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AttractionPros brings you into the room with the top leaders, executives, and influencers in the attractions industry, to gain the widest possible perspective of all areas of the industry. Most people are only exposed to the practices of their own organization without seeing how the rest of the industry operates. By following AttractionPros, you will gain the skills and knowledge needed to succeed and learn from the best of the best, whether you are the CEO or just beginning your career.
Episodes
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Peter Ricci, EdD. oversees the Hospitality and Tourism program at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. Peter has worked in the hospitality industry since he was 14 years old as a dishwasher in a restaurant, where he was later promoted to busser and then promoted again to server. Throughout his career, Peter has worked in hotels, restaurants, events, travel agencies, airlines, destination marketing, and more, including moving 21 times in 12 years to open new hotels or fix broken ones. In this interview, Peter talks about culture first, embracing crazy ideas, and flexible employment.
Culture first
"I would go in and fix the culture first, and then the money would flow through."
Culture occasionally becomes a victim of stock trading value. When companies need to cut budgets, it is usually line items that influence the culture that are more difficult to measure that are cut in the interest of efficiency and cost savings. Even luxury brands have cut so much to their own detriment that they have a difficult time maintaining excellence compared to the past.
Leadership needs to walk the walk and breathe the culture every day. Peter shares an example of a property that ranked 240 out of 250 in the portfolio regarding service scores, and he went in as the GM role to fix the culture. For the first six months, he spent multiple hours a day focusing on training employees across all departments. When it was time for Peter to move to another project, the property increased its ranking to the 30s, due to his focus on culture.
A few years later, the property was sold at a $9 million profit. Stock value is important, but we are in the people business, and the culture drives the value of the business.
Embracing crazy ideas
“People know me here for very silly, crazy ideas.”
Florida Atlantic University, and Peter specifically, became widely known throughout the hospitality industry in the early days of the pandemic for offering FAU’s Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Management for free. The idea came from realizing that everyone in the hospitality industry was at home; many of them were furloughed and needed to keep occupied.
Peter’s idea was embraced immediately by the dean, and plans were put into action. Normally, about 100 people complete the certificate a year, so an optimistic projection was set for 500 due to offering it complimentary. As word got out, the program generated 77,000 enrollments, and more than 85% of those who enrolled completed it.
This initiative, which started as a crazy idea, went viral, leading to significant donations to keep the program going at an affordable cost, incredible exposure for the university, and an immense amount of gratitude from participants.
Flexible employment
“What if we let employees pick the benefits that they want?”
The challenge today is to find quality talent who is passionate about the job amidst other industries that allow remote work and more lenient hours. Peter’s focus for the next five years is to help employers in the hospitality industry be more flexible. Flexibility for one person might be a workweek consisting of four 10-hour days, and for another employee, it might be a daycare benefit instead of medical. Benefits such as pet care, rent subsidy, or partial car allowance are benefits that won’t appeal to everyone, but for those that they do appeal to, they resonate strongly.
There needs to be a meaningful hook beyond the hourly or salary wage to attract the best talent. If employees could pick their own benefits from a buffet-like offering, it creates a more meaningful and personalized employment experience.
To contact Peter, connect with him on LinkedIn or email him at ricci1@fau.edu. To learn more about FAU’s Certificate of Hospitality and Tourism, click here.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Coaster Nerd Con is the yearly trek by Matt and two friends to ride as many roller coasters as they can in an 8 or 9 day period. This year, the trip included stops at Six Flags Great Adventure, Knoebels Amusement Resort, Hersheypark, Lakemont Park, Kennywood, Kings Island, Kentucky Kingdom, Holiday World, Indiana Beach Boardwalk Resort and Cedar Point. In this episode, Matt shares his observations and experiences and he and Josh turn them into valuable operational lessons.
First, Matt shares some of his favorite, most memorable moments of the trip - some that were directly influenced by the park and employees, others that were made possible by the atmosphere the park created. By discussing these individual moments, Matt and Josh drew connections between them and linked them to the intersection of guest and employee experience.
Next, Josh and Matt discuss the following observations and how they relate to a successful guest and employee experience.
