Dennis Speigel, Founder & CEO of International Theme Park Services, Inc. (ITPS) in Cincinnati, was awarded the highest honor of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) when he was inducted into the industry’s prestigious Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place in Orlando, Florida at the global association’s flagship convention and expo. Over 37,000 attendees, and 1,080 exhibitors from every continent were in attendance.

The Hall of Fame, established in 1990 when Speigel was serving a term as President of the industry, celebrates and honors industry pioneers and legends who have, through their service, dedication, and vision, seen personal dreams come true and have helped advance the industry because of those dreams being accomplished. It was this six decades of an illustrious and successful career that led the IAAPA Hall of Fame Committee to select Dennis for induction. Dennis joins a list of elite industry innovators and pioneers, such as Walt Disney, George Ferris, Milton Hershey, George Millay, Roy Disney, Walter Knott, P.T. Barnum, and other famous contributors to the global leisure industry, into the celebrated and respected group.

Dennis Speigel, a graduate of Morehead State University, began his industry career in Cincinnati at Coney Island, where, at 13 years of age, he was hired to work at the admissions gate. This job solidified his love for the industry and was the foundation to his decades-long career.

After working through the management ranks at Coney Island, Dennis was hand-picked to be part of a key team to develop Kings Island, north of Cincinnati. Dennis soon became the Assistant General Manager of Kings Island at the age of 28, the youngest in the amusement and leisure industry at the time.

With Kings Island established and successful, Dennis re-located to Richmond, Virginia to plan, develop, build, and serve as the General Manager of another now-successful theme park, Kings Dominion.

Dennis left Kings Dominion after nine years at the helm and became Vice President of International Development for Taft Broadcasting. It was this role, coupled with Dennis observing the success of Tokyo Disneyland, that led him to start his own consulting company, International Theme Park Services, Inc. (ITPS). For 40 years, ITPS has been a leading consulting and management firm to the amusement and theme park industry, having been involved in more than 500 projects in 55+ countries. Speigel personally has flown more than 12 million air miles spreading fun around the world!

Speigel said, “It is truly an honor to accept this nomination as an inductee to the IAAPA Hall of Fame. To have been at the forefront during the development of the theme park industry from back in the 60s has provided extraordinary lifetime experiences and great friendships in more than 125 countries.”

He went on to say, “How lucky can I be……..to work in an industry that doesn’t put smoke in the skies and doesn’t pollute the streams. What we do is put smiles on people’s faces and create memories that last a lifetime! What could be better than that?”


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About ITPS

ITPS……”WHERE FUN IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS,” is globally the leisure industry’s leading independent, full-service consulting firm. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, ITPS is uniquely qualified to assist in all aspects of leisure project development and has worked on over 500 projects and in over 55 countries since its inception in 1983. Always on the forefront of new trends, ITPS is experienced to assist in all aspects of any new project or existing facility. They can be reached at itps@interthemepark.com. ITPS is celebrating 40 years of service to the amusement industry in 2023.

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