Episode 478: Gil Perez talks about Radical Welcome, controlled mayhem and breaking out of the haze

Looking for daily inspiration? Get a quote from the top leaders in the industry in your inbox every morning.

 

Gil Perez is an experienced attractions industry executive and author of the forthcoming book Radical Welcome. His nearly 40-year career began at Disney's Magic Kingdom before he helped open Universal Studios Florida in a management role. He has since held leadership positions at the Luxor in Las Vegas, Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, The Shed in New York City, and Florida Aquarium. Most recently, Gil served as the opening General Manager of Meow Wolf Houston and worked with The Light Park. Throughout his career, he has focused on creating exceptional guest experiences across theme parks, museums, aquariums, and entertainment venues. In this interview, Gil talks about Radical Welcome, controlled mayhem, and breaking out of the haze.

Radical welcome

"We are designing experiences, whether you intend to or not."

Radical Welcome goes beyond friendly employees and traditional guest service training. Gil explains that every policy, procedure, and operational decision shapes the guest experience. By intentionally designing each interaction throughout the guest journey, organizations can create consistently positive experiences rather than relying on a few exceptional employees.

For example, at the Luxor, Gil encountered frequent guest conflicts over ride height restrictions. Although the safety policy worked, the process created unnecessary friction for guests and employees. By introducing color-coded stickers to communicate height eligibility between employees, the team eliminated approximately 95% of these conflicts. The example demonstrates how even successful procedures can be redesigned to improve experiences without compromising operational requirements.

Controlled mayhem

"Opening a facility is like controlled mayhem a lot of times. It's controlled chaos."

Having opened multiple attractions throughout his career, Gil recognizes that even the most carefully developed plans must evolve once guests enter a facility. Guest behavior often differs from expectations, revealing unexpected bottlenecks, operational challenges, and opportunities for improvement. While experience makes openings more manageable, each new facility presents unique circumstances requiring flexibility and collaboration.

Gil emphasizes the importance of preparing employees to adapt rather than rigidly following predetermined plans. During the opening of Meow Wolf Houston, frontline employees became valuable partners in identifying challenges and developing solutions through pre-shift and post-shift discussions. Regardless of an attraction's size, business model, or organizational structure, guests are concerned with their experience, not the policies and departments operating behind the scenes.

Breaking out of the haze

"When you're doing something over and over and over again, eventually you become blind to it."

Gil describes the haze as the tendency to overlook familiar surroundings and processes through repeated exposure. He recalls discovering a severely peeling wall during a routine facility walkthrough, despite having passed it countless times alongside other managers. The problem had become practically invisible because everyone was accustomed to seeing the same environment every day.

To combat this, Gil began deliberately changing what he looked for during walkthroughs, focusing on specific colors or features to disrupt his normal observation patterns. He encourages leaders to examine even their most successful procedures from a fresh guest perspective. By challenging assumptions and recognizing that good intentions do not always translate into positive experiences, organizations can uncover friction that otherwise goes unnoticed.

 

Gil can be reached on LinkedIn, where he regularly shares stories and lessons from his career. He also pl