compensate.' More explanation than just using one word that can be easily misunderstood.Andy Povey: Okay, yeah, yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Just buying carbon credits. You're actually doing something positive. Taking action. Like, is it Europe's largest solar farm?Choni Fernandez: It's the largest solar farm. That was one of the biggest at the source of Europe. And for sure, I guess, is still the biggest in Spain.Andy Povey: The biggest solar farm in Spain.Choni Fernandez: Sorry, in a holiday resort, yes. There are other very big solar plants that they produce energy for third parties, but they are not linked to a tourist industry.Andy Povey: No, that makes absolute sense. So you're generating your own power.Choni Fernandez: We generate 30%. The plant is not big enough and we have some restrictions of the government. So we cannot sell the surplus of energy we produce. So we could only make the plan as big as the low on consumption we have in a period of a year.Andy Povey: That makes absolute sense.Choni Fernandez: So that means that there are several months where we produce 100% energy we need. But then, obviously, in the peak of the season, we need extra energy. We buy from the net, but we always buy green energy from the net, too. Then 100% of the energy we consume is green energy, not coming from non-renewable.Andy Povey: It all becomes much more complicated as you dive into the detail, doesn't it?Choni Fernandez: Yes, yes, yes. Everything is much more complicated. And in Europe, yes, I would say even one step more complicated than the rest of the world because of all the regulations.Andy Povey: So what was it that inspired PortAventura World and how did you persuade PortAventura World to take sustainability so seriously?Choni Fernandez Okay, the history starts really with, I would say, a huge pain point, even when they were designing the park. And it was related to water. We are established in an area where we suffer from water scarcity many periods. So for those designers, they already designed the park with sustainability in mind. So they have created a complex system to recover all water rains in a big tank that is our Mediterranean lake.Andy Povey: Yeah, yeah, yeah.Choni Fernandez: So water was a treasure since the beginning. And they have also in a private-public investment. Take all the gray waters from the park, sending it to a water treatment plant several kilometres far away from the resort, and making the pipe bring the recycled water back to the resort for gardening. So PortAventura was using recycled water since 30 years ago. And that was really the starting point of sustainability at PortAventura. So we start with all the environmental impacts that the activity was going to have. And they created the park open doors in 1995. So in 1997, just two years after that, they have created the Green Team.Choni Fernandez: It's a team from different members of different departments who takes care of the environmental impacts and how they can reduce the use of water, energy and so on. And this team is still working nowadays and takes care of more complex things, certifications, but with the same, I would say, purpose, you know, that is to reduce the environmental impact of the resort, and now we start to regenerate different areas. So it's not producing impact, it's creating positive impact through regeneration.Choni Fernandez: And that was a starting point. But I like to repeat that sustainability has not fixed rules. So that is the story of Pota Aventura, because we are what we are. We are located where we are. But for instance, in the Global Sustainability Committee of IAAPA, SCARBRED was a member of that. And SCARBRED, the sustainability, had not begun for the water scarcity. They don't have this problem.Choni Fernandez: So sustainability there was more linked to the social sustainability, how to integrate communities in the project. So it really depends, again, in that moment, the momentum, you know, that we call. Where you are, who you are, what is your future footprint of your activity in your community and in the environment.Choni Fernandez: So we start with that. And year after year, we consolidate this beginning. So any new activity of PortAventura, it doesn't matter— new hotel, new park, convention centre has always followed the same philosophy that we started in 1997.Andy Povey: Very good.Choni Fernandez: Yes, because I think that this makes the project really coherent, consistent, and resilient. So it's something that we have not done from day to night, you know. It's something that we have. It's like a dish you have cooked in a low, low temperature, you know. Andy Povey: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Slow cooker. Choni Fernandez: Slow cook. That is. Sustainable PortAventura is slow cook. But at the end, you know, the dish is very good cooked and it's good.Andy Povey: Absolutely. And then, as the person responsible for customer experience within PortAventura World, before talking to you, I wouldn't necessarily have put... sustainability and customer experience together in the same group.Choni Fernandez: You're right because, okay, that is something that has changed also through years, you know, so sustainability was linked and happened at PortAventura. It was totally linked to the environmental part. But that is only one third of what sustainability means. Sustainability is also the social impact and obviously the governance.Choni Fernandez: We call also ESG. Okay, it has some difference because it has more financial meaning. But what is clear when you talk, when we talk about sustainability, we talk about the environmental impacts and the social impacts. And the social impacts are the impacts that your activity, our activity has on people. And when we talk about people, we talk about employees, we talk about our community that's surrounding us, we talk about shareholders, we talk about suppliers, and we talk about guests or visitors. And the activity of any company should have a positive impact on these people that are affected by the activity, that they are also called stakeholders.Choni Fernandez: So, and here is the reason why we try to improve every year the guest experience in order to improve this positive impact. And at the end of the day, because we are not NGOs. We strongly believe that a positive impact on the guest experience is going to be translated in future revenues, more attendance for our parks, and makes our resort more resilient because it's more profitable in the long term.Andy Povey: So this really is a sort of a wheel or a cycle. Choni Fernandez: You are right. You are right. You are right. So we really differentiate at PortAventura. I mean, sustainability is also a new angle to see your business. There is the financial angle. And then there is the angle— how your activity affects the difference they hold up. But that is clear that both need to go together. I mean, business and sustainability. In fact... One of the reasons to become a BCorp company is to evolve our mission and vision with a purpose that integrates sustainability in the business model. So it is much easier for us to talk to employees, to talk to suppliers, to talk to guests. About what is the reason why it exists and why it's important to have sustainability included in order, again, to make our business resilient through the past of the years.Andy Povey: So we have a lot of listeners around the world. What would be your advice to someone running a venue that doesn't have the advantage of starting with sustainability right at the heart and from where they started their business? How do you make a start on this?Choni Fernandez: That is a very interesting question. And the first I think any company needs to do is really to understand the stakeholders they are affecting too. Because just with this complete transparent and dialogue with the different stakeholders, you really can understand what is the impact you are producing on them. And from this result, then you know where are your main pain points, where you need to focus first on. Obviously, there are some general rules. Your impact on the environment, as I told you before, normally a new venue has, for sure, clients, or at least customer guests, employees, probably shareholders, and then in another level, suppliers, community, etc.Choni Fernandez: So, and depends what is the situation, you need to start with that. You need to prepare a good analysis because, if not, what could happen? Imagine that you focus a lot on the environmental part and you start with that because you have seen that PortAventura has started with that.Choni Fernandez: But then that is not your problem because you are in an area where your resources are really well controlled or your resort has very good standards, very efficient, because it has done with high technology, but you have an employee problem.Choni Fernandez: You have problems perhaps to attract employees, to retain the talent, or really to make them happy working with you. Then you have to start the sustainability for not the most important topic in your company. So the most important is to understand what the stakeholders need from you and then to prepare. And it's also very interesting, I think, to start, you know, things small.Choni Fernandez: Making small projects that can be consolidated and embedded into the company. Because what is really important in a company is that each department, each area of the company, maintenance, procurement, human resources, marketing, and each of the departments really is doing the part of sustainability they need to, because it is impossible that one person on every team produces all the sustainability that the whole company needs to do.Choni Fernandez: So if sustainability is really not embedded in the activity of each Japan, it's really impossible to be a successful company in terms of sustainability. You know what I mean?Andy Povey: I know exactly what you mean. That rule is so true for so many things, isn't it? You could replace the word sustainability with guest experience or ride safety. Choni Fernandez: Yes, it's the same. Andy Povey: Any number of different things.Choni Fernandez: I always explain when people say, 'but you have done a lot, Choni.' I say, 'no, no, no, no, no.' Choni has not done a lot.Choni Fernandez: Many people are doing a lot, you know. And sustainability managers or directors normally are orchestra directors. But each one needs to play its own instrument so we have a nice music, you know. If not, it does not work at all, you know, like in orchestra. So we need the maintenance guy, really. or the energy manager to really take care of that. And human resources really to prepare inclusivity, et cetera, policies linked to employees. And marketing, doing really an ethic marketing to guests. So, and that is how everyone is really doing a part of the peak and sustainability of the company.Andy Povey: That sounds very familiar and I'm sure for our guests will ring true in many different areas. It's interesting you talk about really understanding where you are. What it is you're doing. We've done some work here in the UK on the sustainability of websites. So by not printing a park map, you obviously save resources, you save paper. But if you put that on a really inefficient webpage, then you're just consuming someone else's electricity. It doesn't make you any more sustainable.Choni Fernandez: And one thing I would like to tell you is that one of the big steps for us was when our investors make the management very clear that investors of the private funds that own PortAventura were asking for sustainable investments. So that was also a way, really, to receive more money from the investors to the owners. And that is very important because when the financial markets really recognise that sustainability is a plus for an investment, then, you know, things change. Things happen. And we had two moments in this company, in my opinion, for us, for sustainability managers, that make this big change in our mindset. Choni Fernandez: One is the world of our shareholders. And that was really a big, big step forward. Because we realised then, 'oh my God, we are sustainable. We can be sustainable. Our sustainability is a lever really to receive more funds to our business.'Choni Fernandez: And the second one was when we have two different businesses, really a B2C— final customer— and a B2E— travel agencies, companies who do their conventions in our convention, et cetera, et cetera. Once upon a time, a company came to PortAventura asking for a quotation for a big convention, European size, very big one.Choni Fernandez: And before receiving the quotation, they asked, 'Please, can you send us your sustainability report?' Because we would like to see if that's the venue where we want to go. Now, everything changed.Andy Povey: Absolutely.Choni Fernandez: Because at first time, sustainability was bringing business to the company. It was not a nice to have, something that we need to have. It was really part of the business. And that changed the history of the, I would say, the sustainability journey of this company when we have both shareholders' commitment and really request to continue on that. And on the other side, we were recognised for our sustainability activity in a business case.Andy Povey: It's very interesting when you get push or pull from both sides. Choni Fernandez: You're right. Then you realise that there is no other way to do that, you know, so you need pushing, pushing.Andy Povey: You're doing a lot of work about education, work, and working with schools, and having to engage them in your journey.Choni Fernandez: That's again the same case, you know. So in our guest segmentation, school groups are one of them. And it is a very important group for us and I guess for other operators too. As we receive many schoolers. But, you know, the teachers, not students, they thought that the trip to PortAventura was really 100% entertainment. And schools were looking for something more cultural, educational.Choni Fernandez: So then, at that moment, we prepare some workshops at the beginning of the day before the park opens. If the park opens at 10, we can deliver a sustainability workshop from 9 to 10. For instance, talking to kids about biodiversity, about waste management, how to produce green energy. So in the solar plant, we don't have only solar panels. We also have some instruments, some elements to explain children how to produce green energy with movement, with wind, with sun, with solar energy. And they can experiment with their hands. With this element, how to produce this green energy. And they understand very well because that is part of the curriculum that they have to study at school. But now they can put it in practice in a different way, in a way... that our industry delivers very well, that is entertainment, you know?Andy Povey: Yes, yeah, yeah.Choni Fernandez: And that is driving more schools to visit us. So again, there is another link with sustainability, more business, more attendance, more revenues.Andy Povey: We're back on the cycle.Choni Fernandez: Yeah, again, the cycle. We close the loop, you know.Andy Povey: Absolutely. Choni, is there something you'd like to leave as a sort of parting message or a final thought to everybody that's listening to the podcast? A single sentence about how they can emulate your success.Choni Fernandez: No, I think that, okay, sometimes in life, you know, for sustainability managers, I mean, and now in the world, perhaps you feel like Talmon, you know, coming up to the river.Andy Povey: Yeah, yeah, yeah.Choni Fernandez: In a difficult situation, but it doesn't matter. So the evidence is so strong that, if you really can close the loop, as we have been talking, if you can really demonstrate and we can close the gap. Between the sustainability impacts and the financial impacts, then sustainability is part of your business. I think that should be the goal— to really don't have sustainability as something nice to have additional to the business. Avoid that at all.Choni Fernandez: Sustainability is part of the business and makes the business more resilient and more profitable in the long term.Andy Povey: Lovely. That's a great message to leave us with. Paul Marden: Now let's hear some of the buzz from the show floor.Claire Furnival: So day three of IAAPA and I've just bumped into Matt Barton. Matt Barton: Hello. Claire Furnival: Matt, you wear many hats.Matt Barton: My day job is I'm the founder and CEO of Curtain Up. I'm also the owner of 7th Sense, a company that makes media servers and pixel management systems. But I'm also the president of the Themed Entertainment Association, better known as the TEA.Claire Furnival: Crumbs, the busy man. I hear you had a party last night. Matt Barton: We did. Yeah, we had a very successful mixer. We have a great relationship with IAAPA and we have a mixer at all of IAAPA's events around the globe. And we bring our members together, usually on the second or third night of the event.Claire Furnival: Anything announced last night at the party?Matt Barton: Yeah, so we announced our next SAIT conference, and SAIT stands for Storytelling, Architecture, Technology equals Experience. So it's a thought leadership conference where we talk about trends in the industry, best practices to follow, that kind of thing. We've just finished our SAIT Asia event just three weeks ago now, and that was in New Zealand this year. And we just last announced that we're going to be in Dubai next year. Again, building on that great relationship we have with IAAPA, we're actually doing it almost like a pre-conference event. So it's tied in with IAAPA Middle East, which is going to be in Abu Dhabi. We're going to be the week before. So people can then come to SAIT, enjoy SAIT with us, and then go straight down to Abu Dhabi for the IAAPA conference.Claire Furnival: What activities is it that the TEA do? What do you offer your members?Matt Barton: So a whole range of things. And what I'm going to do now is introduce our CEO, Melissa. Melissa Oviedo.Claire Furnival: Great to meet you, Melissa. So what is it that TEA offers its members?Melissa  Oviedo: We are really the connection community. The connection community for the design, the makers, the builders, the creators. Everybody who delivers world-class experiences around the world, that's really who we are and what we represent. That can be from theme parks to museums to cultural to location-based entertainment. Claire Furnival: So I understand that the TEA does an annual benchmark report. Melissa  Oviedo: Yeah, we've just rebranded this. This is the TEA Theme Experience Index. This is the 19th year that we're doing this benchmark study. Yeah, it's really exciting for us. And what this is, is this is the annual attendance report that tracks attendance data from around the globe for the top theme parks, water parks, and museums globally. It really looks at trends, so we can understand where are the guests going, where are they spending their time, how are the parks, especially as they're coming new on the market, how do they influence those trends? And we're actually going to be launching this on October 22nd.Claire Furnival: So a couple of questions spring to mind on that one. So first of all, can anybody access the report?Melissa  Oviedo: Yeah, sure can. It's a completely free resource. You can go online. If you're not a member, we just ask for you to fill out a quick form so we know who's downloading the report. And you will have full access to all of the data, and we will have actual books to hand out at IAAPA in Orlando in November.Claire Furnival: The sector's very, very, very lucky to have this piece of research. So can you give us any snippets as to what we might see in the report?Melissa  Oviedo: I think you'll see that the theme parks are really consistent. The big players are still the big players with Disney and Universal really driving the... main attendance data. And then China, with Chimalong Park, really still holding rank at number one water park in the world. We're seeing the attendance coming back in a fierce way in China.Melissa  Oviedo: Outlook is positive. Overall, though, you'll be able to find in the report a lot of the trends that we're seeing. A lot of what we're not only anticipating in 2025, but in the future as well, with all of the developments that are happening. So, really exciting, this year's report. Claire Furnival: And what about 2026? What does that bring the TEA? Melissa  Oviedo: Momentum is high, right? The community continues to look at how they diversify as an organisation or as a business. Theme parks is our core, but we're so much more than just that. So I think you're going to see. More people doing really cool and immersive things in new places. I think the definition of themed entertainment gets broadened and further defined. I think that you're going to see more activity and more collaboration because collaboration is really when the magic happens. And you're going to start to see that even more robustly in 2026 and beyond. Claire Furnival: Sounds exciting. So last thought from you, Matt.Matt Barton: Yeah, I just wanted to touch on a couple of things we've got left in 2025 before we look to 2026. So I mentioned SAIT earlier. We also have our SAIT conference in North America coming up. So that's in October. at Knott's Berry Farm, and that ties in with when we're launching the Global Experience Index. And then in November, we've got our mixer, our international mixer, combined with the IAAPA conference in Orlando. And so on the Tuesday night of IAAPA, we have our international mixer at the Isle of Berk attraction at Epic Universe. We've got the whole land, we've got dinner and drinks, and it's going to be a good one, so make sure you get your tickets in.Claire Furnival: One not to miss. Well, it's fabulous to catch up with both you, Matt, and you, Melissa. So thank you very much for your time.Matt Barton: Thank you.Melissa  Oviedo:  Thank you so much, Claire.Andy Povey: So we're on day three, and I'm sitting here with Elliot Hall, who's one of the founding partners behind Expression Capital Partners. Elliot, hello. Elliot Hall: Hi, Andy. Good to see you. Andy Povey: For our listeners at home, can you just tell me what Expression Capital Partners do and treat me like an idiot because I really don't understand the world of investment banking and all that kind of stuff.Elliot Hall: Okay, so Expression Capital Partners is the advisory firm to Entertainment Investments 1LP. Which is specialising in the entertainment industry. Andy Povey: Interesting. So I understand you're doing some work with Hasbro and in particular things like Monopoly.Elliot Hall: Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. So we're looking to open monopoly-themed hotels and casinos around the world. Andy Povey: Wow. Elliot Hall: Along with many of the different types of brands, as we're rather across their 1000 plus brands. Andy Povey: I understand there's also some sporting connections. Tell us a little bit about, tell us what you can. Elliot Hall: Yeah, so what we can. We are working with some brands that have relationships and contracts for the IP for UEFA, FIFA and the FA. Yeah, so some really exciting products there and businesses. And we are in a position to be able to sign licenses and lease agreements and so on. And we're looking at bringing all of those brands together, either in the same cluster of IP attractions or within one building under one roof. Andy Povey: So, Elliot, you guys really are the people that are bringing the magic together. The IP, the operators, and then working out how someone funds it all.Elliot Hall: Yes, absolutely, yes. Andy Povey: Fantastic.Claire Furnival: So I'm here talking to Kevin Murphy from Kraftwerk Living Technologies. How are you finding the show this year and what do you see the trends for 2026 for you, Kraftwerk or also the industry?Kevin Murphy: I think in many respects, the trend at the moment is survival, which isn't being negative, but the world is a different place from how it was pre-COVID. The industry, though, is very, very alive. There's a lot happening out there. It's good to see the show for full. We actually tried to get a booth this year and couldn't. Everything had sold out. It's busy. People are wandering around with a very positive vein. But there's no doubt that there's— world tensions and there's problems with investment— and it does affect the industry and you know we're not immune from that. Kevin Murphy: But what's been good about this show is that a lot of the partners and Clients that we're working with are starting to announce their new projects. You have to bear in mind, for us, we do high technology behind the scenes in parks and museums and science centres. We can be working on them for many, many years. So we've had projects that have been brewing and they're just starting to get announced now. So what I'm seeing is, although there's concern about the industry, there is a slightly more positive vein coming through. I think the economy is improving out there, investors are starting to come out, and you can make money out of our industry.Claire Furnival: So what in particular have you got going on in 2026? Anything you can talk about and share with us?Kevin Murphy: Well, we're very, very pleased it's been announced, so I can talk about it. Plopsaland, which is a park in Belgium, are working with Mac. And I'm delighted to see that they've just announced, earlier than we expected, we're still working behind the scenes, but they've now announced their new flying theatre. Which will be ready and prepared at the end of 2026 for the 2027 opening.Claire Furnival: Congratulations, that's really, really exciting news.Kevin Murphy: Sadly, a lot of the other projects, I still can't say too, too much, because they may not have announced.Claire Furnival: Yeah, the dreaded NDAs.Claire Furnival: Just bumped into Jacob from Attractions. io. How's the show been for you?Jacob   Thompson: Great. This is my second time at IAAPA in Barcelona. It's been even better than the first time. So the weather's held out. Great conversations, great company. So overall, a success.Claire Furnival: And a little birdie has told me that you have a new feature coming out.Jacob   Thompson: That is true. So, yeah, we have launched a new product this month called GX Pulse. And the idea is it's enabling operators to make sense of all the noise of guest reviews and sentiment by breaking... reviews down from TripAdvisor, Google reviews, their own internal platforms to make sense and map that across a guest journey, specifically for attractions. So it's able to understand sentiment across things like queue management, your attractions, your food and beverage, give you scores and benchmark you against other venues. But most importantly, give you actionable insights to make improvements to the guest experience.Claire Furnival: Brilliant use of data there. Really, really, really good. So is this product now launched?Jacob  Thompson: Yes, yes it is. So we've been demoing it across some attractions at the trade show floor this week and it's had some really positive feedback. This product is completely separate from our core app platform and experience. So even if you don't have a mobile app and don't need a mobile app, this can be valuable for anybody that is looking to understand the sentiment and experience of their guests across their attractions.Claire Furnival: Fabulous. Guest will be seeing you in IAAPA Orlando.Jacob   Thompson: Yes, and I heard there's going to be a great party hosted by Skip the Queue.Claire Furnival: I'm not sure we'll be hosting a party, but we'll certainly be partying.Jacob   Thompson: Well, I'll be there to join you nonetheless.Paul Marden: So we're here for the final day of IAAPA Expo Europe. I've had a whale of a time and I'm sat here with Jakob Wahl, who amazingly, considering three days into this fantastic expo, is still looking fresh and bright. Jakob, please introduce yourself for our listeners who may not know you.Jakob  Wahl: I'm president and CEO of IAAPA, the Global Association for the Attractions Industry. I've done that now for two and a half years, but in total I've been with IAPA for, I think, nearly 15 years.Paul Marden: Wow, so man and boy almost.Jakob  Wahl: Yeah, you know, and I always say the kid in the candy store— I love doing what we do and bringing people together.Paul Marden: How could you not? So this is my first IAAPA. It has been fantastic and stood on the show floor. I think it was yesterday. I was on my own, done so many interviews. I've been bouncing around, but I just had a few minutes by myself and just stood in the middle of it all. Totally is like being a kid in a candy store, the Willy Wonka moment isn't it? Of what this place is like, because it is so fantastic.Jakob  Wahl:  It is and the most wonderful thing about it is, you know, we as an association, we create a framework, but it is actually all of you, our members, who fill it with life. Because everybody comes together. It's just a massive class reunion. People know each other. And the best thing about it is they're all willing to help and support each other. So obviously, the trade show floor is one component, but we have all those networking sessions, the education sessions, safety corners, we have places where people can exchange, depending on what they work in or where they work, and everybody comes together to share. That is so wonderful, because it's not only family-owned parks, small parks, big parks, but it's also the big private equity corporate players. They're all here to really benefit from this platform, and that fills me with pride.Paul Marden: Good. So, as the week draws to a close, what's been the real highlights for you?Jakob  Wahl: How much time do I have? First of all, the people. It's always the people. It's, you know, for me, it's my team coming together from all around the world, putting this together. And then it's... the people coming and creating those education sessions, creating those moments together, sharing their knowledge. That is just wonderful. There's not one specific moment like that, but it happens all the time. Jakob  Wahl: And then one of the highlights for me is always, always, always the opening reception. That is our Tuesday night event, which took place at Tibidabo, this classic historic amusement park on top of Barcelona. We were a little bit concerned Monday. Will it rain? Will it not rain? So we had to rent tents to make sure that everybody will stay dry. And what happens if you're intense? Obviously, it doesn't rain. Jakob  Wahl: There was an expensive insurance, but it turned out to be exactly that evening. And we have been to Barcelona three times now. We have been to the Tibidabo three times and I think I can be pretty sure that when we go back to Barcelona in three years, we will also go again to Tibidabo because, you know, it's just this evening filled with magic and good people.Paul Marden: Excellent. You've had some time wandering the show floors, I'm sure, talking to suppliers, getting a feel for what's happening in the industry. What have you heard from the show floor that you think is going to influence the sector over the year ahead?Jakob  Wahl: I would have loved to ask you that question, actually. What is your impression?Paul Marden: Oh, the blending of tech with real life I find really interesting. We all want to take our kids to attractions because we want to pull them away from their screens. But there's got to be a hook, I think. And in many cases, there are rides or there are amusements of some form that is a skillful blending of that tech with an in-life, in-real-life experience that I think is the hook to get the kids in. But then we're still wrenching them away from the screens. They're doing something for real with family.Jakob  Wahl: Yeah, I think technology enhances the experience. It doesn't replace the experience. I think that is something which is very clear on the show floor, that there are different ways of how you can combine existing attractions with new technology. And we sometimes call it fusion attractions, where you bring several elements into play with each other. And I think that is very important. What we have seen also is an increase in what I would call smart technology. How can you use technology... to improve the guest flow, to make it even smoother. We all want to have a smooth process. It should be easy on the phone. All those things, besides the classic coasters and water slides and inflatables, that is, I think, some area which has really grown on our trade show floor over the past years.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. If you can smooth that process from the moment that they hit the website all the way through, getting them to the experience and then back out the other side and encouraging them to want to return again is really important, isn't it?Jakob  Wahl: And the same is for operations and maintenance, the front of house for the customer, but also the back of house. And we learned some fascinating things. We talked in our leadership breakfast with the CEO of a large park group, and he said, 'There are tools that can now predict 93% of the attendance of every day.' And that is just fascinating because that helps operational planning, that helps food and beverage planning, that helps all those aspects in running a park successfully or running an attraction successfully.Paul Marden: Absolutely. So, as we come to the end of IAAPA Expo Europe, there are many US listeners, I'm sure, also quite a few Brits as well, anticipating IAAPA Expo Orlando in November. Have you got any insider tips or things that we can look forward to in Orlando? Jakob  Wahl: I can say it will be epic. There's quite a significant theme park which opened this year, Epic Universe, which is just down the road from the convention centre.Jakob  Wahl: And we actually have not only... Mark Woodbury is speaking in our keynote in our leadership breakfast. But we also have privatised the park on Thursday evening for the IAAPA Celebrates for four hours. So it is Epic Universe, just for IAAPA members, which will be amazing. I've had the luck to visit the park several times. And I can only tell you, you know, you should be there. The evening before the show opens on Monday, IAAPA has the Legends event, the honorary evening for the Hall of Fame. And this year we're actually inducting five inductees. Among them is Dolly Parton. So if you have ever wanted to meet Dolly Parton. Paul Marden: The real Dolly Parton. Wow.Jakob  Wahl: Yeah, Dolly Parton is getting into the IAAPA Hall of Fame, besides some other really fantastic candidates or inductees. And she will be there to receive that accolade. And as you said, you have many British listeners. Next year, IAAPA Expo Europe is in London.Paul Marden: Now, I'd quite like to do an edit for my family that might be listening, because that did sound quite epic. And we need to be absolutely clear that there's lots of hard work to be done in Orlando, as well as enjoying ourselves at Epic and seeing Dolly Parton.Jakob  Wahl: Yeah, I'm pretty sure we need to Skip the Queue on site for a podcast from Orlando.Paul Marden: Oh, there we go. There we go. I think we should end it there. Jakob, it has been delightful to meet you. I've really enjoyed it. I'm so grateful for being invited to come to IAAPA this year. Bring the podcast here. I've had so much fun. I've learned so much. It's been wonderful. Thank you.Jakob  Wahl: Oh, we love what you do. Thank you, you know, for making the attractions industry present in the digital space. And we are all great listeners of your podcast. So thank you for what you do for us.Paul Marden: Wow, what a week. A massive thank you to IAAPA for hosting us in Barcelona. It was an incredible few days of connection, innovation, and inspiration. We've absolutely loved being part of it. And who knows, maybe we'll see you again sooner than you think. If you liked today's episode, please like us or leave a comment on your podcast platform. It really does help people to find us. And lastly, thank you to all of the team that made these daily episodes and today's wrap-up session. A possibility without the team it could not have been possible to have done this— thank you to Emily and Sami at Plaster, Steve at Folland Co. Wenayn, Claire, and Andy back at Skip the Queue HQ. It has been a delight to be with you and I look forward to seeing you again next week. The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

In this episode of Skip the Queue, host Paul Marden speaks with Andy Hadden, founder of the Lost Shore Surf Resort in Scotland. Andy shares the remarkable journey from his sporting background and early property career to discovering wave technology in the Basque Country, which inspired him to bring inland surfing to Scotland. Despite starting with no money and no land, Andy raised over £100 million and built one of the world's most advanced inland surf destinations. He explains how Lost Shore Surf Resort combines world-class waves with a strong community focus, sustainability initiatives, and partnerships with schools and universities to deliver real social and economic impact.Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden, with co host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references:  Lost Shore Surf Resort website: https://www.lostshore.com/Andy Hadded on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-hadden-94989a67/Andy Hadden is the founder of Lost Shore Surf Resort, Scotland's first inland surf destination and home to Europe's largest wave pool. Opened in November 2024 near Edinburgh, Lost Shore is the country's largest sports infrastructure project since the Commonwealth Games and now attracts a truly international audience of surfers, families, and brands. With a background in insolvency and investment surveying, Andy led the venture from concept to completion - securing major institutional backing and building a multidisciplinary team to deliver a world-class destination. Long before 'ESG' was a buzzword, he embedded environmental and social value into Lost Shore's DNA, helping set new benchmarks for responsible development. As home to the Surf Lab with Edinburgh Napier University, Lost Shore also serves as a global hub for performance, product R&D, and surf therapy. Live from the show floor, we'll also be joined by:Bakit Baydaliev, CEO/ Cofounder of DOF Roboticshttps://dofrobotics.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bakitbaydaliev/Hamza Saber, Expert Engineer at TÜV SÜDhttps://www.tuvsud.com/enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hamzasaber/David Jungmann, Director of Business Development at Accessohttps://www.accesso.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjungmann/Kristof Van Hove, Tomorrowlandhttps://www.tomorrowland.com/home/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristof-van-hove-2ba3b953/ Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, the podcast about attractions and the amazing people who work with them. I'm your host, Paul Marden, and with my co-host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival, we're coming to you from IAAPA Expo Europe. This is the first of three episodes from the show floor that will come to you over the next three days. Firstly, I'm joined today by Andy Hadden, the founder of Lost Shores Surf Resort.Paul Marden: Andy, tell us a little bit about your journey. You've opened this amazing attraction up there in Scotland where I was on holiday a couple of weeks ago. Tell us a little bit about that attraction. Why this and why in Scotland?Andy Hadden: Well, I grew up locally and I came from more of a sporting family than so much of a business family. My father was the international rugby coach for a while and I played a lot of sport. Paul Marden: Oh, really? Andy Hadden: Yeah, yeah. So we always had this thing about there wasn't enough facilities here in Scotland because Scotland is a place which doesn't necessarily have all the resources and the access to funds and everything else like that. But one thing we noted with, you know, if you created facilities, whether they be good tennis facilities, good 4G football pitches, whatever it was. It allowed the environment around it to prosper, the communities around it to prosper. And, of course, I was a charter surveyor by trade, so I worked in insolvency and then in investment. So I sold two sites to that market. Andy Hadden: But I always surfed. I always surfed. So whilst I was down in Birmingham in England, when I actually got an email in 2012 talking about some, you know, some surfy thing that might have been happening in Bristol, I called the head of destination consulting up and I said, 'this sounds like nonsense, to be honest', because I surf and you can't really be talking about real surfing waves here. It's got to be something, you know, different. He said, 'No, no, there's these guys in the Basque country.' So I took a flight over there and that day changed everything for me. Paul Marden: So what was it that you saw? Andy Hadden: I went to see what was back then a secret test facility in the mountains of the Basque Country. It was very cloak and dagger. I had to follow the guide and give me the email address. I found this all very exciting. When I went and actually saw this facility, I realised that for the decade before that, there'd been all these amazing minds, engineers and surfers working on what they believed could be, you know, a big future of not just the inland surfing movement that's now burgeoning into a multi-billion dollar global movement, but it could really affect surfing. And if it was going to affect surfing as a sport, and it's now an Olympic sport because of these facilities, they wanted to make sure that it was a very accessible piece of kit. So surfing, it could affect surfing if ran by the right people in the right ways and really communicate that stoke of the sport to the masses.Paul Marden: So what is it that you've built in Edinburgh then? Tell me a little bit about it.Andy Hadden: So we've delivered a wave garden cove, which is a 52-module wave garden, which is about the size of three football pitches, and it can run hundreds of waves an hour, touch of a button and it can run in skiing parlance anything from green runs right through to sort of black powder runs. And the beauty of it is you can have people that are the better surfers out the back and just like at the beach at the front you've got their kids and learning how to surf on the white water. So we're finding it to be a really amazing experience— not just for surfers who are obviously flocking to us, but already here in Scotland, eight months in, tens of thousands of new surfers are all coming back and just going, 'Wow, we've got this thing on our doorstep.' This is blowing our minds, you know. Paul Marden: Wowzers, wowzers. Look, I'm guessing that the infrastructure and the technology that you need to be able to create this kind of inland wave centre is key to what you're doing. That you've got to access some funds, I guess, to be able to do this. This is not a cheap thing for you to be able to put together, surely.Andy Hadden: Yeah, correct. I mean, you know, I have questioned my own sanity at times. But when I started 10 years ago, I had no money and no land. But I did have some property expertise and I wanted to do it in Edinburgh, a close-up place that I cared about. So we have excellent networks. For a few years, you know. Whilst we've ended up raising over  £100 million in structured finance from a standing start, it took me a couple of years just to raise £40,000. And then I used that to do some quite bizarre things like flying everyone that I cared about, you know, whether they were from the surf community or... Community stakeholders, politicians, and everyone over to the test facility to see themselves— what I could see to sort of—well, is it? Am I just getting carried away here? Or is there something in this? And then, on top of that, you know, we sponsored the world's first PhD in surf therapy with that first $5,000. So now we have a doctor in surf therapy who now takes me around the world to California and all these places. How does business actually really genuinely care about, you know, giving back? And I'm like, yeah, because we said we're going to do this once.Andy Hadden: We got to do it right. And it took us a decade. But yeah, we raised the money and we're very happy to be open.Paul Marden: So I mentioned a minute ago, I was holidaying in Scotland. I bookended Edinburgh— both sides of the holiday. And then I was in Sky for a few days as well. There's something about Edinburgh at the moment. There is a real energy. Coming up as a tourist, there was way too much for me to be able to do. It seems to be a real destination at the moment for people.Andy Hadden: Yeah, well, I think, coming from the background I came from, if I knew I was going to deliver a surfing park in the edge of Edinburgh, I then wanted to do it in the least risky way possible. So to do that, I felt land ownership was key and three business plans was also very key. Edinburgh's in need of accommodation regardless, and Edinburgh's also in need of good places, a good F&B for friends and family just to go and hang out on the weekends. And then, of course, you have the surfing, and we've got a big wellness aspect too. We also sit next to Europe's largest indoor climbing arena. And we're obviously very well connected in the centre of Scotland to both Edinburgh and Scotland. So, so many things to do. So, yeah, I mean, the Scottish tourism landscape has always been good, but it's just getting better and better as we see this as a future-proof marketplace up here. You know, we're not building ships anymore.Andy Hadden: Well, in fact, we got a contract the other week to build one, so maybe that's wrong. But the point is, we see it as a very future-proof place because the Americans are flagging, the Europeans are flagging, and they just want to feel like they're part of something very Scottish. And that's what we've tried to do in our own special way.Paul Marden: And when you think of coming to Scotland, of course, you think about surfing, don't you? Andy Hadden: Yes, who knows. Paul Marden: Exactly, exactly. Look, you had some recent high-profile support from Jason Connery, the son of the late James Bond actor Sean Connery. How did that come about?Andy Hadden: Well, I think we've got, there's a real Scottish spirit of entrepreneurialism that goes back, you know, probably right the way through to the Enlightenment where, you know, I'm sure. I'm sure a lot of you know how many inventions came from Scotland. And this is, you know, televisions, telephones, penicillin. I mean, just the list goes on.Andy Hadden: Of course, you know, that was a long, long time ago, but we still feel a lot of pride in that. But there seems to be a lot of people who've had success in our country, like someone like Sir Sean Connery. These guys are still very proud of that. So when they see something— very entrepreneurial— where we're using a lot of local businesses to create something bigger than the sum of its parts. And to do it truly— not just to be a profitable private business, which is what it is, but to give back 18 million into local economy every year, to work with schools in terms of getting into curriculums. We've got Surf Lab. We work with universities, charities, and so on. They really want to support this stuff. So we have over 50 shareholders, and they've each invested probably for slightly different reasons. They all have to know that their money is a good bet, but I think they all want to feel like they're part of creating a recipe. For a surf resort, which we believe there'll be hundreds of around the world in the next few years. And we can create that recipe here in Scotland. That's hopefully another example of Scottish innovation and entrepreneurialism.Paul Marden: So you've got the test bed that happened in the Basque Country. You've got Scotland now. Are there surf resorts like this elsewhere in the world?Andy Hadden: Yeah, there are eight other open in the world. There's actually, there's various technologies. So there's about 25 different surf parks open at the moment. But there's... doesn't under construction. Pharrell Williams has just opened one in Virginia Beach a few weeks ago there in America. And what the equity, I think, is looking at quite rightly, the big equity, you know, the type that go right, if this really is a, you know, kind of top golfing steroids in that property developers can look at them as.Andy Hadden: You know, excellent ways to get through their more standardised property place, residential, office, industrial. Usually they have to do that in a kind of loss-leading way. But if you look at this as a leisure attraction, which councils and cities actually want because of the benefits, and it makes you money, and it increases the prices of your residential around it. I think developers are starting to realise there's a sweet spot there. So the equity, the big equity, I think, is about to drop in this market over the next couple of years. And it's just waiting for the data set to enable them to do that.Paul Marden: Wow. I guess there's an environmental impact to the work that you do, trying to create any big... a big project like this is going to have some sort of environmental impact. You've put in place an environmental sustainability strategy before it was mainstream as it is now. Tell us some of the things that you've put in place to try to address that environmental impact of what you're doing.Andy Hadden: Well, we're in a disused quarry. So it was a brownfield site. So already just by building on it and creating an immunity, we're also adding to the biodiversity of that site. And we're obviously there's no escaping the fact that we're a user of energy. There's just no escaping that. So the reality is we've got as much sustainable energy use as we can from air source heat pumps to solar. And we're looking at a solar project. So it becomes completely self-sustaining. But we also, the electricity we do access from the grid is through a green tariff. But you'll see a lot of the resorts around the world, this is going to become the sort of, the main play is to become sort of sustainable in that sense. Where we really fly is with the S and ESG. And like you say, the reason we were the world's first institutionally backed wave park, of course, we like to think it was purely down to our financials. But the reality is, they started saying, 'Wow, you're as authentic an ESG company as we've come across.'Andy Hadden: And it's the same with our mission-based national bank. So, because we didn't really know what that meant, we just knew it was the right thing to do. So we fit squarely into that ESG category, which I know is a tick box for a lot of funds, let's face it. There's a lot of them that really want to do that. There's a lot of investors out there that want to do it. But let's understand our place in the system, which is we're really market leading in that area. And I think that's very attractive for a lot of funds out there. But the S in ESG is where we really fly with all the work we're doing socially around the site.Paul Marden: So talk to me a little bit about that. How are you addressing that kind of the social responsibility piece?Andy Hadden: Well, two examples would be we're not just looking at schools to come here to surf. That's an obvious one. They'll go to any attraction to surf if you could go to Laser Quest, go up to visit the castle, do whatever. But we reverse engineered it. We got schools coordinated to go around the headmasters and the schools and say, 'Well, Look, you're all teaching STEM, science, technology, engineering, maths, for 9 to 13-year-olds. And you're all looking for outdoor learning now, which is definitely a big part of the future in education in general. Can you allow us to create some modules here? So we've got six modules that actually fit into that STEM strategy. For instance, last week, there was a school in learning physics, but they were using surf wax on a surfboard friction.Paul Marden: Amazing.Andy Hadden: So these kids so it works for schools and headmasters which is very important and for parents and it obviously works for the kids and they love it and the reason we do that and we give that it's all at discounted low times and everything is because it's a numbers game they come back at the weekend and so on so that's example one and another would be we've created a surf lab with Napier University, a higher education. So we sponsored the world's first doctor. It got a PhD in surf therapy, but then the university was like, 'hold on a minute, you know, this is good marketing for us as well'.Andy Hadden: This surf lab, which has the infrastructure to host great competitions, but also PhD students can come down and learn engineering. They can learn sustainable energy. So we've got more PhD students working there. And this higher university collaboration has not only led to Alder kids coming down but other universities in the area are now what can we do with lost shore now that's cool and fun so we're working with the other universities in town too so that's a couple of examples alongside the standard, employing local people and actually having the economics of putting money into the local economy.Paul Marden: It's interesting, isn't it? Because... So for many people, ESG, and especially the social responsibility piece, feels a little bit worthy. It feels an altruistic move for the organisation to go and do those things. But you've hit on the quid pro quo what do you get back for doing all of this stuff well you're bringing in these kids you're enriching their learning, you're helping them to learn valuable skills but you're also giving them a taster of what life is like at the the resort and seeing the benefit of the return visits that flow from that is crazy.Andy Hadden: You know, I like to think we've fought as hard as anyone to ingrain this stuff in your DNA because we're year one. And of course, we have our cash flow difficulties like everyone does. You know, you don't know how to... run the place for the first three months or that's what it feels like even though you've done all this preparation and so on and so forth but at no point does anyone turn around and go let's get rid of the schools program let's get rid of the university partnership and that's why i think it's very important to build it into your dna because it doesn't have to be this zero-sum game that people attribute you know or we're giving here so that means we have to take over here it's like there's cute ways to do everything you can do the right thing but also drive traffic for your business and it's very good right. It's good reputation, because the people that stay there, when they see that we're doing this stuff, they feel like they're part of it, and then they want to book again. So I believe it doesn't have to be a zero-sum game, but it is a different way of creating a business— that's for sure.Paul Marden: For sure. So there's going to be a listener out there, I'm sure, with a crazy idea like you had a few years ago. What advice would you give for somebody just starting out thinking of opening a business in the leisure and attraction sector?Andy Hadden: I would just try your best to make it as simple as possible. I think it was Yves Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, who said, 'One of the hardest things in life is to make it simple. It's so easy to make it complex.' And when you're dealing with a business plan, it's very exciting, right? Well, what if we get into this market? What if we do this? And splitting it all into those components. I think arm yourself with very good people around you. They don't even have to be part of the company. If you've been a good person in your life, I'm sure you've got friends who you can tap into. Everyone knows an architect. Everyone knows an accountant. Everyone knows a lawyer. You're a friend of a friend. Andy Hadden: And I think just overload yourself with as much information to get you to the point where you can be assertive with your own decisions. Because at the end of the day, it's going to come down to you making your own decisions. And if you've got a very clear path of what success and failure looks like, understanding that it ain't going to look like your business plan. As long as it's got the broad shapes of where you want to go, it can get you out of bed every day to try and make things happen. So, yeah, just go for it. Really, that's it.Paul Marden: See where it takes you. So look, in the world of themed entertainment, we talk a lot about IP and storytelling and creating magical experiences. Are any of these concepts relevant to a destination like yours?Andy Hadden: Yeah, well, you know, technically, from an IP perspective, you know, we're using the WaveGround Cove technology. You know, we've purchased that. So from a strictly business perspective, you know, we have access to their sort of IP in that sense and we deliver that. But I think for us, the IP is the destination. It's so unique, it's so big that it becomes defendable at scale. So it does sound like a bit of an all-in poker hand. But it would be more risky to go half in because these things are very hard to build. But when they are built, they're also very hard to compete with. So as long as your customer experience is good enough. You're going to maintain a kind of exclusivity in your locality for long into the future. So, yeah, there's obviously IP issues in terms of technologies. But for us, it was all about creating a destination with three business plans that's greater than the sum of its parts. And if we can do that in our location, then it's very hard to compete against, I would say.Paul Marden: Andy, it sounds like such an exciting journey that you've been on. And one year in, that journey has still got a long way to play out, doesn't it? You must be on quite the rollercoaster. Well, surfing quite a wave at the moment, if I don't mix my metaphors so badly.Andy Hadden: Yeah, we're just entering maybe the penultimate phase of the sort of 20-year plan. You know, we've gone through our early stages, our fundraising, our construction. We've gone through the very hard sort of like getting the team together and opening year one. And we're just starting to go, 'OK, we understand we've got data now'. We understand how to run this place now. So I think we now want to push through to stabilise the next two or three years. And then hopefully we've got a lot of irons in the fire globally as well. Hopefully we can go to the next phase, but we'll see what happens. Worst case scenario, I just surf a bit more and try and enjoy my lot.Paul Marden: Well, Andy, it's been lovely talking to you. I've been really interested to hear what you've been up to. This was only a short snippet of an interview. I reckon there's some more stories for you to tell once you're into year two. So I'd love for you to come back and we'll do a full-on interview once you've got year two under your belt. How's that sound to you?Andy Hadden: Absolutely, Paul, and thanks very much for the platform.Paul Marden: Next up, let's hear from some of the exhibitors on the floor. Bakit.Paul Marden: Introduce yourself for me, please, and tell me a little bit about where you're from.Bakit Baydaliev: We have two companies located in Turkey, Istanbul, and Los Angeles, USA. We develop attractions, equipment, but not just equipment— also software, AI, and content, games, and movies. Paul Marden: Oh, wow. So you're here at IAPA. This is my very first morning of my very first IAAPA. So it's all very overwhelming for me. Tell me, what is it that you're launching at IAAPA today?Bakit Baydaliev: Today we're launching our bestseller, Hurricane. It's a coaster simulator. In addition to that, we're also launching a special immersive tunnel, Mars Odyssey. We're sending people to Mars, we're sending people to space, and the story, of course, may change. After you install the attractions, you always can create different kinds of content for this attraction. It's completely immersive and what is very unique for this attraction is edutainment. Theme parks, science centres, space centres, and museums all benefit from it. It's not just to show and entertain, but also educate and provide a lot of useful information for people. Paul Marden: So what would you say is unique about this? Bakit Baydaliev: There are several factors. First of all, it's equipment. We have a very special software that amazingly synchronizes with the content and it doesn't create motion sickness at all. Paul Marden: Oh, really? Bakit Baydaliev: This is very important. Independently on the speeds, which is... We have very high speeds in our simulators. In addition to that, we have special effects, unusual effects, which feel like cold, heat, sounds.Paul Marden: So it is truly 4D, isn't it?Bakit Baydaliev: Completely. In addition to that, it's interactive content. It's not just the content which you can sit and... watch and entertain yourself and get a lot of useful information, but also you can interact. You can play games, you can shoot, you can interact. And of course, the most important thing which makes this attraction innovative is the educational aspect.Paul Marden: I find that really interesting that you could see this ride at a theme park, but similarly you can see it as an educational exhibit at a science centre or space centre. I think that's very interesting.Bakit Baydaliev: Very, very. Especially, you know, the standard experience for space centres, science centres, and especially museums, it's just walking around, touch some stuff. Some you may not even touch it. It's exponents which you can watch, you can read, it's very nice. But it's even better when you let people live it in real with a nice simulation atmosphere environment, like immersive tunnel.Paul Marden: Absolutely. Bekit, thank you so much for joining us on Skip the Queue, and I look forward to enjoying one of the rides.Bakit Baydaliev: Please ride, and you will be amazed.Hamza Saber: My name is Hamza. I work for TÜV SUD Germany. Our main job is to make sure attractions are safe, parks are safe. We do everything from design review to initial examination of rides, to yearly checks and making sure that we push the standards and the norm to the next level and cover everything that comes in new in the industry as well to make sure this industry stays safe and enjoyable for people. Paul Marden: It's so important though, isn't it? At an event like this, you don't have a sexy stand with lots of really cool rides to experience, but what you do is super important.Hamza Saber: Yes, I guess it's not one of the big colourful booths, but it's at the heart of this industry. It's in the background. If you look at the program for the education, there is a lot of safety talks. There is a lot of small groups talking about safety, trying to harmonise norms as well. Because if you look at the world right now, we have the EN standards. We have the American standards and we're working right now to try to bring them closer together so it's as easy and safe and clear for all manufacturers and operators to understand what they need to do to make sure that their guests are safe at the end of the day.Paul Marden: So Hamza, there's some really cool tech that you've got on the stand that's something new that you've brought to the stand today. So tell us a little bit about that.Hamza Saber: So as you can see, we have one of the drones right here and the video behind you. So we're trying to include new technologies to make it easier, faster, and more reliable to do checks on big structures like this or those massive buildings that you usually see. You can get really, really close with the new technologies, the drones with the 4K cameras, you can get very, very precise. We're also working on AI to train it to start getting the first round of inspections done using AI. And just our expert to focus on the most important and critical aspects. So we're just going to make it faster, more reliable.Paul Marden: So I guess if you've got the drone, that means you don't have to walk the entire ride and expect it by eye?Hamza Saber: No, we still have to climb. So what we do is more preventive using the drones. So the drones, especially with the operators, they can start using them. And if they notice something that does not fit there, we can go and look at it. But the actual yearly inspections that are accepted by the governments, you still need to climb, you still need to check it yourself. So the technology is not right there yet, but hopefully we're going to get there. Paul Marden: We're a long way away from the robots coming and taking the safety engineer's job then. Hamza Saber: Yes, exactly. And they don't think they're going to come take our jobs anytime soon. Using technology hands-in-hands with our expertise, that's the future.Paul Marden: It must be so exciting for you guys because you have to get involved in all of these projects. So you get to see the absolute tippy top trends as they're coming towards you.Hamza Saber: Yeah, for sure. Like we're always three years before the public knowledge. So it's exciting to be behind the scene a little bit and knowing what's going on. We're seeing some really fun and creative ideas using AI to push the attractions industry to the next level. So I'm excited to see any new rides that will be published or announced at some point this week.Paul Marden: Very cool. Look, Hamza, it's been lovely to meet you. Thanks for coming on Skip the Queue.Hamza Saber: Yeah, thank you so much.Kristof Van Hove: My name is Kristof. I live in Belgium. I'm working for the Tomorrowland group already now for three years, especially on the leisure part.Paul Marden: Tell listeners a little bit about Tomorrowland because many of our listeners are attraction owners and operators. They may not be familiar with Tomorrowland.Kristof Van Hove: Yeah, so Tomorrowland is already 20 years, I think, one of the number one festivals in the world. Actually, already for the last years, always the number one in the world. And what makes us special is that we are not just a festival, but we are a community. We create. special occasions for people and it starts from the moment that they buy their tickets till the festival we make a special feeling that people like and I think we create a world and each year we work very hard on new team that goes very deep so not only making a festival but we go very deep in our branding not only with our main stage but we also make a book about it we make gadgets about it so it's a completely.Paul Marden:  Wow. Help listeners to understand what it is that you're doing new here at the moment. You're blending that festival experience, aren't you, into attractions.Kristof Van Hove: Yeah, that's right. So because we are already 20 years on the market building IP, the more and more we really are able to create a complete experience, not only the IP as a brand, but also all the things around it. We have our own furniture. We have our own plates. We create actually all elements that are needed to build a leisure industry project. And that makes it magnificent. I think we are capable now, with everything that we do in-house, to set up and to facilitate water park and attraction park projects completely. Paul Marden: So, have you got any attractions that are open at the moment? Kristof Van Hove: Well, we have the Ride to Happiness, of course, the coaster that is built in Plopsaland three years ago. That is already now for five years the number one steel coaster in Europe and the fifth steel coaster in the world. So this is a project we are very proud of. Besides that, we have already a lot of immersive experiences. And we are constructing now a secret project that will be announced in the beginning of next year somewhere in Europe.Paul Marden: Give us a little sneak peek what that might look like.Kristof Van Hove: It's not that far from here. Okay, okay, excellent. So it's more an outdoor day project that we are constructing. That for sure will be something unique. Excellent.Paul Marden: So look, you're already planning into 2026. Help listeners to understand what the future might look like. What trends are you seeing in the sector for next year?Kristof Van Hove: Well, I think more and more the people expect that they get completely a deep dive into branding. I don't think that people still want to go to non-IP branded areas. They want to have the complete package from the moment that they enter. They want to be immersed. With everything around it, and they want a kind of a surrounding, and they want to have the feeling that they are a bit out of their normal life, and a deep dive in a new environment. And I think this is something that we try to accomplish. Paul Marden: Wow.David Jungmann: David Jungman, I'm the Director of Business Development here at Accesso, based in Germany. I'm super excited to be here at IAPA in Barcelona. We're exhibiting our whole range of solutions from ticketing to point of sale to virtual queuing to mobile apps. And one of the features we're calling out today is our Accesso Pay 3.0 checkout flow, which streamlines donations, ticket insurance, relevant payment types by region on a single simple one-click checkout page.Paul Marden: What impact does that have on customers when they're presented with that simple one-click checkout?David Jungmann: Well, as you guys know, conversion rate is super important. The number of clicks in an e-commerce environment is super important. And because we're at IAAPA Europe, we've got guests here from all over Europe. Different regions require different payment types. And it's important to not overload a checkout page with like eight different types for, let's say, German guests, Dutch guests, Belgium guests, is to be able to only offer what's relevant and to keep it short and sweet. And then rolling in additional features like donations, ticket insurance and gift cards, stuff like that.Paul Marden: Amazing. So get your crystal ball out and think about what the world in 2026 is going to be like.David Jungmann: I think this year was a little bit soft in terms of performance for the parks, certainly in Europe, what we've seen. I think what that will mean is that maybe some will consider, you know, really big capex investments. But what that also means is they will get creative. So I envision a world where, instead of buying new protocols for 20 million, maybe some operators will start thinking about how can we make more out of what we've got with less, right? How can we be really creative? And I think there's a lot to uncover next year for us to see.Paul Marden:  Sweating their assets maybe to be able to extend what they do without that big CapEx project.David Jungmann:  Yes, how can we keep innovating? How can we keep our experience fresh? Without just buying something very expensive straight away. And I think that's what we see.Paul Marden: What is going to be innovating for Xesso and the market that you serve?David Jungmann: Well, for us, it's really about that streamlined, consistent guest experience, but also tying into things like immersive experiences, right, where you could maybe change the overlay of an attraction and feed in personalised information that you have for your visitors and collect it during you know the booking flow when they enter the venue and feeding that into the actual experience i think that's something i'm excited about.Paul Marden: I think that there is a missed opportunity by so many attractions. There's so much data that we build and we collect the data, but oftentimes we don't bring it together into a central place and then figure out the ways in which we want to use it. There's so much more you can do with that rich data, isn't there?David Jungmann: 100% exactly. And I don't just mean from a marketing perspective. I mean from an actual experience perspective. Let's say you ride through Dark Ride and all of a sudden your name pops up or your favorite character pops up and waves hello to you. That's the type of stuff you want to do, not just market the hell out of it.Paul Marden: Absolutely. Look, David, it's been so good to meet you. Thank you ever so much. And yeah, thank you for joining Skip the Queue. David Jungmann: Thanks, Paul. Have a great day at the show. Paul Marden: Isn't it great? I mean, we have got such an amazing job, haven't we? To be able to come to a place like this and be able to call this work.David Jungmann: Absolute privilege. Yes, absolutely.Paul Marden: Now, before we wrap up, Andy and I wanted to have a little chat about what we've seen today and what we've enjoyed. Why don't we sit down? You have clearly returned to your tribe. Is there a person in this place that doesn't actually know you?Andy Povey: There's loads. I've been doing the same thing for 30 years. Paul Marden: Yeah, this ain't your first radio, is it? Andy Povey: I'm big and I'm loud, so I'd stand out in a crowd. I mean, there are all fantastic things that I should put on my CV. But this is really where I feel at home. This industry continues to blow me away. We're here, we're talking to competitors, we're talking to potential customers, we're talking to previous customers, we're talking to people that we've worked with, and it's just all so friendly and so personally connected. I love it.Paul Marden: It has been awesome. I've really enjoyed it. Although I'm beginning to get into the Barry White territory of my voice because it's quite loud on the show floor, isn't it? Andy Povey: It is. It's actually quieter than previous shows, so I don't know why, and I don't know whether... Maybe I'm just getting old and my hearing's not working quite so well, but... You used to walk out of the show and you could almost feel your ears relax as they just stopped hearing and being assaulted, I suppose, by machines pinging and blowing.Paul Marden: It really is an assault on the senses, but in the very best way possible. Andy Povey: Absolutely, absolutely. I feel like a child. You're walking around the show, you're going, 'Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow.' Paul Marden: So what has been your highlight? Andy Povey: Do you know, I don't think I could give you one. It really is all of the conversations, the connections, the people you didn't know that you hadn't spoken to for two years.Paul Marden: So for me, my highlight, there was a ride that I went on, Doff Robotics.Andy Povey: I've seen that, man.Paul Marden: So it was amazing. I thought I was going to be feeling really, really sick and that I wouldn't enjoy it, but it was amazing. So I had Emily with the camera in front of me. And within 10 seconds, I forgot that I was being recorded and that she was there. I was completely immersed in it. And I came off it afterwards feeling no motion sickness at all and just having had a real good giggle all the way through. I was grinning like, you know, the Cheshire Cat. Andy Povey: A grinning thing. Paul Marden: Yeah. So, tomorrow, what are you looking forward to?Andy Povey:  It's more of the same. It really is. There's going to be some sore heads after tonight's party at Tribodabo. We're all hoping the rain holds off long enough for it to be a great experience. But more of the same.Paul Marden: Well, let's meet back again tomorrow, shall we? Andy Povey: Completely. Paul Marden: Let's make a date.Paul Marden: Thanks for listening to today's episode from IAAPA Expo Europe. As always, if you've loved today's episode, like it and comment in your podcast app. If you didn't like it, let us know at hello@skipthequeue.fm. Show notes and links can also be found on our website, skipthequeue.fm. Thanks to our amazing team, Emily Burrows and Sami Entwistle from Plaster Creative Communications, Steve Folland from Folland Co., and our amazing podcast producer, Wenalyn Dionaldo. Come back again tomorrow for more show news. The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

#podcast #veterans #military In this gripping episode of DD214 Network Live, we delve into the unsettling world of data breaches and personal security. Join hosts John, Jay, and Joe as they share a personal account of a recent data breach that hit close to home, exploring the implications and the emotional toll it takes. From discussing the vulnerabilities in our digital lives to sharing practical tips on safeguarding personal information, this episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the digital age.Chapters00:00 Introduction to DD214 Network Podcast01:52 Military Experiences and Security Measures05:01 Military Technology and Warfare08:06 Drones in Modern Warfare10:45 WrestlePalooza and Wrestling Culture13:30 Wrestling Events and Matches16:26 Wrestling's Evolution and Current Landscape19:15 Wrestling and Military Connections22:14 Baseball Talk and Team Performances24:54 Reflections on Military Training27:51 Personal Stories and Experiences30:41 Closing Thoughts and Future Events47:36 Immersive Experiences in Airsoft and Paintball51:36 Entertainment Updates: Big Brother and James Gunn55:52 Dealing with Data Breaches and Cybersecurity01:05:44 Mental Health Awareness and Support01:21:24 Tragic News: The Travis Decker InvestigationDD214 Network PodcastDirected & Produced by Jonathan ‘Clean' SanchezHosted by Joe Squillini & Jay CampbellEdited by Clean Sanchez Media, LLCMusic by Shrieks666 ("Shadow Surfing," "Voices Getting Louder") – Check them out on Bandcamp!Website: CleanSanchezMedia.comAffiliate LinksGovee - https://govee.sjv.io/CLEANStreamLabs - https://streamlabs.pxf.io/CleanHemper -https://www.hemper.co/DD214Disclaimer: This Podcast contains adult language. Adult Supervision is advised.Fair Use Disclaimer:The content provided on this podcast may include material subject to copyright protection. In accordance with the principles of "fair use" as defined in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, the use of copyrighted material on this podcast is for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.The determination of whether the use of copyrighted material constitutes fair use is made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account various factors outlined in Section 107. The inclusion of such material is not an endorsement by the DD214 Network Podcast or Clean Sanchez Media, LLC, but is meant to enrich and contribute to discussions within the specified purposes of fair use. All copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.Shop official merch for DD214 Network: http://www.CleanSanchezMedia.com

