AttractionPros Podcast - Episode 215: Jared Reid talks about Florida wildlife, listening to your guests and 10xing your attendance.   Jared Reid is the General Manager of Wild Florida, Orlando’s only airboat, gator and drive-thru safari park. Wild Florida has traditionally counted on international travelers for the bulk of their attendance, but with COVID-19 that demographic was unable to travel, causing Jared and the Wild Florida team to re-evaluate their marketing plans. As you will hear in this conversation, their changes led to attendance growth that they never could have predicted.    Florida Wildlife “This is so peaceful, this is so calming. This is Florida.” Jared recognizes that many visitors to central Florida are drawn in because of Disney, Universal, etc, but for guests who want to see the Florida that is beyond the theme parks, Wild Florida offers guests the chance to reconnect with nature. Jared also enjoys the chance to educate people not only on the wildlife they can experience at the park, but also the fact that Florida has so many opportunities to slow down and enjoy a day with plenty of fresh air and no lines. This became a tremendous advantage when during the pandemic, people were tired of being cooped up in their homes and just wanted to get out.    Listening to your guests “One thing that surprised us was that we thought we had plenty of animals, but our guests told us they wanted more.”   When asked about specific feedback that surprised him, Jared mentioned that the Wild Florida team felt they had plenty of animals, but guests were telling them that they wanted more. The guests were also saying that they loved the fact that the animals didn’t look too close together or packed in, which presented an opportunity to expand the drive-thru safari to accommodate a larger collection and to give the guests more wildlife to experience. For other enclosures, Jared said they have built them 2 to 3 times larger than what the building code calls for, just to ensure the guests see that the animals have plenty of room and are well cared for.    10xing your attendance “The biggest challenge was figuring out how to maintain our tranquil experience with so many more guests.”   When the demand for your product is 10x almost over night, you are going to experience some growing pains. Jared explained that this impacted every part of their business. They needed to hire more staff, widen the roadways and allocate resources to manage the traffic flow into the park. Since they were one of the only attractions open, they were able to hire quite a few people who had been furloughed or laid off from other attractions. Part of what caused the additional attendance was Wild Florida’s switch to focus on the local market rather than international visitors. This was out of necessity, as international travel had all but stopped. The Central Florida residents came out in droves and accounted for Jared saying that in some ways, COVID was the best thing that ever happened to us.    For more on Wild Florida: www.wildfl.com. Jared can be reached at 407-957-3135 or jared@wildfl.com.   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

AttractionPros Podcast

Episode 215 - Jared Reid talks about Florida Wildlife, listening to your guests, and 10Xing your attendance

Taylor Bybee is a digital cinema graduate with a passion for the amusement industry.  In 2013, he created Coaster Studios, a YouTube channel geared toward coaster and thrill ride enthusiasts.  Taylor considers Coaster Studios as a bit of a “variety channel,” with footage on rides, reviews, satirical content, and documentaries.  Most recently, Coaster Studios has released a full length documentary, This is How We Roll, which highlights the inspiring story of Rocky Mountain Construction.   Marketing to enthusiasts “Roller coasters are inherently freakin’ cool.” Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana offers a tour of The Voyage, one of the park’s signature rides, that they offer as a premium experience, catered specifically to enthusiasts.  However, coaster enthusiasts make up such a small percentage of overall park attendance.  With that said, Taylor says that coaster enthusiasts are both your biggest fans and your biggest critics.  Coaster enthusiasts are the loudest, and act as the park’s advocates to influence new guests.  When you have such a passionate group of enthusiasts, what they love is often going to transfer over to the public.  For example, Rocky Mountain Construction sells merchandise, which is unusual from an industry supplier; however, RMC’s fans are as big of fans as the parks themselves, and are eager to support their favorite ride manufacturer.  As a result, their influence has the ability to convert the average visitor into season passholders and breed the next wave of enthusiasts.   Documentary Filmmaking “Roller coasters are the B storyline.  The A storyline is about the people.  You get to know these people, and you become attached to them by the end.” As a recent graduate of Utah Valley University, Taylor was required to complete a senior capstone project for the digital cinema department.  Having previously met members of the Rocky Mountain Construction team, he presented the suggestion of creating a documentary, which was immediately well received.  In addition to the rides, Rocky Mountain Construction has an inspiring story with incredible people behind it.  What was initially set out to be a 40 minute film, Taylor quickly identified that there was a much bigger story to tell, due to what he learned after starting production that couldn’t be researched online. Taylor also stresses that This is How We Roll is not intended to be a commercial, but to give people a greater appreciation for roller coasters.  You can ride an RMC ride all day, but when you know the backstory of the people behind it, you ride it with a greater understanding of everything that went into it.  The documentary is intentionally designed for anyone who wants to learn more about roller coasters, not just the biggest coaster fans.  This is How We Roll is a story about family, determination, and perseverance, and Taylor believes that that is what appeals to the majority of people.   Engaging through YouTube “You can have the nicest camera in the world, but at the end of the day, if what is on the other side of that camera doesn’t look amazing, there’s not really a way to hide that.” When a park posts a video, it’s advertising.  However, when Coaster Studios produces content, the intention is to engage the audience, rather than striving for the audience to purchase a ticket.  Since 2013, Coaster Studios has built trust within the audience, proving that the content will be authentic, as well as produced with high quality.  And since not every visit to a theme park will be a perfect experience, Coaster Studios shares that too, and the audience can make their decision to visit the park or not, versus the channels that parks use, which will always highlight the high points of the experience.  If the content always said that a ride was the ultimate experience, it would lose the authenticity that has built trust in the channel and the brand. To learn more about Taylor, Coaster Studios, and This is How We Roll, make sure to follow Taylor on Twitter, subscribe to Coaster Studios on Instagram and YouTube, and purchase This is How We Roll on Vimeo. PS: Taylor has ridden 780 roller coasters all over the world.  When asked what he hasn’t ridden yet, he says that he has yet to ride Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, the world’s fastest coaster. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 214 - Taylor Bybee talks about marketing to Enthusiasts, documentary filmmaking, and engaging through YouTube

Kenny Funk has been in the attractions and resort industry since 1996. With 21 years with Walt Disney World and 3 years at Great Wolf Lodge, Kenny has been leading the charge to rethink retail. Kenny is now an independent contractor with the Magic Makers Group, a cohort of ex-Disney executives that combined have over 500 years of experience in all facets of theme park and resort operations.    Brand deposits “There is no grey area with brand deposits and withdrawals. It’s either one or the other.” Kenny defines brand deposits as the little employees and organizations do every day that reinforce their brand promise. At an attraction, that could mean being ready for the projected crowd, having enough ride vehicles ready to go, ensuring your systems and processes are up to date, and preparing your team, one by one, to deliver on the brand promise from whatever role they are in that day.  One component of enforcing and encouraging the behaviors that bring the brand promise to life is to catch people doing something good. Telling them specifically what they did and how it creates a brand deposit is the “wing beneath the wings” of an employee and will encourage them to repeat the desired behavior. Kenny shared that there is nothing less impactful than an ambiguous compliment.  There are naturally going to withdrawals that we have to recover from, and the message to the team is, “we’re going to have to overdo deposits” to make up for it.   Retail as gratuity “Guests will want to commemorate their amazing experience with a tangible reminder.” Guests view their day at an attraction in aggregate, meaning they don’t necessarily know or care what different departments or teams are providing the experience, they just know if it’s good or bad. If it’s good, guests will be compelled to offer a “gratuity” by purchasing a tangible reminder of their experience. “By definition, memories are ethereal”, Kenny says. When guests have enjoyed their experience, they don’t want it to end. One way to ensure that it doesn’t end is to take something home that will serve as a continual reminder. Guests have a choice if they will leave a tip in a restaurant environment, similarly they have a choice if they are going to leave a tip with their “most disposable” part of the attraction experience.  The biggest driver for any business is the intent to return. If an organization creates an environment where guests have such a great time that they are compelled to come back, that organization has to spend less on marketing to get new guests to visit.    One size fits one “Leadership is a customized exercise, as opposed to a commoditized exercise.” Young leaders often get bogged down with trying to lead the entire team at once and according to Kenny, you just can’t do that. You have to lead individuals, and individuals comprise the team.  The essence of leadership is taking time to make a difference for that one… that single person or employee. If you don’t think of your employees as individual entities, you are far less likely to be successful as a leader. In order to lead individuals, it's important to recognize that we have to engage their head, heart and hands. That means that to the individual, we need to understand what drives them intellectually, what their passions are, and what specific skills they bring to the table. To get in touch with Kenny, reach to him through the Magic Makers Group website: Magic Makers Group   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 213 - Kenny Funk talks about brand deposits, retail as gratuity, and one size fits one

