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David Willrich
David was appointed Chair of Experience UK in the last quarter of 2022 , having formally served as President of the Themed Entertainment Association ( 2016-18 ). David has more than 40 years ’ experience in the sector , beginning his career in the AV department at National Motor Museum Beaulieu , and establishing the globally-acclaimed audio-visual company DJ Willrich in 1986 . Through his stellar career , David has partnered with an abundance of prestigious visitor destinations globally .
Ian Clappison
For the last 25 year ’ s Ian has worked with both media owners and clients to unlock the potential to grow brands in key marketing verticals , including international trade and the attractions industry . He has a detailed knowledge of the media landscape , and is surrounded by a team of experts , who collectively create and develop media platforms and campaigns that are impactful , and enable brands to reach their full potential . In addition to the development of the Experience UK brand , Ian also runs Collab Inc ., a specialist marketing agency that delivers campaigns for both suppliers to , and operators of , visitor attractions .
Richard Parry
After a sparkling career as a freelance writer , with work appearing in the International Herald Tribune , the Guardian , many travel publications and ( a highlight ) Judy , Richard started to help British companies export . After a stint doing economic and political risk analysis , he helped a UK consortium fail to win a major railway project in Guangzhou . Better results followed in the Gulf , where he assisted sales of sand , camels , palm trees and oil to Arab buyers . For the last few years he has been trying to convince the world that the experience economy is not a figment of Joe Pine ’ s imagination . Clubs : Arsenal , Surrey Cricket , Dallas Cowboys , Racing Club ( Buenos Aires ).
Executive Committee and Advisory Board
The Experience UK Executive Committee and Advisory Board , Chaired by David Willrich , comprises of senior leader and experts in the UK Experience Economy sphere . The Committee meets several times a year to share ideas , knowledge and expertise on how to best promote UK visitor experience suppliers to global markets , and in turn develop new strategies and initiatives to further strengthen Experience UK ’ s offer to members .
Terry Monkton
With a flair for new product concept , visualisation and development , Terry has overseen the growth at Simworx , with over £ 100million of sales orders generated to Theme Parks and Visitor Attractions worldwide .
Simworx are one of the world ’ s leaders in supplying award winning Media Based Attractions , involving dynamic motion bases , robotics , dark ride vehicles , flying theatres , virtual reality and huge 3D Projection systems .
Appointed in 2019 as a DIT Regional Export Champion , Terry also won EY ’ s “ Entrepreneur of the Year ”, made the Blooloop Top 50 “ Theme Park Influencers ” for the second year running and named Parkworld ’ s 2019 Manufacturers “ Industry Icon ”.
Tony Sefton
Tony has over 25 years ’ experience of the leisure industry starting as a mechanical engineer designing fairground rides and then becoming an internationally renowned leisure analyst and business recovery specialist for theme parks , attractions , museums and resorts . Tony has worked across a diverse range of clients including , FIFA , Disney , National Trust , RSPB , Imperial War Museum , Six Flags , Dubailand , National Maritime Museum , SS Great Britain and Sentosa . He is supported by an excellent team he built up with the consulting arm of Vision XS and has completed over 150 strategic leisure projects worldwide using analytical software and data owned by Vision XS .
Charles Veal
Charles has almost 20 years ’ experience creating compelling membership propositions , honing his craft as a membership and commercial expert . Through his work , Charles embraces cutting-edge technologies to enhance business operations , which in turn delivers first-class membership services . Through his stellar career , Charles has served in director and consultant roles for the Royal Society of Arts , Confederation of British Industry and Royal Pharmaceutical Society just to name a few . Charles was approached by Experience UK in 2021 to serve as Operations Board Member .
Paul Kent
Paul has worked on projects around the world , that have won industry awards and acclaim from the millions of guests that have experienced them . These roles have covered the whole gambit from designer through to site level management , across a range of market sectors , including corporate communications , retail environments , museums , science centres , theme parks , World EXPOs and live shows .
Paul has been part of multiple trade missions to the middle east and other regions , to help secure work for the UK companies working within the Experience Economy Sector . He is a frequent speaker about the industry and champion of using technology well with in the sector .
12 experienceuk . org