CINCINNATI, Ohio — Dennis Speigel, President of International Theme Park Services, Inc. (ITPS), announced that his long-time leading consulting company to the amusement and leisure industry, is celebrating its 35th year in 2018.

Speigel, who established ITPS 35 years ago this month, started his career in this industry when he was just 13 years of age. He was a ticket taker at Coney Island in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked his way up to the position of Assistant General Manager. He then was part of a leadership contingent for Taft Broadcasting Company that planned, developed, and opened Kings Island Theme Park just north of Cincinnati. Dennis was an integral part of the management team for Kings Island, and also built and operated Kings Dominion in Virginia. Working then as Vice President of International Operations for Taft Broadcasting, Dennis sensed a need for a consulting company that could provide assistance to people all over the globe who wanted to plan and build theme parks and leisure attractions. That was the impetus behind his decision to launch ITPS in 1983, based in Cincinnati.

In its 35 years, ITPS has been involved with over 500 projects in 50 countries. The services provided by the firm are turnkey, wherein those who wish to develop an amusement attraction can be assisted from vision to opening, and even into actual operations. This includes the company’s important hallmark services of (1) Feasibility Analysis, (2) Design Services, (3) Pre-Opening Operations Planning, and (4) On-Site Management. In addition, the company provides individualized services, such as Project Acquisition, Project Management, Business Reviews, Safety, Maintenance and Operations Audits, and more.

Speigel and his team, including two long-time Vice Presidents (Pam Westerman and Shawn Haas) who have been with Speigel for 30 and 23 years, respectively, have traveled all over the world helping clients who have a dream to open a leisure attraction. This has included countries on all five continents. The company’s motto, “ITPS, where fun is a serious business”, rings true even more today than it did when the company was founded. Speigel said, “No matter where we go, whether here in the U.S., or in China, Vietnam, Russia, Spain, Brazil, or Ukraine, the common denominator is that people want to have fun. In the end, that is what it is all about.”

ITPS believes that no project is too large or too small, as they strive to work with all sizes. As Westerman commented, “Every project is important. A mega-destination and a stand-alone attraction may have different impacts financially, but their importance to the backbone of our industry is equal. That is why we have worked with mega projects like Lotte World in Seoul, South Korea and Enchanted Kingdom in the Philippines, and also with regional projects like the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky and the Toledo Zoo in Ohio. Each project has something to contribute to our great industry.”

 

Looking ahead, Speigel believes the industry is busier today than it has ever been. With advanced technologies and continued development in Asia, Eastern Europe, and around the world, ITPS expects to remain busy for years to come. And, with these developments, one thing is certain. Fun will remain the common denominator. Said Speigel, “I always like to say that what makes our industry unique is that we don’t pollute the skies and we don’t contaminate the streams. At the end of the day, what we do is put smiles on people’s faces. It doesn’t get better than that.”

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