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Make feedback easy - Six Flags had large posters with a QR code for guests to leave positive feedback for their team members.
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Sound/Audio matters - whether a ride spiel or a storytelling element in an attraction, if people can’t hear or understand what’s being said, a large portion of the story and experience is lost.
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Presentation matters - from Hersheypark’s Ferris wheel appetizers to Kings Island’s employees, the visual impression of your experience cannot be underestimated, both from the guest and employee perspective.
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Don’t forget the human component of a tech-driven world - at Kennywood, even though the process for buying and using the skip-the-line pass was done completely from your phone, they still had people standing by to help answer questions and for “emotional support.”
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How do you say goodnight or goodbye to your guests (or employees)? Do you have a strategy to reinforce the great memories created so that they want to come back again and again?
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Richard Glover, Jr. is the CEO of Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Sanford, Florida. For Richard, the journey has always been about animals, conservation, and making a difference. After a brief stint outside of the animal care industry, Richard is back with the animals and couldn’t be happier. In this episode, he talks about telling complicated stories, understanding your audience, and executive leadership advice.
Telling complicated stories
"We want them to feel that coming here led to something that matters."
Everyone loves snakes, right? Maybe not, but the Central Florida Zoo operates the Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation. In other words, they work to reintroduce Eastern Indigo Snakes into the Florida ecosystem. For snake haters, this sounds awful, but the truth is that these snakes are very good for the environment, specifically Gopher Tortoise habitats.
This is what makes the story so complex… many moving parts that may or may not be easily accepted by all guests. Of course, not every story or conservation effort can be about panda bears, so careful crafting of a story and why all of these actions matter is critical to all species.
Understanding your audience
"If they get the real sense of emotional connection, that's what keeps them coming back."
Coming into the organization, Richard’s goal was to watch and observe, both how the guests experienced the zoo as well as how employees went about their daily tasks. He felt this approach to learning really helped him understand how to connect with both audiences, guests and employees alike.
Richard talked about from his perspective, ‘what’s the best use of my time to move the needle the most?’ Certainly balancing the needs and wants of the guests, board and employees is critical, but so is finding ways for each of those audiences to connect with the zoo’s mission so they will want to stay engaged and involved.
Executive leadership advice
“If at any point you think you are the smartest person in the room, you aren't.”
As Richard talks about his role as an executive, he mentions being a relationship-builder and getting teams with often-competing priorities to work toward the same goal. The key is to build a strong foundation so that in times of struggle or disagreement that the situation can be handled with respect.
He also said if you have an opportunity to add to your skill set - do it! Keep putting in the time and effort to learn the things you need to learn if you want to keep advancing. In addition, you can’t think that this is about you, because it isn’t.
Follow this link to learn more about the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. They can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To connect with Richard, you can find him on LinkedIn or he can be emailed at richardg@centralfloridazoo.org.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
Bob Pacanovsky is Chief Hospitality Officer of The Black Tie Experience. Bob’s background includes nearly three decades as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry, owning restaurants, event companies, and catering companies, where the uniform consisted of a black tie tuxedo. Today, Bob is a keynote speaker and trainer, and helps organizations elevate their service and experience to the black tie level. In this interview, Bob talks about The Black Tie Experience, service excellence vs. hospitality, and third party relations.
The Black Tie Experience
“No one remembers ordinary service.”
Bob shares examples that he has experienced personally where staff members went above and beyond by recognizing him as an individual and showing a dedicated commitment to his experience. One example includes a casual chain restaurant where the cashier introduced herself and learned Bob’s name, and served him with enthusiasm that exceeded expectation; in another example, a rental car employee indiciated that the car that Bob would receive did not meet her standard, and offered to treat him to lunch while he waited for a better car.
To truly deliver The Black Tie Experience, the level of service and hospitality must be above average and beyond guests’ expectations, but does not require extravagant productions or significant costs. These examples are intangible and cost very little to the business to exceed guests’ expectations, yet they create a long-lasting impression on how the guest feels about the brand.
Service Excellence vs. Hospitality
"Hospitality is you how make your customers feel while delivering your service excellence."
