Amanda Thompson (businessperson)
| Amanda Thompson OBE |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Amanda Jean Thompson Islington, England, UK |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Spouse(s) | Steve Thompson (2004-present) |
| Parent(s) |
Geoffrey Thompson Barbara Thompson |
Amanda Jean Thompson OBE is a British businessperson who is the managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, president of Stageworks Worldwide Productions, director of Big Blue Hotel and director of the Grand Theatre, Blackpool. She rose to the position of managing director in 2004 after the death of her father, Geoffrey Thompson. She was also managing director of Pleasureland Southport from 2004 until its closure in 2006.
She went to a private school in Oxford, then worked for Disney before producing her first ice show in 1982.
Thompson was appointed managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 2004, following the death of her father and grandmother. During her tenure, she has rejuvenated the park, breathing new life into previously neglected areas. Her brother, Nicholas Thompson became the deputy managing director and Fiona Gilje (née Thompson), a fundamental architect became a director and initial designer.
Since 2004, Amanda Thompson has removed numerous attractions from the park's lineup in an attempt to make the company profitable. Some of these rides include the Whip, Space Invader 2, Turtle Chase, Black Hole, Super Bowl and Beaver Creek Children's Theme Park. In 2006, under Amanda's leadership, Pleasureland Southport was closed down due to a lack of return on investment. The Pleasure Beach also removed two rides the same season, the Log Flume and Spin Doctor. The Traumatizer ride was relocated from Pleasureland to Pleasure Beach for the 2007 season, replacing the Log Flume.
In 2009, she introduced a new area, Bean Street FY4, to Pleasure Beach. The area houses numerous catering outlets, bars and the £750,000 Spectacular Dancing Water Show. The Sculpture Gardens were opened in 2010, featuring numerous water features and fanciful sculptures forming a welcoming and refreshing entrance to the park. In the same year, Amanda brought in a new dodgems ride to the park, replacing the Whip. The latter part of the season saw the removal of the entirety of Beaver Creek, a children's area towards the back of the park. On 4 May 2011, Nickelodeon Land debuted featuring new rides, characters and reforming a large part of the park.
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