What A true honour to continue this year long journey into the world of the DEARADH Zú and the world of the zoo architect.  This week we go on the journey of breaking the barriers within the community of zoo design creating immersive experiences. Come along for the journey learning all about this in this episode with  Jonathan McLoughlin, along with what DEARADH Zú can offer the world every 3rd Saturday with a new episode released. Please check out this episode and enjoy it as much as I had to record it. Enjoy the podcast episode and please follow ZOOKEEPING 101 through facebook and instagram to be the first to hear about new episodes.

Send us a textBoda Borg is revolutionizing experiential entertainment with “questing” — real-life gaming adventures that blend technology, teamwork, and immersive challenges. With 11 global locations, 5M+ guests, $20M+ in annual revenue, and 30 years of innovation, Boda Borg is not just another escape room — it's a whole new category.In this interview, David Spigner, CEO of Boda Borg, shares how he's scaling reality gaming, insights on expansion into California and beyond, and why major companies like Google use Boda Borg for team-building and corporate events.Diversify your investments with the leader in Questing, a proven experiential live-action gaming platform with 11 locations, serving nearly 5 million Guests, and generating annual revenue of $20+ million.

Here is the Epson Projector Throw Distance SimulatorWhat's in this episode:In this episode, Epson's Chris Teguh shares valuable insights for IT creatives and teams looking to enhance experiences with projection and projection mapping.Employees and customers have heightened expectations when interacting in physical spaces.  As the lines between personal and professional spaces blur, the demand for high-quality, visually appealing, sophisticated environments continues to grow.We dive into how to create amazing spaces with the latest advancements in projection, specifically:Ways Epson makes high-performance projection technology accessible to a broader audienceInstallation and  features that make PowerLite projectors user-friendlyBenefits for IT Teams, including standardization and easy installation Technical considerations that Epson helps with when designing environmentsHow Epson projectors enhance experiences in various types of spaces, like meeting spaces, education environments, museums, and simulation environments.Learn more about AVI-SPL and Epson.Explore AVI-SPL audio visual services.Learn more about Epson PowerLite projectors.Get AV and unified communications news delivered to your inbox.Follow AVI-SPL: Linkedin X YouTube

Throwback Thursday! Augmenting the Reality of Education Through Immersive Experiences featuring Dr. Alfonso MendozaOriginally Released On: 2-25-2022This week, we're revisiting one of our timeless episodes from Leading Out The Woods! In this episode:✅ Dr. Mendoza shares why ARVR in Education helps increase student engagement and instruction.✅ Dr. Mendoza discusses where he sees the future of education headed with this technology.Whether you're hearing it for the first time or revisiting a classic, this conversation is packed with insights that still resonate today.

Ever since the mid-90s there has a been a place in downtown Fort Myers where parents could bring their kids for an immersive experience focused on science. It was originally called The Imaginarium Hands on Museum and Aquarium and featured hands-on displays and activities and an always-popular touch tank where kids can pet and feed cownose rays, among many other exhibits and activities that have evolved over time. The Imaginarium merged with the Southwest Florida History Museum and re-launched as an independent nonprofit called the IMAG History and Science Center which still offers the public an immersive experience focused now on science AND history. This Saturday, they are celebrating their 30th anniversary so we get some history, and a look at what's happening there today.

From dodging a T. rex in Battersea to belting out ABBA on the Thames, this episode takes you deep into London's most immersive attractions—no filters, no fluff. We walk through Jurassic World, Squid Game, Minecraft missions, and moody VR voyages aboard the Titanic. There's a stop at Bubble Planet for a breather, a murder mystery dinner on a train, a true-crime detective stroll through Whitechapel, and yes, a proper Shoreditch pub crawl. We wrap up with burgers and basslines at Hard Rock Piccadilly. If you've ever wanted to live inside your favourite game, song, or fever dream, this is the London itinerary you didn't know you needed.GET YOUR TICKETS HERE:https://ldn.fan/experiences-ldnDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.The complete Show notes:https://seeyouin.london/episode/your-guide-to-immersive-experiences-across-london/GOT QUESTIONS ABOUT LONDON?Send me your question(s) for a chance to be answered live.Whatsapp: +44 7700 1822 99 (Text & Voice)E-Mail: hello@seeyouin.londonAsk your Question: https://seeyouin.london/askWebsite: https://seeyouin.londonFOLLOW MEFacebook: @londonaskedInstagram: @londonaskedJOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUPhttps://facebook.com/groups/londonaskedLEAVE A REVIEWPlease leave a review wherever you're listening to this podcast.GET IT NOW! The London Asked and Answered: Your Comprehensive Travel Guide Book or eBookhttps://guided.london/book© 2025 See you in London, Sascha Berninger Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kara Baker, Senior Director at TMRW Sports, joins Miheer Walavalkar, CEO and co-founder of LiveLike, to unpack how TGL (Tomorrow's Golf League) is redefining digital fan engagement. This new indoor golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy crafts immersive experiences to monetising user journeys, and Kara shares what it takes to build a next-gen sports league for younger audiences. Discover the strategies behind TGL's explosive debut and what's next for community-driven fandom.What You'll Learn in This Episode>> Why TGL prioritised education and user data in its launch season>> How cross-team collaboration fuels TGL's digital success>> The framework Kara uses to filter innovation by value and impact>> How fan engagement functions as an evolving ecosystem, not just features>> TGL's strategy for converting unknown users into loyal advocatesMeet Our GuestKara Baker is Senior Director of Digital Product and Operations at TMRW Sports. With a background spanning NBC Sports and digital strategy, Kara is pioneering tech-driven sports entertainment that meets the expectations of today's fan.About the HostMiheer Walavalkar is the CEO and co-founder of LiveLike, a fan engagement platform powering experiences for global giants like the NBA, UEFA, and FOX. He's a recognised industry leader transforming how audiences interact with content in real time.Enjoyed the Episode?Subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who are passionate about developing community driven fandom! Visit LiveLike to discover how you can activate your audience. Connect with Miheer Walavalkar on LinkedInFollow Kara Baker on LinkedIn

In this episode you and I explore key insights from research done at Claremont Graduate University showing that we can enhance our sense of joy by initiating six immersive experiences daily.You'll learn what those six experiences are and how to easily incorporate them into your daily life.Article: "These Six Daily Immersive Experiences Lead to More Joy". From "Superage.com". Link: https://superage.com/six-immersive-experiences-for-more-joy/---Host:Stephen Carter - Website: https://StressReliefRadio.com - Email: CarterMethod@gmail.com---Technical information:Recording and initial edits with Twisted Wave. Additional edits with Amadeus pro, Hush and Levelator. Finnal edits and rendering with Hindenburg Pro. Microphone: Earthworks Ethos. ---Key words:happiness, emotional_wellbeing, kindness,

In this episode of Learning Unleashed, Carl Hooker and Rochelle Dene Poth discuss the latest trends in education technology, including the metaverse, AI, and immersive learning experiences. They share insights from the ISTE conference, highlighting global interactions and the importance of networking among educators. Rochelle also introduces her new book, 'What the Tech?', which explores emerging technologies and their implications for education. Follow on Twitter: @ISTEofficial @mrhooker @Rdene915 @jonHarper70bd @shellthief  @hyphenatic @bamradionetwork  #edchat #edtech #edtechchat Resources: What the Tech? |  Hacking GenAI in Education: Conversation Starters Rachelle Dene Poth is an accomplished edtech consultant, presenter, author, blogger and teacher. She currently teaches Spanish and a course on emerging tech that covers AR/VR, artificial intelligence, coding, gaming, digital citizenship, video animation and more. She presents regularly at conferences on technology and ways to drive student learning. Poth is the president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network and serves on the leadership team for the ISTE Mobile Learning Network. At ISTE19, she received the Making IT Happen Award and a Presidential Gold Award for volunteer service to education. She's a Buncee Ambassador, Edmodo Certified Trainer, Nearpod Certified Educator and PioNear, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and Google Certified Educator Levels I and II. Poth is the author of In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking, The Future Is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead and Unconventional Ways to THRIVE in EDU. She's a contributing author to Education Write Now, Volume 3; several volumes of the Edumatch book Snapshot in Education; and the ISTE book Gamify Literacy. Poth is a regular blogger for Getting Smart and DefinedSTEM.

If you're still thinking “tech first,” you're already behind. The real winners in 2030 will be those creating seamless, unforgettable experiences and that message rang loud at the InfoComm discussion on AV in 2030.This week on AVWeek, Tim Albright dives into the conversation shaping the next era of ProAV. From the redefined future of work and the rise of AI in the workplace, to the growing influence of experiential design and the critical demand for interoperability, this episode breaks down what's coming and how AV pros can lead the charge instead of playing catch-up.Host: Tim AlbrightGuests:Bren Walker – Kirkegaard AVMark Coxon – AVI-SPLThis Week In AV:Commercial Integrator – 26North Acquires Stake in AVI-SPLAV Network – InfoComm 2025 Attendance NumbersAV Magazine – First In-Ice LEDs in ArenaWired – Microsoft Retires Blue Screen of DeathRoundtable Topics:AV Network – The Next Big AV ThingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why do so many young Christians feel like their faith is just another item on a crowded to-do list? Why does boredom creep in when it comes to something as life-changing as a relationship with God? Recent studies show a surprising shift—Gen Z men are now more likely than women to identify as religious, flipping a generational trend. But what does that really mean? As culture moves faster and attention spans shrink, many in Gen Z are craving something deeper, more meaningful, more real. In this episode, we're asking the big questions—about faith, purpose, identity, and how to actually think well in a reactive world. Today's guest is Ryan Pauly. Ryan is the Founder and President of Think Well, the Director of Immersive Experiences at MAVEN, and an Adjunct Professor of Theology and Apologetics at Biola University. He has been working with junior high, high school, and college students for over a decade as a missionary, school teacher, speaker, and apologist. Want to be better equipped with a Biblical Worldview? Check out summit.org! For more from Dr. Jeff on YouTube visit http://bit.ly/3flbj2j  For more resources from Summit Ministries visit their Resource Library at www.summit.org/resources/

Includes an interview with Steve Peterson, the creative director at CLOVE Experiential who organized the launch event at Survios for the Meta Quest version of Alien: Rogue Incursion & a discussion of Alien & Predator […] The post #209: Reality of Nightmares, Discussing Alien & Predator Immersive Experiences fting. Steve Petersen appeared first on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy.

In today show Simon Kuestenmacher and I discuss a topic that won't stay out of the news this year with the federal election coming up — house prices. Whether they're climbing to new heights or stabilising, the property market has ripple effects that impact us all. But here's the big question we discuss today: When house prices are high, are there more winners or losers? Takeaways ·        The Australian housing market has historically created more winners than losers. ·        Government policies often favor those already owning property, making it harder for first-time home buyers. ·        High property prices benefit a wide range of stakeholders, including banks and developers. ·        First home buyer grants tend to inadvertently drive up house prices. ·        Younger voters are increasingly disillusioned with major political parties due to housing policies. ·        The widening wealth gap is creating social unrest among younger generations. ·        Immigration policies need to be re-evaluated to ensure housing affordability for all. ·        Political parties must balance the interests of homeowners and renters to maintain stability. ·        There is a need for more transparent discussions about housing affordability. ·        The future of housing affordability will depend on effective government action and policy changes. Chapters 00:00 The Impact of Rising House Prices 07:54 Winners and Losers in the Property Market 13:53 Political Dynamics and Housing Policy 19:50 The Role of Migration in Housing Affordability 25:45 Future Directions for Housing Policy 32:58 Introduction to Immersive Experiences 35:46 Defining Immersive Experiences 37:29 The Impact of Immersive Experiences on Growth Links and Resources: Michael Yardney Get the team at Metropole to help build your personal Strategic Property Plan Click here and have a chat with us Simon Kuestenmacher: Australia's leading demographer and partner in the Demographics Group Join us at Wealth Retreat - Australia's Premier Wealth Retreat for Elite Investors and Business People www.WealthRetreat.com.au Get a bundle of free reports and eBooks – www.PodcastBonus.com.au   Also, please subscribe to my other podcast Demographics Decoded with Simon Kuestenmacher – just look for  Demographics Decoded wherever you are listening to this podcast and subscribe so each week we can unveil the trends shaping your future. Shownotes plus more here: The Upside of Upmarkets: Winners and Losers in the Property Game? With Simon Kuestenmacher   

In this episode, Claire recounts her recent surprise Disney World trip with her family, where they navigated various Disney parks, met beloved characters, and created unforgettable memories. Highlights include Claire's strategic use of Lightning Lanes, the magical experiences of her children, Evie's enchanting encounters with princesses, and Miles' initial reluctance that turns into joy upon discovering Galaxy's Edge. Joy shares an interesting encounter with Haynes, Claire's new dog, and an intuitive feeling about the dog's need for a defined role and purpose. The episode wraps up with upcoming plans and a sneak peek into guests and topics for future episodes.01:55 Surprise Disney Trip Reveal04:55 First Impressions and Disney Springs08:16 Magic Kingdom Adventures13:47 Meeting the Princesses18:52 Galaxy's Edge and Hollywood Studios22:48 Reflections and Favorite Rides27:46 Immersive Experiences at Casa Bonita28:40 The Magic of Disney Merchandise29:56 Disneyland Tips and Tricks38:43 Disneyland vs. Disney World43:37 The Story of Haynes the Dog52:36 Upcoming Guests and Events

Welcome to The Collaboration Space podcast. Our guest speaker today is Linda Hess from Panasonic.Projections indicate that by 2026 and beyond, institutions will encounter increased challenges due to shifting demographics and a heightened demand for specialized, engaging educational experiences. How we learn has changed. The ability to cultivate immersive, technologically advanced learning environments will be a critical differentiator. Today, we'll explore how the latest audiovisual technology for education, including advancements in projection and display technology, creates compelling educational spaces. We'll discuss how these tools can attract prospective students and foster an environment that nurtures their academic journey, ultimately promoting student success and institutional loyalty.We'll also go beyond the classroom and talk about educational experiences in simulation environments and venues like museums.Get started with AVI-SPL education technology solutions.Explore Panasonic solutions that power educational experiences.Get AV and unified communications news delivered to your inbox.Follow AVI-SPL: Linkedin X YouTube

