Merlin Entertainments, the largest visitor attraction operator in Europe and the second-largest in the world, welcomed Scott O’Neil to the role of chief executive officer in November 2022. His appointment followed the retirement of Nick Varney, who had been with the company for 23 years.
O’Neil has worked in the sports and entertainment industries for 25 years. In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing the business operations and global growth of Merlin Entertainments across its 147 attractions in 25 countries.
Speaking to blooloop after his first six months in the CEO role, he outlines his business philosophy. He talks about key areas of potential growth for Merlin Entertainments, as well as the value of creating a truly great place to work.
Early career advice
O’Neil grew up in upstate New York and attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania. His parents taught leadership development to huge global companies. This, he says, gave him some good training in how to drive culture and talent:
“I have four siblings and all of us have run companies. I don’t think my parents were inspired, after that education, by my being a bouncer [after graduating, O’Neil’s first job was as a bouncer at a bar in New Jersey], although I told them I was a very good one!
“My mother had set me up for an interview, but my car had broken down on the way back from a friend’s house the night before. So I hitchhiked back. I borrowed his suit and his jeep, which had no roof or sides. When I got there, my hair was a mess and I had a suit that was four sizes too big; I looked like a clown.”
“The guy looked at me and said: ‘You don’t want to work here, do you?’ It was a great lesson. I actually stayed in touch with him until he passed away. He taught me one of the most valuable lessons, which is to do your best work, be prepared, and come in on time.”
O’Neil also received solid career advice from his father:
“He said: ‘Why don’t you write down 20 places you want to work?’ I handed him the list and he said: ‘Why are you handing it to me? You need to figure out somebody who knows somebody at those companies.’ My college roommate’s dad had a neighbour who was a season ticket holder at the Nets – that was my in. I was hired as a secretary and assistant for the then-New Jersey Nets, a basketball team in the NBA.”
Turning around HSBE
O’Neil went on to become senior vice president of team marketing and business operations at the NBA. He then spent almost five years as president of Madison Square Garden Sports at the Madison Square Garden Company. Most recently, he served as CEO for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), a portfolio of sports, entertainment, and investment properties.
Here, he oversaw more than $2bn growth in enterprise value, from $415m to $2.5bn, through his focus on talent, culture, and guest experience.
Under his direction, HBSE developed from managing a single team, the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, into an award-winning live sports and entertainment organisation. It now includes a number of top-tier professional sports organisations, real estate assets, an esports platform, the Grammy Museum, a top-10 arena with international attendance, a venture fund, an innovation lab, and Elevate, a sports marketing firm.
“HBSE was a fun experience,” says O’Neil. “I walked into a bit of a mediocre, sleepy organisation, but it had some great characteristics. It had a wonderful, world-class brand. Some of the greatest players in basketball’s history had played for this team. It just hadn’t done well for 20 years or so.
“I came in with an incredible mandate to change, and a really impressive board, Josh Harris, David Blitzer and Michael Rubin. These names probably aren’t too familiar to your audience, although Josh and David own Crystal Palace Football Club. But in the sports world, they are familiar to everybody. They are sophisticated investors with an incredible passion for sport, who have invested in iconic teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Enjoy the run up the hill
O’Neil began by recruiting a world-class team of executives.
“We turned around the 76ers and we bought the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League and the Prudential Centre. This became a top 10 booked arena in the world. We also built the Grammy Museum, a real estate company and an investment platform, we had an innovation lab. We just kept growing and building.”
Speaking about the ethos that helped to turn the company around, he says:
“We had a process, and we needed everyone to trust the process. What that means is that you do the right thing every day, over and over. You make the right decisions based on data and management information. And you work hard and you don’t so much focus on today. You have your vision for the future and you know what you want to accomplish. You just trust the process, and I found that the results follow.
“If you have a vision, a wonderful team, and the right work ethic, if you have the right strategy and you have this great place to work, then the results are going to come. Then you appreciate and find joy in the development and the ups and the downs – the roller coaster of life, if you will. If you keep that vision and you put all those pieces in place, good things happen. But don’t forget to enjoy that run up the hill.”
Bringing about transformational change
O’Neil’s experience in several of his previous roles is with companies that need transformational change:
He says: “People either run to that, or they run away from it. I tend to run to it!”
At Merlin, however, the situation is very different.
“Merlin Entertainments has world-class brands, an incredible management team, wonderful people and a great culture. It is a successful business with a supportive board and all the resources that it needs to be great. But what I’ve taken from my career history is that transformational mindset. I’m constantly trying to figure out how we can move the ball forward How can we get better? How can we get smarter and how can we do things differently?
“I highly value people who are intellectually curious. People who walk in thinking, ‘Today, there’s something I can learn.’ I value people who ask questions, people who want to grow and want to change and get better.”
Why choose Merlin?
On considering a new job role, O’Neil says that he looks for three things: people, purpose and scale. Merlin, it turns out, ticked all of those boxes.
“From a people standpoint, the decision was really easy. I feel like this is a group I can love, like and respect, and that’s a wonderful combination. In terms of scale, Merlin is in a class of its own. It is in 25 countries, has 140 plus attractions and around 30,000* employees. So, it certainly has the scale that I was interested in.”
“When it comes to purpose, Merlin is in the memory-making business. So, I get to get up every morning and think about how you bring wonder and joy and happiness, and help create memories. That is something that has you popping out of bed and sprinting to work. And that’s something that I’ve had for a good portion of my career; I never want to lose that.”
Making it the greatest place to work
Talking about why he is the right person to lead Merlin Entertainments through the next stage of its global development, he says:
“I only know a certain way to work. And that is: ‘What do we have to do to make this the greatest place to work in the world?’
“That is my pursuit in life. I’m not sure you ever hit that line. But as a CEO I’m always trying to get as close to that line as possible. I’m always thinking about what I can do in my position to make this a wonderful place for people to work.”
O’Neil has three daughters:
“Oftentimes I think: ‘Is this the type of environment I want my daughters to come work?’
“I’m influenced by having been raised by a strong mom, marrying a very strong woman and then trying to raise three strong women.
“We’ve got almost 16,000 teammates under the age of 24. So how can we communicate with them? They’re not watching my town hall, right? So, should I be on TikTok? Should I be snapping pictures of my visits to our attractions, showing me with the team? How am I going to build a connection? I’m travelling all the time, and I’m meeting a lot of my colleagues and teammates on the front line.
“That’s where the magic happens. That is Merlin at its best, and that’s where I feel like we have the best chance to transform the guest experience. There’s a lot of amazing work happening but I think there are opportunities as well.”
Merlin’s potential for growth
In terms of the areas where Merlin has the most potential for growth, O’Neil says he is excited by the company’s prospects:
“There’s so much opportunity in this business. It’s just a matter of how you prioritise. We have an incredible stronghold in the UK and in Europe. We have a terrific business in the US, but I think we’ve barely scratched the surface there. Also, China offers up a really interesting opportunity.
“But I think any place where tourists are is a really good place for Merlin to spend more time.”
In terms of the Merlin Entertainments brand, he adds:
“In the UK, Merlin stands for something, it stands for family entertainment. But I think we have a way to go in terms of making the brand Merlin as impressive as the company that it represents. I think if you fast forward six to 18 months you’ll start to see and feel the Merlin brand emerge at a higher level.
“Part of that is because it’s a competitive advantage to have brand recognition. In the UK, we have great brand awareness and have the relationships to pick up the phone with partners with ideas and opportunities, and we’re also getting exciting calls all the time about opportunities. We’re building our brand in Europe, Asia, Australia and the US. And the calls with opportunities in those markets will come at a more rapid rate.”
Merlin Magic Makers
Merlin Entertainments is known to be an innovative company in the visitor attractions space. This is another characteristic that excites O’Neil about his new role:
“We’re really blessed here with the Merlin Magic Makers. Paul Moreton [Merlin’s chief development officer] has a wonderful philosophy and approach to life and creativity. This business and this group are committed to being forward-thinking, being different, engaging in new technologies, and creating at a different level in a different way.”
“Getting there will be a journey, and I think that’s part of the fun of it all. We’re not a finished product and I hope that that’s always the case. That goes back to the question of whether you have a turnaround mindset, or if you are happy with the way things are.
