We’re happy to share that Klaus Sommer Paulsen has joined the recently launched project IDEAS as an industry representative and external consultant.

The aim of the IDEAS project is to design a joint master’s program to educate students towards senior and executive-level management positions in the themed entertainment, theme parks and attractions industry with a strong focus on international business management and sustainability. It is a significant moment for the industry, and we’re honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to its development.

The three universities involved in the project are Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain (URV, coordinator, lead beneficiary), Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands (BUas) and Université Côte d’Azur (UCA) in France. Important associations such as the International Attractions and Amusement Parks Association (IAAPA) and the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) are also supporting the project.

The project began with a Kick-off Meeting at Universitat Rovira i Virgili Spain last month, where Klaus joined the team, who, among other things, discussed program objectives, teaching/training activities and competencies and learning outcomes.

You can learn more about the IDEAS project in the press release below.

We’re excited to announce that AdventureLAB is organizing a three-day event in Copenhagen, March 2023, facilitated by Klaus Sommer Paulsen in collaboration with creative director and educator David Bassuk.

The participants will explore new ways of using space to create unique experiences for visitors with game and play, interaction, immersive storytelling and more. We will work with methods and tools that transform spaces from passive backgrounds into living stories that attract, engage and retain visitors.

The event consists of a MasterClass and a Workshop, where participants will learn about multi-platform storytelling techniques, audience journey mapping, spatial narrative design, engagement, immersive storytelling and more. And for a complete learning experience, we will have an exciting study trip on the third day. We are preparing a highly interactive program with hands-on activities and learning through play.

Early bird tickets are already available on our website, where participants can choose from a variety of ticket options.

The event is planned for 15-17 March 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark

The program is for anyone working with space as part of a guest experience. It can be especially interesting to professionals who work with exhibitions and museums, immersive and themed experiences, escape rooms, attractions or architecture.

More details about the workshop will follow soon. 

If you want to know more, sign-up for our newsletter. We will share news about the program, registration, resources and a special podcast that explores spatial narrative and how it can be applied to various industries. 

About the organisers

The event is organized by AdventureLAB, the Integrated Storytelling studio based in Aarhus, Denmark, and will be facilitated by Klaus Sommer Paulsen, CEO of AdventureLAB, in collaboration with David Bassuk – director, producer, and educator focused on transmedia and performance, immersive theatre and digital storytelling.

Klaus Sommer Paulsen
CEO & Founder of AdventureLAB

Klaus has been working with storytelling and media for more than 30 years and digital multimedia and experience design since the mid-1990s. He has extensive experience with tourism, cultural heritage and museums and has worked with training and skillset transformation of established and aspiring professionals since 2013. Klaus is the author of “Integrated Storytelling by Design”, published by Routledge, Taylor&Francis Group in 2021.

David Bassuk
Director, producer & educator

Currently Professor of Acting in the Conservatory of Theater Arts at Purchase College, SUNY, School of the Arts & Creative Director of White Horse Immersive in Hangzhou, China. His teaching explores the integration of theatre, transmedia storytelling, gameplay and the design of immersive narratives and storyworlds. Directs in professional acting programs, mentors students in stage directing, creative writing and designing experimental performances. Current projects include working with UNAMI, The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq designing a project called “Futurers2050”  a game played across Iraq aimed at building youth motivation on the issue of water scarcity. 

The publisher Routledge Taylor and Francis Group has reached an agreement with China Renmin University Press to translate into Chinese and publish the book “Integrated Storytelling by Design” by Klaus Sommer Paulsen.

Reaching this milestone is very important for the book and the discipline. It reflects my experience interacting with people of different nationalities and backgrounds, looking to apply these principles to engage their audiences. One such interaction led to an interview for EDG Talk With Virtuoso with Brian Kuo, General Manager of EDG China. (Find the interview here)

Now that the book reaches new horizons, I am excited to see how this new audience will receive it. Perhaps working with storytelling as a design structure can unlock more methods that create bridges between cultures in more ways than I initially envisioned when I wrote the book.

