Imagineear Supports the Thai Media Fund’s “Creative Thai” Competition
Inspiring the next generation of storytellers to bring Thai heritage to life
This year marked the fourth edition of the Thai Media Fund’s (TMF) “Creative Thai” competition, an initiative that highlights the talents of young people and celebrates Thailand’s rich cultural heritage. Working closely with the Ministry of Culture, the TMF emphasises the role of children and youth as “the intellectual power of the nation.”
For this year’s competition, Imagineear joined as a sponsor and key partner, taking an active role in the programme by leading informative sessions sharing its extensive expertise in media and storytelling. Having opened an office in Bangkok in 2025 Imagineear brought both a local and international presence to the partnership.
The competition challenged young people from ages 13 - 25 to create bespoke interpretive content for selected Thai heritage sites and museums. This year there was a particular focus on video content with the final task being to produce a 3–5 minute video at a site. While the videos were to highlight Thai culture, the brief allowed for both factual and fictional interpretations. These videos will also live on as a resource for tourism, helping to showcase Thailand’s cultural heritage to a wider audience.
The contest itself was structured in two stages. Firstly participants chose one of five regions, North, Northeast, East, Central, or South and selected from a curated list of sites provided by TMF and Imagineear Thailand. Each team submitted a storyboard and written script of their video to be shot up at their location.
Local lecturers conducted online sessions using resources provided by Imagineear alongside their own expertise. Ethical heritage interpretation was a key focus, encouraging participants to present authentic, accurate stories while acknowledging complex histories. Imagineear ensured that these sessions were closely linked to Thai cultural sites to make the guidance clear and actionable.
A total of 200 entries were shortlisted, a record high. The first round of the competition was evaluated by 25 judges, five from each region of Thailand. There was then a a one-day site visit to Wat Arun for the Bangkok-based teams as they began filming, further supporting the students’ learning and engagement.
For the second stage in December Imagineear’s Tash O’Connell and Jenna Lee spent a day in Bangkok, Jenna led a session giving an insight into industry standards with a focus on the work Bloomberg Connects is doing and career paths into this industry. Tash covered practical skills in video planning and production, including creating shot lists, determining video tone and audio recording techniques.
The second stage required participants to submit their completed videos. With Imagineear’s guidance and workshops, young creators translated their storyboards into videos showcasing their interpretation of their own Thai culture and heritage. These videos will be judged by 5 people, including the deputy permanent secretary minister of culture. We eagerly await to announcement of the winners in Spring! A series of cash prizes will be awarded to the top entries.
Imagineear’s Vision 
Education is a cornerstone of Imagineear’s mission. By participating in “Creative Thai” Imagineear is furthering their aim of promoting media literacy and raising cultural awareness among young people. Imagineear continues to position itself as a leader in educational initiatives within the media industry, building on previous projects such as Origin, a collaboration with young people aged 16–24 and the University of Oxford.
Introducing TourGuide+ — The Next Level of Stadium Tours
We’re proud to announce the launch of TourGuide+, a first-of-its-kind solution that enhances stadium tours in a whole new way and without ever replacing the real tour guide.
Tour guides in sports stadiums are more than storytellers. They are passionate fans with a deep connection to the club and its history. Their accents, stories and lived experiences echo the stadium itself, bringing authenticity and emotion that technology alone could never replicate. They are vital to keeping the soul of the stadium alive.
TourGuide+ is designed to honour that role while modernising tours for today’s audiences. A live guide continues to lead the experience, supported by Imagineear’s lightweight, durable devices, the Sonato or Maestro. These devices unlock deeper storytelling, from iconic match moments and archive footage to interactive games and behind-the-scenes spaces normally out of reach.
As clubs welcome a growing global audience, TourGuide+ delivers seamless multilingual, fully visual and inclusive content (including sign language) allowing every visitor to follow the same guide in their own language. On-screen prompts support tour flow and wayfinding, while optional content lets visitors explore without disrupting the guide’s narrative.
Built in close collaboration with these tour guides, TourGuide+ strengthens authenticity, showcases club heritage, and creates new opportunities for engagement, sponsorship, and revenue - all through a bespoke experience tailored to each venue.
TourGuide+ empowers the guides and enhances the visitor experience through our devices.
Our American Team Grows: Alexandra Krueger Joins Imagineear
We are pleased to announce that Alexandra (Alex) Krueger has joined Imagineear as Senior Project Manager.
Alex has a wealth of experience and a powerful educational background that is a collaboration of art history and business, bridging creative vision with practical execution. Her resume is impressive as well as extensive, with a decade experience shaping visitor-centered interpretive experiences at major cultural institutions. What a perfect fit with Imagineear!
Most recently Alex served as Director of Museum Administration at the New York Historical where her work spanned overseeing budgets, collaborating on major exhibitions and more. She ensured digital interpretation was fully integrated across the organisation, including the institution’s guide on Bloomberg Connects. Throughout her career, Alex has consistently aligned technological innovation with mission-driven storytelling, expanding access to history both within museum walls and beyond.
Alex is deeply passionate about museums as spaces for education, inspiration and community connection. She was also a 2025Women inPower Fellow at 92NY, a cross-sector leadership programme supporting women leaders through mentorship, professional development, and peer collaboration.
So, what is Alex most looking forward to as she gets started with us?