“I always wondered if I might be more content if I was better at seeing things as they are and leaving them be. But that is not going to be my fate. I am going to go through life looking to make good things into amazing things.”
Taking the good and making it great
One of O’Neil’s favourite sayings is: ‘When something’s very good, is it good enough?’
“I often answer no, it isn’t. I want to play in the extraordinary and be around people who can dream bigger, people who, if they’re creating a theme park will create the greatest theme park in the world.”
“Take the London Eye, which is one of our marquee properties. Can we improve the experience, how do we take that up a notch? To me, that’s fun. What does Madame Tussauds look like in 10 years? That brand is extraordinarily successful. We have 28 of them around the world and they see millions and millions and millions of visitors. But we could sit and be comfortable with that, or we can reimagine and recreate.
“This next generation, Merlin 2.0, if you will, will be about how we reimagine and build a future together.”
Sponsorship potential
In his previous role with Madison Square Garden, O’Neil was the architect of some of the biggest sponsorship deals in the history of the venue. Speaking about bringing that sponsorship expertise to Merlin, he says:
“We have more guests coming through Merlin properties than the NBA and NFL have coming through their gates for an entire season combined. If you were a big brand looking to reach the family audience, we should be your first or second call.”
“That being said, there’s a lot of work that goes into preparing to work with partners. We have to make sure that the brands map and match the quality of the brands that we have. But we’re going through a process now to walk through our various attractions, try to map assets, build platforms, and see if there are some partners that will be willing to engage.”
A love of Legoland
The Legoland brand is one that he is particularly passionate about:
“I love Legoland parks! One of my most happy moments was my visit to Legoland California. Oftentimes when I go to attractions, I call a friend who has children and bring the kids along. So, I called a friend of mine, I picked up his son and two friends, and we went over to the park.”
“I just always like to see the park through children’s eyes. It is pretty special to have that opportunity, and I couldn’t drag those kids out. “I thought the rides were fantastic, the food was amazing and the retail experience was terrific. I got to spend time with Kurt [Stocks, president of Legoland California Resort] and his executives there. They’re all wonderful. You can feel the energy there, you can feel the connection, and you can feel the guests and their experience.
“The way that staff engage with guests is key, it really sets the bar.”
Legoland in China
Merlin is currently building three new Legoland parks in China, in Shanghai, Sichuan and Shenzhen.
“I know how incredible those parks can be. It’s really special. When you go to our Legoland parks, you understand the power of the Lego brand, for sure.”
“Lego is one of the top brands in the world. Fortunately, we have a partner in Lego that wants to bring that brand to life. That, to me, is the fun part. I’m visiting our sites in Sichuan and Shenzhen and Shanghai and I’m excited to see where we are in the development and then meet with our development partners and see some of the local officials, etc.
“Our focus is getting those three parks up and running and launched from 2025 and then making sure that the guest expectation reaches our lofty wants.”
Merlin understands brands
When it comes to living up to guests’ expectations in creating experiences around beloved brands, O’Neil says:
“That’s either the most inspiring, fun challenge in the world or totally terrifying. Me, I couldn’t be any more excited about having the high expectations that come with partnering with a brand like Lego. And that’s what we’re good at. You have a big brand, and you want to bring it to life? You should call Merlin because we do it really well. We understand brands.”
“We want partners who care about their brands as much as we care about our brands. Hasbro owns Peppa Pig and they’re really passionate about Peppa. So, we’re really blessed to work with them. We work with Sony Entertainment and are launching Jumanji at Chessington this summer as part of a multi-territory partnership, and have launched Ferrari at Legoland California and Windsor.
“We have these top-tier brands and every day we get to figure out how to bring them to life. It’s a pretty cool challenge.
“So that’s pretty much the Merlin strategy. Build world-class attractions, focused on high-growth markets, partnering with big brands to create experiences at a level that no one’s ever seen before. Keep elevating the guest experience to make it world-class, and harness our amazing talent to make Merlin the best place to work in leisure and entertainment.”
*Approx. 30,000 at peak with seasonal staff
