|
The Innovation Awards were created to recognise excellence and innovation in the attractions and themed entertainment industries
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 06 Oct 2021
The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony during Blooloop’s V-Expo Credit: Blooloop
Industry news source and conference provider Blooloop has announced the winners of its inaugural Innovation Awards.
Created to celebrate excellence in the attractions and themed entertainment industries, this year’s awards recognise companies who have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with imagination and innovation.
“Companies within the attractions business have responded to the pandemic with incredible dynamism and imagination. These awards celebrate that spirit of innovation as we move forward,” said a Blooloop statement.
This year’s awards were hosted in partnership with experiential entertainment venue AREA15 and saw more than 130 entrants across 14 categories; COVID, Digital, Engagement, Immersive, Inclusion, Interactive, Places, Spectacular, Splash, Storytelling, Sustainability, Thrills, Technology and the Rise Award.
The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony during the company’s online V-Expo event in October.
Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit: Big Fix Up AR app was recognised in the digital category CREDIT: AARDMAN
Winners included Aardman, which was recognised in the Digital category for its Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up AR app.
Developed in partnership with Fictioneers, a consortium of three independent commercial partners including creative agency Sugar Creative, games developer Tiny Rebel Games and digital production studio Potato, the app follows Nick Park’s beloved characters on their first new adventure in more than a decade.
Combining AR gameplay and CG animation, the free app provides a real-time narrative-driven experience with a star-studded voice cast, including Miriam Margolyes and Jim Carter.
“Wallace & Gromit have innovation, gadgets and technology at the comedic heart of their world. Working with Fictioneers to create The Big Fix Up has been a perfect fit, allowing us to bring the duo’s fantastic fictional contraptions right into our audiences homes using the latest real technology,” said Merlin Crossingham, creative director of Wallace & Gromit at Aardman.
Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart won the Immersive award CREDIT: MEOW WOLF
Art and entertainment collective Meow Wolf won in the Immersive category for its Omega Mart grocery store.
Housed in AREA15 in Las Vegas, US, Omega Mart opened earlier this year. Billed as an 'eye-popping shopping experience', the store offers more than 100 purchasable products with 'an uncanny ability to fulfil desires beyond expectation', such as Sit Longer, Blink Less vitamin supplements for office workers and Root Beer-flavoured Vape Juice-flavoured Root Beer.
Christie’s CounterAct uses patented Care222 technology CREDIT: CHRISTIE
Meanwhile, audio-visual specialist Christie was recognised in the COVID category for its CounterAct commercial UV disinfection fixtures, which use patented Care222 technology to neutralise pathogens where people are present.
The Rise Award, sponsored by AREA15, offered cash prizes of US$20,000 (£14,700, €17,000) and US$10,000 (£7,400, €8,700) for first and second place respectively. It was won by Worldbuildr for its Software Suite, a first-of-its-kind virtual production tool aimed at Location Based Entertainment operators, which enables designers to collaborate remotely.
Other winners include Weta Workshop Unleashed: A Fantastical Film FX Experience, which took the prize for Storytelling and Proslide’s Svalgurok Ridehouse, which won in the Splash category.
The full list of winners can be viewed here
Events
|
|
Storm surge: How Chimelong Spaceship’s award-winning and record-breaking Bermuda Storm was brought to life
|
