John Gerner is a leisure industry expert with more than 30 years
of consulting experience. With Leisure Business Advisors LLC
(LBA), he has been involved with new leisure projects in North
America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
With LBA, he prepared the cultural business plan for the
reuse of Fort Monroe. This 565-acre military base contains
the largest stone fort ever built in America and more than a
100 historic buildings. He evaluated Pavilion Nostalgia Park
at Broadway at the Beach for the Burroughs & Chapin
Company. He also prepared feasibility studies for the City
of Concord (North Carolina) and Andy Alligator's Fun Park.
He recently served as an expert witness on leisure
development in a New York State Supreme Court case. Click
here for the court's decision. 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, and Celebrating
Patsy Cline, Inc.
As a past subcontractor to International Theme Park Services
(ITPS), he 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.
Previously, he 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 for a 1991 promotional brochure. Berkshire Ridefilm
also provided concept development for a new theme park
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, he was a Principal with
Economics Research Associates (ERA), 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 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. As a subcontractor to ERA, he conducted the
feasibility study for the Nanshan Buddhist Cultural Park themed
attraction in China.
During the early 1980s, he served as a Productivity Improvement
Supervisor for Busch Entertainment Corporation. Before that, he
was an Operations Area Supervisor for Busch Gardens
Williamsburg, supervising more than 90 ride and area hosts in
the Oktoberfest and Italy sections of the park. He worked in
park operations from 1975 to 1981 at Busch Gardens (Williamsburg
and Tampa), Kings Dominion, and Walt Disney World.
He has been a speaker at many annual conventions for the
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
(IAAPA). Most recently, he spoke about "Attraction Development
and Expansion: Taking the First Steps." Click
here for the presentation slides. In the past, he spoke on
"Modeling the Visitor Experience."
Click here for his presentation slides. In 2005, he spoke
on "How Much is Your Attraction Worth? Identifying and
Maintaining Value." Click
here to download his presentation slides. He has also been
a speaker at the World Waterpark Association (WWA) annual
convention. He was a member of IAAPA's Facility Operations
Committee. He also was a featured speaker at a management
workshop in Brazil. Click
here for an article describing the event.
He has been interviewed and quoted by the Wall Street Journal,
Business Week, CFO Europe, Canadian Business, USA Today,
Hollywood Reporter, Variety 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 ('80),
double-majoring in education and philosophy, and was recently
interviewed by his alumni association. Click
here for that profile article.
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. As a hobby, John enjoys acting in locally filmed
movies and television programs. Some of these are listed on his
Internet Movie Database (IMDb) page.
John is active in his local community, and is Chief Election
Officer at his voting precinct. Click
here for his comments on election day in 2008.
He served as the City of Richmond's Liaison Consultant for the
Performing Arts Committee, representing both the Mayor and City
Council. Click
here for a profile article in the city's local newspaper.
In the Fall of 2006, he helped tone down the rhetoric on both
sides and cooperatively resolve this difficult issue. The
committee's report recommended a scaled-down compromise plan
that included City ownership of the Carpenter Center and Mayoral
appointment of board members. This approach was later approved
by City Council. He was also the City Administration's
Consultant for School System Funding. He is currently the
president of the Union Hill Civic Association.
His email address is: johngerner@leisure-business.com