It will be an exciting journey, and I’m looking forward to meeting and talking to more readers about unique way of applying Integrated Storytelling principles.

– Author, Klaus Sommer Paulsen

The Story Sphere model translated into Chinese, for the interview with Brian Kuo, EDG Talk with Virtuoso

About the book

Packed with theory and exercises intended to unlock new narrative dimensions, Integrated Storytelling by Design is a must-read for creative professionals looking to shape the future of themed, branded and immersive experiences.

Klaus Sommer Paulsen presents a bold new vision of what storytelling can become if it is reinvented as an audience-centric design method. His practices unlock new ways of combining story with experience for a variety of existing, new and upcoming platforms. Merging theory and practice, storytelling and design principles, this innovative toolkit instructs the next generation of creators on how to successfully balance narratives, design and digital innovation to develop strategies and concepts that both apply and transcend current technology.

routledge.com

Readers can now download two chapters from the book “Integrated Storytelling by Design”, where the author Klaus Sommer Paulsen addresses the dark side of storytelling as we encounter it manipulating and pushing hidden agendas.

As a distinctive part of the book, the chapter “Acknowledging the dark side of storytelling” addresses essential subjects and raises questions that help us navigate through the amalgam of information that we encounter daily. In the context of current global events, the author Klaus Sommer Paulsen saw it important to openly share this part of the book with readers worldwide.

Readers can learn about various scenarios where storytelling is applied to manipulate or steer the audience in the wrong direction. The complimentary released section also includes Chapter 35 called “From theory to practice: Uncovering hidden agendas”. It contains practical exercises that the readers can use to analyse specific situations or content if they suspect a hidden intention.

The stories we create and spread can have enormous power. We use storytelling to make connections, and most of the time, we use it with good intentions. However, there is also a dark side to storytelling, which we don’t often talk about but can learn to identify. I believe it is a crucial time to share this section of the book, and I encourage you to read it with an open mind and share it further. – Klaus Sommer Paulsen, author.

The released content can be downloaded as a PDF from the book’s website https://www.integratedstorytelling.com/acknowledging-the-dark-side-of-storytelling/

About the book

Packed with theory and exercises intended to unlock new narrative dimensions, Integrated Storytelling by Design is a must-read for creative professionals looking to shape the future of themed, branded and immersive experiences.

Klaus Sommer Paulsen presents a bold new vision of what storytelling can become if it is reinvented as an audience-centric design method. His practices unlock new ways of combining story with experience for a variety of existing, new and upcoming platforms. Merging theory and practice, storytelling and design principles, this innovative toolkit instructs the next generation of creators on how to successfully balance narratives, design and digital innovation to develop strategies and concepts that both apply and transcend current technology.

routledge.com

AdventureLAB has partnered up with Virtually Visiting, the new platform for guided virtual tours, to support creators with storytelling expertise. 

Virtually Visiting, launched on March 8th, 2022, connects local guides with adventurers who want to explore new places anytime and from anywhere in the world. The platform hosts immersive, 360 video tours, built and presented by local tour guides and accessed by audiences worldwide via desktop and VR headsets.

To equip tour guides with storytelling skills to build engaging, immersive experiences beyond the screen, AdventureLAB created a custom, on-demand training session that focuses on the Integrated Storytelling principles applicable to this particular format. It was essential to consider the specifics of the 360 video environment, communication and connection with the audience through the screen, and designing a dynamic audience journey that becomes a memorable experience.

For Virtually Visiting, it is important to support their creators and help them build confidence as authentic storytellers. The on-demand session was constructed through a collaborative process with the customer experience team to ensure that the content stays relevant and valuable to their members.

Visit virtuallyvisiting.com to learn more and to try out some of the virtual tours that are already available.

Explore the world in high definition, 360-degree virtual reality video – anytime, anywhere, online. We’re storytellers on a mission to empower explorers by imparting knowledge, sharing history, and offering insight. The result is real tours and experiences available to everyone, everywhere, through our online portal.

virtuallyvisting.com