Scott Drummond is the President of Party Center Software.  After Scott purchased a children’s entertainment center in the late 1990’s, he identified a gap in organizing birthday parties for easy scheduling.  Identifying a need for his business, his frustration led to the creation of Party Center Software, which helps FEC guests book birthday parties online and helps the business keep tabs on the bookings.  In this interview, Scott discusses the importance of building a playbook, employee empowerment, and protecting your employees.   Building a Playbook "Everybody has a playbook, but most people just put it in their head." When somebody walks in the door, how do you greet them?  What about greeting a party?  Do you hold a sign with the guest’s name and greet them verbally?  These processes already exist in some fashion, but with employees constantly turning over, having a playbook allows you to formalize these processes so they can be passed from one generation of staff to the next. Your playbook must address all aspects of your business, including food and beverage, booking a birthday party, diffusing escalation situations, and cleaning your restrooms.  The playbook should list out everything you need to do and how you do it, and when something new pops up, the playbook is a living document that gets updated as necessary.  The playbook that your business uses is unique to you; even your direct competitors are using a different playbook than yours. When comparing a playbook to a standard operating procedure (SOP), the playbook is a document that emphasizes “this is how you do it” vs. “this is what you do.”  They are generally specific to completing a specific task or resolving a specific problem, which makes it easier for anyone to understand, especially for frontline staff members.  SOP’s are also usually more set in stone, whereas a playbook should be updated as new issues or challenges arise.  Your employees should have influence in the playbook’s continual evolution, especially as external trends and factors also evolve.   Employee Empowerment "You have to be able to give them a little bit of rope, and let them fail." When your employees are challenged to be a part of the solution, their empowerment leads not only to higher levels of satisfaction, but also enhances the success of the business.  When you invest in educational experiences, even if they result in failure, they are likely to lead to higher levels of success with new ideas down the road.  Fostering a culture of empowerment may lead to many ideas that ultimately don’t work, yet the ideas that do work provide benefits that may not have otherwise been generated, and the magnitude of the successes outweigh the magnitude of the failures. Empowerment is more than simply saying that your employees are empowered.  Many businesses claim that they empower their employees, but they don’t walk the walk.  Leaders should let employees make the decisions that they feel will be the best solution for the circumstance.  Scott reinforces this point by sharing an instance when he suggested a solution to a staff member for recovering from a service failure, whereas the employee suggested a different solution.  When Scott gave the employee the opportunity to take the credit for the recovery, the employee’s solution ultimately led to a high level of satisfaction.  In other instances where the employee’s actions might misalign with the leader’s, it is better to have the conversation after the fact to determine the best action in the future, rather than stopping the employee from making the decision in the first place.   Protecting Your Employees “I don’t take kindly to people yelling at my staff.” It doesn’t happen often, but when a guest is being unruly, or parents are not stopping their children from being disruptive (or biting), sometimes the best solution is to ask a guest to never come back.  There is always a threshold of abuse that employees will take from guests; however, in the event of repeat offenders or abusive guests, Scott stresses the importance of not allowing guests to be abusive to his employees.  Despite the revenue lost from the guest, the employee is far more expensive to replace than the guest - even up to 50 times.  The lifetime value of your employees far exceeds the lifetime value of your guests. Even in some of the worst of circumstances, a brief intervention from the leader to help calm a guest down may diffuse the situation, and then the control and empowerment can be turned back to the employee.  The employee must know that they are protected and have authority, especially when the leader is standing with them side-by-side.   To learn more about Party Center Software, including PCS Academy, visit the Party Center Software website.   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 212 - Scott Drummond talks about building a playbook, employee empowerment, and protecting your employees

On August 30th, 2021, AttractionPros hosted an interactive podcast with a live audience at the 2021 Florida Attractions Association Annual Conference.  While the topics discussed revolved around the lessons learned during the pandemic, the overall tone of the session was incredibly positive, focusing on the silver linings of these incredibly difficult past 18 months.  Questions to the audience asked for stories of those silver linings, examples of changes made during the pandemic that are likely to stick around, and also ways in which people grew personally during these challenging times. Jared Reid of Wild Florida Airboats said that COVID was “the best thing that has ever happened” to the business.  When the lockdowns came, Wild Florida was just launching its new safari drive-through attraction.  Because of the nature of their attraction, it was able to stay open while other attractions had to remain closed.  By focusing more on the local market and less on tourists, attendance soared from 200 visitors per day to over 4000.   Mary Stella of Dolphin Research Center discussed their pivot to connecting with supporters daily over social media platforms.  This led to increased engagement and donations from the people they interacted with digitally.  They also increased their distance learning curriculum.   Kara Laufer of Naples Botanical Garden emphasized the goal of “being a force for good.”  They worked to grow their online presence while finding ways to give back to their community.  One way they gave back was by offering free admission to healthcare and frontline workers and their families.  They’ve also partnered with food banks to help distribute donations to those in need.  During all this, their memberships grew. Rob Lamke of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) emphasized that change is not inherently bad.  He discussed how sometimes there is a tendency to keep doing things the same way that they have always been done.  The pandemic forced MOSI to implement some of the types of things they’d already discussed but never committed to, such as a huge focus on digital content.  This led to increased engagement with their partner schools, record attendance to the museum and their summer camps, and a greater focus on engaging with adults. John Chidester with Fun Spot America looked ahead, keeping everyone on during the challenging times but asking them to try new roles, like landscaping, to help prepare for the eventual reopening.  While others were having to lay folks off, Fun Spot was hiring.  When the time came to reopen, Fun Spot focused on locals who hadn’t gotten a chance to enjoy all of the parks’ latest additions.  Additionally, while others were cancelling their new ride and coaster orders, Fun Spot was able to move up in the line and get new attractions in a more timely, affordable manner, helping them be ready for the recent surges in travel. Sara Turner with IMAG History & Science Center said that the downtime gave them a chance to reevaluate their mission.  They switched up their programming to become more virtual.  They also worked with a local news station to create weekly science segments, giving back to their community while also spreading the word about what they do.  They also gave back to their community with food drives. Christina Schwartzman of Sawgrass Recreation Park said that the pandemic gave them a chance to slow down and decide how they wanted their business to look in the future.  Instead of continuing to focus on getting as many guests as possible through the doors each day, they decided to switch their focus to VIP, low-volume experiences.  This meant there were fewer people coming to their attraction, but they were making more money.  Their new focus enhanced the guest experience by allowing visitors to have a quiet, nature-focused visit.  Additionally, the supply chain challenges allowed Sawgrass to partner with more small vendors who provided handmade items for their gift shop.  Christina also expressed the joy of getting to spend more time with her frontline workers. Julie Baross of Gatorland also discussed the benefits of switching to digital content to grow their engagement with kids and their families.  They also created a character, named Social Distancing Skunk Ape, to remind people to stay six feet apart.  Their efforts to reach out and provide free digital entertainment in 2020 have led to record-breaking attendance in 2021. Dean Mixon of Mixon Fruit Farms discussed the need to reinvent themselves during the pandemic.  The downtime gave Dean time to finish filing a patent.  Additionally, there was a greater emphasis on weddings on their beautiful farmland.  Dean also expressed his gratitude for local visitors coming out to support the farm, and he also talked about how thankful he was for the employees that stayed with them through the most challenging times. Janet Mixon, also of Mixon Fruit Farms, discussed another aspect of their pivot.  A Canadian company reached out to them and asked for assistance making Broghies.  This was a new line of business for them, and the popping nature of the machine that makes the Broghies has been a hit with young visitors. Lisa Sbuttoni with Fort Myers River District Alliance talked about the campaign she created called “Look Up, Fort Myers.”  Lisa hired aerobatic pilots to put on an amazing show that could be seen all over Fort Myers for the 4th of July.  Along with this, Lisa worked with local news channels to feature 26 local businesses and encourage people to buy from local small businesses.  Because of the community coming together during this challenging time, none of the businesses in the downtown district went out of business during the pandemic. Scott Rose with ZooTampa at Lowry Park discussed how they had to implement changes to their yearly, large-scale Halloween and Christmas events.  In the past, these events have been free for zoo members, so 75% of attendees were members.  Because controlling attendance would be important for this event and to combat no-shows, a $5 non-refundable reservation fee was required for all attendees, even members.  This fee was given back to people that came in the form of Zoo Bucks that could be used on food and merchandise during the event.  This caused more people to choose to dine during the event instead of before arriving.  Despite having to limit attendance, the huge in-park spending increase actually made the events more profitable while also giving those that attended a better guest experience. Barry Bass with A Means to a Vend noticed the trend of drive-by parties and gatherings happening during the pandemic.  He launched a new product, later named PromoPop, in response.  He put popcorn in customizable containers that could be given out as party favors during these drive-by celebrations. Aimie Johnson of the Florida Aquarium talked about how she amped up her collaboration skills during the pandemic.  When working with other aquariums who were also creating plans to safely reopen, Aimie freely shared her learnings with others while also asking questions about how the other aquariums were managing guest flow, holding events safely, and keeping employee morale up.  She also discussed the value of asking experienced pros to share their thoughts while also gathering the thoughts of newer employees. Kelly Sheer with Moonlight Promos shared how tragedy helped her make a difficult but positive change in her life.  Her doctor of 20 years sadly passed away  due to COVID-19.  This tragedy caused her to reflect and think about what she wanted her life to look like moving forward.  This introspective caused her to end relationships that weren’t providing joy to her life and making a big move to a new part of the country to start anew. Robin Rosario with Pure Florida talked about how she’d always tried to shoulder everything herself, both at home and at work.  However, when she was hospitalized due to COVID-19, she realized that her family and her coworkers were capable of taking care of things when she needed to rest.  She realized how blessed she was to be surrounded by folks that supported her, and she was humbled to learn that she no longer had to feel responsible for handling everything on her own.   While Matt and Josh were asked to host the session together, Josh was unable to attend due to an unexpected breakthrough COVID-19 infection.  If you are on the fence about getting vaccinated against COVID-19, please note that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stresses that “high vaccination coverage will reduce spread of the virus and help prevent new variants from emerging.” To learn more about the Florida Attractions Association, click here.  For previous AttractionPros LIVE! episodes hosted at various conferences throughout the United States, click here. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 211 - AttractionPros LIVE! at Florida Attractions Association

