{"id":79976,"date":"2025-10-14T13:42:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T13:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/79976\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T13:42:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T13:42:11","slug":"innovation-in-blue-sky-festival-of-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/79976\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovation in Blue Sky | Festival of Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Blue Sky thinking session at blooloop\u2019s Festival of Innovation shared insights from guest speakers Kimberly Beneville, co-founder of Beneville Studios<\/a>; Sam Bompas, director of Bompas & Parr<\/a>; and Ben Wilson, head of architecture and concept design at MSC Cruises<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The panel discussed how to make the business case for new ideas, how attractions work differently on cruises, top trends they\u2019re seeing, and what the future of the industry will look like.<\/p>\n

Watch all of the festival of innovation sessions here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The annual Festival of Innovation is a free, online event that brings together the international visitor attractions community to explore the most innovative projects, products and organisations that are advancing the attractions industry.<\/p>\n

Innovation in Blue Sky: meet the speakers<\/p>\n

Kimberly Beneville\u2019s work at New York City-based \u2018idea manifestation machine\u2019 Beneville Studios is fuelled by her experience in theatre and storytelling. She first worked as an actress before discovering a passion for working backstage when she co-founded Beneville Studios.<\/p>\n

Her portfolio includes contributions to The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which provides education to previously disadvantaged girls in South Africa, and AREA15<\/a>, where Beneville has served a crucial role in researching and securing ideal tenants.<\/p>\n

\"KimberlyKimberly Beneville, Sam Bompas and Ben Wilson<\/p>\n

Co-founder of Bompas & Parr<\/a>, Sam Bompas serves as the company\u2019s executive creative director. He focuses on developing concepts that have wide appeal, are engaging, and newsworthy. Press recognition includes TimeOut\u2019s ’50 Best Londoners’ and the Evening Standard\u2019s ‘1000 Most Influential People’.<\/p>\n

He has given keynote addresses and lectures worldwide, and collaborates with a diverse network of historians, scientists, artists, musicians, art directors, chefs, professional noses, stage illusionists, pyrotechnicians, and others to create world-first experiences.<\/p>\n

Ben Wilson<\/a> joined MSC Cruises in 2021 as head of architecture and concept design, and has since overseen the successful delivery of MSC World Europa, MSC Seascape and MSC Euribia. His upcoming projects include leading the ongoing development of the modern MSC Cruises brand and envisioning exciting new spaces for MSC World America and MSC World Asia.<\/p>\n

During his service at SMC Design in London, Wilson worked on the award-winning Viking Cruises prototype, Viking Star, and the first new build of Saga Cruises Spirit of Discovery, for which he was named the 2019 Seatrade Marine Interior Design of the Year.<\/p>\n

Widespread expansion<\/p>\n

The panellists open the discussion with an overview of their current activities. At AREA15, Lionsgate\u2019s John Wick and Superplastic\u2019s Dopeameme experiences have recently opened.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then we’re also expanding<\/a> 40 acres, so we’re pretty much doubling our size and creating an entire immersive district in Las Vegas,\u201d says Beneville. \u201cAnd we\u2019re really, really thrilled, we have Universal’s Horror Unleashed that’ll be our anchor experience for the second district.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Bompas & Parr, the focus is shifting from its acclaimed, fantastical events towards permanent attractions.<\/p>\n

\"museum <\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re working on about five or six with about 50 wider projects,\u201d says Bompas. \u201cAt the top of the list is our Museum of Shakespeare<\/a>, which is opening next year. It is spectacular. It’s working with the ultimate IP, Shakespeare itself. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019ll be people who have spent their whole lives studying the bard coming through the door on the first day, but also people who have never had that experience before. So how do you do an experience that is relevant to all of those people?\u201d<\/p>\n

At MSC Cruises, MSC World America<\/a> is being developed, ready for delivery next year. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, we have her sister ships coming,\u201d says Wilson. \u201cWe are working on at least three or four different projects at the moment, all slightly in different design stages. But some of those are focused on new restaurants. Some of those are focused on new lounges or bars. Some of those are new accommodation. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur floating hotel is always evolving, so we have a lot on. And that’s all that we can speak about as well, because obviously, there’s always things in the pipeline as well.\u201d <\/p>\n

Gazing into a crystal ball<\/p>\n

As cruise embraces an increasing range of attractions, Wilson shares the considerations and challenges of such projects. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur first step is to listen and understand what the guests want. We have a fleet of around 24 ships now, and it’s just over 20 years old, so that’s nearly a ship every year. That’s how busy we are!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of ships<\/a>, a lot of guests, so a lot of data to mine. So, we’ve got a lot of analysis that we can look at to understand what’s working for us onboard, and what needs to improve from either a guest experience or a crew experience.<\/p>\n

\"MSC MSC World America <\/p>\n

\u201cThen, it’s pairing that up with market trends. It\u2019s getting out there, seeing new things and trying to use your foresight and wisdom to anticipate what is essentially going to be ready in three or four years’ time. Because, compared to land-based projects in our design phase, especially the concepting, we’re four or five years out. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou need a bit of a crystal ball. You’ve got to take a bit of a leap of faith going forward to anticipate what the guest wants today, and what tomorrow’s guest wants as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to justify a case or an argument, or whatever it may be. And then you’ve got to rally the stakeholders as well to follow that direction. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s great fun, and every day is a school day.\u201d <\/p>\n

Cheerleaders & challenges<\/p>\n

So, how do you engage stakeholders with such blue sky ideas? <\/p>\n

Wilson finds it best to take them to see attractions<\/a> or events. \u201cYou can talk about how great you found an immersive dining experience, or the newest theme park,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut that’s always going to be your own personal view.<\/p>\n

\"gingerline A Gingerline immersive dining experience <\/p>\n

\u201cTo rally more champions around you, you need to bring people and say, \u2018Hey, look at this. I think this could fit into what we’re planning to do on our ship, but I need you to be my cheerleader as well.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cTypically, they say yes, because it’s a fun thing to do, but it’s also the only way that you can really pass on that knowledge of experience to those ultimate decision makers.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the challenges we often get is that people say it’s a world first,\u201d says Bompas, \u201cit’s never been done before, but also show me that the P&L, the robust business case, all the data and the research for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you square those two things?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sometimes like just knocking it up and building it, and seeing if the theory works.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it’s really making sure there’s a great business model behind it,\u201d says Beneville. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe market is saturated with so many great ideas and concepts, and so I’m always looking for what makes you different, what’s going to give you that edge? And then, what’s the business model behind it? That’s what it all comes down to. Is this realistic?\u201d<\/p>\n

Plundering the past<\/p>\n

The panellists offer their insight into how companies can capture attention and differentiate their offering. <\/p>\n

\u201cGoing and doing your research, understanding what’s out there and seeing what’s working, what’s not, why you’re pulled to something. Creating something that you think the customer will feel an emotional connection with, because we get distracted in so many different ways,\u201d says Beneville.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsking what’s really going to grab my attention and create that emotional connection. I think that should be the top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spend a lot of our time and advise a lot of people how to reach peak innovation<\/a>, and do genuinely innovative things,\u201d says Bompas.<\/p>\n

\"Niantic NianticScaniverse 4, awarded first place in Blue Sky in the 2024 blooloop Innovation Awards. Copyright Niantic Inc. <\/p>\n

\u201cI sit around the table with people, peering into the future. One of the things I make the case for is to go back into the past and plunder it, because over the course of human history, the things that delight us as human beings don’t change remarkably. If we still know about something that was making people smile 400 years ago, it will probably still do so. <\/p>\n

