AttractionPros Podcast all Episodes with AI Transcript

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AttractionPros

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.

Total 104 episodes

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03/01/2023

Episode 278 - Wess Long talks about the role of a lifeguard, experiential learning, and client-centric solutions

Wess Long is the President of StarGuard ELITE, an aquatic risk prevention agency that is internationally recognized for its elite training, certification, and consulting programs serving lifeguards, management, attraction attendants, and more. Wess is passionate about the aquatics industry, having spent time in facilities all over the world. It's that experience and passion that drives him and the team at StarGuard ELITE to pursue the best in training practices for the people who are keeping our pools and waterparks safe. In this episode, Wess talks about the role of a lifeguard, experiential learning and client centric solutions. The role of a lifeguard "It's critical that we understand the role of a lifeguard." If everything goes as planned, you likely won’t have a lot of interaction with a lifeguard at your local pool or waterpark. That is because their job is to literally guard lives, and they do this by watching for distress in swimmers so they can identify dangerous situations long before they pose a threat to the public. In many ways, lifeguards are first responders and are part of the medical response team and can mean the difference between life and death. Like the fire department or paramedics, their job, in the event of an emergency, is to sustain life and stabilize the situation until others arrive. It’s a big responsibility that in many cases is bestowed on young adults. Experiential learning "Experiential learning is not just about doing, but also talking about it." Guarding a life is not a passive activity. Wess believes that the training that prepares someone for the role of a lifeguard should be more than just classroom learning, and even more than a hands-on experience. At StarGuard ELITE, their training program is centered around the concept of experiential learning - which like lifeguarding itself, is not a passive process. As Wess says, it’s not enough to do the activities, you must also talk about them and personalize them. What went well, what can be improved, and how did a particular guard’s actions help or hinder the process? Talking through scenarios also tends to uncover the “why” and purpose of what lifeguards do. Client-centric solutions "There are objectives and standards that can be the same, but the ways to get there can be very different." Every client has the same goal - keep their guests safe. Wess and StarGuard ELITE’s approach is that there are many ways to get there, taking into consideration the size and scope of the facility they are working with. This means that there is no one-size-fits all approach. Wess and his team take time to assess the strengths and needs of each team they work with, finding an approach and process that takes into consideration budget, staffing and location. At the end of the day, SGE and their clients want the same thing - 100% safety for their teams and guests. To learn more about StartGuard Elite, you can find them at StarGuard Elite. Wess can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]. This podcast wouldn’t be possible without the work of our incredible team: Kristen Karaliunas - Scheduling and Correspondence Abby Giganan - Audio and Video Editing

52m

27/12/2022

Episode 277: Susan Storey talks about planting seeds through PR, storytelling for suppliers, and leveraging ambassadors

Susie Storey is the Communications & PR Strategist for Storey to Story Communications, a public relations firm focused on helping attractions industry suppliers amplify their stories. Susie has worked in the attractions industry her entire career, mostly in public relations, at organizations that include Disney, Six Flags, Universal, Cedar Fair, Give Kids the World, Great Wolf Lodge, SeaWorld Parks & Resorts, and IAAPA. In this interview, Susie talks about planting seeds through PR, storytelling for suppliers, and leveraging ambassadors. Planting seeds through PR "The places to plant your stories have changed." The way that people consume content has evolved substantially over the years. Previously, companies would seek media recognition through traditional publishing and newspapers, or publications like Good Housekeeping and Parenting Magazine. Many of these outlets no longer exist - at least not in the same form - which has changed the way that businesses should think about getting their message out. Susie talks about the importance of earned publicity, or publicity that you are not buying, in your PR strategy. Gone are the days of striving for millions of impressions, because we need to think about not just the amount of people we’re reaching, but if we are reaching the right people. Social media, publications, and podcasts are all avenues for communication, and the way in which they are leveraged is key to their success. Storytelling for suppliers "Gone are the days of throwing every message to the wall and hoping they all stick." Historically, suppliers in the attractions industry have relied on traditional marketing and communications to get the word out about their product in an attempt to reach their target demographics - the attraction's operators. However, by pulling back, there are opportunities to get creative with how the messages are broadcast and how the stories are told. For example, when a theme park gives a roller coaster a fresh coat of paint, the business relationship is between the paint company and the park operator, but the interest extends into the enthusiast community, where the appeal of the story can be magnified. Suppliers are not necessarily trying to reach guests, which include families and parents, but by doing so they can turn their work into human interest stories. Leveraging ambassadors "If you're going through a tough time as a company, you want your ambassadors there to support you." Guests can be citizen journalists, and your employees can and should be ambassadors of your business. From an employee standpoint, it’s a challenge to create a policy on whether they can post on behalf of the organization. Susie’s recommendation is to have an evolving policy that can set a framework for what employees can share and what they cannot, recognizing that employees will post online regardless. For guests, building advocacy in the guest experience is also a form of planting seeds that you won’t know when you’ll need to harvest. When a business experiences a crisis, it is often the most loyal guests who come to the company’s defense and set the record straight. This includes building relationships with enthusiast organizations, bloggers, and other groups that carry influence over your reputation. When asked about advice for aspiring PR professionals, Susie says that people need to be able to write and communicate, as well as wear multiple hats in their roles. PR is more than party planning! To reach Susie, you can connect with her on LinkedIn, or reach out directly at [email protected]. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Video editing by Abigail Giganan To connect with AttractionPros: [email protected]

48m

20/12/2022

Episode 276: Dennis Speigel talks about feasibility & master planning, future trends, and that everyone wants to have fun.

