The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is holding its first SATE (Storytelling, Architecture, Technology, Experience) Academy Days of the year when it travels first to Tilburg, Netherlands today and then to Las Vegas’s MGM Grand on Saturday (30 January).

Starting in Tilburg’s Fontys Academy, TEA’s Europe and Middle East division is hosting a full day of conferencing, challenging students and delegates to explore ideas for a new theme park land.

The body has lined up a number of top speakers for the event, which include Jora Entertainment creative director John Ruisch, RHA founder Ray Hole, Vekoma Rides’ Jeroen Holman and P&P Projects director Philipp van Stratum, among others.

Moving onto Las Vegas, the SATE academy day includes a backstage tour of the MGM Grand’s KÀ by Cirque du Soleil, as well as a backstage tour and ride of the Arup-designed High Roller – the 550ft-tall (167.7m) attraction on the Vegas Strip, currently the world’s tallest Ferris wheel.

The High Roller tour is followed by a panel made up of speakers who worked on the project, including Frank Weigand, founder and president of the TWT Group, Anthony Pruett, senior vice president for the Hettema Group and High Roller general manager Eric Eberheart and more.

The Tilburg event costs US$35 (€32, £25) for TEA members and is free for students and NextGen members, while the Vegas event is US$60 (€55, £42) for members, US$40 (€37, £28) for NextGen members and an additional US$108 (€100, £76) for a discounted showing of KÀ at the MGM Grand.

TEA’s SATE Academy Days will return at the end of February, when delegates will travel to Rovaniemi, Finland, between the 24th and 26th for three days of events including a keynote speech from Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) CEO Keith James. Fitting its setting within the Arctic Circle, the theme for the SATE event will be “Designing for Extremes”.

To book for the Las Vegas event, click here.

For more information on the Rovaniemi event, click here.