Tim Anderson is the President of Traders Village Marketplaces, a collection of three massive, weekend flea markets in Texas.  The first Traders Village flea market was founded in 1973 in Grand Prairie, Texas, near Dallas.  Since then, they have expanded to two other locations in Houston and San Antonio.  Traders Village flea markets aren’t your typical flea markets.  On average, they span 210 acres, and on a typical weekend, 6000 different dealers might be selling their goods at the three different locations.  In addition, Traders Village has yummy food stalls and permanent thrill rides at each property.  They also host dozens of festivals each year, ranging from food fests to car meets. Tim has years of experience within the attractions industry.  He got his first job as a game operator at the now-closed Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas.  He continued to work there throughout high school and college.  Upon graduating college with an economics degree, he originally planned on going to law school; however, he found himself being pulled back to Six Flags.  After working in management at Six Flags Great America for about five years, Tim had the opportunity to develop and open the Kellogg’s Cereal City USA attraction in Battle Creek, Michigan.  He loved getting to be a part of the design and opening team and stayed on as its general manager for a few years.  After that, Tim became the general manager of Landry’s Kemah Boardwalk off Galveston Bay.  It was after that role that Tim found his way to leading Traders Village Marketplaces where he has been for the past 12 years. Traders Village sees over 6 million visitors a year, and that’s just on Saturdays and Sundays when the sun is still up.  When they first opened, they described themselves as the Disneyland of Flea Markets.  They are known for being big, clean, exciting, and full of great finds.  A survey in 2019 found that 52% of Americans had visited a flea market that year.  This means that Trader Village has a very wide customer base, but their key demographic consists of lower income individuals and families as well as other value-oriented individuals.  The visitors to Traders Village have thousands of different stalls to browse through, and Tim says that you can “buy anything from a ballpoint pen to a bulldozer.” The other huge demographic of Traders Village is its self-motivated, entrepreneurial dealers, or the people that rent space to sell their goods.  Tim says that some of the dealers have been in constant attendance for over 45 years.  He spoke fondly of how he enjoys being an incubator for small businesses.  He even shared that some businesses start at the flea market before expanding to be incredibly successful chains, such as an electronics store and a furniture outlet.  However, he did say that not all of the thousands of new businesses started each year make it, but he still enjoys watching many go on to be successful. Tim also discussed his leadership style.  His preference is to surround himself with the best possible team and empower those team members to be autonomous and successful.  He puts a lot of faith in his employees, but that has always worked well for him.  He enjoys giving his managers the freedom to run their aspect of the business in their own way.  In addition, he is very welcoming of new ideas and said that he is willing to try almost anything at least once.  Tim admitted that new ideas can be scary but still enjoys exploring them.  However, he also helps guide people to evaluate their own suggestions by helping them think through how it would be operationalized.  By doing this, he enables his team to filter out some of the ideas least likely to succeed before they actually are tried, which often works better than him pointing out the flaws from the start.  Furthermore, he likes it when his team makes decisions because Tim believes that even a wrong decision is sometimes more likely to move things along than choosing not to make a decision at all.  Tim emphasized the importance of being able to adapt and stay ahead of challenges.  Lastly, Tim always tries to exceed the expectations of his customers and his dealers. The Grand Prairie location is currently installing a roller coaster to its rides area.  Tim discussed that adding bigger and better rides helps to bring a new, wider demographic to the flea markets.  Additionally, the rides area can be marketed separately from the flea market and even open when the shops are closed, giving Traders Village another income stream besides renting spaces for dealers to sell.  Tim talked about his experience of installing the Boardwalk Bullet roller coaster at Kemah Boardwalk.  He said that adding a coaster really changes the perception of a place and takes it to a whole new level.  At Kemah, adding the coaster tripled sales and brought it far more visitors compared to before the coaster was open.  Tim hopes to see similar positive impacts when the former Scandia Screamer opens at Traders Village. If you’d like to learn more about Traders Village Marketplaces, you can check out their website.  If you’d like to get in touch with Tim, you can contact him through LinkedIn. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 210 - Tim Anderson talks about flea markets as an attraction, rides as an amenity, and knowing your demographic

