For the second year in a row Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center was represented at the Summit by a few of its dedicated themed entertainment students. ETC graduate students Lenny Larsen, Rich Marmura, and Beth Semler, along with Director of Career Services, Juleigh DeCarlo, made quite an impression on an industry poised for a veritable explosion in new business. The ETC is the only academic institution to have students attend the Summit and is one of very few actively preparing students to enter the unique world of creating themed entertainment experiences.

As part of an ongoing campaign to establish the ETC as the nation's premier academic supporter of the themed entertainment experience industry, attendance at the annual Summit provides invaluable exposure for students and likewise, exposes the industry to the next generation of young professionals destined to reinvent themed entertainment as we know it. Numerous companies including Walt Disney Imagineering, Landmark Entertainment, and Thinkwell Design & Production interviewed the trio of attending students and have expressed interest in partnering with the Entertainment Technology Center on future projects.

In September, the ETC will partner with the Themed Entertainment Association to present an entirely new conference aimed at exploring the convergence of Storytelling, Architecture, Technology, and Experiences (SATE). The conference will be held in Orlando and ETC students and alumni will play key roles in launching this exciting new event.