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SATE Singapore 2026
This September, the global themed entertainment community came together in Singapore for TEA SATE APAC 2026, bringing industry leaders, creators and emerging talent together for a week of ideas, experiences and meaningful conversation.
For P+A Projects, this year’s SATE was particularly meaningful. Our Managing Partner, Mason Schmitz, served as Co-Chair of the SATE APAC Curation Team, helping shape a program around the theme W.I.L.D. – Wellness, Innovation, Licensing and Discovery.
Rather than treating these as separate topics, W.I.L.D. became a way to explore some of the larger questions facing our industry: How are guest expectations changing? How can technology support rather than replace creativity? How do global brands adapt to local cultures? And how can the experiences we create contribute to wellbeing, connection and a stronger sense of place?
Singapore provided an ideal setting for those conversations. The program combined presentations and candid discussions with firsthand experiences across some of the city’s leading destinations, including Mandai Wildlife Reserve. It was a reminder that some of the most valuable learning in our industry happens when we step outside the conference room and experience places together. TEA’s program also included behind-the-scenes experiences at destinations including Jewel Changi Airport, Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands.
Creating Space for the Next Generation
Perhaps the most personally rewarding part of the week came after SATE itself.
On Friday, the focus shifted from today’s industry leaders to those who will shape what comes next, with TEA NextGen Day hosted at Kingsmen’s global headquarters in Singapore.
Emerging professionals were given access to something that can be difficult to find early in a career: experienced people willing to openly share how they got where they are.
The day included behind-the-scenes access to Kingsmen, conversations with TEA Masters and industry leaders, and an interactive design challenge. TEA described the purpose of NextGen Day as creating access, building relationships and sharing knowledge, rather than simply delivering another educational program.
We developed the day around a simple framework called ROAR:
Reflect – Know your values, strengths and passions.
Observe – Stay curious and learn from mentors, peers and the world around you.
Aspire – Set bold goals and embrace opportunities beyond your comfort zone.
Realize – Take action, develop your ideas, build your network and bring your character to life.
The message behind ROAR was equally simple: there is no single path into themed entertainment.
Our industry benefits from architects, designers, storytellers, engineers, artists, technologists, operators, fabricators and people whose careers don’t fit neatly into any one category. Giving emerging talent exposure to those different paths, and the confidence to find their own, is essential to the future of our industry.
More Than a Conference
That may ultimately be the biggest takeaway from SATE Singapore.
Great events aren’t defined only by the presentations on stage. Their lasting value comes from the conversations between sessions, the relationships that begin over lunch, the unexpected ideas that emerge when different disciplines come together, and the opportunities we create for someone entering the industry to meet someone who has spent decades helping shape it.
At P+A Projects, we believe contributing to our industry means more than delivering great projects. It also means sharing knowledge, supporting our professional community and creating opportunities for the people who will carry it forward.
We’re proud to have supported TEA SATE APAC 2026, proud of Mason’s role in helping curate this year’s program, and especially proud to have helped create an environment where the industry’s established and emerging voices could learn from one another.
After a very W.I.L.D. week in Singapore, we returned home with new ideas, stronger relationships and renewed confidence in where our industry is heading.
Because the future of themed entertainment isn’t something we simply wait for. It’s something we build together.
Photo credit: RS Media Pte Ltd and Wilma Wang