Bridgette Bywater is the Vice President and General Manager of Kings Dominion.  Bridgette was inspired to join the attractions industry from hearing the fond memories her parents had working at Worlds of Fun when they were younger.  Despite being an introvert, Bridgette decided to try being a ride attendant, like her parents, and she found that working with people was very motivating for her.  She chose to stay with Cedar Fair in various leadership roles, where she was able to work with many different people and help them be successful in their various endeavors. Bridgette grew up hearing stories about how her parents met at Worlds of Fun during its first year of operation.  Her father ran the Zambezi Zinger while her mother ran the Silly Serpent nearby.  In addition to those stories, Bridgette has her own fond memories of her early visits to theme parks, including riding Bounce-A-Roos over and over until Worlds of Fun closed for the day.  Though she initially started as a chemistry major while in college, her continued time working in theme parks during the summers helped Bridgette realize that theme parks was where she wanted to stay.  Over the years, Bridgette has held many jobs at Cedar Fair parks and its corporate headquarters.  She started running rides like her parents, then spent time in a variety of divisions: admissions, human resources, safety, security, and operations (1park and water park).  Now, she is the VP and GM of Kings Dominion. Bridgette describes herself as an introvert, and that contributes to her leadership style.  Bridgette believes there are two main leadership styles:  those who lead from the front of the room and those who lead from the back of the room.  While she is definitely capable of getting in front of a room when she needs to, Bridgette says that she tends to lead from the back of the room by supporting her teammates, removing obstacles for them, and helping her employees be the best they can be.  Bridgette says that the best leadership teams are made up of a combination of introverts and extraverts and that neither is inherently better than the other. Bridgette emphasized that a leader’s job is to focus on their team and elevate them.  Leaders provide their teams with the knowledge, tools, and information they need to succeed while working to eliminate any obstacles that stand in the way of them performing at their best.  By doing this, the team will return the favor and elevate the leader.  Another important aspect is empowering members of the team to take action and make their own decisions.  For example, frontline employees need to feel empowered to take action to solve guest problems quickly and sincerely without having to get approval from their managers.  Even if an action was taken that might not have been the manager’s first choice, it is still important for that manager to support that their employee took the action they thought was necessary and guide the employee toward the best decision next time.  Bridgette also emphasized the value of delegating tasks in order to eliminate single points of failure.  By making sure multiple people are aware of a task that needs to get done, it is more likely it will get done if one person is unavailable.  Bridgette talked about how it is important for your team to be able to function even if you are not there.  That means they have been set up for success and simply need to execute in the best ways they can. When she first arrived at Kings Dominion to assume her current role, Bridgette brought years of varied experiences with her, making her an incredibly well-rounded Cedar Fair leader.  She admits that she wouldn’t call herself the expert in any single discipline but instead knows how to assemble teams of experts and enable their success.  In the early days of her new role, Bridgette asked lots of questions and learned as much as she possibly could from those around her.  In addition to learning, the fact that she asked questions helped to challenge others to evaluate why they did things a particular way instead of just taking what had always been done as the only possible option.  Bridgette’s experience across so many different parks helped her see the overarching goals of Cedar Fair parks, such as making every guest happy, while also respecting each park’s rich history and individuality.  Additionally, spending time in the corporate offices offered yet another look at the parks.  Bridgette said that one of the best parts about taking new jobs is that they often give you a different perspective, which can lead to greater overall understanding. Bridgette discussed some of the changes that have taken place because of the pandemic and offered her thoughts on which ones are likely to stick around.  She discussed that almost every change, especially those that are likely to stay, were discussed prior to the pandemic’s onset and were simply accelerated because of it.  Many of the changes were implemented to eliminate unnecessary touch points for both guests and employees.  This led to changes including cashless transactions, more virtual communication with guests, online training, virtual queues, and digital checklists for maintenance teams.  Many of these digital changes led to increased efficiency and are likely to continue far into the future, but embracing technology isn’t meant to completely eliminate face-to-face interactions.  In-person interactions are still cherished, especially at places like theme parks where so many memories are made for friends and families. If you’d like to learn more about Kings Dominion or get in touch with Bridgette, visit Kings Dominion’s website.   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com    

Episode 209 - Bridgette Bywater talks about shifting perspectives, leading as an introvert, and letting go of ego

John Wood is the CEO of Sally Dark Rides.  He started the company with two other Johns in 1977, when they showed off their animatronics to the themed entertainment world at the 1978 IAAPA Expo in Atlanta.  While they had struggled to convince retail stores and museums of the value of their animatronics, theme parks and other themed attractions understood their purpose immediately. Sally Dark Rides has evolved significantly since its founding in 1977.  The company’s name, Sally, comes from the first animated character that one of the Johns created while in dental school.  Their major early successes were in musical animatronic shows, where robotic characters would sing and play instruments for guests.  One important aspect of Sally’s animatronics was that they were less expensive than those made by and for Disney and Universal.  This fact made them much more accessible for regional amusement parks.  John spent a lot of time talking to various theme park general managers, and onene manager at Kings Island told John that guests kept saying in surveys that they wanted a haunted house, although the park wasn’t sure how to make a reliable, affordable, exciting haunted house so they kept putting in new roller coasters instead.  However, John wanted to tackle this problem instead of shying away from it.  This led to the expansion of Sally into the exciting world of dark rides. John discussed the creative process of designing a new dark ride for a park.  First, the park would convey the constraints of the project:  budget, location, capacity, and whether a particular intellectual property (IP) would be used.  The team at Sally will take all of this information and quickly return to the park to pitch 3 to 7 creative story briefs, some no more than a paragraph long.  Then the park will pick their favorite pitch or two to develop further.  This next step involves creating a script for the ride, a layout for the attraction, and a list of all the different elements and gags that will be incorporated into the ride.  Within about 3 months, the timing and budget for the project are honed, and then the ride is created over the next year. One of John’s primary focuses with rides that Sally creates is to ensure that they have elements that encourage guests to ride again and again.  His main way for achieving this is incorporating interactivity, typically in the form of a shooting element.  By making the ride a competition which can have different outcomes each time, guests are encouraged to ride again to build their skills.  In addition, John likes to incorporate surprises and fun gags that catch riders off-guard, delighting them and making the experience exciting.  He also likes to incorporate a variety of different element types.  For example, John likes to mix physical animatronics with digitally-projected characters so that everything doesn’t look the same throughout the attraction.  John admitted that if he rides an attraction and something excites him, he tries to learn from it and incorporate something similar on the next ride he creates. One way that dark rides are evolving is that they are becoming more technologically sophisticated.  Many of the latest attractions have been inspired by the video game industry, utilizing gaming engines like Unreal to incorporate real-time, interactive animations into the ride.  Media is being used more and more throughout parks and their rides.  Additionally, some rides are incorporating radio-frequency identification (RFID) to add an element of personalization for guests and allowing them to take their scores with them throughout the day.  That being said, John emphasized that you don’t always need to use the latest and greatest technology to create an effective, fun attraction.  One of the biggest inspirations for the Sally team when it comes to dark rides is Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.  It’s full of simple but effective imagery that takes guests on, well, a wild ride.   John emphasized that no matter what the criteria for the ride was, it needed to be fun first.  One important element of that is the preshow.  Because the ride itself often isn’t long enough to go into details about the story, the preshow is used to set up the point of the ride and the guests’ role within it.  This helps ensure everyone will have a great time once the ride starts.  Another important part of a ride being fun is that it needs to work and be reliable.  Nothing takes you out of an attraction like a malfunctioning or broken element.  John talked about how reliability criteria is incorporated from the very first moments of designing a new attraction.  Sally rides and elements aim to have a lifespan of at least 10 years.  They achieve these results by utilizing industrial-rated valves and focusing on pneumatics, which are cheaper and easier to maintain than their alternatives.  Sally aims to make maintenance as easy and simple as possible for the parks they create rides for.  Many Sally rides are going strong after over 20 years of operation. Lastly, John talked about why dark rides are so important for a park.  They act as an opportunity to offer a completely unique experience for a park.  That unique experience can be the backbone of family memories that will keep guests coming back again and again to see something they cannot see anywhere else.  John’s parting words were to encourage listeners to keep riding and loving dark rides. You can connect with John on Facebook or on LinkedIn.  You can also learn more about Sally Dark Rides on their website. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com    

Episode 208 - John Wood talks about the evolution of dark rides, the best gags and surprises, creating memories and traditions

