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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 Feb 04, 2020
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Janice Jokkel can pivot. When she needed a different way to earn a living, she found the Family Entertainment Center business was just the ticket. Starting small, she grew her business by focussing on the details of training and culture. During our conversation, we get to hear her story and also touch on the importance of core values, why e-learning is not the panacea we think it is, and the two things people will generally not skimp on.
For more on Janice: https://get-ingear.com/
AttractionPros listeners get a discount to Janice's F.O.C.U.S. Conference. Use the code FUN before 2/14!
If you have a question for the mailbag or know of a leader we should highlight on the show, please drop us a line. If you have questions about anything addressed on the show, feel free to reach out anytime!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by BackLooper. Have you ever gotten a negative review online? Better yet, have you ever gotten a negative review online that you actually found to be useful? Wouldn't you have preferred that that guest contacted you directly? Every organization has its flaws, and you shouldn't be learning about yours through social media. BackLooper was created to solve this problem directly, by collecting better feedback data from more guests, especially compared to online review sites and many other feedback collection methods. By using BackLooper's intuitive reporting, you can better understand what your guests are saying in masses, and make quick decisions from the results. To learn how you can substantially increase the amount feedback you receive from your guests, and get started with a no-risk plan, visit www.amusementadvantage.com/backlooper, and contact Josh directly at josh@amusementadvantage.com. It's time to spend less time wondering what your guests are thinking, and more time connecting with them on a personal level.
Tuesday Jan 28, 2020
Tuesday Jan 28, 2020
Phil Edgell is the President of Vantage, a company that translates guest behavior into meaningful insights to enable real-time, strategic decision-making – optimizing operations and empowering guests to design their own experiences.
This episode covers all that and much more, including what it takes to lead a team that consistently deals with uncertainty, why running a start-up within a larger manufacturing company actually works, and where to put the ice cream cart at 3 pm for maximum impact!
For more on Vantage: https://www.vantage.co/
To connect with Phil: phil.edgell@vantage.co
If you have a question for the mailbag or know of a leader we should highlight on the show, please drop us a line. If you have questions about anything addressed on the show, feel free to reach out anytime!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by BackLooper. Have you ever gotten a negative review online? Better yet, have you ever gotten a negative review online that you actually found to be useful? Wouldn't you have preferred that that guest contacted you directly? Every organization has its flaws, and you shouldn't be learning about yours through social media. BackLooper was created to solve this problem directly, by collecting better feedback data from more guests, especially compared to online review sites and many other feedback collection methods. By using BackLooper's intuitive reporting, you can better understand what your guests are saying in masses, and make quick decisions from the results. To learn how you can substantially increase the amount feedback you receive from your guests, and get started with a no-risk plan, visit www.amusementadvantage.com/backlooper, and contact Josh directly at josh@amusementadvantage.com. It's time to spend less time wondering what your guests are thinking, and more time connecting with them on a personal level.
Tuesday Jan 21, 2020
Tuesday Jan 21, 2020
What just happened? Josh and Matt hit the record button with no idea what to talk about. Instead, they decided to try an experiment of asking for topics in real time and the AttractionPros community did not disappoint! In this spontaneous conversation, we talked about:
- Performance reviews
- Pay rates and raises
- Significant changes/challenges over the last decade
- Queuing strategies
- Employee engagement surveys
- How Josh and Matt met and what drives us crazy about each other
If you have a question for the mailbag or know of a leader we should highlight on the show, please drop us a line. If you have questions about anything addressed on the show, feel free to reach out anytime!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by BackLooper. Have you ever gotten a negative review online? Better yet, have you ever gotten a negative review online that you actually found to be useful? Wouldn't you have preferred that that guest contacted you directly? Every organization has its flaws, and you shouldn't be learning about yours through social media. BackLooper was created to solve this problem directly, by collecting better feedback data from more guests, especially compared to online review sites and many other feedback collection methods. By using BackLooper's intuitive reporting, you can better understand what your guests are saying in masses, and make quick decisions from the results. To learn how you can substantially increase the amount feedback you receive from your guests, and get started with a no-risk plan, visit www.amusementadvantage.com/backlooper, and contact Josh directly at josh@amusementadvantage.com. It's time to spend less time wondering what your guests are thinking, and more time connecting with them on a personal level.
Tuesday Jan 14, 2020
Tuesday Jan 14, 2020
When AttractionPros listeners talk, we listen! In a mailbag meets leftovers episode, Josh and Matt address a very serious issue facing mast attractions today: effective recruiting techniques, especially when the applicant pools are shrinking. This topic was a suggestion from Rob Knemeyer, a previous AttractionPros guest and longtime listener. We also posed this question on social media and many of the tips and techniques you will hear come from the AttractionPros community.
If you have a question for the mailbag or know of a leader we should highlight on the show, please drop us a line. If you have questions about anything addressed on the show, feel free to reach out anytime!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by BackLooper. Have you ever gotten a negative review online? Better yet, have you ever gotten a negative review online that you actually found to be useful? Wouldn't you have preferred that that guest contacted you directly? Every organization has its flaws, and you shouldn't be learning about yours through social media. BackLooper was created to solve this problem directly, by collecting better feedback data from more guests, especially compared to online review sites and many other feedback collection methods. By using BackLooper's intuitive reporting, you can better understand what your guests are saying in masses, and make quick decisions from the results. To learn how you can substantially increase the amount feedback you receive from your guests, and get started with a no-risk plan, visit www.amusementadvantage.com/backlooper, and contact Josh directly at josh@amusementadvantage.com. It's time to spend less time wondering what your guests are thinking, and more time connecting with them on a personal level.
