On August 30th, 2021, AttractionPros hosted an interactive podcast with a live audience at the 2021 Florida Attractions Association Annual Conference.  While the topics discussed revolved around the lessons learned during the pandemic, the overall tone of the session was incredibly positive, focusing on the silver linings of these incredibly difficult past 18 months.  Questions to the audience asked for stories of those silver linings, examples of changes made during the pandemic that are likely to stick around, and also ways in which people grew personally during these challenging times.

Jared Reid of Wild Florida Airboats said that COVID was “the best thing that has ever happened” to the business.  When the lockdowns came, Wild Florida was just launching its new safari drive-through attraction.  Because of the nature of their attraction, it was able to stay open while other attractions had to remain closed.  By focusing more on the local market and less on tourists, attendance soared from 200 visitors per day to over 4000.  

Mary Stella of Dolphin Research Center discussed their pivot to connecting with supporters daily over social media platforms.  This led to increased engagement and donations from the people they interacted with digitally.  They also increased their distance learning curriculum.  

Kara Laufer of Naples Botanical Garden emphasized the goal of “being a force for good.”  They worked to grow their online presence while finding ways to give back to their community.  One way they gave back was by offering free admission to healthcare and frontline workers and their families.  They’ve also partnered with food banks to help distribute donations to those in need.  During all this, their memberships grew.

Rob Lamke of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) emphasized that change is not inherently bad.  He discussed how sometimes there is a tendency to keep doing things the same way that they have always been done.  The pandemic forced MOSI to implement some of the types of things they’d already discussed but never committed to, such as a huge focus on digital content.  This led to increased engagement with their partner schools, record attendance to the museum and their summer camps, and a greater focus on engaging with adults.

John Chidester with Fun Spot America looked ahead, keeping everyone on during the challenging times but asking them to try new roles, like landscaping, to help prepare for the eventual reopening.  While others were having to lay folks off, Fun Spot was hiring.  When the time came to reopen, Fun Spot focused on locals who hadn’t gotten a chance to enjoy all of the parks’ latest additions.  Additionally, while others were cancelling their new ride and coaster orders, Fun Spot was able to move up in the line and get new attractions in a more timely, affordable manner, helping them be ready for the recent surges in travel.

Sara Turner with IMAG History & Science Center said that the downtime gave them a chance to reevaluate their mission.  They switched up their programming to become more virtual.  They also worked with a local news station to create weekly science segments, giving back to their community while also spreading the word about what they do.  They also gave back to their community with food drives.

Christina Schwartzman of Sawgrass Recreation Park said that the pandemic gave them a chance to slow down and decide how they wanted their business to look in the future.  Instead of continuing to focus on getting as many guests as possible through the doors each day, they decided to switch their focus to VIP, low-volume experiences.  This meant there were fewer people coming to their attraction, but they were making more money.  Their new focus enhanced the guest experience by allowing visitors to have a quiet, nature-focused visit.  Additionally, the supply chain challenges allowed Sawgrass to partner with more small vendors who provided handmade items for their gift shop.