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Press CoverageBelow are selected comments by John Gerner, LBA's managing director, to the press on a variety of leisure industry subjects.
June 3, 2008: "How to Hit an Amusement Park on the Cheap" (Click here to read the entire article) "There's typically so much discounting going on at parks that few people actually pay the gate price."
August 28, 1989: "Park Wars" "There isn't a lot of price resistance by tourists. They've already invested a lot of money to come to the area, they've got the kids with them, and they're not going to turn around, especially if the park provides a unique experience."
May 9, 2008: "Theme parks preparing for long, dry summer" (Click here to read the entire article) "Gas
spikes usually have little to do with vacation planning. It was only
the gas shortages of the 1970s that caused some to cut their vacation
plans. They were much more concerned about being able to get gas than
how much it was."
July 2005: "Mickey's Malaise" "There’s good reason why Euro Disney wants to jack up attendance: because theme parks typically have high fixed costs and relatively low variable costs. Once the break-even point is reached, every little increase in visitor numbers translates into high marginal profit. Known in the theme park, hotel and airline industries as operating leverage, it’s one of the reasons why theme parks emphasize new rides and other expansions to generate attendance. When you can add 10% to your attendance, thanks to a new ride, a lot of that goes straight to the bottom line."
"Indoor water parks with attached hotels are the hottest lodging concept this decade. They attract families looking for new ways to be entertained, and operators love them because they can keep customers coming year-round. It’s really that aspect that’s caused the current growth, if not explosion, in water-park resort development." December 5-25, 2005: "Mad money: five ways to have some real fun with your disposable income" (Click here to read the entire article) "Nothing says success like your own personal theme park... All told, you'll drop roughly US$20 million for something like Michael Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch to upward of US$200 million for something like Paramount Canada's Wonderland north of Toronto."
November 20, 2005: "We Can't Assume Anything About Richmond's Thalhimers Block" "For more than 20 years, I've been a land-use economist evaluating leisure projects, including new performing arts centers. As a Richmonder, I've also been following the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation (VPAF) situation with personal interest and have commented before in Times-Dispatch articles. There are major assumptions underlying recent statements about the future of the Thalhimers block that need to be discussed."
January 6, 1994: "Old Mint Reopens Today -- Experts Say It Needs Better PR" "Any attraction, even the free ones, have to work hard for success. Unless the attraction is located in a pathway of tourists, where they are physically going to walk by it, like Ripley's Believe-it-or-Not Museum at Fisherman's Wharf, it has to promote itself through advertising and through offering attractive exhibits. Being free does not, in itself, attract visitors. It competes with other free forms of entertainment and education, such as television and libraries. Without promotion, the Old Mint was essentially condemning itself to low attendance -- to its fate."
September 30 1993: "Universal Hopes to Make a Splash with Shark-Ride Sequel" "In some respects, the real acid test will be Jaws. If the new version does at least what the original was supposed to do, that will be a real good sign that Universal knows what to do with their theme park." Industry Links
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