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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 17, 2021
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
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
Tuesday Aug 10, 2021
Tuesday Aug 10, 2021
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
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
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
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
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
Tuesday Jul 20, 2021
Tuesday Jul 20, 2021
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
Tuesday Jul 13, 2021
Tuesday Jul 13, 2021
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
Tuesday Jul 06, 2021
Tuesday Jul 06, 2021
AttractionPros has officially reached its 200th episode! To celebrate, we decided to have an episode that invited our audience of fellow attraction professionals to participate in a collaborative conversation. The topic chosen was timely and focused on the resurgence of themed entertainment offerings as vaccinations against COVID-19 climb, infections fall, and restrictions are lifted. While the attractions industry was deemed non-essential by health and government leaders during the hardest moments of the pandemic, attractions will be essential to economic recovery and a return to a sense of normalcy. While some changes are here to stay, there are opportunities for themed entertainment to roar back, and as Johnathan Lee Iverson, the Last Ringmaster of Ringling Bros. Circus, stated, this is a chance for the industry to soar to new heights.
From an economic recovery standpoint, location-based entertainment is essential for drawing people out of their homes, bringing them out into their communities or new areas, and encouraging spending wherever they may be visiting. Tom Moulton, with the Southern Arizona Attractions Alliance, highlighted that attractions are “destination drivers,” bringing money to their communities. This is true whether a family stays close to home or whether they plan an elaborate trip in another state or country. Ike Kwon, with the California Academy of Sciences, expanded upon this economic impact by pointing out the many jobs that are supported by the attractions industry. Ike also pointed out that many attractions are deeply rooted in their communities and even when they faced economic uncertainty due to closures, chose to give back to their communities.
Giving back to the community that embraces them has always been part of the culture for many themed entertainment venues, and that only increased during the pandemic. Ron Gustafson, with Quassy Amusement Park, discussed how the park had been an essential part of its community for 113 years. They chose to support members of their community by partnering with nonprofits in their area to host food drives and collect donations of personal items. Andreas Andersen, with Liseberg, discussed how integral Liseberg is to the “social and cultural fabric of their community.” Theme parks aren’t just places with thrill rides, but they also represent gathering places for shared experiences with family, friends, and even new acquaintances.
Exciting destinations are the perfect places to make lasting memories with loved ones. Greg Fisher, with TripShock, shared the importance of preserving attractions so that memories can be made for generations to come. Adam Sandy, of Zamperla, pointed out that so many shared experiences happen at theme parks, from first roller coaster rides to first dates. Keith James, from Jack Rouse Associates, pointed out that the emotions, the laughter, the joy, and the relief from stress that attractions provide are essential. Theme parks have often been a respite from the chaos of day-to-day life, but now the guests need them to be a respite from the harsh reality of the pandemic and its related challenges.
2020 was an incredibly challenging year for everyone, but many are approaching 2021, and especially its second half, with a renewed sense of hope for a return to pre-pandemic normalcy. Matt Eckert, of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, talked about how exciting it was to be open again and gifting happiness and laughter to their guests. After all, those are gifts everyone truly needs after this past challenging year. Audrey Jowett, from Revolution Adventures, talked about how attractions have an ability to give their guests a perceived sense of normalcy by keeping up their enhanced cleaning and safety standards but drawing less attention to it with signage and announcements. Louis Alfieri, of Raven Sun Creative, pointed out some of the connectivity alternatives that have been utilized throughout the pandemic and the ability to deliver some elements of themed entertainment virtually, but he went on to state that nothing completely replaces the value of real-world destinations.
Whether they are family entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, museums, theme parks, or other location-based offerings, attractions offer opportunities to have adventures with our friends and family that turn into life-long memories. Mark Rosenzweig, of 3dx Scenic, stated that the world is an exciting place that should be explored. Brandon Willey, from Hownd, pointed out that “humans crave experiences,” whether they are looking to learn something new, “get a dose of adrenaline,” or celebrate with loved ones. There are many different reasons for wanting to visit an attraction.
Besides being places that offer a good time, many experiences sneak in educational moments for their guests. Some of the best venues for “edutainment” are zoos, aquariums, and museums. Felicia Cook, with The Dolphin Company, discussed the importance their “nature ambassadors,” or the animals in their care, have on the guests that visit. In addition to conducting research and educating the public on the importance of wildlife, attractions like The Dolphin Company contribute directly to the health of Earth’s ecosystems by rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing animals. Jennifer Berthiaume, of Lion Country Safari, discussed the importance of educating the public about conservation by highlighting humanity’s connection to wildlife. Jennifer also highlighted a study from the St. Louis Zoo that found that “a visit to the zoo is good for health,” physically and mentally.