Dennis Speigel is the Founder and Owner of International Theme Park Services, Inc., a company centered around theme park consulting with specialties in feasibility and master planning. Starting out as a ticket taker at Coney Island in Cincinnati, Dennis found his love for the amusement industry and found a major interest in the business side of entertainment. After graduating, Dennis was invited to join the Coney Island team and later Kings Island, now one of the most popular amusement destinations in America. Years later, Dennis took his master planning and business experience to create ITPS, pioneering the expansion of the attractions industry worldwide. In this interview, the IAAPA Hall of Fame inductee tells us about feasibility & master planning, future trends, and how everyone wants to have fun. Feasibility & Master Planning "The least fun we have is conducting a feasibility study, but it's the most important thing we do." One of Dennis’s first major projects was the $60 million construction of Kings Dominion in Virginia. Since then, Dennis has dedicated his life to mastering the economics of theme parks. When studying a new proposal and trying to bring it to life, the same feasibility study process has been used since the building of Disneyland. It charts the course for the design and planning of any new development in the industry, which results in a 10 to 12 week process. However, theme parks aren’t immune to the unpredictable market. With recessions and inflation, ITPS has also helped banks and theme park investors through whatever troubles they may be having. ITPS has sold over $800 million in theme parks and also helped many companies recover from an economic downturn. Whatever the challenge is, Dennis has worked through it before. Future Trends “We've continued to evolve and expand through technology, and through the people's love of our business." Covid-19 changed the world, and technology still continues to grow at a shockingly fast rate. The direct effects of these recent events have resulted in per capita spending skyrocketing to levels we have never seen before. With ‘revenge traveling’ from the pandemic and touchless and cashless technology continuing to grow, consumers are being more monetarily engaged than ever before. However, Dennis knows the real challenge is keeping the demand up. Although we may see opportunities while we sit at the master panel, we have to make the calls that keep our core values of the industry alive. The attractions industry is a mature business now, and managing the varying factors of the ever growing business is something we need to focus on. Everyone Wants to Have Fun "The one common denominator of people all over the world is that people want to have fun." After traveling across the world hundreds of times, Dennis knows that the one universal language is fun. After wars have shredded through countries and people start to rebuild, one of the common things that every culture looks for is fun. It’s why the attractions industry was able to march across the world in the past decades, and why the market is consistently growing to this day. New generations like Gen Z and Gen A are engaged in the industry, and Dennis stresses that we need to capitalize on that to keep our guests coming. Unlike other industries, we don’t put smoke in the air or pollute rivers, but instead we market memories. By capitalizing on the core values of our industry, we can keep growing for years to come simply because the market for fun will never disappear. To contact Dennis, you can connect with him on LinkedIn. To learn more about ITPS, you can visit their website here. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Summary by Mason Nichols Video editing by Abigail Giganan To connect with AttractionPros: [email protected]

59m

13/12/2022

Episode 275: Dolf DeJong talks about ruthless optimism, separating music from the noise, and scarring people in positive ways

Dolf DeJong is the CEO of The Toronto Zoo, home of more than 4,000 animals spanning across a property of 710 acres. In his childhood, Dolf visited the zoo often and developed a strong passion and connection to wildlife. An educator by training, Dolf was sure he would end up in the classroom, but stumbled into the path of management and tapped into his passion for wildlife he developed years ago. Today, Dolf leads the Toronto Zoo team in their mission to connect guests to wildlife and create the core link between connection and caring in order to fight the growing risk of extinction worldwide. In this interview, Dolf shares his insights on the power of ruthless optimism, separating music from the noise, and scarring people in positive ways. Ruthless Optimism "The spirit of ruthless optimism is required." Dolf doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that the environment isn’t getting better. To combat the constant stress and fatigue caused by the negative news we are always surrounded by, Dolf has found serenity through the power of ruthless optimism. By constantly seeing the good in things, we can still feel encouraged to make a difference and fight through the negatives to see the light in the dark tunnel. The power of ruthless optimism spans further than just the environment. In the operations world, overcoming challenges that linger from the pandemic in addition to other common issues like understaffing can create stress and fatigue and cause burnout. By applying these same concepts, the spirit of ruthless optimism will help you through the challenges and allow you to keep making strides day by day. Separating Music from the Noise "We want to respect tradition, but we don't want to fall to toxic nostalgia." Within the Toronto Zoo operation, Dolf is faced with the challenge of taking care of his frontline team members as well as over 4,000 animals. Every day, Dolf meets with team members and animals to find where the pulse is to separate the music from the noise and turn that into meaningful action to evolve the operation. Dolf stresses the importance of having a diversity of voices around you to not get lost in the noise. In addition, having the ability to talk to anyone at any time can help you turn your plan into action after finding the music. Knowing that you have weight and that your conversation can be treated as direction drastically impacts team members and allows for you to create meaningful changes within your operation. Scarring People in Positive Ways "Human interaction improves retention of information." By running a massive operation responsible for sending a message to guests, Dolf is faced with challenges like balancing entertainment and education, but primarily making a lasting impact on guests. By creating moments for human interaction, guests will feel more connected to the experience and develop a lasting imprint. However, the major challenge of making a lasting impact is the sheer diversity of the audience. One in every five people read signs. Dolf knows that to cater to a larger audience, there needs to be several ways to send a message to the guests. By giving guests tangible action to take, such as eating one less course of meat every week, guests can see that their actions have an impact, and assists in developing that lasting imprint. The information and connections that are created at experiences like the Toronto Zoo can change the trajectory of lives, and Dolf knows that we need to focus on what will come back with the guest tomorrow if we truly want to make change. To contact Dolf, you can connect with him on LinkedIn. To learn more about the Toronto Zoo, you can visit their website here. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our amazing team: Summary by Mason Nichols Video editing by Abigail Giganan To connect with AttractionPros: [email protected]

46m