Three Days in London: Media Creation at the Heart of Tomorrow's Attractions

An opening cocktail reception, an immersive experience at the ABBA Arena, miles walked through the aisles of IAAPA Expo Europe, the 25th-anniversary celebration of Alterface, and a networking breakfast organized with the support of AWEX and the TWIST cluster. Sébastien De Foere, Deputy Director Media Solutions, and Jérémy, Head of Creative, return from London with concrete observations, working avenues, and one certainty: Dreamwall possesses specific assets to meet the needs of the attractions sector.

We came to observe, listen, and better understand the expectations of industry professionals. When you design visual universes daily, the world of theme parks and experiential venues is a natural extension. It is a space where visual storytelling takes on a physical dimension: it inhabits a location, accompanies movement, and generates a direct reaction from visitors.

However, moving from the desire to participate to the realization of a collaboration requires a rigorous approach. It is necessary to meet market players and understand their operational realities. These three days in the field provided us with structuring insights.

Our visit to the ABBA Arena fueled an initial reflection on our practices. As image and visual technology specialists, we instinctively analyze the technical execution of projects: rendering precision, lighting management, screen placement, and their integration with practical scenography.

Yet, the success of such a project lies primarily in the impact it has on the audience. This observation raised a central question for our entire trip: how can media creation enrich the perceived value of the visitor experience?

Technology at the Service of Emotion

In the aisles of IAAPA, discussions allowed us to approach this issue from a highly operational angle. Conversations with professionals highlighted a market in transition:

• Investments managed with greater caution.
• More demanding financial trade-offs from operators.
• A growing need for cost-effective, sustainable solutions with rapid ROI.

This context encourages the industry to favor accessible visual proposals, more compact and reproducible formats, or strategies to modernize existing attractions through renewed video and animation content.

Throughout the conversations, two distinct organizational realities emerged. On one hand, some operators and designers highlight the difficulty of finding studios capable of understanding both the artistic stakes and the technical rigor of the sector. On the other hand, several players indicate they produce all their content internally.

This feedback confirms the need to analyze each structure individually. Market needs are not uniform, and collaboration methods must adapt to the reality of each project:

1. Targeted creative reinforcement on a project requiring a high level of finish.
2. Specific technical expertise, notably in 3D animation, real-time rendering, or complex display management.
3. Comprehensive production capacity to handle an entire media pipeline.
4. A co-development partnership to craft an original graphic universe from the pre-production phase.

The presence of numerous established studios at this gathering also serves as a reminder that the sector is competitive. To build a lasting presence, a studio's contribution must be clearly identified.

By cross-referencing the perspectives of creative and development leadership, one conclusion is clear: media content deserves the same attention as the technical hardware that projects it.

During our visits, we identified installations with high-performing equipment, but where the visual content could have been pushed further—whether in terms of graphic precision, animation fluidity, or overall narrative coherence.

Storytelling Enhancing Indoor Experiences

Discussions focused on dark rides (scripted indoor immersive trails) were particularly instructive. This segment requires a comprehensive mastery of audiovisual techniques:

• Universe coherence: ensuring visual continuity between physical sets and virtual screen extensions.
• Character direction: animating believable figures capable of capturing attention within a short exposure time.
• Sequential pacing: structuring scene breakdowns to ensure smooth progression for visitors.

These challenges align directly with Dreamwall's expertise, developed at the intersection of graphic creation, video, animation, and technical integration.

The side events surrounding the expo provided exceptional networking opportunities. The opening cocktail, the 25th-anniversary celebration of specialized player Alterface, and the business breakfast supported by AWEX and the Cluster TWIST facilitated in-depth discussions with industry decision-makers.

At a trade show with tightly packed schedules, these informal moments allow for deeper discussions on fundamental topics and the identification of shared values between teams.

Dreamwall's Contribution to Attraction ProjectsDreamwall supports attraction designers, integrators, and operators through two main pillars:

• Content and universe creation: graphic design, art direction, 2D/3D animation production, and adaptation to complex broadcast constraints.
• Media and audiovisual consulting: technical and artistic assistance from the study phase to align equipment choices with narrative intentions.

The experiential venue sector is built on concrete demands: designing sustainable, structured, and technically mastered universes to provoke an audience reaction. We are continuing the conversations initiated in London to transform these initial avenues into operational partnerships.

Courtesy : Youtube IAAPA "Relive the Wonder of IAAPA Expo Europe 2026"