IAAPA YP Webinar + Exchange: From BOO! To Billions: Generating Revenue with Seasonal Events

Lauren Koch Crosby has been in the theme park industry since birth. Growing up with her late father, Will Koch, she learned the ins and outs of running a theme park at an early age. As an adult, Lauren has taken over the Entertainment and Events departments and is an active member on the Board of Directors for Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari. Since taking on the Entertainment and Events departments, she has been successful in growing Holiday World’s family friendly Halloween event, implementing a new event in 2019, Kids World, and executing Holidays in the Sky, a drone and firework spectacular in 2022.

After many years of working in entertainment industry and having a passion for everything horror and Halloween events I saw the exponential growth of these Halloween events in Europe and a opportunity to start my own business: Scaredesignz.

With Scaredesignz I am supplying props for haunted houses, escape rooms and Halloween themed events, a market that is already extremely big overseas but has a bright future in mainland Europe.

Besides prop building I also deliver make up effects and masks for actors and costuming for these types of events.

I have a huge passion for this industry and very grateful that I can say that I make monsters for a living!

My name is Rutger de Wit; 23 years old and working as Marketing Expert at Leisure Expert Group. After I finished my bachelor’s thesis and internship at Leisure Expert Group, I recently started to work full-time for the organization. I am a theme park and festival enthusiast, as well as I, love to work as a young professional in the industry.