“What excites me most about Imagineear is the way it thoughtfully integrates innovation with cultural storytelling. Imagineear empowers institutions to connect with audiences through meaningful interpretation that extends beyond physical spaces. I’m eager to collaborate with museum partners and Imagineear’s team to help bring ambitious, visitor-centered projects to life.”
Clare Cooper Hammond, Imagineear’s COO added:
“I am thrilled Alex has joined our team, Alex brings a wealth of experience of working with leading cultural organisations on significant interpretation projects, Alex is a consummate project manager, and I very much look forward to working on projects together. Based in New York, Alex brings additional strength to our growing team in North America.”
Imagineear Achieves ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 Certification
At Imagineear, the way we impact our clients, and the environment, is at the heart of everything we do. Actions speak louder than words, and to back up our commitment, we pursued and achieved ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management) and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management) certification.
But what do these certifications really mean?
ISO 9001 certification is an internationally recognised standard that proves our operations meet the highest benchmarks for quality management. In practice, this means our clients can expect consistently reliable service, clear communication, strong governance, and a team dedicated to delivering exceptional experiences. This recognition reflects the standards Imagineear has championed for many years, ensuring the visitor experiences we support are delivered seamlessly and with excellence. 
ISO 14001 certification, on the other hand, is a testament to our ongoing commitment to the environment. It confirms that we actively manage and reduce our environmental impact, from minimising waste and extending device lifespans to responsibly sourcing materials and continuously improving our environmental performance. In short, sustainability is built into the way we operate and make decisions every day.
We are committed to upholding these certifications. They give our clients confidence that quality and sustainability are embedded in everything we do.
Coming to America: Catherine Girardeau Joins Imagineear
We are delighted to announce that Catherine Girardeau has joined Imagineear as Director of Projects, for the US.
This is an exciting moment for Imagineear as we expand our presence across the United States with Catherine leading the charge. She’ll be building partnerships, uncovering new opportunities and working closely with clients to create multimedia experiences that bring stories to life. Catherine brings deep experience in both museum-focused multimedia design and podcasting, a perfect combination for the work ahead!
Her track record speaks for itself. As Creative Lead for Earprint LLC, she partnered with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, SFMOMA, the Dallas Cowboys and other organisations to craft interpretive experiences ranging from classic audio tours to fully immersive, location-based adventures. She was also Executive Producer at Pushkin Industries, where she produced Against the Rules, the acclaimed narrative podcast hosted by bestselling author Michael Lewis (Moneyball, The Big Short). Catherine excels at combining creative leadership with results-driven management to help organisations channel their stories into multimedia experiences that inform, delight and surprise their visitors.
Andrew Nugée, Co-Founder & Co-CEO said:
“We are delighted that Catherine joins us in the US to strengthen and lead our US team. We have worked together for many years, and we are confident that Catherine will bring her combination of proven market development, deep experience in media production, and unparalleled commitment to creative content design and delivery to Imagineear.”
Catherine Girardeau added:
“I’m thrilled to be joining Imagineear, a company with such a strong track record of innovation and leadership in the culture and heritage sector. I’m excited about the opportunity to forge new partnerships with clients in the US market and to help them develop impactful visitor experiences. And I’m delighted to be embarking on this adventure with such a talented group of former and new colleagues.”
A Busy Season of Events!
The last two months have been a busy and brilliant time for Imagineear. Our team has been travelling across Europe, meeting partners, joining conversations shaping the cultural, heritage, tourism and sports sectors.
Ireland
We began in Dublin at the International Marine, Lighthouse Tourism & Maritime Heritage Conference, held in the stunning surrounds of Dublin Castle. Experts shared powerful insights on protecting and revitalising lighthouses and marine heritage, themes that resonate with our work in place-based storytelling.
From there, we headed south to Waterford for AVEA, Ireland’s gathering for visitor experiences and attractions. It was a full programme, rich with debate, and AI emerged as a key topic shaping the future of cultural engagement.
Our final Irish stop took us to the atmospheric Lisnavagh House in Carlow for the Historic Houses of Ireland Autumn School. Intimate in scale but mighty in content, the event gave us the chance to show how Imagineear can help historic homes share their rich histories in new ways.
The Netherlands & Denmark
October also brought us to Eindhoven for the Dutch Museum Congress. This year’s theme Perspective invited museums to look ahead, rethink challenges, and strengthen the sector for the future.
Later that month we set up our booth in Horsens for the NEMO European Museum Conference. Over three energising days, museum professionals explored the role of culture in mental health and wellbeing. The conversations were thoughtful, urgent, and full of possibility.
A short journey to Copenhagen then brought us to The International Museum Construction Congress (IMCC). Surrounded by architects, designers and museum leaders, we dove into discussions on future-proofing cultural spaces and exploring innovative approaches.
London
Back in London, we joined thousands of tourism professionals at the World Travel Market, which set a new record with 46,500 attendees - the event’s largest ever. It was an incredible opportunity to reconnect with partners from across the globe, share ideas, and explore the latest trends shaping travel, culture, and visitor experiences.
Madrid & Rome 
In Madrid, the Spanish capital, we attended the World Football Summit, where leaders from across the sports world came together to debate the future of the game. And we couldn’t resist visiting the iconic Bernabéu and Metropolitano stadiums while we were there!
We closed this period of travel in Rome at the International Fair on Museums, Venues and Cultural Destinations. Set within the historic Corsie Sistine of the Complesso Monumentale di Santo Spirito in Sassia, the event gathered Italy’s cultural sector under the theme Better Together, a message we couldn’t agree with more.