The pandemic has put an increased amount of strain on many people’s mental wellbeing, which has brought greatly-needed attention to the importance of taking care of one’s mental health in addition to physical health. Sarah Cole, of Glazer Children’s Museum, pointed out that children have been greatly affected by the isolation of the pandemic, causing a mental health crisis in kids. She said that museums and other attractions offer a “space for respite and joy.” Marcus Gaines, from Coaster Touring, agreed and stated that the escapism granted through location-based experiences help to promote mental wellness. Paul Griffiths, of Painshill Park Trust, talked about how attractions create spaces for employees and volunteers to escape from loneliness and connect with each other and guests in a meaningful way. He also discussed how connecting with nature through parks and other outdoor venues are opportunities to better our mental and physical well being.
However, green spaces aren’t the only attractions that improve their guests’ mental and physical wellbeing. Ryan Borton, of Funovation, discussed how Funovation’s offerings, like their laser mazes, challenge players’ “brain and brawn.” This mental and physical challenge is fun but also rewarding for both mental and physical wellness. Similarly, Luke and Cody Schueler, of Flying Squirrel Sports, talked about the many physical benefits of playing at indoor trampoline parks and similar attractions, such as improving your coordination, practicing your balance skills, and reducing your fatigue. Additionally, these sorts of experiences can increase bonds between family and friends, to the benefit of everyone’s mental wellbeing. The opportunity to get out and play at attractions is something that was greatly limited during the worst days of the pandemic, but people are certainly wasting no time getting back to these fun, physical, mentally-freeing activities.
Another important aspect of the return to these fun activities and attractions is making sure that they are safe and accessible for all. Bob McCullough, of Morgan’s Wonderland, discussed the importance of having accessible options that anyone can enjoy. Morgan’s Wonderland was designed to accommodate guests of all ages and abilities and to remove barriers so that anyone attending can have a wonderful experience. Pam Landwirth, from Give Kids the World Village, also discussed the importance of accessibility and highlighted the accessible rides gifted to the park by Zamperla. Pam summed it up beautifully by saying, “To see the joy on a child’s face to ride a ride for the very first time and to see their parents crying because they’re able to watch their children do it, I think that’s what makes us essential.”
In addition to providing magical moments for all guests, many attractions also provide a fulfilling purpose to their employees. Rachel Harper, of Castle Fun Park, pointed out that many employees of attractions would describe themselves as “people people” and find joy in going above and beyond to give their guests an unforgettable experience. I, Paige Reiter, the writer of the weekly AttractionPros podcast summaries, shared a story I had heard about a volunteer at Give Kids the World who didn’t find their purpose in life until they helped create cherished memories for the critically ill but incredibly brave children and their families who visit the park.
There are many remarkable stories related to the incredible impact that attractions have on their employees, their guests, and their communities. AttractionPros will continue to do our part to highlight the many amazing attractions, experiences, and the people that make them happen for many episodes to come. Please contact us on any platform if you’d like to contribute a story, suggest a guest, or highlight an attraction.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the work of our amazing team:
- Audio and video editing - Abigail Giganan
- Complete episode summary - Paige Reiter
- Scheduling and correspondence - Kristen Karaliunas
- Social media marketing - Kate Kujawa
- Branding and design - Fabiana Fonseca
To contact AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jun 29, 2021
Tuesday Jun 29, 2021
Johnathan Lee Iverson has the humbling title of The Last Ringmaster. For almost twenty years, Johnathan was the ringmaster for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, also known as The Greatest Show on Earth. He earned the title of The Last Ringmaster because he held that role when the circus gave its last performance in 2017 before shutting down. Johnathan says that title may have an asterisk behind it now that there are rumors that the Ringling Bros. Circus may be returning someday.
