He studied Veterinary Medicine and an MBA and started by chance to work in restaurant management. The operation and start-up of restaurants led him to take care of the food operations of the Sochi Winter Olympics. And finally, to the Canary Islands, where he was responsible for a water park for the first time. From then on, he never stopped operating and managing water parks, including Ramayana Water Park in Thailand and Garden City in Cambodia. Along the way, he became general manager of Bangladesh’s newest water park, Mana Bay Water Park, a position he holds today.
Amusement Logic: After a degree in Veterinary Medicine you started your career as a General Manager for the restaurants of firms such as Melatex and River Group. What took you from Veterinary to catering?
Lev Budin: During my studies, I learned how the human and animal body works; physiology, anatomy, biochemistry and biophysics of internal processes. Throughout all subsequent stages of my life, this knowledge was very useful to me. While still a student, I passed the selection and was enrolled in the team of the first Moscow McDonald’s restaurant back in 1989. The competition for a place in this restaurant was very big at that time… It was necessary to recruit 500 employees, but more than 50,000 applied…At that time, when I got to work in the first Russian-Canadian restaurant, I realized that my destiny was in the service sector… and that’s how my career began. After McDonald’s there was a Pizza Hut and work at the first five-star hotel in Moscow Penta-Renaissance, the iconic Sports Bar on Arbat Street .These were the first 10 years of my career. Having received an invitation to work for the modern restaurant company Melatex (a leader in the restaurant industry), I was entrusted with the opening and subsequent management of a gastronomic cafe in the center of Moscow. Everything went well and soon I got the opportunity to manage several restaurants, open new ones, and develop the company.
At the same time, I entered the Academy of Economics and a few years later received a second master degree, then another with a focus on marketing – an MBA. In total, I have behind me the opening from scratch of more than 10 restaurant projects in Russia and the Commonwealth Independent States countries, and I was in charge of the food operations during the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
A.L.: Afterwards, you became Managing Director of Lagarto Limited, a water park, restaurant and entertainment complex in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. How did this move occur?
L.B.: Having unexpectedly received a job offer from Spain, I agreed without hesitation. This is how my foreign working life began. I had to learn the Spanish language and immerse myself into the culture and traditions of Spain. My skills from previous jobs and the MBA degree helped overcome difficulties in communications. By that time, I had already visited 80 countries of the world and this was an additional advantage to the implementation of planned projects in Tenerife. During the three years of my life in Spain, I managed to open a very successful gastronomic restaurant, a club, build several real estate properties and optimize the operation of a water park. It would seem that these are not very related businesses on the one hand, but… On the other hand, this is all in the context of the service sector and hospitality. Therefore, knowing and respecting the traditions of the country, being with an open heart and sincere feelings, all this became possible and came to life.
A.L.: Since then, you would never leave the waterpark sector. From Lagarto you moved to Ramayana Water Park, the biggest in Thailand, where you worked as Chief Operations Officer. Why did you move to this country and what was your job?
L.B.: Living in Spain and touching the water entertainment industry, I became interested in this topic. I clearly understood that a modern water park is not only water slides, but also a whole complex of mechanisms, buildings, structures, various departments and communications. Here, catering and the service sector, hospitality and sales, marketing and advertising have successfully come together into a single whole.
Life in Spain, in Tenerife, at some point saturated me. Tenerife is an island and there you are clearly aware of the boundaries.
At this time, the largest and most modern water park in Chonburi was being built in Thailand. My friends who are distantly associated with the company involved in the construction of the park recommended that I try to contact the management of the future park. Everything turned out well and for the next few years I was involved in the operation and development of this wonderful park. Moving to Thailand was not difficult for me. Asia… when you come into contact with it for the first time, you unconditionally fall in love with this part of the earth.
I got to the Ramayana water park at the moment when the park was opened in testing mode. My direct control included the operational management of the water park, analysis of the current situation and cost optimization. In a fairly short period of time, I managed to establish an uninterrupted and smart management system, implement ISO 9001, significantly reduce operating costs, and create a mobile and creative Sales and Marketing team. Based on the results of the second year of operation, Ramayana was nominated as the best park in Thailand, number 2 in Asia and Top 10 in the world by TripAdvisor.
A.L.: What sort of water park is Ramayana and what public is it intended for?
L.B.: It is the largest water park in Thailand. It has an area of 170,000 m2, 26 water slides, a capacity of up to 7,000 visitors. Its idea and inspiration comes from the famous heroic epic Ramayana, a story full of mystery, adventure, magic and love, which has been translated into architecture and design for all visitors around the world. Throughout 7 years of operation, Ramayana Water Park has confidently maintained its leadership not only in Thailand, but throughout Asia. The park, open year-round, caters to locals and tourists, and has a wide variety of promotional, family and corporate specials.
A.L.: What particularities did you find at Ramayana in respect to operations? Are water park operations the same in every corner of the world?
L.B.: The particularities list of Ramayana includes: 1) an implemented motivation system (with incentives) for company employees of all categories and levels; 2) flexible remuneration system, with a significant number of employees hired on an hourly basis in part time jobs; 3) large segmentation of prices and offers in various market sectors: kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, travel agencies and tour operators segregated by geography; 4) a incentive motivating system for freelancers has been put into practice, with hundreds of them registered and working to generate income. The park has one day off on Wednesdays, and water slides have individual operating hours.
