Amusement Park Valuation
Leisure Business Advisors (LBA) specializes in valuations and
business appraisals for leisure businesses such as amusement
parks. This typically involves three approaches:
Income - Financial performance is evaluated and
capitalized.
Market - Sales of similar amusement parks are examined and
their experience applied to the park being valued.
Asset - The current value of equipment and other assets is
estimated.
John Gerner, our managing director, has conducted many valuations
for amusement parks. He spoke at IAAPA's annual convention on "How
Much is Your Attraction Worth? Identifying and Maintaining Value."
Click
here to download the presentation slides.
Selected past amusement park and theme park projects are described
below.
Proposed Disney Theme Park (Latin
America)
The Walt Disney Company is the leading theme park developer
in the world. Its locations include Disneyland, Walt Disney
World, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Park (Paris), Hong
Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland. As a senior
consultant with Economics Research Associates in the 1980s,
John Gerner (LBA's managing director) evaluated locations in
Latin America for a proposed Disney theme park.
Universal Studios: Back to the Future
- The Ride (Worldwide)
Universal Studios has theme parks in the USA, Japan, and
Singapore. John Gerner, LBA's managing director, served as
president of Berkshire Ridefilm during the early 1990s.
During that time, the company produced the highly acclaimed
simulation film for "Back to the Future - The Ride", which
is currently at Universal Studios Japan.
Major New Theme Park (China)
Village Roadshow is Australia's largest amusement park
operator and owns Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World,
Wet'n'Wild Water World, and other attractions. In 2011, LBA
evaluated the market and financial potential of developing a
major new attraction in China for Village Roadshow.
Hopi Hari (Brazil)
Hopi Hari is one of the largest theme parks in South
America, and is located near Sao Paulo in Brazil. It is 76
hectares (188 acres) in size, and cost USD$220 million to
develop. As a subcontractor to International Theme
Park Services, John Gerner (LBA's managing director)
evaluated the market and financial feasibility of Hopi Hari.
Pavilion Nostalgia Park (USA)
Pavilion Nostalgia Park is located within the Broadway at
the Beach tourist complex in Myrtle Beach, and opened in
2007. During its planning stage, LBA evaluated Pavilion
Nostalgia Park's potential financial performance for
Burroughs & Chapin Co, Inc.
Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone (China)
The Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone is approximately 27
hectares (67 acres) in size, and contains several tourist
attractions. These include the Hainan Culture Park, Felicity
and Longevity Park, and Buddhist Culture Park. Its
centerpiece is the Guanyin Statue of Hainan, which is
currently the fourth tallest statue in the world. As a
subcontractor to Economics Research Associates, John Gerner
(LBA's managing director) evaluated the feasibility of
developing this major tourism project.
La Ronde (Canada)
La Ronde is a theme park in Montreal that is approximately
59 hectares (146 acres) in size. It offers 40 rides,
including ten roller coasters. As a subcontractor to
Economics Research Associates, John Gerner (LBA's managing
director) evaluated the potential of expanding this theme
park and adding year-round uses on the site. These uses
included a retail entertainment center, waterpark resort
hotel, and expanded marina.
Six Flags New England (USA)
Formerly named "Riverside Park", Six Flags New England is
located in Massachusetts. As a subcontractor to Economics
Research Associates, John Gerner (LBA's managing director)
evaluated the theme park's operating history, market
potential, and likely annual attendance based on its planned
capital improvements.
Cedar Point (USA)
Cedar Point is a major theme park in Ohio. John Gerner
(LBA's managing director) was a senior consultant with
Economics Research Associates. He evaluated the impact of
various factors on past operating performance. These factors
included capital reinvestment, pricing, marketing efforts,
economic conditions, and weather.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg (USA)
Busch Gardens Williamsburg is located in Virginia and has
been repeatedly voted the world's most beautiful theme park
by amusement park enthusiasts. John Gerner (LBA's managing
director) was an internal productivity supervisor during the
early 1980s, and evaluated the operating performance of
individual rides and other components of the park. He also
examined past financial performance based on various
factors, and prepared the theme park's financial breakeven
analysis.