Paul Griffiths is the Director of Painshill Park, an 18th century landscaped garden just south of London.  Paul also has an honorary doctorate in Heritage, Conservation, and Tourism from Solent University.  Painshill Park is a protected cultural heritage site within the United Kingdom that features beautiful walking paths, scenic natural landscapes, and a variety of follies.  (A folly is a small building with no specific purpose found within a park or estate that provides visual interest.)  Painshill allows its guests to explore and reconnect with nature while also allowing guests to focus on their physical and mental wellbeing.     Paul has worked the past 25 years or so in the tourism industry.  When he first went to college, he planned to major in the business aspects of the sports industry.  However, during the summer after his first year, Paul worked for a month at Hever Castle, the childhood home of Queen Anne Boleyn.  There, he learned the value of working at a beautiful historical site and fell in love with that aspect of the tourism industry.  Upon returning to college, Paul went on to earn a degree in heritage management.  Right after graduating, he began working in the English Heritage office and began working his way up, eventually becoming the area manager for 12 London Historic Properties.  His time with English Heritage also allowed Paul the opportunity to open a new museum and create business strategies for it.  These learnings would come in handy when Paul decided to try something new and start working at the Painshill Park in 2018.   Painshill Park was established in the 18th century by Charles Hamilton.  At the time, many people would take months-long tours around Europe, learning about different places and their cultures.  Most people brought home many items from their journey, but Hamilton brought home his memories and inspiration.  He was particularly inspired by architecture and nature.  This was why he created the landscaped gardens of Painshill Park.  The various follies around the grounds were inspired by some of his favorite architectural finds: a ruin, a Turkish tent, various bridges, and even a grotto with a waterfall.  The park changed hands numerous times throughout the years, and during World War II, the park fell into disrepair.  It wasn’t until a charitable trust was established for the park in the 1980s that restoration began to bring the park back to its former glory.   When Paul began working at Painshill three years ago, it wasn’t very well-known, even with locals.  That made spreading the word about the park a top priority.  One issue was that Painshill didn’t have a strong tagline to describe what it truly was.  Paul worked with a consultant to create their new slogan:  “Where the walk is a work of art.”  In addition, Paul has worked at bringing in more guests by offering a variety of limited-time events.  They’ve had music, theater, and comedy events in the park after normal admission hours.  Paul has also invited local businesses to create installations of zoo animals and fantasy creatures that guests can find throughout the gardens.  Additionally, Paul and his team focus on providing exceptional guest service so that visitors will take stories home with them and share their experiences with others.  Word-of-mouth advertising is very powerful.  All of these efforts have led to an annual increase in guests from 75,000 to 200,000 in the span of several years.   Paul shared some of the many benefits of visiting a location like Painshill Park.  One is the ability to disconnect from our busy, electronics-filled lives and just enjoy nature.  Along those same lines is the escapism that visiting Painshill provides, especially during the challenging times of the pandemic.  As an outdoor, spread-out attraction, Painshill has been open for the majority of the pandemic, providing a place for locals to escape from their daily stress.  In addition, Painshill is a wonderful place to focus on personal well-being, both physical and mental.  Its circular walking trail is visited by some guests daily.  The park has also become a hub for educational experiences.  Students will come visit the park and spend time learning about and interacting with nature.     Painshill Park is an attraction, though it is different from most of the types of attractions that are regularly discussed on the AttractionPros podcast.  That being said, Paul said that he loves to learn from other segments of the attractions industry and apply what makes sense to Painshill.  One common thread for all types of attractions is the desire to provide excellent guest service and a memorable, enjoyable experience.     If you’d like to learn more about Painshill Park, you can check out their website.  If you’d like to get in touch with Paul, you can find him on Twitter or LinkedIn.   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com  

Episode 207 - Paul Griffiths talks about follies, honoring heritage and cultural tourism

In this unique episode, Josh and Matt brainstorm solutions to one of the biggest challenges facing the theme parks and attractions industry today.  Taking an innovative approach through a free-flowing conversation, the topic of queueing and creating a more comfortable experience was dissected.  How can waiting in line be a better experience for guests visiting theme parks and attractions?  How can parks position premium experiences without devaluing the experience for guests purchasing general admission?  How premium of an experience can a park provide that optimizes per capita spending and guest satisfaction?  This certainly is not a new conversation, but with the ample amount of both paid and free options for guests to minimize queuing, Josh and Matt’s conversation leads to thought-provoking solutions that intend to spark additional conversations and brainstorming of the AttractionPros audience.   The conversation was influenced by Josh’s recent visit to Cedar Point in late July 2021.   On this visit, Josh and his friend decided to partake in two paid add-ons for the day:  Fast Lane and VIP Lounge Access.  Josh spoke about how these add-ons enhanced his guest experience by allowing him to spend time doing the fun things at theme parks, like enjoying rides and exploring, and spending less time doing the things we don’t like at parks, like standing in lines.  Josh also enjoyed the Cedar Point 150th celebration parade from the VIP grandstands.  He admits that without the dedicated seating, he may have missed the entertainment offering altogether.  Additionally, Josh admits that having the Fast Lane access, which allowed him to ride his favorite coasters more efficiently, gave him time to experience other rides that he may not have prioritized otherwise, such as Cedar Point’s newest attraction, Snake River Expedition.     The other great advantage to spending less time running from long line to long line is that Josh was able to slow down throughout the day and enjoy relaxing in the VIP lounges.  He noticed that he wasn’t the only person doing this.  It was interesting to see a calm, relaxing haven within an amusement park, where the experience typically involves a lot of rushing around.  It got Josh thinking about how to create a lower-stress experience that still allowed park guests to enjoy all the excitement of a theme park.   Josh proposed the following idea:  What if Fast Lane and VIP Lounge Access were combined into a single, concierge-like, luxury experience?  They go well together because Fast Lane allows for less time spent in line, allowing for more chill time in the lounge areas.  Matt and Josh brainstormed that perhaps a concierge or “butler” could be assigned to a single family or a few families for the day.  In addition to providing the sorts of things you see on a VIP Tour at some parks such as front-of-the-line access, they could also go get your favorite foods from across the park, take photos and videos to document your family’s experience, and even plan special surprises throughout the day.  These surprise moments could range from personal character meet-and-greets to toasts for special occasions to meeting an engineer responsible for someone’s favorite ride.  This sort of thing could be done at other themed entertainment venues, including zoos, aquariums, and museums.  These sorts of offerings aren’t cheap, but if a guest sees the value of the offering, they could be willing to pay that premium price.   One topic that usually comes up during these conversations is whether these premium offerings come at the expense of guests that just pay for general admission.  When there is a standby line and a shorter, paid-for line, it is important that where, when, and how they merge doesn’t make people feel angry or awkward.  In some ways, operators want the paid-for line to be invisible to their standby guests so that their experience doesn’t feel diminished.  At the same time, there is value in showing the paid-for option so that more guests might see its potential value and choose it next time.  It’s important for guests to be educated on their options so they can make an informed choice about which option is right for them.  This can help them feel less resentment if they see people in the paid-for line getting on the attraction faster because they understood the option and determined that it wasn’t the right choice for them that day.  However, they might decide it does have sufficient value the next time they come if they witness the benefits.   Another topic that was discussed is the win-win benefit of these luxury, curated experiences.  Naturally, if the value is there for the customer and they end up having a much better day at a price they determine to be fair, then the guest wins.  If that luxury experience is filled with wow moments that the guest shares with their friends, then a park now has a group of happy guests that are now acting as free marketing for the venue.  They might help inspire their friends to come check out the park when they otherwise might not have.   The last topic focused on how to make the standby queue a premium experience.  Josh wondered what would happen if you flipped the entire queue experience so that the normal, free option involved using virtual queues and timed reservations whereas you would pay to jump into the standby line in order to “ride right now.”  He even said that getting rid of all of those pesky line switchbacks would leave plenty of room for more VIP lounges to relax in.  Matt admitted that one challenge he has during these brainstorming sessions is wanting to jump to answering logistical questions, like “how does it work” or “what are the implications,” but he knows that this phase of innovation is too early for that.   Matt took the goal of making standby queues feel like a premium offering in a different direction, reminding Josh of the value of queues.  More guests in lines leads to fewer people in the park’s walkways.  Matt talked about how he loves interactive elements and entertainment offerings within queues.  Those sorts of fun distractions in lines help to make the wait go by faster.  Both Josh and Matt agreed that waiting in line is typically the worst part of visiting an amusement park, and they both enjoyed brainstorming different ways to improve this guests’ dissatisfier.   While there are certainly several operational and marketing logistics to consider, this conversation was intended to pitch an idea, and estimate how feasible it may be.  If you like this format, let us know!  Better yet, share another issue that you may be facing within your organization for discussion in a future podcast episode. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 206 - Josh & Matt talk about innovative new ways for guests to: wait in line, order food, and elevate the experience

