« Pushing the Boulder »

1. « Pushing the Boulder » Tom Bisignano IFEA Webinar 5/21/2009

2. Push for change

3. [ˈsisifos] (help·info), Latinized: Sisyphus, (IPA: /ˈsɪsɨfəs/)), was a king punished in Tartarus by being cursed to roll a huge boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this throughout eternity. Today, Sisyphean can be used as an adjective meaning that an activity is unending and/or repetitive. It could also be used to refer to tasks that are pointless and unrewarding.

4. Today’s Topics Leadership Excellence Event Process Creative Development Building a Great Brand Moving the Rock

5. Leadership What is Leadership? What is Effective Leadership? Setting Direction Creating Alignment Maintaining Commitment

6. Leadership Re-invented Leadership = promoting new directions. Management = getting things done. All employees can promote new directions Leadership can be shown bottom-up or sideways Leadership has nothing to do with managing people Leaders don't make decisions. The ACT of leadership is one of pure informal influence. Leaders sell the tickets for the journey, Managers drive the bus to the destination.

8. Marketing Comm-unications Enter-tainment Event Director Trans-portation Merchandise Food & Beverage Volunteer Coordinator Security Leadership …put key people in key areas.

9. Leadership • Exceeding Guest Expectations • Getting Involved • Breaking Down Barriers • Sharing Information • Working Smarter • Trying new ways to do things • Listening to others • Being a team player Performance Excellence

10. Leadership Excellence Internal Service Quality Cast Excellence Cast Satisfaction Cast Retention Cast Performance Guest Satisfaction Guest Value and Loyalty Repeat Business Financial Results The Chain of Excellence The Chain of Excellence

11. Leadership Leading Others - Inspiring Commitment Leading the Business - Sound Judgment • Forging Synergy • Developing and Empowering • Leveraging Differences • Communicating Effectively • Interpersonal Savvy • Strategic Planning • Results Oriented • Leading Change • Global Awareness • Business Perspective Leading Yourself – By Example • Courage • Learning from experiences • Executive image

12. Effective Leadership Productive Committed Responsible Innovative Sustained Cast focus (Workforce well being)

13. Effective Leadership Recognize the danger signs May get caught in a routine of only connecting and drawing insight from a restrictive number of people – (e.g. select number of confidants) You may see others disagreeing with you as challenging your authority and you may argue your point aggressively May not acknowledge accomplishments of others or celebrate successes Because you adapt well to groups or being alone, this may be misinterpreted as indifference or insensitive

14. The Disney Leader Basics I demonstrate commitment to Cast Members. I know and manage my operation and I teach it to Cast Members. I lead and monitor Cast performance and operational improvements.

15. The Process

16. Process for Special Events • Establish Strategy and Objectives • Develop a sound Business Case • Ideation • Planning and Production • Marketing • The Event • Post Event

17. The Process • Event Strategy Why? • Drive gate attendance • Increase local business volume/revenue • Promote city/downtown district - Drive trial • Increase merchandise and F&B sales

18. The Process • Event Strategy How Execs Strategize Leaders spend some time thinking about today, and less time thinking about the future. What % of time on average do executives think about the future?

19. The Process Hope and Budgets Hope is not a Plan…Budgets are not a Strategy ‘We don’t make decisions against a strategic plan – we make decisions against an annual budget. If the activity or initiative we want to pursue isn’t in the budget, then it waits until the next budget planning cycle’. Sr. Software Exec

20. The Process Who has time for strategy • Board approvals • City/Permits/rules • Volunteers • Marketing - Guest Segments • Ticket Prices • Project Milestones • Feasibility Assessment • Research – Focus Groups • Integrated Communication Plan • Partners – Sponsor • Event Staffing • Event Operations • Meetings, Meetings and More.. • Budget, OI , ROI , Per Caps • Promotional Partners – Radio, TV, • Funding • Revenue Management • GSM Analysis • Appeal – Boy/Girl -Young/Old – Multi-cultural • News and Media • Use of Technology -Facebook • Weather Impacts/Concerns • Calendar Planning – Competition • Loyalty program

21. The Process • Execs feel strongly that the org has a vision for the future – employees do not.

22. The Process We have a great Strategy… • What percent of the workforce does not understand their organization’s strategy? • What percent of organizations fail to successfully execute against their strategy? • How many hours per month do Leadership Teams spend reviewing progress against strategy?

23. The Process • Reality 1st – Imagination 2nd • Budgets (today) v. Strategy (tomorrow)

24. The Process Leverage, Leverage, Leverage. • Leverage existing assets • People – Management, Staff, Volunteers • Hardware – Empty the warehouse! • Software – Music, advertising, print

25. The Process Sponsorship - Create Partnershipsin multiple Dimensions 1. Drive awareness & create association between Brands 2. Create interactive marketing opportunities 3. Go beyond your event with Promotional offerings 4. Weave the two brands together for a unique customer/guest experience

26. The Process Create a growth Strategy

27. The Process Reward and Recognize • Partners in Excellence • Take 5’s • Great Service Fanatic

28. The Process Continuous Cycle of Improvement

29. Creativity… find your inspiration! • The best creative outcomes are those that are inspired • The best innovative thinking can be facilitated with compelling incentives • Inspire ideas – Reward results!

30. Left Side or Right Side? Step 1:Read the words above. It's easy, isn't it? Reading is primarily a left-brain activity. Step 2: Read the color of the word instead of the word itself. For many people, it’s not so easy. Recognizing colors is primarily a right-brain activity. If you can read either the word or the color of the word, you are adept at using both left brain and right brain thinking. If you find reading the color of the word difficult, don’t worry. Try doing it again, or reading it from bottom to top. It gets easier each time you try, doesn’t it? Like every other skill you’ve been interested in learning in your life, creative thinking can be improved with repeated practice. This exercise is officially known as "The Stroop Effect," named after J. Ridley Stroop

31. Creativity… find your inspiration! • Music • Video Games • Nature • Fashion • Design • Solitude/Quiet • Reading • Writing • Web Surfing • Experiences • Process • Architecture • Media • Art/Photography • Diverse cultures • Travel • Films/Docs • Mega trends • Conferences • Exercise

32. The Proper Utensils for Creativity (the 7 I’s) Intelligence is the total combination of your knowledge and information Imagination is a mental vision or picture of what might or could be. If intelligence is essentially past information, then imagination is future information. Insight refers to isolating the kernel of truth or understanding about a particular topic. It's created in two steps: through 1) observation and discovery, an examination of everything associated with the need or problem, such as its history or the current perceptions of the audiences who might need or use the idea; and through 2) obsession, a thorough pre-occupation with both the topic and the problem, often when not directly engaged with the problem. Infinity is your ability to create as many ideas as possible. By having more ideas, you’ll also yield more good ideas. Interaction can be described with the cliché 'Two heads are better than one.‘ Inspiration is the flash of brilliance - the spark of AHA! - that comes when the other elements combust. Ideas are needed to make ideas. You’ve been making ideas, both good and bad, for other problems about the same length of time you’ve been on Earth.

33. Creativity Make some noise! Celebrate a Milestone Capitalize on a Trend Add Something New Make it Newsworthy

34. Creativity… Involve your Cast Excite Educate & Inform Motivate Entrust Ownership

35. Guest Cast Interactions Give cast the power and the tools to help people… arm them with skills Introduce the Cast to your goals and objectives Inspirational, motivating, vision setting Educate Cast on their role Make all of our Guests feel special Ensure all Cast Members understand their role in Guest recovery Empathy for our Guests It begins with “I’m sorry” No Strings Attached

36. “Give the guests what they want.”- Walt Disney

37. Creativity “Imagination is More Important than Knowledge” Albert Einstein

38. Building your Brand To achieve the objectives of: Driving incremental attendance and/or trial Providing a credible guest experience Engendering loyalty Reinforcing emotional attachments Providing revenues

39. Building your Brand 10 Cheap Ways to Build Your Brand • 1. Create an affiliate program - Provide your affiliates with links and ads that carry your branding message. • 2. Start or contribute to a blog. • 3. Print your logo on labels or stickers and place them on all communication with customers. • 4. Attach your tagline to your e-mail signature. • 5. Print your logo on an inexpensive premium like a hat or golf ball.

40. Building your Brand • 6. Start an e-mail newsletter for your customers and prospects. • 7. Offer your expertise to local or industry media publications • 8. Visit your clients around holidays (or minor holidays like Groundhog's Day • 9. Follow up with customers to thank them for their business and get feedback on your product or service. • 10. Ensure that all your promotional materials match one another graphically. John Williams is president and founder of LogoYes.com

41. Building your Brand Enhance your public image..share of mind ...eyes and heart Understand Segment and Guest Understand your competition Provide strategic brand direction Collaborate on product development

42. Building your Brand Determine the emotional insight for your guests. Word of Mouth is one of the best marketing tools available.

43. Building your Brand To achieve your objectives and build your brand, The Marketing and Sales group must make decisions about: Which consumers to target (who to talk to). What members of the trade and distributors to target. When to talk to them. What products to tell them about. What key messages to say to them. How to talk to them

44. Building your Brand Achieve or exceed annual growth goals for attendance Grow penetration and share of existing target guest segments and geographic markets Identify new guest segments and geographic markets, and develop their potential. Create new business opportunities that expand growth potential. Help to protect and build your brand equity Monitor business results and continuously strive to improve on the productivity and effectiveness of marketing programs.

46. Move the Rock! • Share the spotlight • Communicate a compelling vision • Uphold key traditions • Develop a service philosophy • Good ideas come from everywhere/everyone • Deliver on what you promise • Little touches make a difference • Remember, YOU are always on stage • Always be upbeat • It’s OK to be Goofy

47. Keep on Keep’n on Keep your amazing creativity and innovative ideas flowing. Keep having fun. Keep the passion for what you do. Keep building relationships. Keep strong business thinking that drives results.

48. The Disney Service Basics • I project a positive image and energy. • I am courteous and respectful to all Guests and Children. • I stay in character and play the part. • I go above and beyond.

49. Special Event Basics • Exceed expectations • Provide something for everyone • Create powerful memories for your guests • Raise the bar

50. Final Step • Celebrate • Recap • Start Again