A.L.: You jumped to Garden City Water Park, the biggest in Cambodia, to work as a General Manager. And this one, how do you describe it and what are its attendants?
L.B.: Work in Cambodia began when the park was just being built. My immediate responsibilities included coordinating construction at the final stages, bringing water attractions and slides into operation, commissioning, recruiting personnel, and putting into practice international quality and safety standards, and planning and carrying out advertising and marketing events in collaboration with the five-star Garden City Hotel.
The Garden City water park is one of the biggest international attractions in Cambodia. It has 36 water slides, Cambodia’s first artificial open-air beach, the country’s only extreme lazy river, 60 cabanas, CASHLESS payment system and a capacity for 7,000 visitors.
More than 90 percent of the park’s visitors are local. These are mainly young people aged 18-25 years. A significant share of revenue also comes from Corporate sales.
And the marketing strategy focuses on creating attractive conditions for organizing large events, music festivals, and alternating between water and land attractions.
A.L.: Sun Ace Entertainment is a water park and entertainment complex, attached to AEON Shopping Mall, the biggest in Cambodia. Are there any synergies between the mall and the water park? Which?
L.B.: This is a very smart and far-sighted decision to have a water park and a shopping Mall together. Many ideas were implemented in this project, like night events in the water park; guests tired after shopping, rested and relaxed in the park; there is a Kids’ day club in the park where parents leave their children, while they are carefree shopping in the Mall. And using the scenic capabilities of the water park, musical, theatrical, and dance events were organized too. Thus, there is a synergistic effect when the water park and the shopping mall develop and promote each other. With an average daily traffic of ten thousand people, this project has proven its reliability and future prospects.
A.L.: After more than a year, you finally reached the position you occupy today, as a General Manager for the recently opened Mana Bay Water Park in Bangladesh. What would you highlight about this park?
L.B.: It is the largest and most modern water park in Bangladesh, with capacity for 8,000 visitors at any one time. It has the only “active” artificial volcano in the world, with a height of 25 meters and a base of 45 meters, designed specifically for Mana Bay Water Park. Every day, after sunset, visitors to the park have the unique opportunity to watch it erupt. It also boasts the highest artificial waves in South Asia, 17 unique water slides, the country’s only double surf simulator, the Kidz Kraze, the largest family attraction in Bangladesh, the country’s only food and beverage service that is organized individually for each of the 18 wooden cabins, the unforgettable interior landscape in the traditional Polynesian architectural style adapted to modern needs… All on a 51,700 m2 plot of land, with swimming pools, waterfalls, waterfalls, waterfalls and a variety of waterfalls. 700 m2, with swimming pools, waterfalls and gardens, caves, restaurants and bars, a spa complex, a lazy river over 700 m long with geysers, fountains, artificial waves and night lighting, branded clothing and souvenir stores.
The park is also home to the country’s only educational center offering various training programs in natural disaster rescue techniques, swimming lessons, modern art, international standards of service and hospitality, lifeguard training, cooking school.
Mana Bay Water Park is the only water park in the country where the operation is carried out in accordance with the international quality standard. The park’s management team includes employees from Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Singapore, Russia, Pakistan and Egypt. A united and well-coordinated team that has proven its efficiency and professionalism in several months of work after the opening.
A.L.: How has such a park been received in the country? What public is it attracting by now?
L.B.: The new Mana Bay Water Park has provoked a great wave of positive emotions and continues to collect well-deserved accolades. In the short time that has elapsed since its inauguration, several significant events for the country were held on the water park premises: the Miss World Bangladesh contest, an international dance festival and a light and music show.
It is a fact that in a country with a population of some 200 million there is a large income gap. The largest group of visitors to the park is the middle and upper-middle class, and thousands of them celebrated their corporate vacations there. Thanks to the international service and safety standards applied in practice, Mana Bay Water Park has taken Bangladesh’s hospitality and leisure industry to a new level.
A.L.: What role has the night in the operations of Mana Bay Water Park?
L.B.: Traditionally, the time after sunset is very popular in Bangladesh. Many public events and festivals end well after midnight. Due to these features, the design and infrastructure of Manabay Park were pre-planned for night time operation. During national holidays and long weekends, the park remains open late into the night, in accordance with international safety standards.
At night, ManaBay looks especially attractive, with individual lighting for each pool and each water slide. Add to this a unique night attraction: the Volcano show, with sound, fire and light effects.
A.L.: How do you foresee the future of this great water park?
L.B.: In the future, it will be important to develop additional entertainment in the park, not always related to water attractions. For example, create a multifunctional gaming area for team building and various activities; and add ropes and flotation devices to existing pools to make them more fun, more attractive for water adventure; and implement the idea of a light music show; and a creative weekend market. Perhaps it would be relevant to further develop the Polynesian theming of the park using immersion technological innovations. There are proposals and options for the construction of a natural resort, a hotel nearby, an extreme amusement park, and a cinema with many effects.
