Erik Beard

Erik H. Beard is a managing member and general counsel of International Ride Training, a consulting firm dedicated exclusively to ride and aquatic operations safety through operator certification, training, and auditing. Along with his two partners, Cindee Huddy and Patty Beazley, he is one of the guiding forces behind the “International Ride Operator Certification” program, the worlds only third-party certification of ride and aquatic operator safety, professionalism, and efficiency, currently in use at nearly forty amusement parks, water parks, family entertainment centers, and standalone attractions throughout the United States and Canada. He is also the creator of “ADA FAQ: Disability Training for the Attractions Industry,” a one-of-a-kind ADA compliance training program specifically for front-line team members in the attractions industry. He has worked in the amusement industry for over thirty years. Beard began his career in 1992 working in ride operations for Cedar Fair Entertainment Company at Cedar Point and Worlds of Fun, where he spent six years as Manager of Ride Operations and Park Services. Beard also worked on the pre-opening operations team at Universal’s Islands of Adventure where he had direct responsibility for development of operating procedures for the Lost Continent and Jurassic Park islands and guided numerous attractions through construction, commissioning, and pre-opening training and testing. After spending ten years in ride operations at the park level, Beard spent the next fifteen years serving the industry in a legal capacity. As a practicing attorney with two of the most sophisticated and well-regarded firms in the Northeast United States, Beard’s practice focused on product liability, amusement / leisure counseling and litigation, and general business litigation. He has represented and advised amusement parks, aquatic facilities, trade associations, and industry suppliers with respect to the Americans With Disabilities Act, amusement ride and aquatic safety matters, drowning investigations, operational best practices, and in amusement industry legislative and regulatory matters before the Connecticut Department of Public Safety and the Kansas Department of Labor. Beard is a frequent speaker at amusement industry events and trade shows such as the IAAPA Expo, IAAPA Operators Forum, the World Waterpark Association trade show, and the iROC Safety School, among others. He serves as Second Vice President of NEAAPA: The Northeast’s Entertainment Association, the Board of Directors for the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials, the Government Relations Committees of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions and the World Waterpark Association, and is a member of the ASTM F24 Committee and Vice-Chair of the F24.40 Task Group. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Services. Beard has published numerous articles and is quoted frequently on amusement industry safety and legal issues in such publications as the American Bar Association Franchise Law Journal, the George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal, Funworld Magazine, Amusement Today, In Park Magazine, and Resort & Recreation Magazine. Beard also independently authored The Legal Roller Coaster, a blog specifically devoted to legal issues affecting the amusement and tourism industries (www.legalrollercoaster.com). Beard graduated from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. with a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 and obtained his juris doctor, magna cum laude, from George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia in 2005. He currently resides in Avon, Connecticut.