Paul Kelly

Chief Executive - BALPPA (British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions)

Paul has had a 35 year professional interest and enjoyment with Britain's theme parks. His career started as an operator on a ride at Thorpe Park. It didn't take long to get hooked into the atmosphere and energy of that environment. During 15 years at Thorpe Park, Paul worked in all areas of the park's operation. This proved beneficial when taking up the role of Head of Operations for the opening of the London Eye in 2000. After 5 enjoyable years at the London Eye, more theme parks and other visitor attractions became part of a daily routine whilst working as a member of the business development set up for Merlin. As CEO for BALPPA, Paul has continued to work in the theme park and attractions sector and gets to experience the innovation and passion that still drives this industry on a daily basis.

“Being part of this judging team allows me to acknowledge some of the hard work and expertise that goes into the design and delivery of great experiences across the the UK Theme Park sector.”

Andy Hine MBE

Chairman - RCCGB (Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain)

Andy founded the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain in 1988 with the aims of uniting coaster enthusiasts worldwide, promoting amusement parks as a fun and safe pastime and assisting parks and manufacturers in the pursuit of new attractions. He has worked on many safety campaigns, ride openings and has tirelessly promoted the industry through all forms of media. He has written many articles for various magazines, both trade and high street. In 2004 he was honoured by Her Majesty the Queen of England who awarded him an MBE for his contributions to the industry. Andy is responsible for over 35,000 people visiting UK and European Parks and has taken almost 3000 people from the UK to visit over 100 US parks.

“I am proud to be involved in recognising the achievements of UK theme parks as it is vitally important that everyone knows that the UK can compete with the best that the rest of the world has to offer. Proving that you don’t need to leave the UK to experience some fantastic rides and attractions.”

Rachel Read

Director & Co-Founder - Blooloop

Rachel is co-founder and Director of Blooloop, where she oversees the news and events. Blooloop.com is the world’s most read news source for visitor attractions professionals.

“As we move on from the unique challenges that the last year has brought, it's important to recognise the resilience and innovation of UK theme parks. Now, more than ever before, we appreciate their role in providing shared experiences and happy memories for visitors.”

Mark Locker

Founder & CEO - Attractions.io

Mark is the founder and CEO of Attractions.io, the leading provider of guest-facing mobile apps to the experience economy. A passionate believer that tech can help real-world experiences thrive in the digital age, Mark is a regular speaker at industry events and conferences, showcasing how attractions can use mobile technology to enhance their physical experiences and generate rich guest insights that they can leverage to boost guest spending and engagement. He’s helped the UK’s biggest names, including Alton Towers, Chester Zoo and Butlin's.

“It feels like a natural fit for us to celebrate the achievements of the UK attractions industry with the 2021 Theme Park Awards. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to explore the incredibly creative initiatives that have taken place in an otherwise tough year and honour the hard work that’s gone into making them a success.”

Lawrence Roots

Editor - ThemeParks-UK

Lawrence established ThemeParks-UK.com in 2000, making it the longest running website dedicated to UK theme parks and providing an independent guide for 21 years. The website offers a wide range of information on the most popular theme parks in the UK. He continues to produce detailed reviews of new rides and attractions at UK theme parks, but also travels to the US and across Europe to create content for ThemeParks-US.com and ThemeParks-EU.com, which launched in 2010 and 2018 respectively.

“We were blown away by the response to the awards last year, despite all the challenges faced by UK theme parks due to the coronavirus. I'm delighted that the awards are back this year, and with a range of new categories.”

Justin Garvanovic

Editor - First Drop

Justin founded the European Coaster Club in 1996 with the magazine First Drop moving over from the RCCGB. He has written and continues to write for various publications worldwide. He is a contributing editor for The Guinness Book of Records - making sure the amusement and water park records are correct. Having travelled extensively, Justin has visited most parks in North America and Europe, as well as parks in South Korea, China, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore and The Philippines amongst others.

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