Thor Degelmann and Vero Piacentini are highly experienced industry executives who transform concept into reality, effectively bridging the guest experience divide between vision and operation. With decades of industry experience, they are highly experienced executives who have successfully managed the complexities of high-profile attractions and venues, offering a comprehensive approach to the guest experience lifecycle. Thor Degelmann is a renowned global expert in strategic planning and culture-building, laying the foundation for sustainable destination development. Vero Piacentini acts as the catalyst for performance, a proven executive known for driving operational turnarounds, modernization, and record revenue growth across major venue portfolios. By taking accountability for venue and business operations, they translate enterprise-level insights into practical guest experience strategies that significantly benefit small-to-medium-sized organizations.
Thor Degelmann Master Strategist
Thor Degelmann is a seasoned strategic advisor and leader in experience design and execution. He is known for helping organizations bring ideas to life and deliver exceptional guest experiences. With a career spanning executive and management roles in operations, administration, and human resources, he combines broad insight with a pragmatic, collaborative approach.
Thor spent 33 years with The Walt Disney Company, ultimately serving as Vice President of Administration and Human Resources at Disneyland Paris Resort. There, he led the development and execution of the resort’s organizational and workforce masterplan, scaling the operation from 10 employees to more than 17,000 in five years and successfully established the Disney service culture across a multilingual, multicultural workforce.
His Disney tenure also included management and leadership roles in theme park and resort hotels operations, corporate functions, and at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he gained valuable experience in creative development and design management. As Corporate Manager of the Disney University, he oversaw all programs focused on culture, training, organizational development, and employee communication.
Thor brings his extensive background to both established brands and emerging ventures, and, as an independent consultant, has advised clients across the U.S., Europe, China, Korea, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, providing actionable insights and a fresh perspective to help organizations grow efficiently and sustainably.
Vero Piacentini
Venue Transformation
Vero Philip Piacentini, MBA, is an executive with over 20 years of leadership experience in venue operations, organizational management and development, and corporate strategy. A specialist in transforming underperforming assests across tourism, sports, and entertainment sectors, he most recently served as Vice President of the New York State Olympic Authority. In this role, he directed multi-site operations and large scale multi-million dollar capital investment projects that drove a 59% percent increase in revenue. These inatives grew annual visitation to record highs of more than 1.2 million annual visits. His introduction of new operation programs revitalized the historic Olympic venues used for the 1932 and 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, turning them into modern commercial successes.
Vero has since returned to his core passion: navigating the unique challenges of smaller venues and transforming them into high-performing destinations. His success centers on delivering exceptional guest experiences and a high-performing workforce. His expertise spans the entire venue value chain, rooted in the conviction that the guest journey is the essential driver of commercial success. Vero’s proven track record in navigating complex stakeholder environments makes him an invaluable asset in strategic planning and implementation.
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