The Baker Group is an international consulting, operations, and advisory firm specializing in the planning, development, and operation of entertainment, hospitality, and mixed-use destinations — led by executives who have personally built and operated the world's most iconic visitor attractions.
For decades, The Baker Group has worked alongside developers, governments, and investors to help create memorable visitor destinations. From strategic planning and operational readiness to entertainment development and destination management, our focus has remained constant: helping clients transform ambitious ideas into successful, sustainable projects.
The Baker Group's leadership team brings together more than 254 years of combined executive experience, forged inside organizations that include The Walt Disney Company, Universal Creative, NASA and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Port Canaveral, Universal Beijing Resort, national investment banking firms, global construction and program-management practices, and award-winning creative and branding studios.
Rather than assembling a team of generalist consultants, The Baker Group offers clients direct access to the same caliber of executive leadership that has built and operated some of the world's most recognized destinations — applied to each client's individual project from initial concept through long-term operations.
The world's most successful destinations share a common characteristic — they create lasting value. They become places where families gather, cultures are celebrated, and communities prosper.
Starting in the parking lot at Disneyland and climbing through the ranks to top executive positions with The Walt Disney Company, Steve Baker has worked across multiple continents with talented professionals and visionary clients. Today, as The Baker Group looks toward opportunities such as Bharatland in Andhra Pradesh — combining a team based in India with headquarters in Orlando — the firm remains committed to applying international experience while respecting local culture, heritage, and long-term development goals.
To help clients create destinations that are financially successful, operationally efficient, culturally meaningful, and memorable for every guest.
Every successful destination is built upon a disciplined process that balances creativity with commercial reality — refined over decades of direct delivery, from a $430M entertainment program at Universal Beijing Resort to cost management across projects ranging from $1M to more than $5B.
The Baker Group has contributed to projects across North America, South America, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia — and, through this engagement, now looks toward India, the last and most exciting frontier.
Each principal has held direct, hands-on executive responsibility inside the organizations that define this industry — not as outside advisors, but as the people who planned, built, financed, staffed, and operated the destinations themselves.
Began his career in 1966 with The Walt Disney Company, advancing through a decade of operating leadership including Manager of Main Street, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square, then Manager of EPCOT Center's World Showcase.
35+ years of themed attraction and facility planning across three Olympic Games, Kennedy Space Center, and Universal Beijing Resort, where he led a $430M entertainment attractions program.
Part of the 30-person team behind Dubai Gates of Adventure and developer of the first American-brand outlet mall in the MENA region, now 240 shops.
Six-decade entertainment veteran and 30-year Walt Disney Company executive who served as Director of Talent Casting and Booking across Disney's global portfolio.
Nine-year Walt Disney Feature Animation artist on The Lion King, Mulan, and Tarzan; a decade as Executive Creative Director at ITEC Entertainment.
20+ years scaling operating models across complex, multi-site organizations, including enterprise frameworks across a 60-plus-site North American portfolio.
25+ years of global construction leadership on projects from $1M to $5B, including Chief Estimator for Universal Orlando's $1.2B Islands of Adventure.
30+ years in investment banking and capital formation for hospitality and leisure clients; Managing Director at 1858 Capital Partners.
20+ years of creative leadership at the intersection of entertainment, luxury fashion, and storytelling, including a repositioning that drove ~200% growth for Moose Knuckles.
25+ years of theme park, hospitality, and attractions leadership; created Port Canaveral's first Guest Experience Division serving 4M+ annual visitors.
30 years creating location-based entertainment for theme parks, museums, and cultural destinations, from Marvel Dubailand to cultural centers in Hong Kong and Osaka.
The Baker Group provides comprehensive consulting services throughout every phase of destination development — integrating strategic planning, financial analysis, operational readiness, guest experience, and long-term management.
From vision to opening day — master planning that balances guest circulation, attraction placement, infrastructure, and future expansion.
Demographic trends, tourism demand, competitive positioning, and attendance potential evaluated before development decisions are finalized.
Distinguished by creative leadership from Disney Feature Animation, ITEC Entertainment, and immersive attraction design from Dubailand to Osaka.
Operating procedures that improve efficiency while enhancing guest experience, shaped by leaders who have run these systems at scale.
Recruitment, training, testing, and guest-flow validation completed well before opening day — the readiness discipline behind the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit launch.