What is so important to you as a company that you involve your staff in training and onboarding? The answer to that question drives your service excellence. These are the tactical elements that go into the individual interactions that the guest or leader can observe directly. Bob recommends that if you want to implement service excellence, it requires practice, role playing, and task-oriented training.
The hospitality component indicates how you make people feel. It is the spark that is driven by the culture, leadership, and through the service excellence that is delivered. By recognizing the difference and effectively combining the two, guests walk away with a positive experience that was delivered organically by the staff.
Third Party Relations
“Our brand is associated with the brand of that venue.”
With Bob’s catering business, he states that he “never played a home game,” because their work was being done in a venue that was not his own, which brings a new level of responsibility to the service that is delivered. On one hand, the catering team is serving the guests of the venue, whether they are day guests or event attendees, and on the other hand they are serving the venue in a client-vendor partnership.
If guests have a positive experience with the catering team, it will reflect positively on the venue. However, if a guest’s experience with the catering team is poor, it will drag down the brand of the venue because most guests won’t know the difference between the two - nor should they, as it should be seamless. This guidance is applicable to all third party concessionaires in the attractions industry, whether it is food and beverage, retail, souvenir photo, security, artists, or anyone else who works at the attraction but not for the attraction.
To get ahold of Bob, visit www.bobpacanovsky.com. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn, as well as follow The Black Tie Experience on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Brad Collins is the President and COO of Uptown Jungle Fun Park. Based in Phoenix, AZ, Uptown Jungle currently has eight locations that are all corporately owned, with a ninth currently in development. Those around Brad say that he will do whatever it takes so the team can win and that he is an optimist, firmly believing that everything is “figure out-able.” Brad says that Uptown Jungle is a fun, crazy place for kids between 2 and 10 years old, with a high-energy atmosphere featuring trampolines, climbing walls, obstacle courses, and play structures. In this interview, Brad talks about innovating the guest experience, betting on your people, and having fun at work.
Innovating the guest experience
"We are constantly innovating the guest experience."
Keeping the business internally owned and operated versus taking a franchise approach enables Uptown Jungle’s management to maintain full control over the business at each location and to continue innovating the guest experience.
Recent innovations to the guest experience include launching a membership program, a YouTube series, and a mascot named Uppy. These innovations come with significant intentionality by aligning the initiative with improvements to the guest experience, rather than doing it for the sake of doing it. For example, the Uppy mascot was in development for approximately one year before being introduced to Uptown Jungle’s audience so that it could be refined and fully ready for release.
Betting on your people
"You have to bet on your people sometimes, and you have to trust them."
With the innovations made to the guest experience, it required trusting the people involved to utilize their skillsets to complete the project to a high standard of quality. When betting on your people, you have to put a plan together on how that person’s strengths can add to the business.
In many instances, there may not be a direct dollar return on the investment. When Uppy was introduced and the YouTube channel was launched, the measurement was not about dollars being added to the business, but rather the long-term enhancement of the brand and the impact that it makes on guests and fans, along with the experience it creates in the parks.
By putting a plan together, you can project that the end result of what that person can do will pay off financially and in other ways. Brad also states that if there is a person who is not doing their job, it’s often the leader’s fault, so it is important to look introspectively to see how you can support them to accomplish the goal.
Having fun at work
"I do not think there's much of a difference between the guest experience and employee experience."
Brad stresses that he is big about having fun, so employees should feel comfortable having fun and being themselves. If you are creating a good culture and work environment, employees should not be scared to discuss additional talents with their leader and suggest using them within the business. In one example that Brad shares, an employee used his talents to dress up as a pirate and lead a group of toddlers around the facility on a treasure hunt. This type of empowerment leads to improvements to both the guest experience and the employee experience.
When an employee comes to work, they should be able to leave their struggles at home, and while they’re working, they should be able to forget any troubles in their lives that they may be having. The concept of escapism goes hand in hand for both guests and employees, and from the employee standpoint, if they are having fun while they’re working then they can put other issues away and focus on having fun while working.