Vince Kadlubek is the Founder and Director of Meow Wolf.  Meow Wolf has expanded from its original location in Santa Fe to two new locations in the past year:  Las Vegas and Denver.  Meow Wolf is an immersive, multimedia, story-driven experience rooted in artistic expression.    In 2008, before Meow Wolf was conceived, Vince was living with his parents and working as a food delivery driver.  He was also part of Santa Fe’s local art community.  He and his fellow artists longed to have a place where they were free to express themselves.  So instead of waiting to be invited to a gallery or show, Vince and some of his friends set up temporary workspaces and exhibitions in warehouses around the city.  From 2008 to 2015, Meow Wolf acted as a side project for many of Santa Fe’s artists, including Vince, where they could make and display their creations.  In 2015 Vince decided it was time to get serious, make a business plan, and convert the original Meow Wolf idea into a permanent, admissions-based attraction.  He pitched the idea to George R. R. Martin, and Martin’s support led to the opening of the House of Eternal Return, Meow Wolf’s first permanent attraction.  At the same time, Vince became Meow Wolf’s CEO.  Upon deciding to expand to new locations in Denver and Las Vegas, Vince chose to hire more team members who could collaborate and bring these big ideas to life.   One of Vince’s key goals for Meow Wolf’s attractions is that they inspire exploration, discovery, and imagination.  Vince has stated that there is currently a “crisis of imagination.”  He explained further by pointing out that most people are obsessed with memories and things from the past and focus a lot less on imagining what the future could be.  Vince went so far as to expand this to the current global climate crisis, pointing out the tendency to talk more about how we have gotten to the current state and less about envisioning how to get to a better future.  Vince aims to create elements of mystery and adventure within Meow Wolf’s art experiences that inspire visitors to leave with a desire to create their own content.     Meow Wolf’s attractions accomplish Vince’s goal of encouraging exploration by first having guests enter a familiar environment before sprinkling in out-of-place elements that lead to an entirely unknown landscape.  In Santa Fe, guests walk right into a normal-looking home, and in Las Vegas, visitors wander into a fully-stocked grocery store, complete with employees.  By first letting guests explore something familiar, they become more comfortable exploring and interacting.  By the time they discover something otherworldly, most visitors are ready to dive in headfirst to the unfamiliar.  Vince referred to those moments of crossing from the known to the unknown as transformative moments, and they are another key element of Meow Wolf’s experiences.    These transformational experiences are a key offering of themed entertainment.  In a world where we can experience so many different things within the comfort of our own home, it has become harder and harder to convince people that a location or attraction is worth visiting.  Vince stated that these transformative moments are vital to creating experiences that make people want to put down their phones and engage with the world around them.  Making a place that is safe to explore and play is something that Meow Wolf excels at.  They have even created spaces that are enjoyed by guests of all ages, though a young guest may interact in a completely different way than an older guest.  That’s part of the magic:  that every visitor can have a completely unique, unscripted experience within the same attraction.  Vince argues that all of these aforementioned conditions are what help Meow Wolf’s guests break out of their normal way of thinking and start dreaming of what is around the corner.     Vince admits that creating these unique art experiences isn’t always easy or efficient.  While the beginning of the project is very focused, the middle stages of development expand to allow for as much creativity as possible.  Meow Wolf attractions are the compilation of hundreds of artists coming together to make something new and exciting.  For a lot of the project development process, the focus is on “what” the team wants guests to experience and “why.”  Once these are nailed down, then the tough questions of “how” to enable this grand vision are tackled.  This is when the project has to shrink back down to a more narrow, executable plan.  Before that shrinkage, though, project phases that pump in even more diversity of ideas are explored.  This helps ensure that the most magical experience possible will be created by the time everyone on the project is told to put their pencils down, which typically doesn’t happen until the very second that the new attraction is being opened to the public.   If you’d like to contact Vince, you can reach him at vince@spatialactivations.com or vince@meowwolf.com.   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca Email marketing by Sam Bercik To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 205 - Vince Kadlubek talks about crisis of imagination, giving agency to your guests, and adventuring into the unknown

