AttractionPros Podcast

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

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 - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

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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 [email protected]​.  It's time to spend less time wondering what your guests are thinking, and more time connecting with them on a personal level.

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 - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

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 [email protected]​.  It's time to spend less time wondering what your guests are thinking, and more time connecting with them on a personal level.

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 - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

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 [email protected]​.  It's time to spend less time wondering what your guests are thinking, and more time connecting with them on a personal level.

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 - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

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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"

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 - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

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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: [email protected]

Have a question for the mailbag or know of a guest we should feature?  Drop us a line!

Josh - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

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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: [email protected]

Have a question for the mailbag or know of a guest we should feature?  Drop us a line!

Josh - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

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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 - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

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This is why we LOVE doing AttractionPros LIVE... so many great discussions and perspectives from the people out there making the attractions industry what it is today!

This episode was part of the IAAPA Expo conference education program, and was recorded on Nov. 18, 2019 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.  

Just about no stone was left unturned as we found out what was really on the minds of the AttractionPros in the room!  Topics like social media, when to retire a failing attraction, customer revenge, staff engagement, mentorship, employee recognition and much more!  Tune in as your peers (or YOU if you were in attendance) discussed these topics in an open forum!

For more information on IAAPA, click here.

Have a question for the mailbag or know of a guest we should feature?  Drop us a line!

Josh - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

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When giving feedback, do guests prefer posting online reviews or talking directly to the business?

In this episode, Josh and Matt explore multiple methods of guest communication, through both public and private channels, and how operators can use guest feedback to improve their business.  Josh explains the three critical tenants of the guest feedback loop: Collect, Respond, React, and then repeat to measure the success of your actions.  Additionally, examples are shared of how attractions have effectively used guest feedback to measure their top priorities which helped align their focus into which problems to solve first, and how they made small changes to their operation that yielded long-term positive results.

Josh also shares the exciting details of his new program, BackLooper, which is designed to help attractions gain higher quality feedback from more guests, and then outlines attraction's top complaints, giving key insight into areas of concern that need to be addressed.  Josh shares early results of attractions who have benefited from BackLooper's insights, along with how attractions can monetize the program to bring in additional revenue.

Have a question for the mailbag or know of a guest we should feature?  Drop us a line!

Josh - [email protected]

Matt - [email protected]

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn