Transform Your Operations at the Gatemaster Technology Summit 2025!
Innovate, Inspire, Impact!
Are you ready to reimagine the future of fun? The GT Summit 2025 is your ultimate destination to transform how you engage guests, streamline operations, and achieve unmatched success in the attractions industry.
This year’s theme, “Innovate, Inspire, Impact,” sets the stage for an unforgettable experience where visionaries and changemakers come together to revolutionize the guest journey. From cutting-edge technology to proven strategies, we’ll explore how to elevate your business and create lasting memories for your customers.
Dates: April 9th–10th, 2025
Location: THRIVE WORKPLACE, 5610 Ward Road, Suite 300, Arvada, Colorado, 80002
Spaces are limited!
Why Attend The GT Summit
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- Innovate: Dive into the latest trends, tools, and technologies shaping the future of attractions.
- Inspire: Hear from world-class speakers who’ve disrupted the status quo and redefined excellence.
- Impact: Gain actionable insights to deliver unparalleled guest experiences and make a real difference in your business.
What's In It For You?
- Reduce inefficiencies and improve guest satisfaction.
- Get actionable takeaways to enhance your team’s productivity.
- Insightful talks from industry leaders who are pushing boundaries.
- Connect with peers, experts, and innovators to share ideas and collaborate.
- Walk away inspired and equipped to drive growth and success in your attraction.
What's Included
In-Person Tickets include boxed lunches, a guided Denver food tour, two days of inspiring speakers, workshops, and a “Beer and Kombucha Hour” networking session.
VIP Tickets feature an exclusive Colorado Wine Tasting experience with Sondra and Speakers, in addition to all the perks of in-person tickets.
Virtual Tickets provide access to live-streamed sessions and interactive workshops from the comfort of your home or office.
Recordings Available for all ticket holders to revisit sessions and workshops at your convenience.
AGENDA
Speakers
Ruby Newell-Legner
Experience Architect at 7 Star Service
For three decades, Ruby Newell-Legner has inspired service cultures for executives, managers, and customer service staff for 1695 sports, leisure, and recreation facilities worldwide, including 104 amusement parks, family entertainment centers, waterparks, and 67 professional sports teams. Using Ruby’s expertise in leadership, guest experience, and employee engagement, she helped her clients increase Customer Satisfaction by 17%, amplified repeat business by 19%, and increased revenue by 16% in one year.
Ruby offers attraction leaders 7 Star Service solutions to amplify their brand and bottom line. She helps them build a guest-centric culture from their frontline employees to their guests, between co-workers and their peers, and from managers to the employees they supervise and mentor.
As a Certified Speaking Professional, Ruby has presented more than 4000 programs in 26 countries. She served as President of the National Speakers Association 2015-2016 and will serve as President of the Global Speakers Federation President from 2024-2025.
Sondra Shannon
CEO of Gatemaster Technology
Sondra Shannon is an accomplished business leader, entrepreneur, and dynamic speaker known for her innovative approach to technology and her passion for empowering others. As the CEO of Gatemaster Technology, Sondra has led the company to become a trusted name in ticketing and point-of-sale solutions for the attractions industry. Since stepping into the CEO role in 2012, she has combined her visionary leadership with deep technical expertise to drive growth, inspire teams, and deliver exceptional results for her clients.
Colin North Cheadle
Consultant at APEX Consulting Group Inc.
Colin North Cheadle is a seasoned HR leader and executive coach with over 20 years of experience, including work with Fortune 500 companies, private global marketing and technology firms, national manufacturing corporations, startups, and governmental agencies. From guiding foundational strategies for new business products and services to leading strategic improvements in workplace experiences, Colin has driven transformational, diversity-centered organizational change at every stage of his career.
His work with software engineers has provided him with a unique understanding of code requirements, front- and back-end architecture, and programming languages. Colin has also spearheaded impactful advancements in talent acquisition, learning and development, communications and marketing, and organizational design for the corporations he has served. Additionally, he has guided corporate leadership through complex pre- and post-acquisition phases.
Recognized as a reputable leader in People Operations Strategy, Change Management, Technology Development, Mobile App Strategy, and Organizational Development, Colin has extensive experience helping executives and their teams achieve their highest levels of productivity and performance to benefit their organizations.
Colin’s passion for people has always been the cornerstone of his professional accomplishments, driving his commitment to fostering growth and innovation in every role he undertakes.
Deana Jean
CEO & Founder, Intentional Excellence
Deana Jean is Your Collab Queen – an award winning Business Strategist and International Speaker with over 15 years of Sales and Executive Leadership Experience, and a heart for community and collaboration.
R. Persichitte
Financial Planner at Delagify Financial
R. Persichitte, CPA/PFS, CFP®, CFE, has spent over a decade guiding business leaders and individuals in making informed financial and investment decisions. With a foundation as an accountant and a reputation as an award-winning analyst, he is celebrated for leveraging data to drive sound, strategic choices.
Since 2017, R. Persichitte has served as the Director of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program at Metropolitan State University of Denver, demonstrating his dedication to empowering others through financial literacy and support. Prior to this, he gained extensive experience working as an auditor across various capacities for over 10 years.
Today, through Delagify Financial, he focuses on helping clients protect and grow their wealth. By safeguarding them from ripoffs, mistakes, and unnecessary taxes, R. Persichitte ensures his clients keep more of their hard-earned money.
Beyond his professional expertise, R. Persichitte has a passion for amusement parks and attractions. Known for his enthusiasm for these experiences, he often incorporates them into his teaching as relatable business examples, illustrating concepts like operations, customer engagement, and revenue strategies in a way that captivates and inspires his audience.
Jim Kunau
President of J Kunau Enterprises
Jim Kunau has three decades of experience in the theme and water park industry. As a young Eagle Scout, Jim served as a lifeguard at Wildcat Hollow Boy Scout camp in western Kentucky. That experience had a lasting impression that would shape a unique and fulfilling career.
Kunau’s first role in the industry was in Cash Control at Kentucky Kingdom in 1994. He was recruited to join the Sales and Marketing team at Kentucky Kingdom which was, at the time, the fastest-growing theme park in North America. His varied background in sales, package delivery and hospitality helped him become Assistant General Manager at the park. Kunau remained with Kentucky Kingdom and led the park’s transformation and re-branding as a Six Flags property in 1999.
During his first tenure with Six Flags, he worked various park level management positions at parks including SplashTown Water Park near Houston, Texas where he solidly established his passion for the water park industry. After two seasons in Houston, he was asked to return to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom as Marketing Director. There he served as a mentor to many sales and marketing professionals throughout the Six Flags family and went on to become the Corporate Director of Marketing and Entertainment for Six Flags. In 2008 he left Six Flags for adventure in Dubai where he helped EMAAR open the world’s largest mall – The Dubai Mall.
Returning to the United States, Kunau worked with several parks including properties in Hot Springs, Arkansas and Birmingham, Alabama. He then served as General Manager at Hurricane Alley Waterpark in Corpus Christi Texas and then General Manager at Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts. In 2018, Kunau accepted the position of General Manager at Island H2O Water Park in Kissimmee, Florida. His team at Island H2O had the distinction of being the first waterpark in the auS to reopen after COVID-19 shutdowns around the world.
Kunau has served on the WWA Marketing Committee and currently serves on the Education Committee. He has spoken multiple times at the WWA Show and on various panels for the WWA. His career has led him to be an Ellis Associates lifeguard, a lifeguard instructor for the National Aquatics Safety Company and an instructor for Starguard Elite.
Kunau returned to Six Flags as Vice President of Water Park Operations and Park President of Frontier City, a Six Flags Theme Park. His focus increased revenue, improved safety, and improved guest experiences. He believes that creating a great environment for employees translates to creating great guest experiences. That’s not a bad career for that 14 year old Eagle Scout from western Kentucky.
Aurora Elicerio
Principal Owner of Eos Edge Consulting LLC
Aurora is an accomplished and experienced people practitioner focused on empowering teams to create solutions that thrive in diverse settings. Her lived experience as a first-generation college graduate, active-duty army spouse, and child of immigrants is invaluable in her work to amplify underestimated and marginalized individuals.
Aurora grew up in Flint, MI and spent several years living in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama before making Colorado her home in 2011. She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Michigan State University and a graduate certificate in strategic human resource integration from Regis University.
With more than 20 years of experience in talent acquisition, development, management, inclusion and belonging, she provides meaningful recommendations to organizations elevating their approach to acquire and engage the best talent.
Jake Shannon
Business Coach at No1 Coaching
Jake Shannon is a dynamic entrepreneur and elite business coach who has revolutionized multiple industries. As the #1 Elite 10X Business Coach for Grant Cardone, he empowers high-performing entrepreneurs to achieve extraordinary results. His innovative spirit led him to found Scientific Wrestling, establishing himself as the world’s leading authority on catch-as-catch-can wrestling, and invent the now-ubiquitous Macebell, sparking a global fitness movement.
With an MS in Financial Engineering and a deep understanding of performance metrics, Jake brings analytical precision to business growth strategies. His groundbreaking work in competitive professional wrestling aims to merge the authenticity of catch-as-catch-can with modern entertainment, positioning him at the forefront of combat sports evolution.
A dedicated family man and mentor, Jake balances his entrepreneurial ventures with a commitment to helping others achieve their full potential through his platform at No1Coaching.com
Jeremy Weakley
Tickets & Customer Service Captain and Corner Market Manager at Cox Farms
Dedicated to creating exceptional guest experiences at Cox Farms, Jeremy serves as the Tickets & Customer Service Captain and Corner Market Manager. His work focuses on optimizing ticketing and admissions processes, empowering employees to provide outstanding customer service, and leveraging technology to deliver and enhance the Cox Farm experience customers expect. From managing the transition to online-only ticketing and e-commerce to streamlining operations and training, Jeremy ensures that employees can always deliver on the Cox Farms experience and easily go the extra mile for customers.
With 15 years at Cox Farms, Jeremy has held various roles, from making donuts and crafting the cider donut operations to making kettle corn, caramel apples, and BBQ, as well as leading and managing various food operations across the farm. His current focus is on ticketing, admissions, and customer service operations. These roles combined has given Jeremy a deep understanding of how delivering a great customer experience is truly special.
Renee Zau
Co-founder & CEO of DonationMatch
Renee Zau is the Co-founder and CEO of DonationMatch, a transformative platform founded in 2010 that revolutionizes how in-kind donation requests are managed for both charities and donor companies, with a specialty in tickets and vouchers. By creating a secure, self-service system, Renee has enabled museums, amusement parks, and businesses of all sizes to efficiently qualify and manage in-kind donation requests, saving hundreds of labor hours each year while amplifying their marketing visibility through community giving.
DonationMatch also provides nonprofits with a streamlined application process to connect with pre-qualified donors, reducing administrative burdens for events. Renee’s focus on data, efficiency, and charity fraud prevention is at the core of DonationMatch, ensuring compliance and protecting donor resources through rigorous applicant validation, making the platform a leader in secure, impactful charitable giving.
Dr. Stephen Richardson
Founder & Sr. Software Architect of Gatemaster Technology
Dr. Richardson started Gatemaster, like many successful San Francisco bay area tech start-ups, in his garage. Since its inception in 1994, Gatemaster has grown to become the industry leader in point-of-sale and ticketing software with clients in 16 countries worldwide and satellite offices in California, Utah and Colorado. He lives (and programs) in northern California.
Daniel Woodward
Customer Engagement Associate, Gatemaster Technology
With over 22 years in the theme park and entertainment industry, Daniel has dedicated his career to creating unforgettable experiences for guests. His journey began at just 16 years old at Paramount’s Kings Island. His early days were spent learning from some of the industry’s most talented professionals, and it was here that he discovered the magic of creating immersive worlds through events like Fear Fest, Haunt, and Winterfest.
Driven by his passion for the industry, he’s taken on various roles across other parks and haunted attractions, always seeking to enhance the guest experience. Before joining Gatemaster, he served as the Groups and Events Manager at Entertrainment Junction. There, he effectively utilized Gatemaster’s system to streamline our group, event, and birthday party bookings, as well as introducing successful in-house events such as craft shows and Breakfast with Santa.
Now, he is thrilled to assist other attractions in optimizing their systems to ensure guest satisfaction.
Manny Navarrete
Software Support & QA Technician at Gatemaster Technology
Manny is a new player in the attractions industry but have been working on software for close to 10 years. He studied Computer Science Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, and was self-employed doing a wide range of technical consultations, before finding a home at Gatemaster Technology.
Adam Macy
Lead Developer at Gatemaster Technology
Adam is Gatemaster’s resident web guru having spearheaded Gatemaster’s e-commerce and mobile pos development teams. When he is not programming projects he is tending to his goats and chickens with his family.
Creative by The Evoke Group