When he was just eleven years old, Johnathan joined the world-renowned Boys Choir of Harlem and was introduced to the world of music. Beyond growing as a musician, Johnathan learned many lessons during his years with the Boys Choir of Harlem. Those lessons included learning how to accept failure, how to utilize your specific skills and tools, how to build meaningful relationships, and how to work hard for something you really want. All of these skills are incredibly transferrable and have been vital throughout his life, including his time as a ringmaster. Johnathan would go on to study music at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and then the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. Johnathan was on track to move to Europe and become an opera singer when he happened to run into the director of the Ringling Bros. Circus one day. They were looking for a singing ringmaster, and though he was initially skeptical of the idea of making a career out of being a ringmaster, Johnathan auditioned for the role against thirty other candidates. Upon earning the job, Johnathan became the Ringling’s first ringmaster from New York, its youngest ringmaster, and its first Black American ringmaster. Johnathan’s story and talent quickly made him famous and helped Ringling Bros. Circus break records, but his gift resonated with individual members of his audiences in ways that couldn’t be measured by ticket sales or attendance numbers.
Johnathan stated that the role of a performing artist shouldn’t be for yourself but should instead inspire others and push the standard of your craft higher. Johnathan shared some of the many stories about the children whose lives he touched during his time as Ringling’s ringmaster. One child who heard his words chose to become a speaker. Another girl who had been shy before was inspired by Johnathan through a short interaction to become a performing artist. A mother shared that her autistic son spoke his first words at the circus and now loved their yearly trips to watch the performance. Johnathan says that he will likely never know the extent of the people that he and the rest of his circus coworkers had an effect on, but he knows that his voice, his words, and his gift continue to make a lasting impact.
For several years, Johnathan teamed up with fellow circus performer, Paulo dos Santos, to visit schools and talk about bullying. Paulo is a little person. Upon meeting each other, Johnathan admits he had to reassess his personal bias about Paulo. For example, Johnathan says that Paulo can pick him up and do squats as if Johnathan weighs nothing. In addition to being incredibly strong physically, Paulo is strong mentally and emotionally. As Johnathan put it, most people outgrow or can change the thing that they are bullied for, but that isn’t the case for Paulo. He uses this and what he has learned over the years to inspire kids to think twice about bullying others and to help those who are currently on the receiving end of bullying to realize that they can be strong and successful like Paulo.
One thing that Johnathan loved about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was that it showcased the talent of such a diverse group of people. The performers came from different countries, spoke different languages, and showcased elements of their different cultures. This broad array of people came together to celebrate their wonderful differences but also find some commonality between them. Many people that visit the circus get to see talents and sights that they may never experience otherwise. Some examples of this are the talented animal actors. Johnathan said that one thing you can really see in the shows is that the different animals are all unique and have their own personalities.
Additionally, Johnathan is the ringmaster for Omnium: A Bold New Circus, which recently launched a virtual circus experience but hopes to launch an in-person component in the future. Omnium aims to “broaden the tent” and features “uniquely unified, multi-talented, multi-racial, and multi-abled performers” in a celebration of diversity and inclusion. One star of this new circus is Jen Bricker-Bauer, an aerialist who was born without legs. During the virtual show, she shares the fact that she grew up in a household where she wasn’t allowed to say she can’t do something because her family knew that wasn’t true. Johnathan describes her and their fellow Omnium performers as a celebration of the “depth and breadth of the human family.” They also aim to make circus tickets available to people that may not be able to afford them or might not be able to attend the circus for other reasons. Omnium also tries to eliminate as many accessibility barriers as possible by offering integrated American sign language interpreters, audio description of the entire show, reduced sensory seating areas, and other personalized accommodations. Johnathan hopes this celebration of commonality and ability to come together despite differences can seep into more of our society and help make the world a better place.
If you’d like to learn more about Omnium: A Bold New Circus or watch their virtual performance, visit their website. If you’d like to connect with Johnathan, you can contact him at his website or by the handle @lastringmaster on almost all social media platforms.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the work of our amazing team:
- Audio and video editing - Abigail Giganan
- Complete episode summary - Paige Reiter
- Scheduling and correspondence - Kristen Karaliunas
- Social media marketing - Kate Kujawa
- Branding and design - Fabiana Fonseca
To contact AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jun 22, 2021
Tuesday Jun 22, 2021
Mary Tannous calls herself the Queen of Feedback. She’s been in the attractions and hospitality industry for over twenty years. During that time, she has gained expertise in many different areas of the industry, from sales and corporate strategy to technology and training. She’s a world traveler, speaks multiple languages, and has worked and lived in many different countries. Mary is a certified life coach, an active member of her community, and a business owner. Mary now acts as a consultant to hospitality and attractions companies, utilizing her years of expertise to look for growth opportunities. Mary says that many of these opportunities start by focusing on delivering a good guest experience.
