What Themed Entertainment Association does

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is an international non-profit trade association founded in 1991 and headquartered in Burbank, California. It serves more than 1,200 member companies across 40 countries — comprising creators, designers, engineers, fabricators, operators, and investors in themed entertainment including theme parks, water parks, museums, zoos, and visitor attractions. The organization is structured into four geographic divisions (Asia Pacific, Eastern North America, Europe & Middle East, and Western North America), each with its own division board, and is governed by an elected International Board under CEO Melissa Oviedo and a small staff of 1-10 employees.

TEA's core products center on the Member Portal (powered by the Glueup association management platform), the annual Thea Awards program — the only peer-voted independent awards for themed entertainment creators — and the TEA INSPIRE conference featuring case study presentations by Thea Award recipients. Supporting offerings include the TEA Global Experience Index (industry benchmarking and attendance analytics), a Job Board for industry hiring, the TEA Tell newsletter, TEA NextGen (emerging talent program), TEA Masters (professional designation program), the TEA Foundation (scholarships and mentorship), and regional divisional mixers and the SATE conference. Technology infrastructure is outsourced to Glueup for member, event, and community management; no proprietary AI/ML systems, patents, or in-house technology development are indicated.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: recurring membership dues (corporate and individual tiers), event registration and sponsorships for TEA INSPIRE, Thea Awards Gala, SATE, and divisional events, and transaction-based Thea Awards nomination fees. Premier Partners — including Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative, Chimelong, Weta Workshop, WWT, Huitt-Zollars, and Petro Berlin — provide top-tier sponsorship supporting global initiatives. As a non-profit, TEA reinvests into member services rather than distributing earnings, and financial details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Themed Entertainment Association

Legal name

Themed Entertainment Association

Website

https://teaconnect.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

International non-profit trade association founded in 1991, serving 1,200+ member companies across 40 countries in the themed entertainment industry through membership services, Thea Awards, TEA INSPIRE conference, and four geographic divisions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Burbank

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for corporate and individual members in the themed entertainment industry, providing access to networking, education, and association resources.
2. Event Registration & Sponsorships: Revenue from TEA INSPIRE conference, Thea Awards Gala, SATE events, divisional mixers, and associated sponsorship packages.
3. Thea Awards Nominations: Nomination submission fees for Thea Awards program covering various award categories including Outstanding Achievement, Technical Innovation, and Distinguished Service awards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is an international non-profit association that delivers membership services, industry conferences, and the Thea Awards program to creators, designers, and producers of themed experiences such as theme parks, museums, water parks, and visitor attractions. It operates a member portal, runs annual events (TEA INSPIRE, SATE), publishes the TEA Global Experience Index benchmarking research, and sustains a job board and professional development programs (TEA NextGen, TEA Masters).

Product overview

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is a global industry association that provides a unified platform of member services, events, and recognition programs for the themed entertainment sector. The core product offering centers on the Member Portal powered by Glueup for membership management, combined with the annual Thea Awards program recognizing excellence in attractions and experiences, and the TEA INSPIRE Conference featuring case study presentations. Supporting offerings include the TEA Global Experience Index for industry research, a Job Board for career placement, TEA Newsletter for communications, professional development programs (TEA NextGen, TEA Masters), the TEA Foundation for scholarships, and division-specific networking events. The association operates across four global divisions serving over 1,200 member companies in 40 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TEA Membership Annual corporate and individual membership tiers for themed entertainment industry professionals, providing access to the member portal, division participation, networking events, knowledge base, and Thea Awards eligibility.
• Thea Awards

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 200 submissions received for the 32nd Annual Thea Awards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered premier partner and technology partner.

• Chimelongpremier partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerChimelong is a Premier Partner of TEA, one of China's leading themed entertainment operators with resorts in Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Qingyuan. As a Premier Partner, Chimelong supports TEA's mission and participates in the association's global initiatives.
• Universal Creativepremier partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversal Creative is a Premier Partner of TEA, representing Universal Destinations & Experiences. The partnership supports industry collaboration and innovation in themed entertainment experiences.
• Walt Disney Imagineeringpremier partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerWalt Disney Imagineering is a Premier Partner of TEA, representing Disney's creative design and development arm for theme parks and attractions worldwide.
• Weta Workshoppremier partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeta Workshop is a Premier Partner of TEA, providing special effects, prop fabrication, and immersive experience design for film and themed entertainment. The partnership supports creative collaboration in the industry.
• WWTpremier partnerTechnology or IntegrationWWT (World Wide Technology) is a Premier Partner of TEA, providing technology solutions and integration services for themed attractions and experiences.
• Huitt-Zollarspremier partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuitt-Zollars is a Premier Partner of TEA, providing architecture and design services for themed entertainment and visitor attractions.
• Petro Berlinpremier partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPetro Berlin is a Premier Partner of TEA, providing themed entertainment design and consulting services.
• Glueuptechnology partnerTechnology or IntegrationGlueup provides the member portal platform powering TEA's website, event management, job board, and community features. The platform enables member directory access, event registration, and community engagement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA): IAAPA is the largest global trade association for the attractions industry, representing amusement parks, waterparks, and family entertainment centers. It is the most direct peer to TEA, overlapping heavily on membership, advocacy, events (IAAPA Expo), and industry recognition, though IAAPA skews more operator-facing while TEA leans creator/maker.
• World Waterpark Association (WWA): WWA is an international trade association serving the waterpark industry with membership, education, and an annual trade show + awards program. It is directly comparable to TEA's model (members in a themed-entertainment subsegment, award program, annual conference) but operates in a narrower vertical with overlapping member companies.

Others

• American Society of Association Executives (ASAE): ASAE is the umbrella professional association for the association-management industry, providing education, CAE credential, and benchmarking. It is comparable to TEA as a fellow membership association executing conferences, awards, and credentialing, and is a useful benchmark for TEA's operating model, governance, and revenue diversification rather than a direct competitor for members.
• Meeting Professionals International (MPI): MPI is a global membership association for the meetings and events industry, with members, an annual conference, education, and certifications (CMP, CEM). It is comparable to TEA because the two share an identical business model — membership dues plus event registration, sponsorship, and award fees — though they serve an adjacent rather than overlapping member base.
• Urban Land Institute (ULI): ULI is a global real-estate development research and education organization with membership, advisory panels, and an annual conference. It is comparable to TEA as a long-established member-driven association using events, knowledge products, and networking to monetize a specialized professional community, and several TEA member companies (architects, design firms) overlap with ULI members.

Emerging players

• American Alliance of Museums (AAM): AAM is the U.S. trade association for museums and similar institutions, providing accreditation, professional development, and advocacy. It is comparable to TEA because a meaningful share of TEA's member companies build museum, zoo, and visitor-center attractions, making AAM a partial-overlap peer on member base and association services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKFn2yLiNaPSboo4P-lQjQg
• Facebookfacebook.com/TEAConnect
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/themed-entertainment-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/tea_connect
• Xx.com/tea_connect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Themed Entertainment Association