JRA has appointed Matt Dawson, a former VP at experience design company Forrec, as its new VP of business development.

At Forrec, Dawson – who has a master's degree in architecture – served on the executive team responsible for setting corporate priorities and also set the strategic direction for Forrec's client relations, leading a 12-person team to pursue new business development efforts across North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Prior to his VP appointment, Dawson served as Forrec's senior director of visitor attractions, managing client relations with cultural institutions, such as Science North, Mandai Singapore Zoo and the Panama Canal Authority.

As a sought-after thought leader, Dawson has been a featured speaker at conferences worldwide and has contributed content to dozens of industry articles.

JRA's executive vice president, Mark Amos, said: "Matt could not be arriving at a more perfect time. With the leisure market hungry for new experiences, we at JRA set a strategic growth plan in motion to expand our reach into new verticals and regions while deepening our relationships in existing ones.

"With his architecture and business development background, Matt is uniquely positioned to execute this plan and position us for global success."

Experience design studio JRA has completed work on multiple cultural and attraction projects in the first three quarters of 2023 – with more 12 others in the pipeline.

Recent openings include the National Corvette Museum's McMichael Family Education Gallery, the complete renovation of Louisville Slugger Museum, ExpERIEnce Children's Museum, The Ozark Mill, Kings Island Adventure Port and the Hasbro City FEC in Mexico City.

JRA was acquired by live entertainment specialist, RWS Entertainment Group, in November 2021.