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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 Jan 22, 2019
Tuesday Jan 22, 2019
Dr. Duncan Dickson is an Associate Professor at UCF's Rosen College of Hospitality Management where he teaches up-and-coming theme park leaders the finer points of the business. In this candid conversation, Dr. Dickson discusses his experiences in the early days of the Walt Disney World Resort, the rivalry between Disney and Universal, how the Disney college program came to be and how he learned how to hire people that paint rocks!
This episode is brought to you by FetchRev. With hundreds of FECs and Attractions across the US and Canada on their platform, FetchRev can increase your foot traffic, book more parties and events, and capture more revenue. FetchRev’s software collects your customer contact information and then automatically sends out targeted digital promotions to get them back in the door or through your gates. Their platform can book you up to 50% more birthday parties and even increase your per visit spend through real-time triggered promotions! FetchRev has an exclusive offer for AttractionPros listeners. To learn more about this offer, visit fetchrev.com/attractionpros.
Tuesday Jan 15, 2019
Tuesday Jan 15, 2019
Give Kids the World provides incredible services to families with terminally ill children. Steven Amos is their Development Manager and is responsible for fundraising and partnering with local attractions. In this episode, Steven talks about what makes GKTW so special, how easy it is to volunteer, and yes, how to make a child's dream of seeing a unicorn come true.
This episode is brought to you by FetchRev. With hundreds of FECs and Attractions across the US and Canada on their platform, FetchRev can increase your foot traffic, book more parties and events, and capture more revenue. FetchRev’s software collects your customer contact information and then automatically sends out targeted digital promotions to get them back in the door or through your gates. Their platform can book you up to 50% more birthday parties and even increase your per visit spend through real-time triggered promotions! FetchRev has an exclusive offer for AttractionPros listeners. To learn more about this offer, visit fetchrev.com/attractionpros.
Tuesday Jan 08, 2019
Tuesday Jan 08, 2019
Shaun McKeogh is the founder and president of Attractions Academy. His goal is to help attractions find and engage their unique SPIRIT in all they do! In this episode, Shaun also talks about his unlikely start in the attractions industry and the importance of proper training at all levels.
This episode is brought to you by FetchRev. With hundreds of FECs and Attractions across the US and Canada on their platform, FetchRev can increase your foot traffic, book more parties and events, and capture more revenue. FetchRev’s software collects your customer contact information and then automatically sends out targeted digital promotions to get them back in the door or through your gates. Their platform can book you up to 50% more birthday parties and even increase your per visit spend through real-time triggered promotions! FetchRev has an exclusive offer for AttractionPros listeners. To learn more about this offer, visit fetchrev.com/attractionpros.
Tuesday Jan 01, 2019
Tuesday Jan 01, 2019
It happens every year. As the calendar turns, we reflect on what was in the last year and what we'd like to see in the new year. 2018 marked the first full year of the AttractionPros podcast, so Matt and Josh ring in 2019 with a bit of a look back, as well as a look forward. Look for more cool stuff from AttractionPros in 2019!
Also mentioned in this episode: ALL CLEAR -Private Learning Community for Attractions Leaders
This episode is brought to you by FetchRev. With hundreds of FECs and Attractions across the US and Canada on their platform, FetchRev can increase your foot traffic, book more parties and events, and capture more revenue. FetchRev’s software collects your customer contact information and then automatically sends out targeted digital promotions to get them back in the door or through your gates. Their platform can book you up to 50% more birthday parties and even increase your per visit spend through real-time triggered promotions! FetchRev has an exclusive offer for AttractionPros listeners. To learn more about this offer, visit fetchrev.com/attractionspros.
Tuesday Dec 25, 2018
Tuesday Dec 25, 2018
Tim Morrow is the CEO of the San Antonio Zoo. In this episode, Tim talks about his history in the industry, the myths and misperceptions many people have of zoos and aquariums and how two young hippos found love on the internet!
Tim Morrow's first job in the attractions industry was as a lifeguard at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. What he thought would be a summer job while pursuing a career in law enforcement turned into a phenomenal career with SeaWorld San Antonio and then as the CEO of the San Antonio Zoo for the last 4 years. Tim talks about how his career switch was very natural and when he fell in love with the industry, it was a perfect fit. In this interview, Tim talks about how he focuses on quality and guest experience with utmost high standard.
