Dennis Speigel welcomes Ash Smart, Chief Financial Officer at Harbour Park in the United Kingdom. Ash’s family has owned and operated the park since 1977, but the family link to the entertainment industry spans back to 1910 with a single-hand cranked roundabout. This was followed by a traveling funfair, a touring big top show, a safari park, and now Harbour Park, which is a seaside amusement park / FEC offering outdoor and indoor attractions. Ash is highly involved in IAAPA and currently serves on its board of directors. With this depth of family history and roots in the amusement industry, Ash shares his unique insights on how European family-run parks and seaside operations have adapted, and discusses the outlook for the future, not only in the UK, but in Europe.

Guests: Chip Cleary, Senior Consultant at Europa Park and Rob Norris, President of Seabreeze Amusement Park Dennis Speigel welcomes two seasoned industry veterans who share their unique insights and experiences as globally renowned amusement operators and strategists. Chip Cleary is Senior Consultant to Europa-Park in Germany, working directly with the Mack family on a number of projects. Before joining Europa-Park, he oversaw design and renovation on projects such as Adventureland and Splish Splash in New York, and also held leadership positions with Palace Entertainment. Chip is past President & CEO of IAAPA, as well as past Chairman and a long-time member of critical strategic committees. Rob Norris is President of Seabreeze Amusement Park in New York, where he began as a teenage employee and worked his way through the ranks to President. While also serving on various IAAPA committees as well as serving as its Chairman, Rob has led the short and long term direction of Seabreeze Park for over 40 years. He is also instrumental in leading legislative change for the state of New York. Chip and Rob join Dennis to discuss key industry matters, including the state of Europe’s theme parks, the outlook for the USA small park market, strategies for our industry to overcome Covid’s impact and rebound better than before, and the status of IAAPA and industry organizations during these critical times.

Dennis Speigel leads a discussion in global trends in the waterpark sector of our industry, specifically relating to waterpark operations as part of tourist-based resorts. Joining the podcast is Chris Perry, current VP of Resort Operations at Baha Mar in the Bahamas, and a longtime industry veteran with over 20 years of international waterpark and water safety experience. Chris is a frequent speaker and panelist at industry trade shows and was the host of Travel Channel’s Epic Attractions, providing viewers with an all access, backstage pass to the best attractions in the world. The ITPS I’M4FUN podcast focuses on the experiences of waterpark operations as it relates to product diversity and quality, guest satisfaction, safety and training, and in particular, trends in resort operations with waterparks or water features. Chris provides unique insights into the current state and the future of waterpark operations.

Guest:   John Reilly - COO, Palace Entertainment   Dennis Speigel welcomes industry veteran, John Reilly. John is Chief Operating Officer of Palace Entertainment. He has more than 30 years of experience in the amusement industry, starting with Busch Gardens in their merchandising division, and then with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment where he worked his way up to Chief Operating Officer before taking the helm at Palace Entertainment to oversee their U.S. portfolio of parks. Dennis and John have a candid conversation about what Palace Entertainment has learned over the last 18 months and how the company has re-positioned itself to operate successfully in a post-pandemic world. They discuss the industry as a whole and how we can evolve and grow in the years to come.   Join us on this exciting podcast as John Reilly shares his insights based on his longstanding operating experience in the amusement industry.

Guests:   Sascha Czibulka Executive Vice President and Managing Director INTAMIN RIDES  Kelven Tan Vice President, Business Development Asia DYNAMIC ATTRACTIONS  Valerio Ferrari Chief Sales Officer ANTONIO ZAMPERLA AMUSEMENT GROUP   Dennis Speigel welcomes three distinguished representatives from the attractions industry’s manufacturer and supplier sector to the ITPS I’M4FUN podcast. These are: Sascha Czibulka, Executive VP and Managing Director with Intamin Rides, Kelven Tan, VP of Business Development Asia with Dynamic Attractions, and Valerio Ferrari, Chief Sales Officer with Antonio Zamperla Amusement Group. These industry leaders discuss not only the overall impact that the pandemic has had on the vendor side, but also give us an important update of where the industry is heading in the near future based on their recent experience. Where are the global hot spots? What is the true importance of trade shows? Has the ordering pipeline been totally replenished? These questions, and many more, are answered during the podcast.

