Background
He rose to his position in 1976 after the death of his father, Leonard Thompson. Geoffrey Thompson was appointed managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 1976, following the death of his father.
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Geoffrey Thompson
Edit ProfileEducation
Geoffrey Thompson attended Arnold Junior School and Rossall School, before moving to Shrewsbury. He later read Economics at Clare College, Cambridge. After graduating, he moved to America to broaden his education, studying Business Administration at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Career
During his tenure, he bought two separate amusement parks, Pleasureland Southport and Frontierland, Morecambe. The latter of which he closed down in 2000. He invested heavily into the Pleasure Beach during his time, opening the Steeplechase, Avalanche, Revolution, Big One, Ice Blast: The Ride and Valhalla.
His reputation in Blackpool earned him a highly positive status amongst other businessman in the amusement trade.
He was often regarded as the front man to the steady growth of amusement parks globally and he was often involved in promoting tourism. He sat on almost all the relevant agencies, such as the English Tourist Board and the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions, and was awarded an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for this work.
In 1986, Pleasure Beach became one of the first companies in the United Kingdom to register with the Government Profit Related Pay Unit. Under this scheme the company agreed that, where profits exceeded £1 million, 10 per cent would be distributed among the permanent staff according to their length of service.
Geoffrey was often in dispute with Blackpool Council over their decision to allow private traders to use land opposite the Pleasure Beach.
Major Installations
During Geoffrey Thompson"s tenure, he installed many major attractions at the Pleasure Beach.
