About Mr. Theme Park
Internationally recognized as
a leader and expert in the theme park and leisure industry with 50
years of experience, Dennis Speigel is the founder and president of
International Theme Park Services, an Ohio-based consulting firm. He
directs the company with professional expertise and practical
knowledge based on hands-on experiences in leisure and
attendance-driven industries.
Speigel’s early beginnings in 1960 as a seasonal ticket taker at
Coney Island Amusement Park
in Cincinnati became the impetus behind his decision to develop his
career in the theme park business. He quickly worked his way to
Assistant Park Manager of Coney Island and then
Kings Island Theme
Park (Cincinnati, Ohio), where, as Assistant General Manager, he
supervised all aspects of general park operations.
In 1974, Dennis became the Vice President and General Manager of
Kings Dominion / Lion
Country Safari (Richmond, Virginia). While under employ by Taft
Broadcasting Company and the Kroger Company, Dennis oversaw a
multi-million-dollar construction budget, used his marketing skills
to establish and implement marketing plans, and managed the daily
park operations.
Mr. Speigel then served as Vice President of Operations from 1980 to
1981, during which time he developed a standardized safety and
security program, monitored union activity, and oversaw activities
with the Hanna-Barbera Studios. In 1981, Dennis became Vice
President of International Operations and was responsible for
overseeing and assessing potential leisure sites in foreign markets.
He successfully negotiated for new projects in Singapore, Australia,
Tokyo, and London.
While working internationally, Speigel sensed a void in global
leisure-driven direction and founded ITPS to fill that void.
In its 27 years, Dennis has led his company and its body of
professionals literally around the globe for more than 450 projects
in over 45 countries.
Speigel is a past president of the
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
(IAAPA), the global association representing leisure organizations
around the world. With IAAPA, he has also chaired many committees
and special projects. Globally, Speigel worked with IAAPA to help
form similar governing bodies for the leisure industries in Mexico,
Brazil, and China.
As a result of Speigel’s years of experience, he has become one of
the most quoted industry professionals, having been interviewed by
the New York Times, Wall
Street Journal, USA Today, London Times, China Post, Business Week, FunWorld, Park
World, Bloomberg, Orlando Sentinel, Forbes, and
more.
Because of his accurate understanding of the industry's financial
trends, Mr. Speigel has been consulted on all major industry
transactions, including those for Six Flags, Anheuser Busch,
Universal Studios, Paramount Parks, and Cedar Fair.
His visionary skills regarding the industry’s future trends
are called upon almost daily.
He regularly speaks to organizations, corporations and
industry leaders to provide insight on the state of the industry,
including its trends, maturity and saturation, as well as on coming
events of consolidation, debt concerns, and issues faced by park
developers and operators.
With broad and global knowledge, Mr. Speigel has led his company to
meet the industry’s challenges and changes on all continents. His
lifetime vocation has been to not only provide leadership, but also
to provide service to others in all aspects of designing,
developing, operating, forecasting, and transacting within the
leisure industry.