Episode 371 - AttractionPros LIVE at IATP 2024

Tap into innovation at IAAPA Expo, the biggest industry event of the year. Join us and other AttractionsPros in Orlando, FL, Nov. 18-22 to engage with the global community. Learn from the experts, leave with new ideas, and turn your passion for the industry into new possibilities. Register now to save up to 30%.

 

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AttractionPros LIVE! is back at IATP! In September 2024, Matt and Josh held a session at the International Association of Adventure and Trampoline Parks’s annual conference in Hollywood, FL. Participants were asked to anonymously share their biggest challenges in their business, and by selecting topics at random, were then invited to share solutions. From staffing to marketing and guest engagement, this wide-ranging conversation led to significant outcomes. In this episode, Matt and Josh tap into the collective wisdom in the room, where the challenges facing trampoline and adventure parks are transferable to every area of the attractions industry.

 

Innovative Marketing and Guest Engagement

 

“You're going to buy new socks all the time anyways... so change your colors every so often, reinvent your sock, and when you do that, send a blast email to everybody and say, 'Hey, do you know we have new socks?'”

 

The attendees in the session discuss creative ways to refresh attractions without significant costs, such as changing product offerings (like reinventing sock designs) and promoting them to attract repeat visits. They also mention using email blasts to engage customers and using social media to amplify brand awareness.

 

Collaboration with Communities

 

"We partner with our PTA in all of our local districts. We offer up our party rooms as spots for them to hold their PTA meetings... It makes us the hangout spot after the Friday night football game."

 

Participants share success stories on how partnerships with local schools, sports teams, and organizations help generate more traffic, such as offering spirit nights and collaborative fundraisers. Some operators highlight the benefits of inviting schools to use their facilities for PTA meetings or hosting ongoing fundraising events.

 

Staff Training and Productivity

 

"We train the staff to always prepare like you are working for 50 or 60 parties... We want to make sure that even in those slower months, we are working like we are packed out."

 

The conversation dives into challenges of transitioning staff between high and low seasons, with suggestions to keep teams always prepared for peak activity. One operator emphasizes the need for consistent productivity, while another notes the importance of personalizing guest experiences based on the pace of business.

 

Hiring and Leadership Development

 

"I always make sure to ask for very specific examples... People like to say, 'I'm good at this,' but until you get them to share those examples, you don’t know if they're really speaking the truth."

 

The group discusses how to identify leaders during interviews, using group interviews and role-playing as techniques to assess candidates. Emphasis is placed on observing how potential hires interact with both staff and customers outside the formal interview environment.

 

Safety and Operations

"It's not only the equipment, it's the staff too... If your staff aren't controlling how many jumpers are in that airbag, your airbag is not going to work the way it's supposed to."

Participants stress the importance of maintaining safe equipment and fostering a culture of safety. Regular inspections, staff training on equipment, and creating a safety-first mindset were high