He adds, \u201cNow using contemporary techniques, contemporary technologies, you’re able to deliver something completely different, that is unprecedented, that people really haven’t seen before. And I think that’s when things get really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cruise presents different considerations. \u201cIt’s a slightly different audience, and it comes with slightly different challenges,\u201d says Wilson. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs well as all the data mining that we do, we\u2019re then benchmarking across the industry. Against not just our direct competitors, but also land-based resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simple ideas<\/p>\n

A recent project to install the world’s first over-water swing<\/a> at sea was inspired by a land-based attraction in Amsterdam. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo again, I’ve gone out and seen something, and then it’s a matter of thinking, \u2018How do we get that onto our ship?\u2019\u201d says Wilson. <\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically, we can place it on; that’s not a problem. But our ship moves. It contorts. It twists. It’s a steel box. It’s also a steel box that’s going against the wind. There’s aerodynamics to consider. And the waves move. <\/p>\n

\u201cThen it becomes an engineering feat. Just how exactly do we get something that’s so solid and so simple as an idea? And the simplicity of the idea is key. It is essentially just a swing that goes over the edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, it starts with simplicity, the idea, how do we get that onto that, and what do we need to consider?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"msc <\/p>\n

A strong sense that the idea is worth following through is key. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the concepting stage, we’re trying to understand what’s the cost of this thing? Is it something that we actually want to charge for, or is it something that we’ll give for free?,\u201d says Wilson. <\/p>\n

\u201cOn top of that. Is it a first? Because in the cruise industry, we’re always trying to beat each other to be the first to do something. As well as an ROI, does it have any marketing value?\u201d<\/p>\n

Marketing & expectation<\/p>\n

Being able to market a blue-sky idea is key. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re constantly thinking about new ways to market and how to really get the vibe across. That’s just number one,\u201d says Beneville. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe joy of blue sky thinking is you can market it terrifically,\u201d says Bompas. \u201cEveryone’s hungry to know about what’s novel, what’s new, what’s first. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge comes because people’s expectations can either be remarkably high or it’s hard to focus. They don’t know what they’re expecting because it’s something that’s never been done before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pricing can be difficult. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ll work with food and drink in restaurants and theatre, and people have their budgets that they associate with a night out in the restaurant and a night out in a theatre,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"Dining Immersive dining at The Gallery in LA <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you put them together in an immersive dining experience<\/a>, we as operators are combining all of those different things; those systems are complex. But how do you justify the associated expense of that to the consumer who might have bought the theatre tickets and spent in the restaurant on the night as well?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s one of the tensions that we’re always trying to navigate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Increasingly seamless integration<\/p>\n

The discussion turned to the emerging trends in the sector. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re definitely seeing a rise in digital overlay over physical experiences,\u201d says Beneville. \u201cSo lots of AR. We have a new experience called Bot Breach<\/a>. When you enter AREA15, you scan a QR code, and you are taken on a journey through AREA15\u2019s exclusive IP. So it’s really deepening the experience for the consumer and the customer journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"area15 <\/p>\n

Bompas & Parr are also working with AR for the Museum of Shakespeare. <\/p>\n

\u201cLooking at this as a trend with some of the entries in the blue sky [Innovation Awards] category. We’ve seen a lot of fantastic AR, and also this ever-more seamless integration between the real world and the physical world. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere this starts taking you, which I get excited by, is accelerating the frictions between people. Why do we still go to physical spaces to experience things together? Why do we go to museums? There’s value in looking at other people, looking at stuff, or experiencing stuff. What doesn’t always happen, which I think is always best when it happens, is when you also get to talk to those people and interact with them, maybe they become your friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can facilitate that through integration, so much the better. If that happens and you leave your experience with some new contacts, that’s always a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social experiences<\/p>\n

