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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 Jun 11, 2019
Tuesday Jun 11, 2019
Kevin Williams is the Founder of KWP, the Digital Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Consultancy, and he knows a thing or two about the immersive experience industry. Kevin walks us through the early days of VR (virtual reality) and shares the progression of technologies such as AR (augmented reality), MR (mixed reality), XR (cross reality) and LARP (Live action role play). We also discuss how the retail apocalypse has opened up some really interesting opportunities in this space.
To contact Kevin: kwp@thestingerreport.com
Here are some of the pictures Kevin referred to in this episode:
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
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!
Tuesday Jun 04, 2019
Tuesday Jun 04, 2019
A delayed flight? No big deal. Missing a connecting flight? No big deal. Rental car employees showing no empathy or urgency AND not honoring a reservation? VERY BIG DEAL!!
In this episode, Matt and Josh unpack the leadership and training lessons from a recent travel experience. Employees who show no empathy or urgency make bad situations worse. The silver lining? In the end, an employee from another company showed both empathy and urgency on behalf of a weary traveler, and ultimately became a service hero - so much so that she solidified Matt's loyalty to one particular rental car company.
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
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!
Tuesday May 28, 2019
Tuesday May 28, 2019
Michael O. Browning Jr. is the Founder and CEO of Urban Air Adventure Parks, which he will tell you are NOT merely trampoline parks. His vision is to create "screenless fun" that you can't buy on Amazon. Michael shares his fascinating story about how he collects and analyzes consumer data to drive smart and strategic growth.
For more on Michael:
Michael O. Browning Jr. on LinkedIn
If you know of a guest you would like us to feature, please let us know!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!
Tuesday May 21, 2019
Tuesday May 21, 2019
A loyal listener sent us this question: "Where is the passion for the Industry? So many managers have pressure from on high to raise the numbers. When the focus is on the team to enjoy their work, that emits to the guests having a better experience. What can managers do to make sure that doesn't happen?"
She brings up a great point, one that many managers struggle with. As Matt and Josh discuss, passion for the industry can come in many forms, and sometimes the people in middle management can be in the toughest position of all, because they are the ones called upon to inspire the team AND watch the numbers.
If you have a question for the mailbag, we'd love to hear it!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!
Tuesday May 14, 2019
Tuesday May 14, 2019
Beth Standlee is the author of "People buy from People", a new book about sales and the all-too-common struggle many people have with becoming the salesperson they need to become. Beth tells how to build relationships without being the annoying, smarmy used-car salesman none of us want to be. She also shares how the process of selling shouldn't be simply about a transaction, but about building relationships so you can genuinely help others with your experience and services.
For more info on Beth: TrainerTainment
We'd love to hear your thoughts or suggestions for future episodes, or any questions you have for the mail bag!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!
Tuesday May 07, 2019
Tuesday May 07, 2019
Dan Edwards is the Director of Summer Operations at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. With Dan's background in theme parks, it's easy to make comparisons between the ski industry and theme parks... they're just open opposite seasons, right? Not so fast. While both industries stress safety and outstanding guest experiences, Dan shares some of the nuance differences that may not be obvious to the untrained observer.
We'd love to hear your thoughts or suggestions for future episodes, or any questions you have for the mail bag!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!
Tuesday Apr 30, 2019
Tuesday Apr 30, 2019
John Anderson is the Interim CEO of the Michigan Science Center in Detroit, MI. No stranger to creating experiences, John talks about the incredible outreach programs conducted by his organization, the lessons he learned transitioning from an animal conservation and welfare operation to one that emphasizes STEM education, and the importance of slowing down and truly understanding your needs before embarking on a project.
And whether he knew it or not, John also made two 'Seinfeld' references during the conversation. Did you catch them?
To learn more about the Michigan Science Center: https://www.mi-sci.org/
To connect with John Anderson: John Anderson on LinkedIn
We'd love to hear your thoughts or suggestions for future episodes, or any questions you have for the mail bag!
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!
Tuesday Apr 23, 2019
Tuesday Apr 23, 2019
In Episode 84, Josh told us about his experiences going to the gym and getting his hair cut, and how they both personalized the experience. That got us thinking, so we decided to dedicate this episode to much more onion-peeling to get to the bottom of why personalizing the experience is not only important to your guests, but to your employees as well.
We also dive into how to make this happen for both audiences, and that the techniques really aren't all that different.
We'd love to hear what you do to personalize the experience for your guests or employees, so feel free to contact us anytime:
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!
Tuesday Apr 16, 2019
Tuesday Apr 16, 2019
The "OK Carnival" commercial from AT&T has ruffled the feathers of a lot of people within the attractions industry. At first glance, we can totally see why. On second and third glances, there are definitely some nuances that require a deeper examination, and that's just what AttractionPros do!
The commercial depicts a carnival worker taking a very nonchalant attitude toward safety, which we all know is contradictory to our actual priorities. The overall message of the campaign is that the "just okay" attitude is not okay, and we should be striving for a higher standard. In the attractions industry, we DO strive for a higher standard from what is being shown here, which is partially why we think this video has upset so many people.
Take a listen to our thoughts and reactions and see if there is more to this story than just the video. We'd love to hear your comments, so contact us anytime:
Josh - josh@amusementadvantage.com
Matt - matt@performanceoptimist.com
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!
Tuesday Apr 09, 2019
Tuesday Apr 09, 2019
Jeffrey Siebert is the Park President of Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, as well as Hurricane Harbor Splashtown in Houston. In this episode, Jeffrey talks about leading diverse (and geographically separate) teams, engaging both guests and the enthusiast community, and how the Six Flags membership program has been a game-changer in the attractions industry.
This episode is brought to you by FunRating. If you work in any area of the attractions industry, you’re probably curious how guests at your attraction perceive critical areas of guest experience. Which facility type provided the best service in 2018? Who really needs to improve their food service? And which attraction saw the highest increase in likelihood to return? These questions, and more, can all be found in the FunRating Report, and this is information that only Amusement Advantage can provide. The FunRating Report can be found at funrating.com, and we have an exclusive offering for AttractionPros listeners. To save 10% off of the one-time purchase of $375, tune into the podcast!