What Does a Theme Park Manager Do? A Look Inside This Thrilling Role
Learn about working in theme park management and the numerous thrilling attractions and activities theme park managers get to oversee each day.
Disney. SeaWorld. Universal Studios. These are just a few of the over 400 theme parks and major attractions in the United States. If you’d love to spend your workdays surrounded by the sights, sounds, and excitement that these fun-filled environments have to offer, one career option to consider is theme park management. Keep reading to learn the types of duties you’d be responsible for completing in this role, as well as what you could expect with regard to theme park manager salary potential.
Theme Park Management Job Duties
As the title suggests, theme park management involves managing the day-to-day operations of your designated park. This involves making sure all the rides, attractions, and stands are fully staffed and that each employee understands what is required of them and is equipped to do their job. A theme park manager also decides the days of the week the park will be open, when it will open and close for the season, its hours of operation, how much the admission fees will be, and the policies that will be followed when guests have a concern or issue.
Another duty encompassed within the theme park management role is to help plan for tomorrow. In some cases, this might require updating the park to either fix or replace older equipment or facilities to ensure that everything is in good condition and works as it should. In other cases, being a theme park manager may involve overseeing an expansion of the theme park, adding even more attractions for visitors to see and participate in when on the park’s grounds.
In the end, the goal of theme park management is to supply the park’s patrons with a safe and enjoyable experience—an experience that makes them want to come back again and again. This can be accomplished by making sure the park has an appealing appearance, the attractions are accessible to all, and that the visitors can enjoy their time at the park without having to worry about their health or safety.
Theme Park Manager Salary Potential
If you’re interested in this type of career path within the hospitality field, you may be wondering what your income might look like. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes theme park management in the category of “entertainment and recreation managers.” Based on the data, the mean theme park manager salary for individuals working in amusement parks and arcades is $67,280 per year as of May of 2021. This equates to roughly $32.34 per hour.
As the mean, one-half of individuals working in theme park management make less than this amount, and the other half make more. The BLS adds that the bottom 10% of people in entertainment and recreation manager roles make a mean annual salary of $37,020 per year, while the theme park manager salary for someone in the top 10% can exceed $124,120 per year.
Your actual theme park manager salary can depend on a variety of factors. Among them are the size of the theme park, its geographic location, your level of experience, and also your level of education.
Interested in a Theme Park Management Role?
If theme park management sounds like something you’d like to do with your career, Saint Leo University can help prepare you for this important—and exciting—role. We do this with our Bachelor of Arts in international hospitality management degree program, teaching you the information and skills needed to perform the duties required in a theme park management position.
When you enroll in this program, you get to choose between two specializations. The first is Hotel & Event Management and includes courses such as Lodging Management, Hotel and Resort Operations, Advanced Lodging Management, and Hospitality Revenue Management. The other option is an Event Management Specialization, which includes courses such as Meetings and Event Management, Event Project Management, Event Production Design, and Sustainability and Risk in Events. This specialization is modeled after the Event Management Body of Knowledge, which serves as a guideline for industry standards.
To learn more about Saint Leo’s BA in international hospitality management, call us today at (877) 622-2009 or email us at admissions@saintleo.edu. Our friendly and knowledgeable admissions staff can answer any questions you may have about the theme park management career path and hospitality field in general, helping you decide whether this is the right option for you.