John Gerner, Managing Director

John is a leisure industry expert and has been consulting for more than 20 years. With Leisure Business Advisors (LBA), he is currently involved with new leisure projects in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

With LBA, he recently completed an evaluation for Burroughs & Chapin Company, owner of NASCAR Speedpark and Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, USA. He also recently completed feasibility studies for the City of Concord, North Carolina, an outdoor family entertainment center in Connecticut, and a children's entertainment center in Southern California. With Gerner Consulting (before it became Leisure Business Advisors), he conducted planning efforts for many attractions. Clients include Canadian Geographic, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Golf Foundation, the Maine Aquarium, and Celebrating Patsy Cline, Inc. He also prepared the business plan for Rhythm & Hues Studios, past recipient of the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.  

He is a member of the Institute of Business Appraisers (IBA). As a subcontractor to International Theme Park Services (ITPS) on a project basis, he has prepared market and financial projections for many new and existing attractions in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America. This includes Hopi Hari in Brazil, one of the leading theme parks in Latin America. Click here for its website. Consulting work for other ITPS clients included Cedar Fair L.P., Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo), and Wisconsin State Fair Park.

Previously, John served as President of Berkshire Ridefilm. During this time, the company produced the highly-acclaimed simulation film for Universal Studios' "Back to the Future - The Ride", which was directed by Douglas Trumbull. Click here to view the company's promotional brochure at that time, or click here for a promotional video. After entertaining millions of riders, the simulator experience has closed at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Orlando. Click here for a televised news story, or click here for Universal Studios Japan's version of the ride that is still in operation. 

Berkshire Ridefilm provided concept development for a new attraction at Universal Studios that was presented to management and Steven Spielberg. The company also created the concept for a new themed attraction in Tokyo.   

Prior to joining Berkshire Ridefilm, John was a Principal with Economics Research Associates, and managed one of the firm's regional offices. During the years he was with ERA, he evaluated concepts, expansion alternatives, market potential, and financial feasibility for a variety of existing and planned visitor attractions. For the Walt Disney Company, he evaluated potential foreign theme park locations in Latin America. For Marriott Corporation he evaluated market demand for a new restaurant concept. For Cedar Point, he evaluated the impact of various factors, such as expansion, the economy, and weather on annual attendance. 

He evaluated expansion alternatives for the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Myrtle Beach Pavilion and Amusement Park, and Miami Seaquarium. For Spaceport USA (the visitor center for the Kennedy Space Center), he analyzed crowd flow and determined future facility needs. He studied the feasibility of developing a major tourist attraction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

He determined the economic impact of the Beach Boys' Fourth of July concerts in Washington D.C. for their management. He assessed the feasibility of performing arts facilities in Arlington, Virginia and Columbia, Maryland. He prepared a tourism development/promotion plan for Venango County, Pennsylvania. Other clients included the Boston Museum of Science, Dentsu, Ringling Bros., and the Country Music Foundation.

John continues to have an ongoing relationship with ERA as a subcontractor on a project basis. He recently prepared the market and financial projections for the new Hard Rock theme park in Myrtle Beach, which opened in 2008. Click here for the Hard Rock Park website. With ERA, he also conducted the feasibility study for the Nanshan Buddhist Cultural Park themed attraction in China. Click here for a description.

Previously he served as a Productivity Improvement Supervisor for a Busch Entertainment Corporation theme park. Before that, he was an Operations Area Supervisor for Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, supervising over 90 ride and area hosts in the Oktoberfest and Italy sections of the park. He worked in park operations from 1975 to 1981 with the Busch Gardens theme parks in Williamsburg and Tampa, Kings Dominion, and Walt Disney World.

He has been a speaker at six past annual conventions for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). In 2007, he spoke on "Modeling the Visitor Experience." Click here for more details. He spoke in 2006 on "Attraction Development: From Idea to Opening Day." Click here for details, here for high-resolution presentation slides, here for low-resolution slides that will download faster, or here to order a compact disc recording. In 2005, he spoke on "How Much is Your Attraction Worth? Identifying and Maintaining Value." Click here for details, or here to download his presentation slides. He has also been a speaker at the World Waterpark Association (WWA) annual convention. He is currently a member of IAAPA's Facility Operations Committee. Click here for a list of all committee members.

He has been interviewed and quoted by the Wall Street Journal, CFO Europe, Canadian Business, USA Today, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Film and Video, Tour and Travel News, and many local newspapers. Click here to read selected comments to the press on a variety of leisure industry subjects. 

He has contributed articles to Amusement Business, Funworld, and World's Fair. He served as the tourism specialist on a Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) program jointly sponsored by the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He was a guest lecturer at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) on the subject of developing leisure attractions.

He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia ('80), double-majoring in education and philosophy. After graduation, he taught general and remedial math at Powhatan High School. He then worked full-time at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg as a productivity improvement supervisor before becoming a consultant. He grew up in the Richmond area, and returned there after spending years in Washington, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, and Massachusetts. He now lives in the city's historic area with his wife, Elaine, a professional photographer. Click here for her website. 

John is active in the local community, and has been a guest columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He was the City Administration's Consultant for School System Funding, and his March 2007 report ("At the Crossroads: Richmond Public School System Funding and Facilities") is available here. His presentation at the press conference discussing this report is available here. He begins at 23:13 in the online video if you want to forward to the beginning of his presentation. 

He also served as the City of Richmond's Liaison Consultant for the Performing Arts Committee. Click here for the press release, or here for the photo accompanying a recent profile in the city's local newspaper.

For more details on the feasibility study process, click here. For more information on valuations, click here.  

Photo by Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography