Led by a Cincinnati-based theme park consultant, Western world leisure and entertainment industry officials have already begun plotting how to tap a rapidly changing Soviet Union.
After ending an 11-day tour of five Soviet cities last week, officials with the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions are continuing negotiations for exchanges of performers between American theme parks and Soviet parks.The talent exchanges are hoped to be a first step to joint ventures where companies like Cincinnati-based International Theme Park Services Inc. will seek to manage and further develop Soviet parks, such as the famous Gorky Park.
As a result of wave of political and economic changes striking Eastern Europe, Soviet officials attended for the first time a trade organization meeting late last year. The visit resulted in the Soviet's invitation to Dennis Speigel and two other officers in the trade group.
"Here's a country that can barely feed and clothe its people, but they too want to have different forms of recreation," said Speigel, president of 6-year-old International Theme Park Services Inc., which is nearing $5 million in annual revenues on more than a dozen contracts to design and manage domestic and international entertainment areas and amusement parks.
"They realize the importance of the amusement park industry and what it can be from a profit standpoint in a socialist country, but also they realize what the experience - if well done - can mean to their people."
Speigel said Kings Entertainment Co., which manages and used to own Kings Island, may be one of the first theme park companies in the country to participate in swapping performers.
The Soviet Union's amusement park industry is about 50 years behind those in the United States and other Western countries. Most Soviet parks are open spaces similar to urban or rural municipal parks. Some, however, do have rides, but they are even much smaller than the older traditional American amusement parks.
"They've been wanting to do this and this has been burning inside them for some time. But there was no outlet," Speigel said. "Now, we've developed a relationship and the motorcycles are going 200 miles an hour."
Speigel said converting the nation's recreation industry will take time. Western companies planning to operate in the Soviet Union still must overcome currency obstacles and an issue whether Soviet citizens will pay.
Speigel doesn't expect large companies, like Disney, to rush into the Soviet Union and plan large new Disneylands.
"There's no question Russians would open their arms to this. But the real question is whether companies can make money and get the return they need."
Speigel will be going back to the Soviet Union in October for five days to participate in a major meeting with the nation's cultural officials to work out details on the exchanges.
Soviet officials have also asked the trade association to set up a 1991 exhibition in Gorky Park to show what the industry can do.