To connect with Brad, connect with him on LinkedIn. To learn more about Uptown Jungle, visit www.uptownjungle.com, or visit one of their locations.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Hal McEvoy is the President & CEO of IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions), the leading association for the global attractions industry for 104 years. After getting a taste of the industry as an operations Cast Member at Walt Disney World in 1972, Hal joined Busch Gardens Tampa as an accounting clerk in 1975, kicking off his career in finance and accounting, as well as his passion for the industry. After spending more than 38 years with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Hal initially became involved with IAAPA in 2005, and later became CFO of IAAPA in 2017 and swiftly became President & CEO 10 months later. In this interview, Hal talks about endless opportunities, the importance of rolling up your sleeves, and making meaningful connections.
Endless Opportunities
"The association, to me, is like a 104 year old infant."
In an industry centered around ambition and innovation, doors are constantly opening. Technology spreads like wildfire, and guests from around the world travel even further to experience things that were only ideas years ago. Given this world where change is the only constant, IAAPA has embraced the endless opportunities of the industry.
In an international association, there’s opportunities to see the industry thrive in certain locations as well as help other locations recover from the impact of the pandemic. Endless opportunities also means endless challenges, and every day presents a chance to help solve these challenges to help improve the future of the attractions industry.
Rolling Up Your Sleeves
"I'm the type of person who likes to roll up his sleeves and know what's going on."
It’s important to know what's going on. Rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty not only improves your daily operation, but it also gives you a chance to see all the turning gears of a company and how everything fits together in a constantly changing puzzle.
In a worldwide association like IAAPA, there are so many aspects of the operation that it takes over 25 directors to help manage the operation. By getting your hands dirty, you can find all the pieces and how they fit together, solving problems at the source and making you a more valuable asset.
Making Meaningful Connections
"Having fun and making memories is what this industry is all about."
In an industry where so many people are involved and passionate about what they do, meaningful connections are one of the most important and fun aspects of the attractions industry. Making memories and making friends is the most enjoyable part of life, and it’s one of the core aspects of IAAPA.
When walking across the IAAPA trade floor, it often takes much longer than anticipated sheerly due to the amount of meaningful connections that are made and maintained throughout the industry. In an environment where it’s so easy to connect, it takes a short time to have memories with nearly everyone you see at the conference. It’s often mentioned that one of the greatest things about this industry is the people, and IAAPA tries to embody that ideology beyond the trade floor.
To learn more about IAAPA, visit their website. To connect with IAAPA, email any of the team members found in their directory.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
- Summary by Mason Nichols
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
AttractionPros LIVE comes BACK to the Florida Attractions Association! As you’ll hear in this episode, if it wasn’t for Matt and Josh having dinner prior to the FAA conference in 2017, the AttractionPros podcast may have never been born. But it was, and this marks the 250th episode! We couldn’t be more excited that it lined up with our 4th installment of AttractionPros LIVE at an FAA event.
In this episode, you will be a fly on the wall as Josh, Matt, and the attendees of the FAA Annual Conference explore the intersection of guest and employee experience in real time. Along the way you’ll hear great suggestions about attracting, engaging and WOWing your guests and employees.
We would like to thank Bill Lupfer and the staff and members of the Florida Attractions Association for being amazing partners.
The Intersection of Guest and Employee Experience
Over the last five years, many podcast guests have spoken about the finer points of creating great guest experiences and engaging employees. For the last few months, Josh and Matt have been using the AttractionPros platform to test the hypothesis that the techniques used to produce high levels of guest loyalty and employee retention are actually the same.
By listening to the responses from FAA Annual Conference attendees, it would appear that the hypothesis is on track.
The conversation covered a wide range of topics including social media engagement, acting on feedback and attracting new guests and employees. In each case, attendees were challenged to think of typical guest or employee processes from the other perspective.
For example, it was discussed that the guests' experience should be frictionless… buying tickets, entering the facility, finding their way around, making a reservation, etc. The same can be said of an employee. Filling out an application or trying to find information or resources to do their job should be equally frictionless. Most agreed there was work to do on both sides of the equation.