Wilson highlights the prevalence of social gaming and the rise of shared reality immersive sports experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe the most marketable one is Cosm<\/a> in Los Angeles. If you couldn’t afford a ticket to the game, don’t worry, there is a venue somewhere with a massive screen. It’s a very simple idea, but it works, and I’m sure that it will roll out as a model.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn my bucket list now is Phantom Peak<\/a> and then the Batman Escape in Paris, because that is giving people a unique, immersive experience, but they’re not just going through it once because the storytelling or the narrative or the characters, or, you know, their pathway through the environment, these three or four hours will never be the same. They’ll keep on coming back. <\/p>\n

\"Phantom Phantom Peak <\/p>\n

\u201cWe’d love to do one on board a ship, but it just seems to take a lot of space. Space on board our ships is at a premium. <\/p>\n

\u201cExperiences like Phantom Peak, like Cosm, it’s really about building community,\u201d says Beneville. \u201cAnd that’s such a trend that we’re seeing right now, and something that we’re really focused on at AREA15. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn a world where we’re so divided, we’re on our computers all the time, or in our own world, I think there’s a craving for community. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s a camaraderie, just a different type of thrill when you get to really experience it together and make new friends.<\/p>\n

Standing out in a world of \u2018algorithmic sameness\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it’s a trend, it’s not blue sky thinking. It’s already happened,\u201d says Bompas. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo access what blue sky is, you need to really trust your gut, because you’ll be using your experience to tap into what’s happening now. <\/p>\n

\u201cI’m so over all of the mindfulness stuff that has happened. A lot of it is commoditising quite aggressively.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m excited about savouring things as mindfulness. I think it’s far more purposeful; there’s a degree of connoisseurship. There’s true hedonism in it, which I think is to be vaunted. And hedonism not as a mode of excess, but a means of balance and insight. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think savouring is an exciting area right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also notes an interest in relocalisation and hyper-relocalisation, in a world of \u201calgorithmic sameness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"area15 Courtesy of Area15 and David Becker <\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that’s amazing about somewhere like AREA15 is it’s like a hyperreal simulacra of Vegas. It is like the quintessence distilled down into a turbo Vegas experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

This theme of locality is reflected in cruise. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our pillars is the quality of the itineraries that we offer,\u201d says Wilson. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd obviously, when you’ve got 24 ships dotted across the world, we can take guests to the Far East, the Caribbean, the Middle East, obviously the Mediterranean, where our roots are, East Coast, West Coast, I think we\u2019re going to Alaska as well in 2026. We’re touching the South Americas. I think we’ve been touching South Africa on certain itineraries. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re very global. Guests have a plethora of choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sophisticated storytelling<\/p>\n

The panel then discussed the relationship between technology and storytelling<\/a> in blue sky.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always believe that story comes first,\u201d says Bompas. \u201cAs humans, the greatest thing we do is exchange stories, and the thing that people most like doing in their leisure time is consuming stories as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology is the medium and will always be changing. And sometimes you can use it as a starting point to push the craft, but ultimately you want the technology to be invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want it to be invisible, and the story comes first,\u201d says Beneville. \u201cThat’s how you create the emotional connection. But I think there has to be a marriage of the two. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith content refresh, you need the tech right now, because the consumer is very sophisticated. They’ve seen everything, they’ve done everything, they’re constantly looking for something new, and so you need that. You need to keep the story fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bullanginya Bullanginya Dreaming, awarded first place in Storytelling in the 2024 blooloop Innovation Awards <\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re mostly utilising tech to ensure that the guest journey is as seamless and frictionless as possible,\u201d says Wilson. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll the way from booking the cruise in the first place to booking itineraries, the day-to-day navigation of the ship, understanding when show times are, dealing with your account. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s the easy wins that we’re trying to focus on, the administrative part.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the consumption part, he adds that tech needs to be operationally robust. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt’d be awful for us to close down a theatre because we integrated in some amazing tech, but then we didn’t marinise it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporting content refresh<\/p>\n

