Christian Aaen is a founding Principal of Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA), specializing in entertainment development, attraction destination projects and leisure and tourism economics. Prior to co-founding ECA, Mr. Aaen opened the legacy ERA (now AECOM Economics) Hong Kong office as the Managing Principal in January 2009. As Regional Director, Mr. Aaen was responsible for the entertainment and leisure practice in Asia, including China.

Mr. Aaen has participated in a broad range of themed entertainment facilities and cultural development projects worldwide. Mr. Aaen brings a wide background of experience to ECA’s assignments through his involvement in a variety of consulting assignments in the recreation area as well as his direct strategic planning experience in international attraction, theme park and cultural development. Mr. Aaen has consulted for clients in Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East, Mexico and Latin America and throughout North America. Mr. Aaen has conducted feasibility studies and provided advisory services for key international clients such as Universal Studios, LEGOLAND Parks (Merlin Entertainments), MGM Studios, Village Roadshow, Khazanah Nasional/TAR, Sanrio, HIT Entertainment, OCT Group, Ocean Park (Hong Kong), KidZania, Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Genting Group, among others. Mr. Aaen has extensive experience throughout Asia with projects in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, India, and Thailand, among others.

Mr. Aaen has a Bachelor of Arts (B.Sc), Economics and Business Administration, Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Denmark as well as a Master of Science (M.Sc.) with distinction, International Marketing and Management (IMM), Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Denmark. Mr. Aaen also participated in the MBA-program, Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management, S.C. Johnson School of Graduate Management, Cornell University, New York as part of the master’s degree program.

Raymond Braun is a Senior Advisor and Co-Founder of Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA), specializing in entertainment development projects, recreation and tourism economics, and attraction development potential. Prior to forming ECA, Mr. Braun was the head of the Entertainment Practice at Economics Research Associates (ERA).

Clients in the theme park industry include major operating companies such as the Walt Disney Company, Sea World, Universal Studios, and Merlin Entertainments. Mr. Braun has helped plan major cultural attractions including the J.P. Getty Center in Los Angeles; the Rose Center at the American Museum of Natural History in New York; the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco; and the Henry Ford in Dearborn.

Internationally, Mr. Braun has in depth experience in Europe, Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Australia, Canada and Mexico. Major projects have included market planning and attendance analysis for Universal Studios, multiple locations; consulting with Merlin regarding LEGO theme park development opportunities; economic planning for recreation and commercial development in Beijing; movie studio and related theme park in Australia, Warner Bros. Movie World; global location research for KidZania; theme park in Southern Malaysia for Khazanah Nasional; and resort projects throughout Mexico.

Edward Shaw has broad and extensive experience leading and delivering strategic positioning, business planning, and project feasibility analyses for public and private clients in the destination and entertainment development industry.

Ed advises on land use options and overall project feasibility while delivering customized market demand, program, financial and economic impact assessments. His clients have included entertainment and attraction companies, major and minor league professional sports franchises, resort developers, stadium and venue developers, and municipalities throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Prior to ECA, Ed was a Senior Associate with AECOM where he was a leading member of the Sports + Venues economics practice. Mr. Shaw joined AECOM as part of its acquisition of Economics Research Associates (ERA) where he was a member of the Entertainment and Recreation Practice Group. Project work included assessments of major destination attractions, theme parks, stadiums, arenas, multi-sport venues, golf courses, resorts, waterparks, entertainment anchored retail, and museums.

Selected global projects/clients: Warner Bros. Discovery; Universal Parks & Resorts including US Beijing Resort; Cirque du Soleil; Lionsgate; MGM Studios; National Basketball Association including China attraction development; Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Malaysia); LEGOLAND and Merlin Entertainments Group; Saudi Entertainment Ventures; Olympia Development/Ilitch Holdings – The District Detroit; HGS Falls Tourism Strategy (Guizhou, China); Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego); KidZania; Providence Park (Portland, Oregon, USA); Los Angeles NFL Stadium and Surrounding Development (City of Industry, California, USA); 2018/2022 United States FIFA World Cup Bid; Camelback Ranch Los Angeles Dodgers/Chicago White Sox Spring Training Stadium (Glendale, Arizona, USA); Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, Utah, USA); College Football Hall of Fame (Atlanta, Georgia, USA).