Other elements of the guest and employee journey were also covered including when things go wrong. As humans, we all need to be acknowledged, heard, and treated with respect. This should not waver based on your guest or employee status. Again, similar techniques can be applied to all.
So while neither Matt nor Josh have an extensive background in science, the testing of the hypothesis seemed to work. By engaging professionals from across the industry, there appears to be a consensus that because we are all human, driving guest loyalty and employee retention are not that far away from each other. In fact, they are more similar than most of us realize.
The big takeaway from the conversation is that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and the resources we use on “both sides of the gate” are actually quite similar.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Don White is the President & CEO at Satisfi Labs. Coming from an algorithmic training designer background with Bloomberg, Don and his colleagues now use their talents to make information more accessible for places people like to go. Since 2016, Satisfi Labs has been working to optimize digital relationships with guests while maintaining a great guest experience by allowing for personalization, but avoiding the repetitive transfer of information. In this episode, Don talks about the benefits of optimizing labor through AI, the answer engine, and role-based assistants.
Optimizing Labor through AI
"We look at the roles that people can't potentially fulfill."
Some tasks are just impossible to do. Luckily, there’s a unique advantage to using artificial intelligence technology to assist staff in completing these intense tasks. By using a system that is designed to learn, an ever-improving system can be implemented to help take on these immense challenges. Not only will this system already provide meaningful results, it will also help improve the performance of employees by assisting them in a way that could never be reached before.
By answering simple questions to teach the AI, an AI can create a solution for a question that can be asked in 13 million different, unique ways. This creates a new opportunity in the world of guest service efficiency, allowing for simple questions to be answered in a way that maintains a fantastic guest experience while also enhancing the employee experience. It does this by avoiding the repetitive transfer of common information.
The Answer Engine
"The guest experience is optimized if they get the information in real time."
In a world where information is constantly fed to us, whomever gives us the information we like the quickest wins. It’s important to recognize that this day and age requires real-time, quick responses, as the expectation for immediate answers is on the rise. Don and his team have already seen a benefit to the guest experience by using AI within the attractions industry.
The guest experience is the most optimized when the guest gets the information accurately, in real time, and always finds it available. By making ‘The Answer Engine’ accessible to guests in as many ways possible, whether it be via phone or computer, guests will find it easy to get quick answers to questions while simultaneously leaving the door open for specific personalized experiences where needed.
Role-Based Assistants
"People like to ask, and just get."
AI Assistants can be very valuable, and one of the core ways to utilize them is to have them play a guest-facing role. By implementing these virtual assistants into your operation, not only will it come with real-time, quick information, but it will also be accessible 24/7, something guests would greatly appreciate.
Many people find themselves planning a vacation or having a question at an odd time where there may not be an employee to help them in the office. By having these assistants play guest service roles, it can not only provide important and direct information, but it can also keep guests satisfied even outside of office hours. Not only this, but a role-based assistant could assist an employee with a simple task while the employee handles a more complex and unique situation.
To learn more about the Satisfi Labs, visit https://satisfilabs.com/. To reach Don, connect with him on LinkedIn.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
- Summary by Mason Nichols
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Bill Moore is the President and CEO of the Zoo Miami Foundation. As a public-private partnership, the Zoo Miami Foundation “fosters community pride and involvement with Zoo Miami and secures financial support for the zoo.” After spending more than 30 years with Six Flags, Bill’s experience in the attractions industry transcends for-profit and non-profit leadership roles. Throughout his career, Bill has observed shifts in trends related to engaging guests, influencing action to save the planet, as well as managing employees in innovative ways. In this interview, Bill talks about inspiring the next generation, changes in employee engagement, and conservation through storytelling.
Inspiring the next generation
“If we take care of animals, we take care of the planet. And if we take care of the planet, we’re creating an environment for those who come after us.”
The way in which the Zoo Miami Foundation reaches its audience is shifting, largely due to technological changes. Nowadays, people can easily socialize while sitting on their couch and never leaving their homes for the entire day. This leads to challenges related to encouraging people to take action in their daily lives toward supporting conservation and sustainability initiatives.
