Themed recreation venues and attractions took centre stage on the evening of Saturday, September 16 as the Themed Entertainment Association celebrated its seventh annual THEA Awards Gala in the Grand Ballroom of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal Studios Island, James Cameron's Titanic: The Experience, Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia and the Stone Forest in Yunnan Province, China (all of which have been featured in Lighting&Sound International) all picked up awards. Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida was also voted the best Theme Park. The THEA Classic award went to Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark - said to be one of the prime inspirations for Walt Disney in determining the character and quality of Disneyland. Tivoli Gardens has operated continuously since 1843. A special award recognising Breakthrough Technology was collected by Richmond Sound Design for its AudioBox system. The company developed a special version of its AudioBox for The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure, designed to withstand shock and vibration up to 15Gs.