Immerse yourself in the realm of generative AI alongside ServiceNow's Spark team, where innovation converges with state-of-the-art technology. Host Bobby Brill engages Eduardo Nauiack and Dan Durller in a conversation about their journey of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, especially for flagship events like Knowledge and Craft Summit. Learn how Midjourney and other innovative tools have streamlined their processes, enabling the creation of bespoke, high-caliber visuals in a fraction of the time, all while upholding the brand's essence. From developing cinematic graphics for large screens to infusing product demos with sophistication, the team shares their evolution from internal experiments to pivotal external showcases. Gain an insider's perspective on how they harmonize creative liberty with brand standards and discover how this "game changer" is revolutionizing their content creation approach. Guests - Eduardo Nauiack, The Spark Team - Sr. Staff Communication DesignerDan Durller, The Spark Team - Sr. Staff Communication Designer Host - Bobby Brill ServiceNow Training and Certification: http://www.servicenow.com/services/training-and-certification.html ServiceNow Community: https://community.servicenow.com/community For general information about ServiceNow, visit: http://www.servicenow.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immerse yourself in the realm of generative AI alongside ServiceNow's Spark team, where innovation converges with state-of-the-art technology. Host Bobby Brill engages Eduardo Nauiack and Dan Durller in a conversation about their journey of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, especially for flagship events like Knowledge and Craft Summit. Learn how Midjourney and other innovative tools have streamlined their processes, enabling the creation of bespoke, high-caliber visuals in a fraction of the time, all while upholding the brand's essence. From developing cinematic graphics for large screens to infusing product demos with sophistication, the team shares their evolution from internal experiments to pivotal external showcases. Gain an insider's perspective on how they harmonize creative liberty with brand standards and discover how this "game changer" is revolutionizing their content creation approach. Guests - Eduardo Nauiack, The Spark Team - Sr. Staff Communication DesignerDan Durller, The Spark Team - Sr. Staff Communication Designer Host - Bobby Brill ServiceNow Training and Certification: http://www.servicenow.com/services/training-and-certification.html ServiceNow Community: https://community.servicenow.com/community For general information about ServiceNow, visit: http://www.servicenow.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Zero to CEO, I speak with experience designer Geoff Thatcher about how AI is transforming storytelling and the future of immersive experiences. Geoff shares how tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Grok are already changing how experience designers create, but the real revolution is just beginning. We dive into the new GAME ON! AI Experience at the College Football Hall of Fame, which puts guests directly into the story as players, coaches, and fans across 775 college football teams. Geoff explains how AI allows experiences to become more personal, interactive, and human, unlocking levels of immersion never before possible and shaping the next era of storytelling in theme parks, museums, and beyond.

On today's show Pauline is joined by Nicole Feld Strauss, a veteran producer of live entertainment. Throughout her career, Nicole overseen an array of spectacular events, including Marvel Universe, Disney On Ice, Sesame Street Live!, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. During the conversation Nicole shares insights on what makes an experience truly unforgettable; how she goes about creating experiences that inspire and delight diverse audiences; and how technology is reshaping the type of experiences that producers can deliver.The two also discuss how Nicole's learnings from the world of entertainment apply to those trying to create special experiences of their own - whether it be hosting a party, preparing for a client dinner or planning a family vacation.

In this episode of Coffey & Code, host Ashley Coffey sits down with Josh Bankston, Partner at Mace Virtual Labs, for a deep dive into the evolving world of XR—Extended Reality—and how it's reshaping the future of education, business, and immersive experiences. With over 13 years in the XR industry, Josh shares powerful insights on the importance of thoughtful product design, why iteration is key to innovation, and how champions inside organizations play a critical role in adopting new technology. From VR-powered training to brand activations that forge direct audience connections, this episode is packed with takeaways for anyone looking to design meaningful, tech-forward experiences. You'll also hear about:Real-world examples of XR in action across industriesThe shift toward AI-integrated 3D modeling and developmentHow immersive tools are changing the way we engage and learnWhy community and collaboration—not gatekeeping—are the heartbeat of the XR movement If you're curious about how to leverage XR and AI to design the future of work, learning, and storytelling—this one's for you. EPISODE CREDITS:Produced and edited by Ashley Coffey. Cover art designed by Ashley Coffey.Headshot by Brandlink MediaIntroduction music composed and produced by Ashley Coffey LINKSFollow Coffey & Code on Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, and YouTube for the latest emerging tech updates! Subscribe to the Coffey & Code Podcast wherever you get your podcasts to be notified when new episodes go live. © 2025 Coffey & Code Podcast. All rights reserved. The content of this podcast, including but not limited to text, graphics, audio, and images, is the property of Ashley Coffey and may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used in any manner without the express written consent of the owner.

Think you've experienced immersive entertainment with 'Sleep No More' or Meow Wolf? Prepare to have your mind completely blown.This week, adventure seekers David Butler & Alex Cho pull back the curtain on London's thriving underground scene of interactive experiences that most Americans have never heard of. They take us deep inside the adrenaline-pumping command center of "Bridge Command" and the Victorian steampunk dreamscape of "Phantom Peak" – where the line between audience and performer becomes deliciously blurred.WARNING: This episode should come with a travel advisory. Your passport will be burning a hole in your pocket before we reach the closing credits. London is calling... will you answer?Phantom PeakBridge CommandHeroes of the Halcyon on InstagramTheme Music ("Digital Discourse") by Yellow BarrelSend your email to heroesofthehalcyon@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you about your journeys, episode suggestions, or just to say hi!

In this latest episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Roger Connolly (Sitecore CPO) discusses how AI is transforming enterprise marketing with host Boaz Ashkenazy. Drawing from his experience at Victoria's Secret and Sitecore, Roger explains how brands like Nestle use generative AI to enhance marketing while maintaining brand consistency. As a Microsoft partner, Sitecore is developing "Brand Assistant," an AI tool that processes brand guidelines to help marketers create on-brand content and co-creating AI Innovation Lab. Roger shares his vision for the future of content creation, marketers' evolving roles, and how immersive technologies will shape customer experience.Chapters:[00:59] Introduction to Roger Connolly[04:42] Sitecore's Evolution and Microsoft Partnership [06:38] Delivering Content Across Channels[07:41] The Nestle Brand Assistant Project[12:29] Generative AI in Marketing Content[14:55] Content Volume and Brand Authenticity [17:15] The Future of Work in Marketing [19:27] Mentorship in a Remote World [20:30] Immersive Experiences and 3D Marketing [24:39]The Future: Seamless and FreeingConnect with Roger ConnollyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerconnolly/ Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy X:https://x.com/boazashkenazyEmail: shift@augmentedailabs.com

What if healing from depression wasn't just about medication but about something deeper—something immersive, transformational, and rooted in community? A groundbreaking study on Tony Robbins' Date with Destiny program revealed astonishing results: 100% of participants studied experienced remission from depressive symptoms in just six weeks. Sounds almost too good to be true, right? In this episode, we dive into how immersive experiences can create rapid, lasting change and why a holistic approach—including personal development, spirituality, and deep human connection—might be the missing link in mental health.Could a powerful experience shift your entire outlook on life? What role does spirituality play in healing that science often overlooks? We explore these questions and more, unpacking the synergy between medication and personal growth, the importance of having a clear direction, and how the universe tends to meet you where you are—if you're willing to take the first step. Plus, we'll share practical ways you can seek out transformational experiences in your own life. Get ready for a conversation that just might change the way you think about healing.Effects of an immersive psychosocial training program on depression and well-being: A randomized clinical trial - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9107501/Chapters 00:00 Exploring the Study on Depression Treatment 02:48 The Impact of Immersive Experiences 06:02 The Role of Community in Healing 08:57 Understanding the Science Behind Transformation 12:02 The Spiritual Aspect of Healing 14:59 The Synergy of Medication and Personal Growth 17:56 The Puzzle of Life: Finding Your Direction 20:59 Action Steps for Personal Development

Laughers, today, we're inviting you to join us on a journey through the serene landscapes of the Shenandoah Valley with Farmer Tony of Madeline Farms. Known for his dedication to rescued animals and crafting unique, immersive farm stay experiences, Farmer Tony is here to share the heartfelt journey behind his top-ranked oasis. In this episode, you'll discover the perfect blend of rustic charm and modern comforts that his farm offers to visitors seeking adventure, tranquility, and connection with nature and each other. Laughers, brace yourself for inspiring stories, unexpected discoveries, and a peek into the loving community Farmer Tony has cultivated—one where both humans and animals find healing and joy. So, saddle up as we delve into the magic of Madeline Farms. Cheers to more connection, relaxation and unique experiences! Tik Tok: farmertonymadelinefarms Instagram: @madeline_farms Facebook: Madeline Farms Website: madelinefarms.com Address: 1080 Antioch Road South, Luray, VA  Phone: 540.244.7133 Email: tony@madelinefarms.com This podcast is brought to you by: FWAF [f-wahf] = The Funny Womacks & Friends We offer comedy shows, classes & this podcast! thefunnywomacks.com Facebook & Instagram: @thefunnywomacks YouTube: The Funny Womacks Get some free stuff & discounts to support this podcast!  Love Podcasts? Love Audiobooks? Get a Free One on Us!

Co-hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis return from ShopTalk brimming with insights on the rapidly shifting retail environment. They kick off by breaking down the rollercoaster of consumer confidence, spurred by persistent inflation and ongoing uncertainty. The conversation touches on potential reverberations from looming tariffs that could drive up costs and shake consumer sentiment. Headlines from major brands paint a mixed picture: Lululemon's cautious optimism contrasts with H&M's ongoing struggle to redefine its place in fast fashion, while Dollar Tree's dramatic divestment of Family Dollar underscores the perils of poorly integrated acquisitions. Meanwhile, Chewy's robust earnings provide a bright spot.Also fueling industry chatter is the arrival of French department store Printemps in Lower Manhattan, sparking excitement among those who see it as a bold venture amid broader department store decline. The conversation pivots to Canada's retail landscape, where Hudson's Bay's long-anticipated liquidation underscores the challenges legacy retailers face in a hyper-competitive era.  The second half of the show features a conversation with Lowe's SVP Product and Technology, Data and AI, Chandhu Nair, who outlines the home improvement retailer's sweeping digital transformation. Aware that their category historically lagged in technology adoption, Lowe's has accelerated its efforts, focusing on delivering customer-centric solutions while modernizing decades-old infrastructure. With the newly launched MyLow application, shoppers can receive instant project advice, seamless product recommendations, and integrated how-to guidance. For professionals, speed, in-stock reliability, and tailored credit remain top priorities.Nair emphasizes that data and AI make up only 30% of the equation, with the remaining 70% tied to organizational change and process reengineering. The discussion highlights Lowe's approach to fostering innovation: start small, iterate quickly, and focus on core customer needs rather than novelty for novelty's sake. In addition, immersive experiences such as the Lowe's Style Studio for Apple Vision Pro build on years of research and strategic experimentation. By proactively partnering with leading tech companies and harnessing new capabilities like generative AI, Lowe's aims to stand out in a competitive retail market. Ultimately, Nair's insights underscore a cultural shift where failing responsibly is integral to success, and where the ability to adapt quickly defines a retailer's future. About ChandhuAs senior vice president, data, artificial intelligence and innovation, Chandhu Nair leads Lowe's AI transformation office, data and analytics, and AI products and platforms teams. He also leads Lowe's Innovation Labs, focusing on emerging technologies and technology investments, and is responsible for the technology enabling marketing, Lowe's Media Network, personalization and loyalty experiences. He joined Lowe's in 2020.Chandhu has more than 20 years of experience in technology transformations. In a prior role at Lowe's, he was vice president, technology, omnichannel marketing and digital customer engagement, and spearheaded best-in-class technology product launches including Lowe's Pro loyalty program and media network. Before joining the company, he served as CEO and co-founder of Cognitive Retail Inc., a computer vision AI technology company providing U.S.-based retailers with advanced data analytics. He was also a managing partner and co-founder at Merkatus Partners, a strategy consulting firm focused on emerging technology investment services. Before that, he held global e-commerce and technology leadership roles at Staples Inc and Infosys. Chandhu earned a master's degree in general management and operations from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in engineering – information technology from Bharathiar University, India. He serves on the Board of Industry Leaders at the Consumer Technology Association, as well as the advisory board for United Planet, a non-profit organization connecting volunteers in the areas of education, health and environmental sustainability with opportunities in more than 30 countries. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Send your questions or provocations to Adam or Budi here!In this episode, Adam and Budi discuss the concept of the fourth wall in theatre, exploring its impact on the relationship between performers and the audience. Does the fourth awl obscure the audience's role, and if so, is it necessary?Support the showIf you enjoyed this week´s podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. To submit a question: Voice- http://www.speakpipe.com/theatreofothers Email- podcast@theatreofothers.com Show Credits Co-Hosts: Adam Marple & Budi MillerProducer: Jack BurmeisterMusic: (Intro) Jack Burmeister, (Outro) https://www.purple-planet.comAdditional compositions by @jack_burmeister

When we think about the reasons why we love visiting the Disney parks, one idea that often comes up is that it's an escape from the everyday world. It's a chance to lose ourselves in classic Disney stories and faraway lands, but how exactly does this happen? Well sit back, relax and join us, as we talk about how the Imagineers create those immersive experiences in Walt Disney World!

Summary In this episode of the Develop This! Podcast, Dennis Fraise interviews Jolene Schalper and Christian Leinhauser from the Great Falls Montana Development Authority about the upcoming 2025 IEDC Rural Retreat. They discuss the unique features of the retreat, which focuses on rural economic development and offers immersive experiences. Attendees will have the chance to engage with local entrepreneurs and communities. The conversation emphasizes the importance of addressing the specific needs of rural areas and outlines various planned activities for the retreat, including tours, networking opportunities, and visits to local attractions. Takeaways The Great Falls Development Authority focuses on diversifying the regional economy. The 2025 IDC Rural Retreat aims to address the unique needs of rural communities. Immersive experiences will allow attendees to engage with local entrepreneurs. The retreat will feature both plenary sessions and community tours. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from successful rural initiatives. Networking opportunities will be abundant, fostering collaboration among attendees. The retreat will include various tracks focusing on different aspects of economic development. Great Falls is home to significant agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Local attractions include stunning natural landscapes and historical sites. The retreat encourages attendees to bring back valuable tools for their communities.