When people say that the animals should be returned to the wild, there isn’t a lot of “wild” left to go to. Bill stresses that our planet is in peril, and that future generations have the responsibility to take better care of it than those in the past. Solving these challenges requires efforts both in the zoo as well as beyond the zoo’s gates. This includes initiatives such as creative learning and immersive volunteer opportunities. By creating these opportunities, an inspirational outreach is made to help encourage future generations to take much better care of the planet, an impact that goes far beyond the gates of the zoo.
Changes in employee engagement
“There is value to having the same people under one roof.”
According to Bill, the way we managed before is not how we manage today. In particular, the popularity of working from home presents issues in productivity and agility that aren’t as prevalent when the entire team is within close proximity. However, it does require more flexibility than it did before. Employees with infants or small children, or those who may have needs that come up throughout the workday should be able to take care of their individual needs while still being a productive member of the team. Even if it is not a rigid 9am-5pm and timed lunch break, Bill stress that a team working together is more productive than a team working remote.
Even with the popularity of working from home, there is still a substantial advantage in working within close proximity. Problems always tend to be solved sooner, and the team is encouraged to bond and grow closer, therefore increasing employee engagement and activity. Although both methods have their benefits, working while actively engaging with each other is what really matters.
Conservation through storytelling
“At the end of the day, we’re storytellers.”
The way the Zoo Miami Foundation encourages people to take action on conservation is through the unparalleled power of storytelling. Something as simple as how the zoo started using aluminum cans instead of plastic bottles to help improve their recycling efficiency and protect the animals can engage people and bring light to important subjects like conservation.
Ultimately, people come to places because they want to have fun. By capitalizing on the natural beauty of the zoo and the engaging the nature of storytelling, an impact can be made on guests that will bridge the gap between humans and nature. This perfect intersection between education and entertainment can not only bring guests back, but help change the course of the world by promoting conservation and inspiring the next generation.
To learn more about the Zoo Miami Foundation, visit www.zoomiami.org. To reach Bill, connect with him on LinkedIn or email him at bmoore@zoomiami.org.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
- Summary by Mason Nichols and Josh Liebman
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
“AttractionPros LIVE!” has come to New England! Every year, The Northeastern Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (NEAAPA) holds a spring leadership seminar to prepare leaders for the upcoming season. This year, AttractionPros was invited to deliver this seminar to leaders across a wide range of attractions in the Northeast, including amusement parks, water parks, zoos, and family entertainment centers. Hosted at historic Canobie Lake Park, the full-day workshop focused on the best ways to deliver “wow” moments, both to their guests and the employees they serve, along with resolving complaints, using feedback, and bringing their ideal experiences to life. In this episode, seminar attendees share their key takeaways related to the intersection of guest and employee experience.
Key Takeaways
Guests and employees are both people. By understanding the intersection between these two worlds, approaches can be made to make them feel heard, understood, and have a much better experience. Creating “wow” moments for both guests and employees can go a long way, as even something simple can be remembered for a long time and make positive reviews grow.
By avoiding the typical ‘employee-customer’ relationship, guests can feel valued and leave with an incredibly positive experience, even if they had a complaint or issue, and team members can feel more comfortable sharing concerns to their leaders.
Utilizing feedback is incredibly important in shaping the future of your experience. Even negative feedback can be turned into a positive experience by making the person feel understood, appreciated, and important. Feedback is everywhere, and you can always keep looking to find places where you can improve.
In addition, finding solutions to negative feedback isn’t always by implementing the opposite of the problem. You always have to dig deeper to find the root cause and create even more great experiences.
When it comes to employee burnout, make sure you’re talking to your team throughout the entire day, not just at opening and closing. By creating great experiences for your employees, you also create great experiences for our guests. Try to make “wow” moments every day. Not only for the people visiting your park, but the people who keep it operating. Not only does this increase retention, but it benefits every part of your operation.
To conclude, the industry is in good hands. So much of our industry is centered around creating positive guest and employee experiences, and so many people who are working their way up understand the value and weight of this idea. There’s an indescribable amount of passion in these leaders, and that will go a long way in the approaches of the guest and employee experience.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Branding and design by Fabiana Fonseca
- Summary by Mason Nichols
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com