What is the state of themed entertainment today? It's a question on the minds of many longing for the escape themed entertainment venues provide, which, to a large extent, has been missing from people’s lives due to the global pandemic.

Places are opening, albeit slowly and at limited capacities in most theme parks and attractions. Electrosonic’s thought leaders, Senior Consultant of Entertainment, Paul Kent, and Global Vice President of Immersive Experiences, Bryan Hinckley, provided an update on where the industry stands as a whole, how they think it will hold up through the pandemic, and what the outlook for IP-based attractions is beyond these COVID times.

Before the pandemic, the IP-based attractions industry was growing at a rapid pace. Where do things stand mid-pandemic?

“There’s a huge short-term challenge to all these operators, parks, and attractions and museums and live events,” Hinckley said. “This pandemic has been tremendously difficult on the industry. On the flip side, I think there’s an incredibly huge potential for this market and industry to continue to grow and expand.”

People are craving the opportunity to go out and have those experiences once again.

“Everyone’s looking at how to open up safely,” Kent said. “We’re looking at ways to use technology to make rides safe and keep people distanced. Ride vehicles originally configured to carry far more people are potentially going to be smaller vehicles to let family groups go through together instead of larger groups.”

And, while Hinckley and Kent agree the pandemic currently leaves the industry in an unprecedented state, one thing that remains a constant during world crises: people look toward entertainment to lift their spirits and help them get back to a sense of normality.

No one quite knows what that normal looks like, but Hinckley and Kent can assure IP-based attractions will be a considerable part of it.