Peter Ronchetti New GM Of Sea Life Aquarium And LegoLand

By Beth Downing

Carlsbad, CA - The new year brings big change to LEGOLAND® California Resort in the shape of a new General Manager. The Resort today announced that long-time President and General Manager, John Jakobsen has left California to focus on the development of new LEGOLAND Parks and other corporate projects. Peter Ronchetti, who has been the General Manager of Thorpe Park (one of the largest parks within the Merlin Entertainments Group) for more than six years, will step in as General Manager as of today.

LEGOLAND California Resort encompasses two attraction properties – LEGOLAND California, a 128-acre family theme park and SEA LIFE™, a two-story 36,000 square-foot interactive aquarium geared specifically for children ages 2 to 12.

“As you can imagine, being general manager of LEGOLAND California Resort is more than a part-time job,” said Jakobsen, who has been splitting time as General Manager of all four LEGOLAND Parks and the recently announced projects in Dubai and Malaysia. “Many exciting new things are on the horizon for LEGOLAND California and I have no doubt that Peter Ronchetti will be a great asset to the Resort during this time of growth and change.”

Ronchetti comes to LEGOLAND California from the U.K. with more than 20 years of management experience. “This is such an exciting time for me both personally and professionally,” said Ronchetti. “I look forward to the continued development of LEGOLAND California Resort as the number one destination for families with young children in North America and to living the ‘California Dream’ with my family.”

He is moving to Carlsbad with his wife Liz and their two sons, Paul-Luc (15 and a semi-professional skateboarder) and Jordi (13). Ronchetti will make his first public appearance as General Manager in February at the Resort’s annual press conference.

Jakobsen is now the Managing Director of LEGOLAND Parks and will be based out of Merlin Entertainment’s corporate headquarters in Poole, England. He will continue to visit LEGOLAND California several times a year.

LEGOLAND® California is a 128-acre interactive theme park dedicated to families with children between the ages of 2 and 12.  With more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, LEGOLAND is geared towards family fun! There are three other LEGOLAND Parks in the world – LEGOLAND Billund in Denmark, LEGOLAND Deutschland near Günzburg, Germany and LEGOLAND Windsor outside of London. The LEGOLAND theme parks are a part of Merlin Entertainments Group, the second largest attractions operator in the world.  Merlin Entertainments is the leading name in location based, branded, family entertainment and currently owns more than 50 attractions worldwide serving 33 million visitors worldwide.  For the most current information, log on to www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO
MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP is the leading name in location based, family entertainment, which has seen the most successful and dynamic growth of any company in the sector over the last five years.

The world's second largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin has 58 attractions and six hotels in 12 countries and across 3 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its 33 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and 13,000 employees. Merlin Entertainments operates the following attractions - SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, LEGOLAND, The London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Alton Towers, Warwick Castle, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Earth Explorer.