July 22, 2026

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

26 minutes

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

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Credits:

Written by Emily Burrows (Plaster)

Edited by Steve Folland

Produced by Emily Burrows and Sami Entwistle (Plaster)

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