David Willrich, president of the themed entertainment association (TEA), wants build on the organisation’s success in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with plans to host more TEA events outside of North America.

Willrich, who succeeded Steve Birket in November as TEA president, wants to expand on the steady growth enjoyed by the organisation in recent years, with Europe a prime target for increased membership.

“When I was president of the European Division, we had 120 members and I think out of that, 40 or 50 were in the UK,” said Willrich, speaking to Attractions Management.

“All the flagship events were happening in the US. There were 800 members there so it’s completely understandable that prime events were held in the US, but we needed something in the UK and Europe.”

Appealing to the European market, Willrich spearheaded the launch of SATE Academy Days, an event based on visiting an attraction and learning its inner workings.

“In our first year of SATE Academy Days we set a target of six events in six countries and did seven,” said Willrich. “Paul Kent (current president of the TEA’s Europe & Middle Eastern division) is carrying on the park visits either as SATE Academy days or just behind scenes tours.

“There will around six events of this type in the E&ME division this year. Our first event had 25 people and now we typically have between 30 and 60 people, largely depending on where it is and time of year.”

With just under 200 members in Europe, Willrich and the TEA felt there was enough momentum outside of the US to host a major event on European soil. Last month the TEA held its first SATE conference in Europe, with the event at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, UK, the first steps to expanding the TEA’s international presence.

“This year we thought we’d try SATE in Europe. There’s enough momentum in our Europe and Middle East membership to support a SATE conference,” said Willrich.

“During my presidency I am aiming to make the TEA more international – meaning we want to move from being an association with a global outreach to being a truly global association. This means giving more support to the European and Asian divisions.”

Asked how a push into Europe would affect the TEA’s US members, Willrich was positive.

“Our prime sponsorship is coming from the US, of course the prime membership is there but there is a universal desire that the TEA should grow,” he said. “With growth there are going to be cultural differences and influences coming in from countries outside of the US. These need be taken on board in terms of what we do and how we do it, but it will strengthen the TEA, making membership even more worthwhile and truly global.”