A new name has entered the location-based entertainment business - Spider Entertainment.
Amusement industry specialists Rob Hetherington, Kevin Williams and a consortium of founding partners have established the new company as a full turnkey LBE operator and provider of strategy, design and project management services to the retail property market and entertainment brands.
Hetherington, founder and CEO, comes from a background with Lappset Creative, working on key entertainment and IP accounts. He said: “Retail destinations are turning to entertainment to drive foot traffic, enhance the customer experience and rejuvenate malls. They need experienced operators to help run successful, revenue-generating attractions.
“Spider helps LBE suppliers and brands access retail destinations and provides developers with turnkey attraction operation.”
Kevin Williams is a well-known personality in the international amusement and attractions industry and a speaker at conventions and publisher of The Stinger Report. He is a co-founder of Spider and is technology director. A former Walt Disney Imagineer, Williams has provided creative experience consulting for leading developers, operators and investors.
Also appointed to the Spider team are Tracy Balsz, director business development, US. Balsz is a board member of the Themed Entertainment Association and has 25 years’ experience in LBE. Kevin Smith has been appointed operations director, formerly director at Continuum Attractions in the UK; James Orchard, director of projects and programming, formerly lead project manager at KidZania; Ashley Lynch, director of design, formerly head of design at Lappset; Sean Curtis, group marketing director and retail strategy, formerly marketing director for retail developer LandSec.