Ed has conducted on-site project work in the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica, Turkey, Russia, Czech Republic, India, KSA, Bahrain, and U.A.E.

Mr. Shaw holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Yale University where he was a member of the Men’s Varsity Golf Team, and an M.S. in Finance and Development from the New York University (NYU) Tisch Center for Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Management.

Affiliations
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)
Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)

Industry Presentations

ECA/Blooloop Global Attraction Landscape Launch Webinar, 2022

Blooloop Live! V-Expo Presentation – Attraction Industry Trends: Middle East, 2021

Entertainment Experience Evolution Conference Panel – Hard Facts and Data, 2018

Urban Land Institute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) Program for Los Angeles Convention Center, 2013

Economic Insights Across Markets and Products, Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) Summit, 2012-2013

Large Scale Entertainment Development, Guest Lectures for Analysis of Urban Real Estate Markets Class at University of Southern California, 2010-2013

The Impact of Professional Sports Stadium & Arena Facilities on Local Economies, Testimony provided to California State Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media Oversight Hearing, 2010

Industry Publications

Europe, the Middle East, and Africa: the evolving regional attractions industry,  InPark Magazine, 2022

IP, staycations, giga projects & more: attractions trends 2022, Blooloop InDepth, 2022

Observation wheels: a history (and a new lease of life for the 21st century), Blooloop InDepth interview, 2021

Update on Asia: International IP development trends across Asia, InPark, 2017

Asia Parks Snapshot: Key players and projects in the expanding Asian leisure markets, InPark Magazine, 2015

ECA Attraction Market Profile: Singapore/Southern Malaysia Multi-Theme Park Hub, Blooloop, 2013

Edmond Chih is a Director with Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA), specializing in market assessment, attendance forecasting, and financial analysis for entertainment and cultural developments. Prior to joining ECA, Mr. Chih was an Associate with AECOM Economics (formerly Economics Research Associates) where he conducted economic feasibility studies on a variety of leisure and attraction products, including theme parks, museums, aquariums, and casino resorts. Past clients include municipalities, cultural institutions, and various private-sector developers and operators throughout North America, South America, and Asia.

Mr. Chih holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Tiffany Yiu is an Associate with Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA) based in Hong Kong. She conducts research and analysis on available and competitive market assessment, case studies and industry benchmarks, demand modeling, and other aspects of project business planning for entertainment and cultural attractions. Project types include theme parks, water parks, urban mixed-use developments including indoor attractions, entertainment, and cultural/show components, and tourism/resort destination developments throughout China and Asia.

Prior to ECA, Ms. Yiu worked on business development and IP licensing for cultural and entertainment projects in Mainland China. Ms. Yiu holds a Bachelor degree in Economics and Mathematics from Emory University. Born and raised in Hangzhou, she is fluent in Mandarin, English, and Cantonese.

Rosa Xie is an Associate with Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA) based in Los Angeles. She is responsible for conducting research and analysis on industry benchmarks and case studies, available market assessment, demand modeling and financial analysis for entertainment and cultural attractions. Project types have included theme parks, waterparks, location-based entertainment, live performing venues, and observation decks as well as other entertainment and cultural attractions within urban and mixed-use retail and resort destinations.

Prior to ECA, Ms. Xie worked for Disney Parks & Resorts in California, where she was primarily engaged in quantitative and market research in support of different park functions. Ms. Xie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Tourism Management from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Master of Science from Brown University. Raised in Mainland China, she is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

Sandra Hanagami is the Finance Director of Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA). Prior to joining ECA, Ms. Hanagami was the Controller for Economics Research Associates (ERA), an economic consulting firm with over $28 million in annual revenue. With extensive experience in finance and accounting, Ms. Hanagami became the Finance Director for the Economics Practice at AECOM after its acquisition of Economics Research Associates (ERA) in 2007.

Sandra Hanagami graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.