SHOW LESSOn Episode 20 of the ITPS I’M4FUN podcast, Dennis Speigel welcomes Jim Davis, Creator of Garfield the Cat. Garfield debuted in 1978 in 41 US newspapers. Today, Garfield is read in over 2,400 newspapers by 200 million people globally, and his television shows and movies have led to Emmy awards for Jim Davis. Guinness World Records named Garfield “the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world.” In this rare interview, Jim will be sharing unique insights about Garfield – why and how he got started drawing the strip. Also how Garfield and friends evolved, and how the Garfield IP has become an important part of America’s POP culture scene for over 43 years.

Reminisce With Dennis, Tim, and Jim as they discuss the history of the Amusement Park and Attractions Industry!   Guests: Tim O’Brien and Jim Futrell On Episode 19 of the ITPS I’M4FUN podcast, Dennis Speigel takes a step back in time to take a unique and insightful look into the foundations of the industry, and the important milestones that make it great. Two longtime industry veterans join Dennis for this entertaining conversation about how the industry emerged, what it has endured, and what achievements and accomplishments have given it the foundation it stands on today. Jim Futrell, historian, author, and recipient of IAAPA’s Outstanding Service Award, and Tim O’Brien, award-winning photo-journalist and the only journalist inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame, join Dennis to share their insights on the industry’s history and its bright future.

Guests: Mario Mamon, Chairman and President of the Enchanted Kingdom Theme Park in Manila, Philippines, and Tan Sri Richard Koh, President of the Malaysian Association of Amusement Theme Parks & Family Attractions (MAATFA) Episode 17 of the ITPS I’M4FUN podcast welcomes Mario Mamon, Chairman and President of the Enchanted Kingdom Theme Park in Manila, Philippines, and Tan Sri Richard Koh, President of the Malaysian Association of Amusement Theme Parks & Family Attractions (MAATFA). These two distinguished gentlemen join Dennis Speigel, Founder & CEO of ITPS, for an engaging discussion about the state of the industry in the Asia-Pacific region. This region is set to soon overtake North America as the largest region in the global amusement park market segment. Hear these longstanding industry veterans share their insights and outlooks on the Asia-Pacific amusement industry sector, including its potential for becoming a global powerhouse and opportunities for continued growth.

Guest: Denise Beckson - Senior Executive, Morey’s Piers Episode 16 of the ITPS I’M4FUN with Dennis Speigel welcomes Denise Beckson, Senior Executive with the Morey Organization (Morey’s Piers). Family owned and operated since 1969, Morey’s Piers is a classic seaside amusement resort in New Jersey, offering 4 beachfront amusement piers and 2 waterpark operations. For over 20 years, Denise has worked in different capacities for Morey’s Piers, and she currently oversees all waterpark operations as well as oversees corporate human resources. She is heavily involved in the amusement industry, and sits on IAAPA’s Education, Government Relations, and North American Regional Advisory Committees. Join Dennis and Denise as they discuss new workplace practices because of Covid, human resource strategies for the amusement industry including impact from J-1 Visa programs, and government regulations that will continue to greatly impact our industry.

Guest: Andreas Andersen - CEO & President of Liseberg Andreas Andreas is the CEO and President of the Liseberg Group in Sweden, which operates one of Scandinavia’s most visited amusement parks. Andreas has a strong amusement industry background that spans over 20 years, including Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Liseberg in Sweden, VP of European Operations at IAAPA EMEA, and past Chair of IAAPA. During this I’M4FUN podcast, Dennis and Andreas discuss the current state of the amusement industry in Europe, how IAAPA and its committees are adjusting as the industry begins to transition out of Covid’s impact, and what the future holds for leisure operations from a financial perspective.