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.
John Harte leads cultural heritage growth in the UK & Ireland
We are pleased to announce that John Harte has joined Imagineear as Development Manager, Culture Heritage.
His appointment strengthens our team and reinforces our commitment to delivering world-class cultural and heritage experiences.
In this role, John will focus on building partnerships with museums, historic sites, cultural institutions and heritage attractions. He will drive new business opportunities, contribute to strategic growth and ensure our clients in the culture and heritage sector continue to deliver immersive and engaging visitor experiences.
John brings over a decade of experience in the cultural and heritage industries. Most recently at 1956 Individuals, he worked at the forefront of AI technology, developing innovative ways for audiences to engage with history and culture. He has a strong track record of forging partnerships, introducing creative approaches to interpretation and delivering multilingual visitor experiences. John excels at combining strategic vision with practical delivery, helping organisations connect audiences more deeply with the stories they tell.
Clare Cooper-Hammond, COO of Imagineear, said:
“I am thrilled that John has joined our growing cultural heritage team. He brings extensive industry experience and a real passion for applying new technologies to the cultural sector.”
John Harte added:
“I’m delighted to be joining Imagineear, a company with such a strong reputation and an incredible client base across the culture and heritage sector. It’s great to be back alongside colleagues I’ve worked with before and to be reconnecting with so many contacts across the industry. The culture and heritage world thrives on collaboration and I’m looking forward to playing my part in creating memorable experiences with Imagineear.”
Imagineear is delighted to announce the appointment of Lord Grade as Chairman
Imagineear is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Grade as non-executive Chairman.
Michael brings a wealth of experience and a wide network of relationships as we embark on our next chapter following the recent investment from Ashridge Capital. He is currently Chair of Ofcom and Chiltern Vital Group. His previous roles include Chair of Ocado, Pinewood Shepperton, ITV, BBC and Camelot, former CEO of First Leisure, Channel 4 and ITV and Controller of BBC1.
Imagineear is a leading international creator and operator of multimedia visitor experiences for sports venues, cultural sites and visitor attractions. Imagineear’s sites include the Houses of Parliament, Natural History Museum, Warner Brothers Studio – Harry Potter, Shakespeare’s Globe, Stonehenge, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Royal Castle in Warsaw, Graceland – The Home of Elvis in Memphis and numerous sport venues, including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Arsenal Emirates Stadium, Liverpool Anfield Stadium and Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club.
Imagineear has also partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies (the charitable venture of Mike Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City) to accelerate the rollout of the Bloomberg Connects App (digital guides, free to end users and cultural partners) to cultural sites across Europe, USA and Asia, and to support its visionary initiative of bringing the joy of cultural experience to the widest possible audience.
Michael Grade commented: “I was delighted to be asked to be the non-executive Chairman of Imagineear. Its impressive client roster is testament to its success in creating engaging and memorable interactive multimedia experiences and I’m excited to be a part of the journey as it continues to internationalise the business.”
Imagineear Co-CEOs, Andrew Nugée and Ziv Kushnir, commented: “We very much welcome the appointment of Michael Grade to Imagineear’s leadership team. His deep understanding of media and direct experience in museums will strengthen our strategic vision, and we look forward to working with him to shape Imagineear’s evolution.”
David Sherratt, Founder and CEO of Ashridge Capital, added: “We are delighted to welcome Michael as Chairman – he brings a depth and breadth of experience and relationships that will add significant value to Imagineear as we continue our growth story and expand into new markets and geographies.”
Imagineear is delighted to announce investment from Ashridge Capital
Ashridge Capital and Imagineear are happy to announce a £4.15m investment by Ashridge in Imagineear.
Imagineear Co-CEOs, Andrew Nugée and Ziv Kushnir, welcomed Ashridge and their lead investor, David Sherratt: “We are optimistic about the marketplace we serve, and the many technological and geographical opportunities we see in front of us. There has never been a better time to invest in Imagineear, and Ashridge will allow us to develop our ambitious plans faster and with greater determination. We welcome David onto the main board of the company, and look forward to developing the business together”.
David Sherratt, Founder and CEO of Ashridge Capital, added: “We are delighted to invest in and to partner with Imagineear, and I very much look forward to helping Andrew, Ziv and their team realise their goals. They have built a great business, with an excellent team, and operate in a fast-changing, growing and exciting marketplace. Together, I am confident that Imagineear will continue to demonstrate strong growth in shareholder value”.
About Imagineear
Imagineear provides audio and multimedia solutions to sports venues, cultural sites, and visitor attractions. The company creates compelling multilingual content which we publish to multiple platforms, including consumer web apps, big screens, native apps, and our own suite of Android devices. Imagineear has also partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies (charitable venture of Mike Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City) to accelerate the rollout of the Bloomberg Connects App (digital guides, free to end users and cultural partners) to cultural sites across Europe, USA and Asia and support its visionary initiative of bringing the joy of cultural experience to the widest possible audience. From rich, immersive audio through to interactive multimedia including VR/AR, the Imagineear team helps shape
and deliver exceptional, memorable experiences to our clients’ visitors.
About Ashridge Capital
Ashridge Capital is a private equity firm founded in 2009 by David Sherratt, who has over 30 years of private equity experience in London and New York. Ashridge Capital aims to support growth-oriented businesses. They back experienced, driven management teams with ambitious growth plans for their businesses. Ashridge Capital invests in profitable and cash-generative companies that hold strong positions in growing markets, exhibit good pricing power, and have repeat business and defensive characteristics. Their owner- managed and entrepreneurial culture, flexibility, and responsiveness uniquely position them as a differentiated and value-added investor.