IAAPA Virtual Water Park Forum

Chris Swartz has over 25 years of experience working in the water park industry and is currently employed as the General Manager for Wild Wadi Waterpark in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Wild Wadi is the first water park in the UAE and is uniquely located on the Arabian Gulf next to the prestigious Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotels. He has presented at numerous local, state, national and international conferences including the World Waterpark Association, the National Recreation and Park Association, Rocky Mountain Revenue School, the Texas Recreation and Park Society and the Dubai Entertainment and Leisure Show. In 2010, “Aquatics International” featured him as one of the “Power 25 Reinventors” in the aquatics industry. Swartz served on the WWA Board of Directors, and held the offices of Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair, Chair and Past Chair. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Middle East and North Africa Leisure & Attractions Council (MENALAC).

Josh Liebman is the Guest Experience Evangelist for ROLLER.  With more than 16 years of experience in the attractions industry, Josh specializes in guest experience, including hospitality standards, complaint resolution, and guest feedback. Josh’s background includes attractions operations, guest service communications, quality assurance consulting, consumer analytics, and guest experience training.  Josh has worked for some of the top attraction operators in the world, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Merlin Entertainments, and Cedar Fair, and has consulted for organizations including Ritz Carlton and The Coca-Cola Company.  Josh holds a Bachelor's Degree in Theme Parks and Attractions Management and a Master's Degree in Hospitality and Tourism, and has been integral to the openings of multiple attractions in various leadership capacities.

Matt Heller has spent 31 years in the attractions industry, spending time in both operations and human resources. In 2011, Matt created his own leadership development consulting company, Performance Optimist Consulting, where he now gets to help leaders from all over the industry make sure they are getting the most out of themselves and their teams.

Will B. Morey is currently the Director of Water Park Operations at Morey’s Piers and Beachfront Water Parks; a family owned business started in 1969 and recognized as a premier regional entertainment destination located along a five-mile barrier island in Wildwood, NJ. Will represents the 3rd generation of Morey’s Piers, along with his brother Kyle and cousins, Zack and Jordan. 

In 2009, Will began working seasonally in the attractions and maintenance department at Morey’s Piers.  In 2010, he transitioned into water park operations where he has continued to learn and grow.  He is also a part of Morey’s Piers recruiting and training teams, responsible for the hiring of domestic and international team members.  Will is the former Chair of the International Association of Amusement Park and Attraction’s (IAAPA) Young Professional Sub-Committee and a former member of the Global Membership Committee.  

At American Resort Management (ARM), Caitlyn’s responsibilities include developing, implementing and evaluating the park's marketing strategy, managing the social media presence, and working directly with the public relations team, all with the goal of increasing brand awareness and maximizing revenue in areas such as day pass sales, birthday parties, special event tickets, sponsorship opportunities and other revenue sources. Before beginning with ARM, Caitlyn was a versatile and accomplished digital marketing manager with extensive experience building, executing and maintaining successful marketing campaigns.

Randall Hudson is the Vice President of Sales at American Resort Management (ARM), with responsibilities including sales production for all parks and hotels, oversight of group sales at all locations, implementing national sales plan, business development and analyzing industry trends. Before beginning with ARM, Randall got his start in banking quickly working his way up into Private Asset Banking with 3 of the top banks at the time and became an industry leader. As a Finance major from the University of Texas at Arlington it gives him a unique insight into just about any industry. Randall started his career in Waterparks after the 2008 Great Recession. Randall used a combination of his marketing and sales skills to quickly double group sales numbers with Hawaiian Falls Waterpark in Mansfield. His success allowed him to grow into the role as General Manager, giving him insight into the operations side of a waterpark.

Jim is a 26-year theme and water park senior manager. Jim began his industry experience at Kentucky Kingdom as Director of Sales. Kentucky Kingdom was purchased by Premier Parks and became the first rebranded park. Jim moved to Houston as Park Director at Splashtown Water Park the 8th largest water park in the US at the time. Jim completed his Six Flags career as Corporate Director of Entertainment and Marketing.

After Six Flags, Jim spent a year in Dubai with Emaar Malls Group and returned to Magic Springs in Hot Springs AR. Jim became General Manager at Hurricane Alley Waterpark in Corpus Christi. He assisted Schlitterbahn Resort in Corpus Christi as Interim General Manager during their foreclosure process. He moved to Kissimmee at the end of 2018 as General Manager of Island H2O Live!

Todd has been in the hospitality marketing field for over 23 years. He has recently joined Island H2O Water Park as the Marketing & Sales Director responsible for driving awareness and visitation to the park. In his most recent role, Todd was the Head of Brand Marketing for Merlin Entertainments in North America. There he led the strategic direction and management for Merlin Entertainments’ pillar brands: LEGOLAND Discovery Centers & SEA LIFE Aquariums. Todd was directly responsible for marketing strategy, strategic partnerships and marketing support for each of the 16 attractions in the US & Canada. Todd currently serves on the Global Marketing Committee for Visit Orlando as Past-Chair. He also serves on the IAAPA Marketing committee. Todd holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Kent State University and resides in Windermere with his wife and two sons.