Mary emphasized the importance of a consistent company culture that is aligned with that company’s brand and mission. She focused on the fact that this culture and the behaviors that it fosters need to be consistent from the very top of the company down to the very bottom. Having the right company culture is often the first step to fostering a great guest experience. One reason for this is that in successful companies, leaders are able to empower their employees to respond to feedback, judge the situation, and take action to remediate a negative situation. In a company where the culture isn’t as well established or trusting of its employees, frontline workers might not feel that they have the authority or the support to make those judgment calls. However, if managers can lead by example and create a positive work environment where all employees feel valuable and connected to the company’s overarching purpose, excellent customer experience is sure to follow.
When approaching a new case, Mary goes into the organization with the belief that most leaders have good intentions on their way to achieving good results. However, Mary is often there to point out that the company culture that the managers might want or even the culture that they think they have may not actually be a reality. As an objective third party, Mary steps in to help provide candid insight into where the company is, what it does well, and where it could improve. In other words, Mary provides critical feedback to her clients.
When giving feedback, it is important to provide it while in the mindset of wanting to help, not tear down. Mary takes every opportunity she can to provide constructive feedback, whether that be at a theme park or a hotel or a restaurant. Without feedback, how else can a company know that something is wrong that it needs to fix? When receiving feedback, it is important to listen but not take the feedback too personally. While the information being shared is an opportunity to learn and improve, it shouldn’t be an excuse to dwell on a mistake. Receiving feedback, though, is easier when it comes from a place of compassion, as stated earlier. This brings us to the idea that while expectations for good guest service have grown over time, there should also be an understanding that we, as guests, need to do our part to make the guest experience as positive as possible. When working together and communicating with respect and compassion, providing feedback can be a win-win situation for the guest and the recipient of the feedback.
Feedback between a company and its guests can be incredibly challenging, but feedback between teammates can be just as difficult. Part of a leader’s job is to build up and support the right team for whatever job they need to do. It is important for employees to understand their specific roles and expectations as well as have a sense for how their job contributes to the company’s overall mission. This is another important aspect of empowering workers. Sometimes, though, a team member might not be a good fit for a role, or they might not have a good understanding of their responsibilities. A manager’s job involves communicating with and training this employee so that they have all the tools they need to succeed. Expectations need to be clear and consistent, and if an employee is failing to meet those expectations, that information should be clearly communicated to them. It’s also important to give that employee adequate time and opportunity to adapt to the feedback and improve. However, if sufficient improvement doesn’t occur, then it might be time to fire that employee. It’s important to remember that that doesn’t necessarily mean the employee is a poor worker; they might just not be a good fit for the role they were in. The main takeaway is that an employee shouldn’t learn for the first time that they aren’t performing adequately at the time of termination because that doesn’t give that employee adequate time to respond to the feedback.
Mary also shared a priceless piece of advice with regards to customer service: “you can’t please everyone.” Instead, she suggests focusing on giving the best possible experience to the guests that you can please. Especially during these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be challenging to keep guests satisfied as some places roll back precautionary measures and others take a slower adoption strategy to new guidance. Mary urges everyone to focus on the things that they are able to control and do the absolute best with the information available at the time.
If you’d like to connect with Mary, you can find her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the work of our amazing team:
- Audio and video editing - Abigail Giganan
- Complete episode summary - Paige Reiter
- Scheduling and correspondence - Kristen Karaliunas
- Social media marketing - Kate Kujawa
- Branding and design - Fabiana Fonseca
To contact AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com
Tuesday Jun 15, 2021
Tuesday Jun 15, 2021
Become a Google Things To Do Beta Tester!
In March, news leaked out that Google would be launching a new program for activities and experiences operators called Google Things To Do. Redeam is a Google Things To Do launch partner, with a unique opportunity to bring a few qualified, early adopter operators into the beta test. Interested in learning more about joining the Things To Do beta test?
EMAIL SALES@REDEAM TODAY!
Episode 197 Summary
Keith James is a Partner, an Owner, and CEO of Jack Rouse Associates (JRA), a design and production company of just over forty employees located in Cincinnati, Ohio. JRA was founded in 1987, and Keith joined in 1992. JRA provides its design and project management expertise to a wide range of clients both within and external to the attractions industry. Their clients range from domestic and international amusement parks, museums, and other themed entertainment offerings to corporate entities looking to tell a compelling story about their brand.