Using lessons learned from August Busch, Tim incorporates the motto of "never stop looking up" into his leadership style, treating your employees like family, treating your operation like a laboratory and not a factory, and not being afraid to make mistakes. Tim talks about the passion that his employees have for caring for the animals, and how that connects with every-day issues like eliminating plastic straws. Additionally, he talks about how his social media strategy is that he "doesn't have one," even though he has a knack for creating some viral posts.
Tim Morrow on Twitter:
Tuesday Dec 18, 2018
Tuesday Dec 18, 2018
John Hallenbeck is the VP of North American Operations for IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions). His job is to ensure members get connected with the right people and resources so the entire industry can grow. In this episode, John talks about his extensive history in the industry, what it takes to bring teams together, and his philosophy on accepting opportunities.
John started his career in the attractions industry at Universal Studios Florida in 1992, working as a front-line admissions attendant. Today, John is the VP of North America for IAAPA, the leading association for the global attractions industry with over 6,000 members worldwide. Between 1992 and 2018, John's career took him on a global journey where he opened Universal Studios Japan & Singapore, along with Dubai Parks & Resorts.
Upon returning to the United States, John joined the team with Hershey Entertainment until accepting his current role with IAAPA. In that time, John has extensive experience in opening new major theme parks and resorts, aligning leadership teams to ensure a unified strategy, and has a unique perspective on technology's influence on the attractions industry through his global lens. John offers amazing advice on successfully building a career in the industry.
Tuesday Dec 11, 2018
Tuesday Dec 11, 2018
Christine Buhr is the Founder and President of Shakers Fun Centre in Calgary, Canada. In this episode, she shares her philosophies on employee training and mentoring, responsible ways to serve alcohol in your center and when to trust the data or go with your gut.
Before opening Shaker's Fun Centre, Christine Buhr had no experience in the attractions industry, nor was she a consumer of the product. By identifying a gap in the marketplace in the Calgary region, Christine's drive for entrepreneurship led to opening a go-kart track on 7 acres of land. 13 years later, Shaker's is a full FEC and widely acknowledged as one of the top family attractions in Calgary.
Christine shares her strategy on how treating your employees as leaders gives them a sense of empowerment and accountability that ultimately results in the ideal guest experience. Additionally, Christine discusses why Shaker's group events expand beyond the traditional demographics of children's birthday parties, and how to carefully walk the line to serve all demographics evenly.
To contact Christine directly: christine@shakerscalgary.com
Tuesday Dec 04, 2018
Tuesday Dec 04, 2018
In this continuation of addressing extra questions from AttractionPros LIVE in Orlando, we dive into three more really outstanding questions:
- If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be? (Maybe from guests' POV & from industry POV)
- Developing better leaders - motivating them when they are reluctant?
- As a supplier to the industry, getting introduced to big theme parks is almost impossible. Any tips or should the "big parks" host an open house 3-4 times a year?
Tuesday Nov 27, 2018
Tuesday Nov 27, 2018
After our AttractionPros LIVE episode in Orlando, the discussion was so engaging that we had some questions left over that we didn't have time to get to. So, we decided to answer them here, in our Attraction LIVE Mailbag Episode!
The two questions we tackled in this episode are:
- What are a few ideas to challenge/motivate my small team of 8 to bring their A-game every day... and not just when the higher-ups are around?
- Succession planning - How do I rebuild my management team?
Tuesday Nov 20, 2018
Tuesday Nov 20, 2018
This is our second installment of AttractionPros LIVE, where the audience is our guest! We gathered on November 14, 2018 with 30 AttractionPros from around the industry for a lively and insightful chat about data, networking follow-up, guest experience, leadership, and more!
By submitting questions anonymously, our guests were able to ask what would help their operations improve while tapping into the collective wisdom in the room. The diversity of guests made the conversation incredibly robust... we had people from many different type of attractions as well as vendors and consultants.
Special thanks to Patrick Buckley who provided amazing photography services. To view the album from this event, click here.