This week, AttractionPros’ own Matt Heller shared seven key takeaways from his recent theme park road trip.  Matt has dubbed this trip as Coaster Nerd Con 2021, where he and some friends visited 8 parks in 8 days.  The parks were Fun Spot in Orlando and Kissimmee, SeaWorld Orlando, Universal Orlando Resort, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Wild Adventures, Six Flags Over Georgia, Dollywood, and Carowinds.  Matt said it was wonderful to finally visit parks again after he’d been away from them for about a year because of the pandemic.  Matt made a lot of lasting memories on his trip, and many of the standout moments lead to some interesting learning opportunities.   Employees often come up with creative solutions to recurring issues Throughout his trip, Matt was impressed by the effort employees were putting into their work.  Many parks are experiencing labor shortages, but many of the employees Matt saw seemed excited in their roles, despite how busy they were.  Furthermore, Matt was impressed by the way employees were tackling problems in order to provide exceptional guest service.  For example, Matt witnessed an employee at Fun Spot Orlando use a large, sunshade umbrella to keep guests dry.  The employee carried the large umbrella and helped guests move from one covered area to another that had more things to do.  That gesture is likely not something you would put in an employee training manual, but that type of out-of-the-box thinking should be highlighted in order to encourage other employees to come up with creative solutions to recurring problems.   Employees deserve recognition for all that they do Matt was impressed by many of the employees at the parks he visited, but perhaps the team that stood out the most was the ride operations crew at Fury 325 at Carowinds.  The crew was incredibly efficient while also maintaining the highest level of safety.  They also showed incredible guest service skills, recognizing Matt and his friends when they came around for one of the 14 rides they took on Fury that day.  Matt also appreciated that the crewmember on the microphone made the experience personal and exciting by calling out the individual team members by name, mentioning their roles, and asking for the crowd of guests to give that person a round of applause.  It was a fun way to bridge the divide that sometimes exists between guests and employees.  Adding some fun in between the safety spiel is a great way to keep guests entertained but also engaged with the important safety messages that are being shared between the candid add-ons.   When efficiency is visible, even long lines can feel short Another thing Matt noticed was the value of perceived urgency and hustle.  Visiting a theme park in the middle of the summer typically has a high correlation with waiting in long lines to ride awesome rides.  However, that long line doesn’t feel so bad as long as guests can see that employees are working as quickly and efficiently as possible to get riders safely through the experience.  Even if a line is long, if it keeps moving the whole time, the wait seems less tedious.  The Fury 325 crew did an excellent job of displaying that hustle in order to get guests onto the ride as quickly as possible.  Matt experienced a similar situation at a busy food venue in another park.  While he and many other guests ended up waiting 45 minutes for their food, most guests didn’t seem too frustrated by this.  They could all see that the employees were hustling as fast as possible.  Even two managers were working in frontline roles to try to keep up with the demand.  Seeing that constant hustle to try to provide the best experience possible as efficiently as possible made the wait bearable.  Matt summed this point up well by saying that guests typically don’t mind waiting as long as they don’t feel forgotten.   Take in as much information as possible before responding In Sesame Street Land in SeaWorld Orlando, Matt had an interesting epiphany:  Cookie Monster has feet.  While posing for a picture with a statue of Cookie Monster, Matt happened to glance down and see that Cookie Monster, indeed, had feet.  This seems obvious now, in hindsight, but he had never thought of it before since, on the TV show, all of the characters are puppets, and you don’t tend to see the lower half of them.  Matt was able to turn this into a learning moment.  That learning moment is that we should take in as much information as possible before making a judgement call.  This is true when trying to help a guest that has come to visit guest services.  This is true when a consulting client thinks they have a handle on what is going wrong in their company.  This is also true for leaders who make decisions that directly impact their frontline workers.  It is important to “listen to learn” instead of simply “listening to respond.”  By taking in as much information as possible, it is more likely that we can respond in a way that will be the best possible response to the situation, whatever it may be.   Each park within a chain has unique aspects Matt visited Six Flags Over Georgia for the first time on this trip, and he learned a valuable lesson from that visit.  He’d visited other Six Flags locations.  Like with those, he was impressed by the ride selection.  However, there were a few aspects of this particular Six Flags that made it unique from ones he’d visited before.  In one area of the park, there were wonderful mature trees that provided valuable shade from the Georgia summer sun.  Matt really enjoyed that shaded area, and it got him thinking about the aspects he enjoyed from each of the other Six Flags parks that made them unique.  Six Flags, and other park chains that have various offerings around the globe, have aspects that are consistent across their locations and tie them together, but each location has something unique and authentic to offer.  It’s worth visiting different parks from the same company to see their special, local flair.   Empathy and tone of voice say more than just the words being spoken Another important lesson that Matt was reminded of is the importance of tone when talking to guests, especially if you are giving those guests bad news.  One negative example of this occurred when Matt asked a ride attendant, while the ride they were stationed at was closed because of the weather, if he would be able to ride the attraction if he was able to get into the line before the park closed, assuming the ride opened back up.  However, the ride attendant didn’t answer the question that was asked and instead recited the spiel about the attraction being unavailable because of the weather and not knowing when it would open again.  Matt repeated his questions and received a response, but the exchange was definitely a low point on his trip.  On the flip side, Matt had a much better experience at Wild Adventures.  When he strolled into an ice cream parlor, he was immediately greeted by a friendly smile.  The smiling employee actually had some bad news to deliver.  She apologized sincerely and admitted that she couldn’t serve ice cream at that time because she was out of gloves.  This employee went on to explain that Matt could wait a few minutes for the gloves to arrive, or he could go across the street to the Dippin’ Dots stall if he didn’t want to wait.  Though he had just received bad news, Matt wasn’t upset at all because of the caring, empathetic tone that the employee had used during the delivery.  Matt mentioned that it was both the words that are said and the why those words are said that can really turn a negative situation into a pleasant experience.   You can find exceptional guest service anywhere Throughout his trip, Matt experienced excellent examples of outstanding service at each park he visited.  This showed that a park doesn’t have to be part of a large chain in order to deliver exceptional guest experiences.  Even without a huge budget to support rigorous training or guest service incentive programs, parks can empower their employees to provide world-class service.  Leadership teams need to provide both positive and constructive feedback as well as examples of exceptional guest service to their employees in order to empower them to be proactive with their guest interactions.  Fostering the right culture is the most important part of enabling your employees to reach their peak performance.  After all, many aspects of providing an excellent guest experience are free so all parks can make it happen.   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 204 - Josh & Matt talk about the creative solutions to common issues, making efficiency visible and finding great guest service anywhere

Anna Danau is the Managing Director of her own business, Hospitality Intelligence.  Anna started her business when she and her husband, Victor, moved to Vietnam in 2015.  Hospitality Intelligence was originally created to oversee the first ice skating rink ever in Vietnam, which Anna planned, opened, and still oversees.  Since then, the scope of the business has expanded to opening other family-focused entertainment offerings in the area as well as supporting other themed entertainment businesses in the area.  This support comes in a variety of forms, with the most common being staff and procedural training and guest experience insight.   Anna talked about the unique opportunity to be a part of the growing themed entertainment industry in Vietnam.  She described the industry as being in its infancy there, but that interest in attractions was growing.  Anna said most current offerings are family entertainment centers (FEC).  In addition to the popularity of FECs, shopping malls are favorite destinations for locals.  That’s why Anna is opening attractions, such as ice skating rinks, in the already-popular mall locations.  In Vietnam, family is very important so opportunities for family members to spend time together are always appreciated.  The importance of family in Vietnam made a wonderful impression on Anna, and she decided to start and raise her family there.     Opening the first ice rink in Vietnam came with some interesting challenges.  Because this was the first opportunity many locals had to partake in the activity, almost everyone needed to be taught how to ice skate.  This led Anna to pivot her staffing plans slightly, train all of her employees to skate, and have several of them on the ice at all times helping people learn how to skate and how to fall in a way that won’t lead to injury.  Another lesson that Anna learned from training her new staff was the importance of understanding and working with, not against, cultural differences.  For example, in Vietnam elders are respected to the point that you often don’t tell them that they can’t do something.  However, this cannot take priority over ensuring the safety of guests.  Because of this potential conflict, Anna worked with her frontline employees to determine ways to respectfully explain safety requirements in a way that ensured all safety guidelines were followed while also making sure guests didn’t feel disrespected.     Training has become a large part of Anna’s career, both at Hospitality Intelligence and with International Ride Training (IRT), which provides ride operator training, safety standards, and yearly audits.  Anna has been a large part of extending IRT into Asia and Australia to truly make it international.  One training initiative that Anna is leading is creating training for international students that want to work at theme parks in other parts of the world, such as in the United States.  Many of these students haven’t been to the US or even been to a theme park themselves so they have trouble being immediately effective at their roles.  In order to help with this problem and provide value to both the hiring parks and the incoming students, Anna is creating training to teach students some of the basics before they even arrive at the parks.  The topics range from learning the basics of living in the US to more tailored information about the park they will be working at.  Additionally, the overarching focus is on safety for the students and the guests they will be serving when they arrive.     Anna also enjoys training her own staff at the ice rink.  She describes herself as an introvert but knows the importance of being confident and engaging with guests.   Anna tries to help her employees find their inner confidence, but she says that process can be different for each individual.  Additionally, Anna trains her supervisors on how to give good feedback to the employees they manage.  She emphasized the importance of both positive feedback and corrective feedback.  When constructive feedback is delivered with the goal of helping an employee be the best they can be and truly succeed in the role, even corrective feedback can lead to a confidence boost.  Additionally, Anna pointed out that confidence takes both mental and physical practice.  She teaches skills she learned in theater, such as breath control, having good posture, and even improv, as a means of improving confidence when interacting with guests.  In addition, Anna wants her employees to feel empowered to be proactive while delivering exceptional guest experiences.   Lastly, Anna shared a few tips.  The first was to find a mentor if you don’t have one.  She says that she wouldn’t be in the position she is in now without the help and guidance of her fantastic mentors.  Also, Anna emphasized the value of enjoying the journey and not just the destination.  She spoke this with regards to career progression.  Many people go to school and think they have a plan for what they will do when they graduate, but Anna suggested that sometimes, opportunities might come along that surprise you and take you somewhere you didn’t quite expect.  Before joining the themed entertainment industry, Anna worked for the US government, gathering intelligence.  So when the opportunity came to work within themed entertainment, a sphere she had always loved, she jumped on the opportunity and is loving the ride.   If you’d like to get in touch with Anna, you can find her on Facebook, LinkedIn, and on Hospitality Intelligence’s website.   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 203 - Anna Danau talks about building confidence, acknowledging cultural norms, and training for new environments

