Deadlines
Experience Industry Management Conference
Speakers & Presenters
Michael Lee
Michael Lee’s career in “Experience Planning & Design” has spanned over 38 years. He has built a reputation as a creative director, planner, film maker, designer and architect on high-pressure, world-class projects. He has extensive experience in all phases of development for museums, theme parks, cultural entertainment centers, water parks, resorts, theaters, RD&E and other types of experience-based leisure, recreation and education projects.
In the early 1970’s he was a professor of Art & Design at California State University, Fullerton, where he co-founder of the Environmental Studies Department, one of the first successful interdisciplinary environment-oriented programs of its kind in the U.S. As a licensed architect he has been a principal in several architectural and engineering firms, including Walker-Lee which produced award-winning projects for golf, resort and leisure projects of over $500 million. He has won awards from the Hong Kong Downtown Merchants Association for his innovative production of the yearly Christmas Celebrations at Pacific Place and City Walk (’94-’99), two of the largest and most prestigious shopping venues in south-east Asia. He has also been honored for “Innovation in the Use of New Materials” by General Electric Company and was the recipient of the Utah Governor’s Award for Excellence.
As Director of Design for LucasArts Attractions, a division of Industrial Light and Magic (a George Lucas Company), he lead a team of world-class producers, planners and designers who produced attractions for Universal Studios and other major entertainment companies. In 1989 Michael launched Michael Lee Design / MLD Worldwide for consulting, planning, designing, managing, and building projects for a wide variety of clients worldwide including Warner Bros., Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop), Harrison Price, Paramount, Atlantis Resorts, Sun International (now Kerzner International Resorts), Smithsonian Institution, Swire Properties, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Polynesian Cultural Center and many others. At MLD, Mr. Lee directs a team of seasoned artists, film makers, designers, planners, project managers, architects and engineers, and in association with other professionals such as economists, scientists, constructors and technical experts, specialize in creating unique, compelling, high-quality, sustainable entertainment and learning experiences for the enjoyment and edification of young and old alike.
Michael Lee has been a featured speaker at meetings of the American Museum Association, International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, American Institute of Architects, several radio and TV programs and other industry conferences. He has taught design at two universities. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Fine Arts in Design from the University of California at Los Angeles.