In this episode of The Valley Today, hosted by Janet Michael features Justin Kerns from the Winchester Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau for an engaging community and tourist conversation.  The episode focused on the recent tourism summit held on March 19. Justin was thrilled about the event's outcome, noting the impressive turnout of around 60 attendees, far exceeding his expectations. He expressed gratitude for the strong partnerships that contributed to the summit's success. Justin emphasized the wealth of information shared during the summit. Attendees from various sectors, including farm markets, hotels, restaurants, and tour companies, collaborated in workshops, sparking creativity and generating new ideas. He highlighted the critical role of data in understanding traveler trends and shaping marketing strategies. By analyzing data provided by industry experts, such as Dan Roberts from Virginia Tourism, participants gained valuable insights into current travel trends and strategies. A key takeaway from the summit was the growing demand for immersive experiences. Travelers are increasingly seeking interactive activities that connect them with local communities. Janet and Justin discussed various examples, from mixology classes to unique farm tours. Justin encouraged local businesses to use platforms like Airbnb's 'Experiences' tab to promote such activities, highlighting the potential for collaboration to create memorable experiences. The conversation also touched on the importance of local partnerships. Justin mentioned how diverse attendees, including those from restaurants, breweries, and hotels, could collaborate to offer unique, combined experiences. Such partnerships can enhance the overall visitor experience and drive more traffic to local businesses. Towards the end of the episode, Janet and Justin addressed current challenges in the tourism industry. These included a decline in government travel and decreased Canadian travelers due to economic factors. To counter these challenges, Justin shared the bureau's strategy of targeting new markets, such as New York, to attract visitors. He emphasized the importance of continual adaptation and innovation in maintaining a vibrant local tourism industry. Despite facing some headwinds, Justin remained optimistic about the future. He highlighted the resilience of the local tourism sector, which continued to thrive during the pandemic due to its ability to offer affordable and accessible experiences. Events like weddings and special gatherings were particularly noted for their significant economic impact on local businesses. The conversation concluded on a positive note, with both Janet and Justin reinforcing the importance of community involvement and innovative thinking in strengthening local tourism. For listeners interested in learning more or getting involved, Justin encouraged reaching out through his website: https://visitwinchesterva.com/ to explore collaboration opportunities and access valuable resources shared during the summit.

In this episode of the Lights On Data Show, host George Firican explores the innovative integration of AI, creativity, and immersive experiences with guest Geoff Thatcher, Executive Creative Director for the Game On AI experience at the College Football Hall of Fame. Geoff discusses how AI is transforming visitor engagement by personalizing and enhancing museum and exhibition experiences. They delve into the intricate process of incorporating AI technologies, balancing the human touch with technological advancements, and the exciting future possibilities of AI in storytelling and visitor interaction.

Michael Rau is a professor, theater director, and tech innovator in one. He says that today's technologies – AI, gaming, interactive storytelling, and even email – are reshaping what performers can do on stage and how audiences experience those performances. The best of the stage has always been about reflecting life, and technology is part of how we live today. It belongs on the stage, as Rau tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering's The Future of Everything podcast.Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your quest. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu.Episode Reference Links:Stanford Profile: Michael RauConnect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / FacebookChapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionRuss Altman introduces guest Michael Rau, a professor of theatre and performance studies at Stanford University.(00:03:16) Why Theater Needs TechnologyHow AI and digital media are reshaping live performance.(00:05:15) AI & Emerging Theater TechAI scripts, machine learning, AR, and interactive storytelling.(00:07:28) Theater as FoodHow both classic and experimental theatre styles can coexist.(00:10:13) The Relationship Between Theater & GamingTheatrical storytelling and its deep connection to gaming.(00:14:40) The Debate on LivenessWhether live actors are necessary to theatre performances.(00:20:2) Temping: A Play Without ActorsRau's theatrical piece where the audience becomes the protagonist.(00:25:38) AI's Role in TheaterAI-generated visuals and scripts reshape storytelling and performance.(00:30:44) AI-Driven ImprovAI-driven improv requires new skills, blending structure with spontaneity.(00:33:44) Should Audiences Know AI Is Involved?How transparency increases audience engagement and appreciation(00:35:30) Conclusion Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

Explore the magic monuments of Black Rock City 2025.Katie Hazard, Director of Art, leads the selection, placement, and installation of artwork,  and she leads Burning Man's art grant selection committees. The ARTery is in the center of Black Rock City, slightly offset like the human heart. It's the epicenter of art support for nearly 400 art pieces, from towering sculptures to immersive environments.Before these art projects are sourced, crafted, and assembled with everything from hot glue to heavy equipment, they are first conceptualized by artists and engineers. Burning Man's Honoraria project grants 76 of these art projects about half of the funding they need, a total of $1.3 million.  Katie and Stuart explore how to foster accessibility and agency in artist groups. They describe some of the installations coming this summer, from interactive Sphinxes to a sphere of sinks, from a lost troll of sustainability to a fire-spinning pigeon. Some of the experiences include:an inflatable black cloud from Ukrainean Indigenous deer destined for ceremonial landan Afrofuturist pillar with an ancient modern secreta screaming booth that displays visual reactions to sounda woman with a merry-go-round crown, jump rope dreadlocks, and swing earringsListen in on this sonic journey of how Burner art is co-created and curated, and how BRC's surreal skyline is taking shape.Introducing 2025 BRC Honoraria Art (Burning Man Journal)Black Rock City Honoraria ProgramARTery (Art Services)The ARTery Volunteer TeamsKatie Hazard (Burning Man Journal)2025 Art Theme: Tomorrow TodayBurning Man Art Installation Archive LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

In this episode, we dive into the art of creating captivating, immersive experiences that bring texts to life in any classroom setting—especially for multilingual learners! Join our inspiring panel of educators: Adel Bruni Ashley, Gregory Petershack, Jen Gowers, Shenhao Bai. They reveal the behind-the-scenes magic of their groundbreaking workshop with students and teachers visiting from Shanghai, sharing practical strategies that will revolutionize your teaching approach. ✨ Connect brain to body through energizing prereading activities ✨ Awaken the senses with multisensory engagement techniques ✨ Spark creativity by empowering participants to become creators. Listen to how this transformative methodology works in: -Immersive all-day workshops -Bite-sized sessions that build progressively -Regular classroom routines woven throughout the school week Visit https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/ to learn about the Literacy Unbound summer program and apply for our next session. We're proud to make this content free and accessible to all. If you find value in our episodes, please consider donating to support and sustain our efforts: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/giving.html

In this week's Theatre Chat, Jeff and Richie dive into the vibrant world of theater for the week ending March 2nd. From Broadway to Off-Broadway, we're covering it all! We'll explore how star power is shaping productions, the rise of innovative immersive experiences, and the crucial role of community support in keeping the theater world thriving. Plus, we'll dish on the latest revivals, discuss exciting new adaptations, and highlight the power of social media in engaging theater audiences. Whether you're a seasoned theatergoer or new to the scene, this episode is packed with insider insights and lively debate you won't want to miss! Follow and connect with all things @HalfHourPodcast on Instagram, and YouTube. Share your thoughts with us on all things Broadway on our podcast cover post on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Beyond the Wild, hosts Ron, Jason, and Mark welcome Cam Scott, a nature photographer and guide from South Africa. The crew explore Cam's journey into nature photography, the life changes he made to pursue his passion, and the profound impact of nature on personal growth. Cam shares his experiences with a wide range of animals, including mountain gorillas, jaguars, leopards, lions, elephants and shoe-billed storks. Cam shares his views on the art of guiding and the challenges he faced in launching his own business during the pandemic. The discussion emphasizes the importance of a positive attitude and the joy of wildlife encounters. Cam and the crew delve into the intricate relationships between humans and wildlife, particularly focusing on gorillas and the impact of tourism on conservation efforts. They share personal anecdotes of memorable wildlife encounters, discuss the importance of understanding animal behavior, and highlight the unique experiences offered by locations like Mana Pools National Park in northern Zimbabwe. Sound Bites"I was up at 3 a.m. I thought I would look like a car wreck.""I never looked back.""You have to go through it.""I want to photograph early morning lights.""You can see it the moment you lock eyes.""It's a phenomenal experience.""I just want to go back to Rwanda.""Tourism has saved these gorillas.""It's not just seeing a gorilla.""The lighting is absolutely phenomenal.""Anything's possible in Africa.""It's a beautiful day to be alive."Chapters03:04 Cam's Journey into Nature Photography06:12 Life Changes and Career Shifts08:48 The Impact of Nature on Personal Growth12:11 Experiences with Mountain Gorillas15:00 The Art of Guiding and Manifesting Experiences18:02 Challenges and Triumphs in Business20:48 The Power of Positive Attitude24:05 Wildlife Encounters and Photography26:59 The Fascinating Shoe-Billed Stork38:00 Confrontation and Respect in the Animal Kingdom39:01 Understanding Gorilla Behavior and Communication39:49 The Connection Between Humans and Nature41:13 The Importance of Gorilla Tourism for Conservation42:06 The Role of Tourism in Supporting Local Communities42:48 Experiencing Wildlife: The Thrill of Close Encounters46:09 The Sounds of Nature: A Sensory Experience51:00 Memorable Outdoor Encounters57:51 Exploring Monopools: A Photographer's Paradise01:05:02 Accommodations and Immersive Experiences in Africa01:12:55 Planning Your African AdventureLINKSCam Scott@CamScott_WildThe Best Of Authentic ZimbabweTour Opportunity: September 22-30th 2025https://itineraries.safariportal.app/The-Best-of-Authentic-Zimbabwe/1338943500867078002Thanks for listening to the Beyond the Wild Podcast. Remember to subscribe to be notified of upcoming episodes for your listening and viewing enjoyment! Beyond the Wild Podcast is sponsored by Pictureline.com and Canon USA.

Every been to a place where a cowboy walks into a bar in heaven? How about a store that stocks cans of Mammoth Chunks? Perhaps you've visited a transit station to worlds unknown??? Welcome to the artistic amazements of Meow Wolf!This episode, we dove into the interactive art spaces created by Meow Wolf in Las Vegas, Denver, and Houston. Mike Celestino (from LaughingPlace.com) & Patrick Radecker - alongside Martin & Kristine - join us as guides to these creative masterpieces.Meow Wolf - Origin StoryHeroes of the Halcyon on InstagramTheme Music ("Digital Discourse") by Yellow BarrelSend your email to heroesofthehalcyon@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you about your journeys, episode suggestions, or just to say hi!

On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Graeme Labe, Managing Partner and Chief Design Officer at Luxury Frontiers. He discusses how his immersive design firm got started and has gained traction since 2020 as people are seeking more meaningful experiences. Graeme redefines the meaning of luxury travel, explaining that genuine experiences and a connection to nature are important parts of this market. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How Graeme transitioned from traditional hotel project management to becoming the managing partner at Luxury Frontiers, a company specializing in immersive and experiential design for the hospitality industry Why the concept of luxury has evolved to focus more on genuine and meaningful experiences rather than just physical amenities How the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the demand for experiential hospitality What specific strategies and design elements Luxury Frontiers use to integrate local communities into their projects, ensuring sustainability and creating mutual benefits Graeme shares insights on creating holistic return on investment by balancing financial gains with environmental sustainability and community engagement The Rise of Immersive Experiences Graeme co-founded Luxury Frontiers, a design firm that creates unique and innovative architectural designs for the hospitality industry. Their goal is to craft unforgettable experiences that blend seamlessly with the surrounding natural environment. By working with well-known clients like Abercrombie and Kent, Graeme's approach has helped redefine what luxury travel means today. The idea of luxury has changed. It's no longer about flashy displays of wealth. Today's Travelers are looking for authentic and meaningful experiences connecting them with nature and local culture. Graeme understands this shift and uses it to create designs that appeal to modern travelers. One example is the Nabiba project in Mexico, collaborating with Four Seasons. This project reimagines hospitality by focusing on unique lodging, interactive dining, and deep engagement with the local area. Guests are encouraged to participate in food preparation, and there's no traditional reception area. Nabiba offers an immersive experience that goes beyond a typical hotel stay. Strategic Collaboration Graeme believes collaboration is key, whether with other architects, designers, or local communities. He's convinced that teamwork leads to amazing results, not just in the creative process but in the final product because it brings together a wealth of knowledge and experience. Sustainability is really important to Graeme and Luxury Frontiers. He explained that it's not just about being eco-friendly – it's also about creating jobs for the people who live nearby. Their projects often use local architecture and traditional building methods, which means more jobs and skills training for locals. This way, the whole community benefits from each project for years to come. Redefining ROI in Hospitality The COVID-19 pandemic really sped up the demand for immersive experiences. As people started coming out of lockdowns, they really wanted to reconnect with nature and enjoy meaningful interactions. Graeme noticed a big increase in demand for projects that offer genuine engagement with the environment and local culture. This shift has allowed Luxury Frontiers to focus on delivering amazing experiences and solidify their position as a market leader. Graeme wrapped up the conversation by challenging the traditional idea of return on investment (ROI). He suggested that travel marketers need to start looking at the bigger picture and consider both financial returns and environmental impact for the future of hospitality. By prioritizing sustainable practices and immersive experiences, companies can improve their bottom line and make a positive contribution to the world and local communities. Resources: Website: https://www.luxury-frontiers.com LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-labe-a0332b19 LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/luxury-frontiers We value your thoughts and feedback and would love to hear from you. Leave us a review on your favorite streaming platform to let us know what you want to hear more o​f. Here is a quick tutorial on how to leave us a rating and review on iTunes!

Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Connor and Sal sit down with Luis Ramirez, founder of Mawari, to explore the future of augmented and virtual reality. Luis shares how Mawari is shaping AR as a tool for immersive, social experiences rather than dystopian futures, emphasizing the importance of presence in AR interactions. They discuss advancements like Meta's Orion AR glasses, Mawari's focus on content delivery over hardware, and the integration of AR and VR into multifunctional devices. Luis also shares insights on distributed computing networks for immersive experiences and Mawari's shift into Web3, leveraging underutilized hardware for decentralized 3D rendering. The conversation dives into challenges, opportunities, and monetization paths for developers, offering a compelling look at how Mawari is paving the way for the 3D internet. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:34 - Online Presence 01:43 - Meta's Orion AR Glasses 02:46 - The Future of AR and VR Hardware 03:43 - Haptic Feedback Suits: A Niche Technology 06:30 - Power of Vision in Immersive Experiences 09:04 - Opportunities in XR Development 10:30 - Compute Needs for XR Experiences 12:51 - The Role of Edge Computing in XR 15:11 - Content Creation in XR 16:37 - Transitioning from Web2 to Web3 18:43 - Building a Decentralized Network 21:22 - AR/VR and AI Cloud Architectures 23:32 - Go-to-Market Strategy 25:50 - Utilizing Existing Hardware for XR 27:14 - Current Revenue Model 32:47 - Call to Action Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

What drives individuals to leave the Orthodox path, and how have modern influences like digital culture shaped this phenomenon? Rabbi David Aaron addresses these pressing questions and more, offering profound insights into the challenges and opportunities facing Orthodox Judaism today. This episode delves into the emotional and relational struggles families experience when a loved one chooses a different path, providing practical guidance for navigating these complex dynamics. Rabbi Aaron also explores how Orthodox communities can foster a more supportive and inclusive environment for those questioning their faith or lifestyle. We discuss the role of education in addressing doubts and encouraging open dialogue about God and Torah observance and examine how individuals and organizations can best support those transitioning away from or back into the Orthodox community. Finally, we reflect on the broader lessons to be learned from the "Off the Derekh" phenomenon, highlighting its implications for the evolving relationship between faith, community, and personal identity in the modern world. In a time when nearly every family is touched by these challenges, this conversation offers essential perspectives and practical solutions. --- • Bio: Rabbi Aaron received his rabbinic ordination for Yeshivat ITRI. He is the Co-Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Orayta. Additionally, he offers Jewish educational programs in Israel and abroad, including Educators Enrichment, Leadership Training, Executive Seminars, Spiritual Retreats, and Immersive Experiences. Rabbi Aaron is the author of eight ‘paradigm-shifting' books: Endless Light, Seeing G-d, Love is My Religion, The Secret Life of G-d, Soul Powered Prayers, Inviting G-d In, Living a Joyous Life, and The G-d-Powered Life. (Several books have been translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, and Hebrew.). Rabbi Aaron lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Chana, and their seven children and grandchildren. --- • Welcome to JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED: A PODCAST FOR THE PERPLEXED | Co-hosted by Benjy & Benzi | Thank you to...Super Patron: Jordan Karmily, Platinum Patron: Craig Gordon, Gold Patrons: Dovidchai Abramchayev, Lazer Cohen, Travis Krueger, Vasili Volkoff, Rod Ilian, Silver Patrons: Ellen Fleischer, Daniel Maksumov, Rabbi Pinny Rosenthal, Fred & Antonio, Jeffrey Wasserman, and Jacob Winston! Please SUBSCRIBE to this YouTube Channel and hit the BELL so you can get alerted whenever new clips get posted, thank you for your support!

Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Jim Rea, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, and Mark Fuccio represent both Apple Vision Pro owners and those still waiting to get one discuss the possibility of third-party controllers for the device, Options and uses that include productivity, gaming, and media consumption could all be changed with the addition of hardware controllers…but would it be a good idea? MacVoices is supported by Notion. Work Faster, write better, think bigger with Notion. Learn more at notion.com/macvoices Show Notes: Chapters: 00:10 Introduction to Apple Vision Pro Controllers06:41 The Debate on Gaming Control08:10 Hand Controllers: A Developer's Perspective10:05 Perspectives on Gaming with Vision Pro15:28 Balancing Gaming and Unique Features18:53 Expanding the Vision Pro User Base22:43 The Future of Vision Pro and Gaming26:28 Immersive Experiences and Potential32:32 The Sphere Experience and Comparisons34:20 Conclusion and Future Prospects Links: Apple has reportedly approached Sony to partner on Apple Vision Pro controllershttps://appleinsider.com/articles/24/12/08/third-party-controllers-may-bring-more-games-to-apple-vision-pro Guests: Web Bixby has been in the insurance business for 40 years and has been an Apple user for longer than that.You can catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him on Twitter, by email at embolden@mac.com, on Mastodon at @eabolden@techhub.social, on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast. David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @daveg65@mastodon.cloud. Dr. Marty Jencius has been an Associate Professor of Counseling at Kent State University since 2000. He has over 120 publications in books, chapters, journal articles, and others, along with 200 podcasts related to counseling, counselor education, and faculty life. His technology interest led him to develop the counseling profession ‘firsts,' including listservs, a web-based peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Technology in Counseling, teaching and conferencing in virtual worlds as the founder of Counselor Education in Second Life, and podcast founder/producer of CounselorAudioSource.net and ThePodTalk.net. Currently, he produces a podcast about counseling and life questions, the Circular Firing Squad, and digital video interviews with legacies capturing the history of the counseling field. This is also co-host of The Vision ProFiles podcast. Generally, Marty is chasing the newest tech trends, which explains his interest in A.I. for teaching, research, and productivity. Marty is an active presenter and past president of the NorthEast Ohio Apple Corp (NEOAC). Jim Rea built his own computer from scratch in 1975, started programming in 1977, and has been an independent Mac developer continuously since 1984. He is the founder of ProVUE Development, and the author of Panorama X, ProVUE's ultra fast RAM based database software for the macOS platform. He's been a speaker at MacTech, MacWorld Expo and other industry conferences. Follow Jim at provue.com and via @provuejim@techhub.social on Mastodon. Support:      Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon     http://patreon.com/macvoices      Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect:      Web:     http://macvoices.com      Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner     http://www.twitter.com/macvoices      Mastodon:     https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner      Facebook:     http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner      MacVoices Page on Facebook:     http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/      MacVoices Group on Facebook:     http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice      LinkedIn:     https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/      Instagram:     https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe:      Audio in iTunes     Video in iTunes      Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher:      Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss      Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss

Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Jim Rea, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, and Mark Fuccio represent both Apple Vision Pro owners and those still waiting to get one discuss the possibility of third-party controllers for the device, Options and uses that include productivity, gaming, and media consumption could all be changed with the addition of hardware controllers…but would it be a good idea? MacVoices is supported by Notion. Work Faster, write better, think bigger with Notion. Learn more at notion.com/macvoices Show Notes: Chapters: 00:10 Introduction to Apple Vision Pro Controllers 06:41 The Debate on Gaming Control 08:10 Hand Controllers: A Developer's Perspective 10:05 Perspectives on Gaming with Vision Pro 15:28 Balancing Gaming and Unique Features 18:53 Expanding the Vision Pro User Base 22:43 The Future of Vision Pro and Gaming 26:28 Immersive Experiences and Potential 32:32 The Sphere Experience and Comparisons 34:20 Conclusion and Future Prospects Links: Apple has reportedly approached Sony to partner on Apple Vision Pro controllers https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/12/08/third-party-controllers-may-bring-more-games-to-apple-vision-pro Guests: Web Bixby has been in the insurance business for 40 years and has been an Apple user for longer than that.You can catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him on Twitter, by email at embolden@mac.com, on Mastodon at @eabolden@techhub.social, on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast. David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @daveg65@mastodon.cloud. Dr. Marty Jencius has been an Associate Professor of Counseling at Kent State University since 2000. He has over 120 publications in books, chapters, journal articles, and others, along with 200 podcasts related to counseling, counselor education, and faculty life. His technology interest led him to develop the counseling profession ‘firsts,' including listservs, a web-based peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Technology in Counseling, teaching and conferencing in virtual worlds as the founder of Counselor Education in Second Life, and podcast founder/producer of CounselorAudioSource.net and ThePodTalk.net. Currently, he produces a podcast about counseling and life questions, the Circular Firing Squad, and digital video interviews with legacies capturing the history of the counseling field. This is also co-host of The Vision ProFiles podcast. Generally, Marty is chasing the newest tech trends, which explains his interest in A.I. for teaching, research, and productivity. Marty is an active presenter and past president of the NorthEast Ohio Apple Corp (NEOAC). Jim Rea built his own computer from scratch in 1975, started programming in 1977, and has been an independent Mac developer continuously since 1984. He is the founder of ProVUE Development, and the author of Panorama X, ProVUE's ultra fast RAM based database software for the macOS platform. He's been a speaker at MacTech, MacWorld Expo and other industry conferences. Follow Jim at provue.com and via @provuejim@techhub.social on Mastodon. Support:      Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon      http://patreon.com/macvoices      Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect:      Web:      http://macvoices.com      Twitter:      http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner      http://www.twitter.com/macvoices      Mastodon:      https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner      Facebook:      http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner      MacVoices Page on Facebook:      http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/      MacVoices Group on Facebook:      http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice      LinkedIn:      https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/      Instagram:      https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe:      Audio in iTunes      Video in iTunes      Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher:      Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss      Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss

Many of us only skim the surface when it comes to spiritual growth because we don't know how to relate to Jesus personally. Yet an under recognized and undervalued part of growth in Christlikeness is immersion in Jesus' presence. Engaging your senses through spiritual practices like Gospel meditation helps you come face to face with Jesus and embrace his cleansing, healing, and growth.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi reflect on a recent time of feeling saturated in Jesus' presence while watching Handel's oratorio, Messiah. You'll be drawn to know and experience Christ more fully — participating in his joy, suffering, and ministry as a wounded healer. They then empower you with practical ways to go deeper with Jesus through spiritual practices.  Resources for this Episode:Ignatian Meditation GuidesSurprising Joy: A Journey with Jesus for AdventAttend a Soul Shepherding Institute RetreatDonate to Support Soul Shepherding and Soul Talks

Happy Day, Friend! In this podcast episode I'm talking about the power of immersive experiences with my special guest, Amanda Field, CEO, Founder, and Inventor of the Yoga Triangle. While every day self-care is key to optimal health and well-being, it's vitally important we carve out time in our calendar to engage in immersive nature experiences as a way to ground and recalibrate the nervous system. When we do this, we open up possibilities of clearer thinking, more emotionally engaged relating, great alignment with our most integrated self, and more robust creative work time. The investment in these experiences have immense dividends in all aspects of our lives. Amanda and I share about our recent immersive experience together along the Texas Gulf Coast at Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula. Amanda Field is a yoga instructor in Houston, TX. After growing frustrated by the limitations of rectangular yoga blocks, she started experimenting with alternative shapes and angles. Amanda wanted a durable, comfortable yoga block that would help yogis and athletes improve flexibility, balance, and strength. She consulted with doctors, physical therapists, and other yogis to find the perfect angles for the Yoga Triangle. Whether you're running a marathon, healing from an injury, or just determined to do a split in your practice, Yoga Triangle is your upgrade! Amanda is a 500 ERYT with over 20 years of experience. She founded Republic Aerial Yoga in Houston, Texas. She studied with many talented teachers in her career.Outside of her love of movement and functional fitness, she's a brand consultant, a business developer and currently works in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for a Manufacturing startup. She's passionate about her purpose - empowering people, teaching agency, giving back to her community, and innovation.To learn more about the immersive healing experience we are creating in 2025 click Reset and Renew Retreat HERE.Also, I mentioned a few stats about our sedentary lifestyle and a study from Northwestern University regarding the power of immersive experiences. To learn more, click HERE. To follow Amanda Field and the Yoga Triangle please visit www.theyogatriangle.com BIG favor - I would so appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review my show, and while you're at it click the subscribe button so you're alerted when new episodes are released. Remember, take time to pause, breath, and reflect. Until next time, keep shining out there!  ~ Athea Connect with me on IG, FB, X, and LinkedIn: @atheadavis or www.atheadavis.com

With a front-row seat to the future, meet Taryn Southern, a creative technologist, pioneering artist, strategist, and speaker whose work explores the intersection of emerging technology and human potential.  As an early content creator, she uploaded her first video to YouTube in 2007 — and it went viral. Ten years and 750 million views later, Taryn has produced more than 1,500 pieces of digital content for networks like Conde Naste, The Today Show, MTV, Snapchat, and Maker Studios. She's written for Business Insider and TechCrunch, and served as a host for Discovery Channel's #1 late night show. A three-time Streamy Awards nominee, her work has been featured in Billboard, Fast Company, Wired, Vanity Fair, Harvard Business Review, and more. Fast-forward to 2017, Taryn released the world's first A.I.-composed pop album, then in 2019, directed and produced a Tribeca award-winning documentary on the future of A.I. and the human brain, followed by creating an award-winning Google VR series. In 2020, she became one of the earliest content creators to create an A.I.-avatar of herself.  Since 2021, Taryn has served as Chief Storyteller at a leading implantable neurotechnology company, where she launched the world's first Brain Computer Interface museum and oversaw a communications strategy for two successful funding rounds totaling over $230M+. She is passionate about helping people use A.I. and emerging tech to amplify creativity and wellbeing.  Today's conversation explores the evolution of A.I.-assisted creativity, from Taryn's groundbreaking A.I.-composed album to her current meditative album in development that celebrates the human experience. We dive into her work deconstructing storytelling taxonomy and building custom A.I. tools, while examining how world-building, immersive experiences, and storytelling are transforming through emerging technologies.  Taryn also shares her fascinating work with brain-computer interfaces and her vision for how technology might reshape our physical and digital worlds. From questioning our relationship with productivity to contemplating a future with more "spaciousness," this episode offers fresh perspectives that challenge conventional thinking. What are Taryn's predictions about the future and why will she be one of the first in line for a humanoid robot? Listen in to find out — enjoy! EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://creativitysquared.com/podcast/ep74-taryn-southern-a-i-creators-of-the-future/ JOIN CREATIVITY SQUARED Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: https://creativitysquared.com/newsletter  Become a premium member: https://creativitysquared.com/supporters  SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform: https://creativitysquared.com Subscribe for more videos: https://youtube.com/@creativity_squared/?sub_confirmation=1 CONNECT with C^2 https://instagram.com/creativitysquaredpodcast https://facebook.com/CreativitySquaredPodcast https://giphy.com/channel/CreativitySquared https://tumblr.com/blog/creativitysquared https://tiktok.com/@creativitysquaredpodcast #CreativitySquared CONNECT with Helen Todd, the human behind C^2 https://instagram.com/helenstravels https://twitter.com/helenstravels https://linkedin.com/in/helentodd https://pinterest.com/helentodd Creativity Squared explores how creatives are collaborating with artificial intelligence in your inbox, on YouTube, and on your preferred podcast platform.  Because it's important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates will go to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 100 arts organizations. This show is produced and made possible by the team at PLAY Audio Agency: https://playaudioagency.com. Creativity Squared is brought to you by Sociality Squared, a social media agency who understands the magic of bringing people together around what they value and love: http://socialitysquared.com.

Designer Paul Bishop shares his expertise on creating unforgettable hospitality experiences. From his work in Dubai's iconic developments to his latest projects, Paul discusses the power of design in shaping memorable guest journeys. Discover how he blends creativity, functionality, and storytelling to craft unique and captivating spaces. Learn about the latest trends in hotel design, the importance of immersive experiences, and the challenges and opportunities in the evolving hospitality landscape. Main Points: The role of design in creating memorable hospitality experiences Insights into Paul Bishop's career and work in Dubai and beyond The importance of balancing functionality and aesthetics The impact of immersive experiences on guest satisfaction Trends and challenges in the contemporary hospitality design landscape #hospitalitydesign #hoteldesign #designinspiration #travel #tourism #hospitality #interiordesign #experienceeconomy #innovation #creativity #Dubai #designthinking

Designer Paul Bishop shares his expertise on creating unforgettable hospitality experiences. From his work in Dubai's iconic developments to his latest projects, Paul discusses the power of design in shaping memorable guest journeys. Discover how he blends creativity, functionality, and storytelling to craft unique and captivating spaces. Learn about the latest trends in hotel design, the importance of immersive experiences, and the challenges and opportunities in the evolving hospitality landscape. Main Points: The role of design in creating memorable hospitality experiences Insights into Paul Bishop's career and work in Dubai and beyond The importance of balancing functionality and aesthetics The impact of immersive experiences on guest satisfaction Trends and challenges in the contemporary hospitality design landscape #hospitalitydesign #hoteldesign #designinspiration #travel #tourism #hospitality #interiordesign #experienceeconomy #innovation #creativity #Dubai #designthinking

This episode is full of Shrek Humor. Youth groups, you've been warned! ***COME SEE US LIVE!*** https://beachtoosandy.com/Look at what we have in store! https://www.beachtoosandy.storeWatch videos from our episodes on TikTok! https://tiktok.com/@beachtoosandySupport us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/beachtoosandyXtine's Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/thextinefilesXandy's Stream: twitch.tv/xandyschiefer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.