Enterprise performance frameworks — executive dashboards, KPI development, and structured risk-monitoring built across a 60-plus-site portfolio.
Sponsorship and brand-commerce strategy applied to admissions, retail, F&B, and experiential upsell opportunities.
Comprehensive training systems establishing consistent service standards, built on the casting and booking systems used by Disney worldwide.
CAPEX planning to refresh and reinvent the guest experience long after opening day, informed by decades of multi-site operating discipline.
Every successful destination follows a disciplined process that integrates strategic planning, operational excellence, financial discipline, and guest experience throughout every phase.
Identifying long-term purpose and measurable objectives — evaluating government partnerships, tourism demand, and market opportunity.
Population growth, tourism forecasts, attendance projections, pricing strategy, and risk assessment inform the financial model.
Destination theme, attraction mix, retail experience, F&B, architecture, and brand identity come together to create emotional connection.
Infrastructure, roads, parking, utilities, guest circulation, back-of-house, and future expansion are mapped for efficiency and comfort.
Coordination with architects, ride manufacturers, structural and lighting designers, and show producers — integrated with safety and revenue goals.
Procurement strategy, ride acquisition, construction oversight, schedule monitoring, and budget control deliver projects on schedule.
Recruitment, training, manual development, testing, soft opening, and ride certification — opening day begins years before guests arrive.
Guest experience, operational efficiency, safety, media relations, and government coordination converge at launch.
CAPEX-funded refreshes and enterprise performance frameworks keep destinations improving long after opening day.
"Where faith, culture, tourism, and entertainment converge." Prepared for Bharatland Private Limited, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
Bharatland represents a rare opportunity to create one of India's most significant mixed-use tourism and entertainment destinations. Located in the Tirupati region — home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, the world's most visited shrine at over 30 million visits annually — the project combines hospitality, entertainment, retail, recreation, and cultural experiences within a single master-planned destination.
A dedicated Temple 4D theatre and entertainment park serve as an anchor experience, preparing pilgrims and tourists for the Temple visit while capturing a portion of its enormous annual visitation — joining Indian high-tech companies with Western themed-entertainment expertise.
Bharatland's ambition — a single master-planned destination combining a theme park, hospitality, residential development, retail, and an entertainment district — maps directly to the leadership's individual, hands-on experience.
| Component | Lead Executives | Directly Relevant Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Theme Park & Attractions | Tim Macy, Paitoon Ratan, Allen Yamashita | Universal Beijing Resort's $430M attraction program; executive creative direction for major themed attractions; immersive narrative attractions from Dubailand to Osaka. |
| Hotels & Hospitality | Iain McGillivray, Brian Blanchard | $380M Marriott Grande Lakes Resort & Hard Rock's $4B hospitality/casino portfolio; destination and cruise-port operations serving 4M+ annual visitors. |
| Residential / Mixed-Use | Iain McGillivray, Jessica McNaull | Global Village masterplan, Dubai, and mixed-use delivery across the Middle East and Asia; enterprise operating frameworks for 60+ site portfolios. |
| Retail | Stephen DeMilta, Brody Baker | First American-brand outlet mall in the MENA region (240 shops today); global brand & retail repositioning driving ~200% growth. |
| Entertainment District | Ron Rodriguez, Allen Yamashita, Brody Baker | 30 years of Disney live-entertainment casting and production; immersive cultural and media attractions; cultural-partnership and audience-engagement campaigns. |
A few representative projects reflecting hands-on delivery by the same principals who now advise our clients — spanning 198 global projects to date.
Search or filter the firm's full project history — spanning theme parks, resorts, Olympic venues, feature animation, casting portfolios, capital markets, and consumer brands delivered by The Baker Group's leadership over three-plus centuries of combined careers.
| Project | Category | Project Type | Region |
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"The most successful destinations are created when vision is supported by disciplined execution." Whether advising on a regional family entertainment center or a multi-billion-dollar integrated tourism destination, our philosophy remains consistent: create memorable destinations, operate them efficiently, protect the client's investment.
A trusted advisor throughout the operational life of every destination.
Continuity of judgment from opportunity assessment through long-term operations.
Disciplined capital structuring and revenue strategy protect long-term value.
International Destination Development · Planning · Operations · Strategy · Tourism · Entertainment · Destination Management
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