Guy Nelson is the CEO and Executive Chairman of Dynamic Technologies, the parent company of Dynamic Attractions.  Dynamic Technologies was founded in 2006, and Dynamic Attractions was founded in 2011.  Then, Dynamic Entertainment was created, which had a focus on creating more complete rides internal to the company or through partnerships, instead of being the ride system vendor.  However, Dynamic’s work in themed entertainment began prior to all of these dates, back when the company was still just Dynamic Structures.  Dynamic has been a major player during the past few decades in terms of developing cutting-edge ride system technologies and solutions.   Prior to his work with Dynamic, Guy held leadership positions in a variety of different industries, including construction, transportation, manufacturing, and venture capital.  During that time, he worked at a range of different companies, from small startups to larger corporations.  Guy believes it is this diverse set of leadership positions that really helps him succeed today because he has been able to learn various things from each of his former roles.  When asked about the qualities of a good leader, Guy emphasized the importance of having a clear vision for where the group or company wants to go.  Without this vision, you will never be able to make that goal a reality.  Furthermore, Guy emphasized the importance of persevering through setbacks and speedbumps on the way to that vision.  Again, if you are willing to back down at the first sign of adversity, you’ll never make it to your goal.   Guy discussed how Dynamic has evolved over the years.  For example, with the founding of Dynamic Attractions, the company shifted away from manufacturing components internally and instead built up its internal engineering expertise.  By focusing on the most challenging engineering questions internally and outsourcing manufacturing, Dynamic really refined its place in the industry.  Additionally, Dynamic began to do more internal development work that wasn’t necessarily tied to a project.  By coming up with innovative new systems, they could then show off their engineering prowess and attract new clients with their new offerings.     Despite being very good at innovating on their own, Guy discussed the value of collaborative innovation with their clients.  The most obvious advantage of working with the park or other themed entertainment venue where the attraction will be installed is that the risk of trying new things is shared between that client and Dynamic.  Another advantage is that the client usually has a good idea of the type of guest experience they are looking for, and Dynamic has the ride system know-how to make that vision a reality.  By knowing who the intended future guests will be, it helps everyone on the project keep the design decisions customer-focused.  Guy went on to further discuss the benefit of beginning that collaboration as soon as possible so that the complete team has time to prototype and iterate in order to come up with the best possible solution.     Guy shared that Dynamic’s motto is “Anything you can dream, we can build.”  That being said, he emphasized that “dreams can be expensive,” but that with enough resources and time, almost any engineering challenge can be solved.  However, most clients don’t have an unlimited budget or unlimited time to open their next big attraction.  Dynamic helps customers create the best possible ride within their financial and time constraints.  Because of the pandemic, those constraints have gotten even tighter.  Many parks are holding off on new developments until they feel confident that they have nearly recovered from the time they were closed or at limited capacity.  When asked about the lasting impacts of the pandemic on attractions, Guy said that he believes most of the changes will be within park operations and not the ride designs.     When asked about the most impactful innovations and trends during his 15 years within the themed entertainment industry, Guy first pointed out the popularity of immersive, media-based attractions.  Hand-in-hand with that growth has been the evolution of dark rides.  Building further on this, Guy pointed out the growing use of sophisticated controls and more complicated software being used to control the motion of ride vehicles.  All of these things fall within Dynamic’s list of specialties.  As an example, Guy pointed to Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey at Universal as a good example of all of these trends and how it has been inspiring the next generation of cornerstone attractions at world-class amusement parks.  When asked about what he thinks will be the next big thing, Guy pointed to another Universal attraction:  the new Mario Kart attraction at Universal Studios Japan.  It uses augmented reality to add a whole new level of immersion to the guest experience and further blur the lines between the experience and reality.  Going along with this enhanced immersion are even more sophisticated motion bases to really sell the experience the riders.   If you’d like to get in contact with Guy or learn more about Dynamic Technologies, you can visit their website. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 202 - Guy Nelson talks about creating iconic attractions, pre-pandemic pivots, and chasing blue oceans

Brian Yessian is the CCO and a Partner of Yessian Music.  Yessian Music is a company that does sound design and mixing as well as creating new music and sound effects for commercials, television, film, rides, and other themed entertainment experiences.  They are involved throughout all stages of development, from the concept generation to mixing the final sounds on-site.  While Yessian Music is now an international company doing projects around the world, it started out with humble roots near Detroit.   Fifty years ago, Brian’s dad converted an old bait and tackle shop in the Detroit area into a music studio.  He was a musician and started writing jingles for the automotive industry.  Brian and his brother eventually joined their father in the family business.  Brian was a classically-trained clarinet player and enjoyed playing in orchestras.  However, he felt himself pulled towards his father’s business, and he and his brother decided to expand outside of Detroit.  Yessian Music now has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Hamburg, Germany.  The leap into the themed entertainment space came about 15 years ago when Brian was working on a project with a producer from Jack Rouse Associates.  They were invited to create music for an attraction, and that was the start to Brian’s passion of creating sound for themed attractions.  Brian had grown up going to Disney and Universal parks so getting a chance to work on attractions was a dream come true.   One of the most important goals of sound in themed attractions is to immerse the guest into that environment and into the story.  In a theme park, it is very likely that the area outside the entrance to an attraction and the inside of a show building are supposed to represent completely different worlds or experiences.  Brian says that queue music and sound effects are used to immediately help the guest feel as if they have been transported to a new place.  Appropriate music and sound effects work in harmony with the visuals of a space to create the right atmosphere for the upcoming ride.  In addition to helping the guest feel transported, sound can help set the tone of the experience by evoking certain emotions within the guests.  Whether the attraction will be light and upbeat or a little more moody or mysterious, the tone of the music or choice of particular sound effects that are layered on top of that music can really prepare the guest for the upcoming ride.  Those same principles also work during the ride experience itself, not just in the queue.    A key aspect of selling the realism of the attraction’s sound or making sure the proper tonal mood is set is being able to experience the sound within the environment it will be used.  Brian emphasized the importance of spending as much time on-site as possible when doing the final mixing and timing of sound in rides and their queues.  For example, the size and shape of a room, its acoustics, and the quality and position of the speakers within that room have a huge difference on how music will sound compared to what it sounded like in the very controlled studio.  That’s why Brian and his team spend as much time as possible utilizing their mobile soundboards to tweak the sounds on-site.  In order to get the little details just right, like a sound that is meant to guide guests to look in a certain direction, the team will sometimes make small tweaks to the direction that speakers are pointing in order to help the visual and sonic realities match.  In addition, the amount of bodies in a space can really change the sound quality of an area so Brian will often stick around after a ride opens to see if tweaks need to be made to compensate for a full queue line or a full ride vehicle.   Another unique aspect of creating sound for attractions is that you have to work closely with many other vendors.  Brian works closely with the vendor supplying the A/V equipment from the beginning so everyone is on the same page about the audio capability of the system.  Brian’s team also has to work closely with the ride vehicle vendor.  For example, Brian is currently working with Dynamic Attractions on a new flying theater ride.  Since the seats will move, it is important for Brian’s team to know when that movement is happening so they can coordinate the music with those big moments.  Additionally, they work closely with the team creating the visuals for the ride, and the final music and sound effects can’t be created until the visuals are nearly finalized so everything can be timed properly.  There are also other special effects on some rides, such as scents, water, and wind that need to be understood and taken into consideration to make sure the whole experience is cohesive between all of the guests’ senses.  Making sure all of those elements work together in harmony can help a guest experience something new for the first time, and it is important to Brian, his team, and everyone else working on the attraction that the experience be as authentic, but also as breathtaking, as possible.  Brian said one of his favorite moments was watching guests ride an attraction for the first time.  To see their eyes light up or see them smile makes the many late nights of on-site tweaking completely worth it.   If you’d like to get in touch with Brian or learn more about Yessian Music, you can visit their website.   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the work of our amazing team: Audio and video editing by Abigail Giganan Complete episode summary by Paige Reiter Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas Social media marketing by Kate Kujawa Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca   To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com

Episode 201 - Brian Yessian talks about telling stories through sound, how music impacts the experience, and minor details that mean a lot

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