What Makes an Award-Winning Theme Park? With Lawrence Roots

Andy Povey is joined by Lawrence Roots to discuss the UK Theme Park Awards, industry trends, and his Guinness World Record challenge to visit every nominated UK theme park. Plus, Josh Haywood from Crealy shares his excitement for this year's awards and the park's latest developments. Topics Discussed The growth and purpose of Theme Park Network How the UK Theme Park Awards recognise excellence New award categories introduced for 2026 Lawrence Roots' Guinness World Record challenge Visiting all 37 nominated UK theme parks in 15 days Trends shaping the UK theme park industry Brand activations and IP partnerships The importance of presentation standards and landscaping Why staff are the key to exceptional guest experiences Theme Park Personality, Rising Star and Outstanding Achievement awards The value of public voting Continuous investment in attractions and guest experiences Josh Haywood on Crealy's new attractions for 2026 Josh Haywood's Theme Park Personality nomination Behind the scenes at the start of Lawrence's record-breaking journey   Show references:    Lawrence Roots, Founder of UK Theme Park Awards https://www.ukthemeparkawards.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/ukthemeparkawards/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-roots/   Theme Park Awards: How They Work and Why You Should Care - Lawrence Roots https://skipthequeue.fm/episodes/lawrence-roots   Josh Haywood - Board Director of Crealy Theme Park Resort https://www.crealy.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-haywood-68463630/   Voting in the 2026 UK Theme Park Awards is now open from the 20th July until the 28th August 2026. Register now to vote. https://www.ukthemeparkawards.com/register   Skip the Queue is brought to you by Merac. We provide attractions with the tools and expertise to create world-class digital interactions. Very simply, we're here to rehumanise commerce. Your guest host is Andy Povey. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Credits: Written by Emily Burrows (Plaster) Edited by Steve Folland Produced by Emily Burrows and Sami Entwistle (Plaster) Download The Visitor Attractions Website Survey Report - https://www.merac.co.uk/download-the-visitor-attractions-survey We have launched our brand-new playbook: ‘The Retail Ready Guide to Going Beyond the Gift Shop’ — your go-to resource for building a successful e-commerce strategy that connects with your audience and drives sustainable growth. Download your FREE copy here