\u201cMy real hope for future technology is that it can be a catalyst for interaction,\u201d says Bompas. \u201cSometimes it might feel weird in a space going up to someone, when we’re very, very comfortable interacting through the mediated and safer arena of technology, so that can be quite helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beneville also shared her hopes for the future. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to see tech that really helps more with content refresh. Right now, we are really working on our offerings, changing AREA15 from day to night. And we have some experiences that really do that well using tech, like our portal, our 360 projection-mapped room. During the day, it’s a very family-friendly experience. At night, it turns into a rave. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that helps, but I want more. That’s so important to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HOLOPLOT The Portal, image courtesy of AREA15 and Jesse Hudson <\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a bit of a niche term, but I’m really into Reactive Theatre,\u201d adds Bompas. \u201cIt basically means you’re going through the show. You make decisions, and the totality of the show changes meaningfully based on what you’re doing. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo many of the immersive shows are basically on rails. Whatever you do, it all sets up the same, and that’s because there’s a business model behind it, but it’s expensive to have it have a multitude of different endings. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith AI<\/a>, this is a meaningful possibility, particularly when combined with talented front-of-house staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flexible spaces<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at my silly shopping list of wants, of which an indoor ski slope is one, but another that we mentioned before was a space that offers flexibility,\u201d says Wilson. <\/p>\n

\u201cTake a simple idea of an escape room<\/a>. But in a venue that you go to in the morning, and it’s one themed escape room, and then you go there in the afternoon, and it’s something totally different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Aardman A Grand Way Out Wallace & Gromit-themed escape room <\/p>\n

As guests are on board for a week, he notes the need to keep the streetscape fresh in an operationally achievable way. <\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, space on board our ships is at a premium. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow can we take a little three-by-three space, but then keep guests coming back? I did that challenge on Monday, but then on Wednesday, there’s going to be a different one, and I’ll go back and do that one, and then by the end of the week, I may have found out that I’m on a leaderboard, and I’m in top 10, and I get to the ultimate the last challenge, whatever it is. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s figuring out stuff that’s on land at the moment, but how can we do it in a tiny little space? And also the less we could man it, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Engineering innovation<\/p>\n

Finally, the speakers shared the main challenges that they face at present. <\/p>\n

\u201cQuite often it’s just ceiling heights in column jungles. And there’s a balance between the most beautiful spaces where there’s no one, or the most kinky dog-legged, weird, subterranean, unusable spaces, which are unbelievably expensive, where there’s lots of people,\u201d says Bompas. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an engineering challenge, that\u2019s all,\u201d says Wilson. \u201cIt is slightly bigger on a ship, but if you take away a column, then we’re in a bit of danger that the ship might close in on itself. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut again, it’s just an engineering challenge. Someone will figure it out one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"msc Spiral slide on board MSC World America <\/p>\n

The challenge of space, he adds, has been a constant throughout the history of the cruise industry. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have always worked quite well and collaboratively with naval architects and with shipyards to constantly push the boundaries. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf we go all the way back from the Titanic through to the cruise line of the 80s and 90s, to where we are now, where you see glass domes on tops of ships and roller coasters<\/a>. So someone figured something out. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo it’s all feasible. But another big challenge for us is purely predicting trends, and it’s trying to get ahead of the game, ahead of the market, or ahead of your competitor four or five years out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beneville agrees: \u201cI think continually building new experiences from scratch and having the capital to do so, and then hoping that when that experience is born and alive, that it’s still relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Blue Sky thinking session at blooloop\u2019s Festival of Innovation shared insights from guest speakers Kimberly Beneville, co-founder…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[220,937,13747,13748,13749,35817,308,61,52165,60,22766,13753,80,13759,8233],"class_list":{"0":"post-79976","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-ar","10":"tag-attraction-design","11":"tag-attractions-business","12":"tag-attractions-technology","13":"tag-cruises","14":"tag-design","15":"tag-ie","16":"tag-immersive-experiences","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-las-vegas","19":"tag-museum-design","20":"tag-technology","21":"tag-themed-entertainment","22":"tag-trends"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}