Tuesday Jan 07, 2020
Tuesday Jan 07, 2020
2020 is HERE! For some that means new gym memberships, but for us it means taking stock of our accomplishments in 2019 and looking forward to what 2020 has in store. In a special twist, we also recount some of the great conversations from previous episodes and turn those into goals for the entire industry. Clever, right?
We'd love to here about your goals for the upcoming year! Drop us a line!
To support Josh in the Chicago Marathon:
https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/2020chicago/joshliebman2
Also, to hear more about BackLooper and the Performance Optimist Consulting VIP program, contact us anytime!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by BackLooper. Have you ever gotten a negative review online? Better yet, have you ever gotten a negative review online that you actually found to be useful? Wouldn't you have preferred that that guest contacted you directly? Every organization has its flaws, and you shouldn't be learning about yours through social media. BackLooper was created to solve this problem directly, by collecting better feedback data from more guests, especially compared to online review sites and many other feedback collection methods. By using BackLooper's intuitive reporting, you can better understand what your guests are saying in masses, and make quick decisions from the results. To learn how you can substantially increase the amount feedback you receive from your guests, and get started with a no-risk plan, visit www.amusementadvantage.com/backlooper, and contact Josh directly at josh@amusementadvantage.com. It's time to spend less time wondering what your guests are thinking, and more time connecting with them on a personal level.
Tuesday Dec 31, 2019
Tuesday Dec 31, 2019
Get out your notebook - class is in session! In this wide-ranging conversation, Zach Winfield, VP of Zoo Advisors, gives both the 30,000-foot view and the boots-on-the-ground perspective of non-profit economics. From funding to minimum wage, you'll gain a better understanding of how zoos and aquariums achieve their mission through a healthy profit margin. We also discuss transparency in the zoo environment, reducing silos in organizations and what it takes to be a successful zookeeper.
For more on Zach and Zoo Advisors: http://www.zooadvisors.com/
Have a question for the mailbag or know of a guest we should feature? Drop us a line!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
Tuesday Dec 24, 2019
Tuesday Dec 24, 2019
This is the time of year for leftovers - and we have a number of questions left over from our AttractionPros LIVE episode recorded at the IAAPA Expo! So in this episode, Josh and Matt dig into some meaty topics with the help of our listeners. For the first time ever, these questions were posted to social media before the episode was recorded so our listeners could give us their nuggets of wisdom. As we explore the questions, we share what our listeners had to say along with giving our 2 cents.
Here are the business challenges we tackled in this episode:
- How to train "confidence"
- My boss is unavailable when I need her the most
- Interdepartmental service excellence across all guest-facing departments
If you were at AttractionPros LIVE and we didn't get to your question, please let us know and we'll work it in to a future episode!
Many of our listener answers came from members of the private Facebook group: ALL CLEAR! Private Learning Community for Attractions Leaders. If you are not a member of this group, it's free to join and is exclusively for leaders in the attractions industry.
Have a question for the mailbag or know of a guest we should feature? Drop us a line!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
Tuesday Dec 17, 2019
Tuesday Dec 17, 2019
Jonah Sandler is the Founder and CEO of Scene 75, the largest indoor entertainment centers in the country. In this wide-ranging conversation, Jonah candidly talks about what he taught the employees of Facebook about using the platform, his commitment to community and culture, and what it has been like rebuilding his first location after it was devastated by a tornado.
Scene 75 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scene75official/
Jonah Sandler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonahsandler/
Jonah Sandler email: jsandler@scene75.com
Have a question for the mailbag or know of a guest we should feature? Drop us a line!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
Tuesday Dec 10, 2019
Tuesday Dec 10, 2019
MJ Brewer recently took over as Executive Director of AIMS International, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving safety in the amusement industry. They do this through education, partnerships with other associations and their multi-level certification process. In this episode, MJ talks about what it takes to put on the AIMS Safety Seminar, how closely related customer service and safety are, why everyone in the organization (whether in specific safety positions or not) should be concerned with safety.
For more on AIMS, click here: http://www.aimsintl.org/
To contact MJ: mj.brewer@aimsintl.org
Have a question for the mailbag or know of a guest we should feature? Drop us a line!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
Tuesday Dec 03, 2019
Tuesday Dec 03, 2019
Chris Perry is the Vice President, Perfect Day Islands - Operations for Royal Caribbean. No stranger to the attractions industry, Chris shares his insight on company culture, the operator/vendor relationship and the importance of investing in your team members. This wide-ranging conversation also covers Chris's best advice for young professionals, his observations about what attractions can learn from the cruise lines, and what it's like to host a TV show.
Show note: When Chris mentions go-karts, he meant to say bumper cars.
Chris Perry on Twitter (@christoperry) and Instragam (@christoperry)
Have a question for the mailbag or know of a guest we should feature? Drop us a line!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com