I recently went one-on-one with Jeff Davis, President of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
Adam: How do you define project management?
Jeff: To me, every project, especially in this business, is unique and different. Whether you’re talking about a physical project, like building a ride, a restaurant, or a gift shop, or managing the day-to-day operations of a theme park, it all falls under project management. I’ve been doing this since I was 16 and fell in love with the business.
It really depends on what the project needs, who’s involved, and whether it’s all internal people or includes external vendors and partners. A good project manager needs to be flexible, understand the final goal, build the path to get there, and help everyone else stay on track.
At its core, project management is about achieving a goal with the resources, budget, and people you have. That could mean completing something in a few days or over a few years. Planning and execution are key parts of the process.
Adam: Why is project management important, and when and where is it especially important?
Jeff: I’ve worked in small parks, medium parks, and large parks like this Busch Gardens Tampa Bay here, and no matter the size, planning is always crucial. Many projects take months or even years to complete, so you need a structured, methodical approach.
Time and budget are always your biggest constraints. We often plan five years out so we can align our dollars and resources. Long-term planning is the only way to execute projects successfully and prioritize the right ones.
Let’s say we want to add a new coaster. A project of that size can take over two years from concept to the first ride. If we’re not proactively managing and planning, we risk falling behind. That’s when you start dealing with aging infrastructure and losing ground to competitors. Planning is the first and most essential step in project management.
Adam: What are the steps of project management, and why is each step important?
Jeff: Planning is the first step, especially in a park like this where you have rides, a zoo, shows, food and beverage, and retail—all requiring attention. Planning helps us decide what should take priority in the next three to five years: a new zoo attraction? A new event? A ride? A restaurant?
From there, we build business cases and timelines for each project. These can shift, but planning gives us direction and allows the team to understand what’s coming.
Next comes budgeting. We put numbers to ideas and determine the scope. Often, what we want costs more than what we have. That’s when we do value engineering, figuring out must-haves versus nice-to-haves and scaling accordingly.
Once the project is chosen and funded, we move into execution. This is where skilled project managers are essential. They coordinate with contractors, hold regular meetings, and manage overlapping projects. The goal is to stay on schedule, hit milestones, and make necessary adjustments.
Finally, we prepare for opening. For us, that includes park-wide communication—marketing needs to know launch dates, media tours need to be scheduled, operations teams need to staff up, menus need to be finalized, and budgets adjusted for operating expenses. Communication is embedded in every step.
Adam: What are the most important skills for project managers, and how can they be developed?
Jeff: The best project managers are excellent communicators. There’s never enough money or time – ask any PM and they’ll tell you a project that’s under budget and ahead of schedule is a unicorn.
Communication is how you bring together all the moving pieces. At SeaWorld Texas, we had weekly construction meetings with everyone: contractors, maintenance, operations, and entertainment. We’d go around the room and ask what’s needed, what’s holding us up, and what milestones we’re hitting or missing. Problems were identified, and even if they weren’t solved immediately, they were flagged early.
Project managers need to be incredibly organized. Thankfully, we have software and tools for time tracking, budgeting, and scheduling. But the human element is just as important. You need to build strong relationships with contractors, vendors, and internal teams.
Those relationships are vital, especially when you need someone to go the extra mile during challenges like weather delays. Trusted vendors show up because they feel like they’re part of the project, not just hired hands.
The best PMs can motivate others to take ownership of a project – even if it’s not theirs – and that makes all the difference.
Adam: How can someone develop the soft skills essential to succeeding in project management?
Jeff: Get involved, early and often. I didn’t start as a project manager. I started by taking direction and slowly learned by being part of project teams. That’s how you develop.
If you’re interested in project management, find a mentor. Connect with people in the field, on LinkedIn, social media, and at networking events. Ask to shadow someone or join a team on a small project.
Soft skills, like communication, professionalism, and relationship building, are learned through experience. Anyone can learn the technical side, but being a good team member, being someone people trust and want to work with, takes practice.
Be a problem solver. It’s easy to point out problems; the real value is bringing solutions. Even if your idea isn’t perfect, showing that you’re thinking through the challenge makes a big difference.
Adam: What is workplace planning, and why is it important?
Jeff: Workplace planning is about understanding your team’s strengths and identifying areas for growth. When I was a department head, I always considered whether we had internal talent ready to grow, if someone from another department might be interested in cross-training, or if we needed to hire externally. A well-rounded team is made up of people from different backgrounds: some who’ve grown within the park, some from outside industries, and others who’ve transitioned between disciplines. That diversity brings fresh perspectives and strengthens the organization.
For example, at Sesame Place, we once brought someone from HR into an operations manager role. She had no prior ops experience but had a strong background in training and development. She learned the operations side and, in turn, brought valuable training expertise to the team. It benefited her and us, and she eventually returned to HR better equipped than before. That’s the value of being intentional with workplace planning – it supports short-term goals and long-term development.
Adam: How do you determine short-term vs. long-term organizational needs and hire accordingly?
Jeff: Short-term needs are often data-driven, based on immediate inputs like revenue or labor, and involve shifting focus quickly. Long-term planning requires looking at broader trends: guest satisfaction, future business growth, or untapped markets. Once you identify those needs, recruiting is about more than skill, it’s about fit. You have to deeply understand your organization’s culture and make sure both the candidate and company align in values and expectations.
We’re fortunate because people know Busch Gardens, but we still have to explain what kind of talent we’re looking for. Fit is key, especially at senior levels, and we involve leadership in the interview process to ensure alignment. Even if someone’s not a fit right now, we keep the conversation going because future opportunities often emerge.
Adam: How do you define “fit”?
Jeff: Fit is about knowing your team and culture well enough to identify what complements it, not just personality or background, but communication style and skills. It doesn’t mean hiring people who all think alike. In fact, the opposite is true. A diverse team with varying experiences is stronger. After 30+ years in the industry, I’ve gone from hoping someone would recognize my potential to now being the one assessing it in others. Today, I ask: Could this person be a senior leader in five or ten years?
Because we hire so many seasonal and part-time staff – students, young professionals – they become our future managers and directors. A few weeks ago, we promoted several internal candidates to full-time supervisor roles. That only happens because we’ve been planning ahead and identifying talent from day one.
Adam: What are your best tips for succession planning?
Jeff: Succession planning starts with open and honest conversations about employees’ goals and where the company sees them going. Some people are already in their ideal role and thriving, which is great. Others aspire to more, and it’s our job to help them get there through exposure to new experiences, mentorship, and feedback.
Sometimes people don’t see their own potential, so we make suggestions they hadn’t considered. I had a mentor early on who told me, “Make sure you tell people what you want.” Don’t assume your boss knows your ambitions. I try to have those casual yet meaningful conversations all the time.
Also, honesty goes both ways. If there’s something holding someone back, we owe it to them to share that -whether it’s a skill gap or something else – so they can work on it. And because we’re part of United Parks & Resorts, we collaborate across all our parks, sharing talent and insights. That network makes our succession planning even stronger.