Keith began his nearly fifty years in the themed entertainment industry with a summer job at Kings Island. At the time, Keith was a student at the University of Cincinnati, studying theater and stagecraft. He needed a summer job in order to pay his tuition, so he became a stage manager at Kings Island. What was especially exciting about his first venture into the attractions industry is that he was working at Kings Island during its opening season. Looking back on that summer, Keith had no idea that such a successful career in the themed entertainment industry would follow. At the time, he was just having a great time with 3000 other employees his age. Some of those coworkers would go on to be lifelong friends and even business partners. One of the performers in the theater would later become Keith’s wife! After that summer, Keith stayed for 17 years with Kings Island and Cedar Fair. Subsequent jobs would take him and his family to Toronto, Vancouver, and Australia. Then, Keith returned to the United States and moved to Orlando to help open Universal Orlando Resort. After several years with Universal, Keith was hired by JRA in 1992. Since then, he’s worked on countless themed entertainment projects around the world, but according to Keith, he has “never worked a day in his life.”
When asked about how JRA approaches different types of experiences, Keith said every project starts with the same thing: a story. A company or client will come to JRA with their vision of a future attraction or experience, and JRA’s goal is to enable that vision as closely as possible. JRA helps the client fully define the story they’d like to convey and the emotions that they’d like their guests to feel. They also carefully define the target audience. For example, a science museum might be tailored for older students while a theme park might want to keep every member of a family involved. After these core details are established, the JRA team dives deeper into how to make the vision a reality. For example, every client will have a timeline and budget, and these constraints help decide what opportunities are still possibilities. In some cases, the limiting factor is the technology available within these constraints.
When discussing the role of technology within attractions and their development, Keith emphasized the importance of using technology to enhance, support, or convey the story. Unlike the Wizard of Oz, we want to keep the technology hidden and out of mind so that the magic and immersion of the experience take center stage. Keith learned this valuable lesson as a college theater student when someone told him that the goal of a stage crew is for the audience to leave talking about the show and the story, not the set pieces, costumes, or special effects. All of those things are important and key to conveying the story properly, but it is ideal for the guest to be so immersed in the story that they don’t separate those details from what they just experienced. Ultimately, JRA’s mission is “designing dreams and delivering wow moments.” One example of a wow moment that Keith provided is the first time a parent watches their child hug Mickey Mouse. During that moment, you don’t want that parent or their child focused on the technology used to make Mickey blink or speak. Instead, you want them completely focused on that magic moment, which will become a precious memory and stick with the family for years.
Additionally, Keith talked about how JRA helps corporations create customer-focused experiences and storytelling moments that help customers “live that company’s brand.” While there is a fine line between something being overtly commercial or creating an exciting experience based on a particular brand, Keith emphasized the value of creating positive memories that are associated with a particular brand. Furthermore, Keith discussed how the line between the themed entertainment industry and other industries is becoming increasingly blurred. He even referenced a paper called “What do we do when the whole world is themed?” People are expecting more and more positive and elaborate experiences, even with things that used to be traditional, boring purchases. Nowadays, companies often have to think about the unboxing experience or the social aspects of their product instead of simply focusing on the product itself. It has created many opportunities to utilize skills from the themed entertainment industry in other sectors. However, the exchange of skills, information, and technology goes the other way as well. The themed entertainment industry constantly brings new technology and techniques from other industries and utilizes them in innovative ways. According to Keith, having more toys in the toy box to play with leads to more options, more fun, and more creative solutions to enabling the customer’s vision for a future entertainment offering.
Lastly, Keith offered some advice for young professionals just starting in the themed entertainment industry or trying to break into it. Just as he had done that first summer at Kings Island, Keith suggests seizing every possibility that is presented to you. Even if someone approaches you with a problem or task that you aren’t sure how to solve on your own, find or make some friends that can help you tackle the challenge. Additionally, Keith suggested reaching out to volunteer or ask industry professionals for ideas for how to get involved. Keith also emphasized the importance of being curious and interested in learning.
If you’d like to learn more about JRA or get in touch with Keith, you can find more information, including contact information, on JRA’s website.
This podcast wouldn't be possible without the work of our amazing team:
Audio and video editing - Abigail Giganan
Complete episode summary - Paige Reiter
Scheduling and correspondence - Kristen Karaliunas
Social media marketing - Kate Kujawa
Branding and design - Fabiana Fonseca
To connect with AttractionPros: attractionpros@gmail.com