By Beth Whitaker, Editor
Wuthichai Luangamornlert of Siam Amazing Park in Bangkok, Thailand, has now started his one-year term as IAAPA Chairman of the Board. Editor Beth Whitaker discovers how his life-long time in the industry will serve him well in this new role.
Luangamornlert’s chairmanship will initiate three years in a row of international chairmen for IAAPA, with Massimiliano Freddi, founder of the pair of Wonderwood attractions in Italy, assuming the role in 2025, and Luciana Periales, CEO of Neverland Park in Argentina, becoming chair in 2026.
Beth Whitaker: You were quite literally, born into the industry. How did you know this was definitely the career path for you?
Wuthichai Luangamornlert: Well, because it is your life and you’re just going about it every day, you don’t really think about it. It was only once I left Thailand for the UK to study that I started to understand what makes it such a great industry. You begin to look at your friends and other people working in different industries… Their routine and so on – while we have it tough in that it never stops, you do it because you love it. We work weekends, don’t have holidays and so on, but you are working to make people happy. That is the most important thing and is the most wonderful way of making a living. This is what has kept me energised and enjoying working within the industry for all this time.
Then, when you join IAAPA, you start to see different people from different regions and different countries around the world and they also want to make people happy. It’s about the people, the majority of people I meet are not here, making loads of money but their primary goal isn’t that, it’s to make people happy and that’s a good thing.
BW: I guess the industry becomes an extended family in a way doesn’t it?
WL: Yes… When you have the same goals, certainly. When we talk, we don’t talk about how we could earn more money, but we talk about how to make people safe, how we can serve our customers better, asking, how can we help our society in different ways? And that’s what we talk about as part of the IAAPA and that’s wonderful. Someone might bring something to the table that you’ve never thought about before and it makes you consider what you can contribute to the industry that’s different.
BW: What do you feel are the key ingredients to a successful park?
WL: The main and most important ingredient is to make sure you enjoy it and be focussed on making people happy. Customers who are happy are good for business.
BW: Looking inward, what do you believe your strengths are and what do you want to bring to the IAAPA role?
WL: We have so many wonderful leaders in this industry and a lot of people within IAAPA have their own businesses, so it’s less about leading and more about working together. What I do think I can bring, is that I’m approachable and able to talk to lots of people about lots of things. People open up to me and I’m pretty good at listening to the key takeaways from a conversation. So I can continue doing this and feed back to IAAPA to move things forward for our members.
BW: What do you believe IAAPA’s main role in a modern society is and how can it continue to support its members?
WL: The industry has changed so much over the years and IAAPA has to keep adapting as well. A lot of people think it’s just about business, but actually it is about connection. Once we’re connected and become friends, we naturally talk to each other more and ultimately exchange and share information and experiences. IAAPA works as a key connector of people within the industry – it does it through various means. For example, the trade shows connect people for business purposes, then there are other events you can go to where the focus is more on networking – events such as park tours etc. Then there are the education sessions, where you can learn from industry peers… You might learn something new that you never thought of trying before. So for me, that’s what the IAAPA does already and will continue to do as its reach across the industry increases.
We’re working as a team at IAAPA to ensure the association continues to move forward as the industry does. We need different input from around the world to make sure that IAAPA is responsive to the needs of its global members, which is a tough thing to do as every part of the world operates differently. And this is part of my role within the team… Keep IAAPA informed, keep them on their toes and looking forwards.
BW: Is there anything you’re looking to focus on or change while in this role?
WL: Well there are so many things we’re encouraging IAAPA to work on as it continues to grow… One of the main things for me is regionalisation and representation. Because IAAPA is based in North America, for a long time I feel it hasn’t been as diverse as it could have been. So looking forward this is something we will work on – making sure regional members are more involved and understood. IAAPA is working hard to be more inclusive of all members.
Because I’m from Thailand and the industry isn’t as big as in other countries, I was a bit reluctant as to whether I could represent the industry globally, but I’ve been reassured that it’s not the size of the park you’re from, or the size of the industry in your country… But your willingness to contribute – this is important.
BW: Is there anybody in the industry that you really admire?
WL: There’s so many. I studied in the UK and was close to the Thompson family at the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, particularly Amanda, and Jeffrey – who was also a previous chairman of the IAAPA. I first met them when I was about 13-years-old, they helped me to grow in the industry and so I have a lot to thank them for.
Someone else in the industry I admire is Mario Mamom – the first Asian chair from the Philippines. I grew up with the idea that it had to be someone from North America or Europe but he showed me that it can be done and you don’t have to be from one of the big parks or a big country. So I owe a lot to him. And of course there’s my predecessor Jim Pattison, he is great. He’s doing amazing things, things that I never thought people would be able to think of and he helped me go beyond the fear factor and my psychological boundaries to become more ambitious.
BW: Can you remember the first and last amusement ride that you went on?
WL: Well the earliest would be a carousel somewhere I think, in Disney World when I came to the IAAPA show when I was about 11-years-old. The most recent amusement experience was at Tron at Disney World – the entire board of directors went last March.
BW: Are there any projects or parks you wish you had been involved in?
WL: There’s so many. One of the privileges of being on the board of directors for IAAPA is that you are informed about these new developments around the world. There’s so many projects going on around the world and without naming names, the projects in China are amazing.
Image: IAAPA
