The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure 3/28/10
I can not believe I got a job that is so awesome! I'm working at the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. But to those who work there, it's just called KP. It's much easier to refer to the attraction as KP. I love it! I used to watch the show Kim Possible when I was a little younger while it was still on the Disney Channel. If you were to tell me that I would end up being a secret agent some day, I probably would have laughed. And now I can't imagine doing anything else. Out of everything there is to do at Disney when it comes to cast member positions, I think I was chosen for the perfect position. I don't know who interviewed me, but she chose the position that best suited my qualities and she was very right. The thing I like most about Kim Possible is how much it has to do with my major. I'm a marketing major and even though I'm not selling anything at KP, it still can be incorporated into marketing. Kim Possible is a high tech scavenger hun in the World Showcase countries in Epcot. An agent signs up for what we call a "mission pass" and that pass lets the agent know where and when to report for their mission. They will head into the showcase and find the field station listed on their pass and give the pass to one of the Kim Possible cast members. We then set the agent up with a "Kimmunicator". The Kimmunicator is a hand held device (cell phone) that gives the agent all of their hints and clues for their mission. It lets them know what country they are going to, shows them where to go in that country, makes special effects happen during the game, and then lets them know where to drop off their "Kimmunicator" when they are finished with their mission. Everything they need to know about their mission is in a little program on that phone. I have to sell this experience to guests in about thirty seconds or less at least seventy times in a day. The game is completely free, but if they find it boring the guests won't sign up. If no one signs up and we lose numbers, we lose the game and the cast members associated with it. I have been trained to sell this experience to guests every day and I really feel this has a lot to do with the sales portion of marketing. This makes me very happy because I can actually end up relating my paper and experience to marketing and not just business in general.
Stroller Parking 4/4/10
Lately I've started to notice the little things that we do to make guests happy, or their stay easier. One of these things is stroller parking. You would think it's very simple - park your strollers before going on rides or into buildings. But just in case guests don't quite understand that, we actually have people that do only that - stroller park. Stroller parking is a big deal around there. But I guess it isn't really the guest that matters in these things. Of course we care about them and these small things make their stay easier - but they are mostly for us. We park strollers so that they don't crowd the stores and rides and become a safety or fire hazard. At Kim Possible we do a few things that seem like they are for the convenience of the guests but really they are for the cast members. When I set someone up for a mission, I let them know that their mission is "Top secret" and they should find a hiding place away from the field station to get started. This makes the guest seem like a secret agent and they feel cool and get really into the attraction. But really... it simply gets them out of the way so that the next guest in line can be helped quickly. It's little things like this that help us move swiftly through our daily routines. There's not really much else going on this week except that I got my first GSF card. GSF stands for "Great Service Fanatic" and you get these cards when you do something exceptional at your work location. We had a lot of rowdy guests in our PAC (Parade Audience Control) positions today and the managers felt that all of the cast members working PAC should get a GSF. The GSF will go on my record card and will show that I've got some initiative and that I was recognized. It's actually pretty exciting.
Details
Have you ever noticed how detailed Disney is? How much they take into account when coming up with a new project? In Epcot alone I can name many many things. First off, if you look at the Moroccan pavilion from the World Showcase Plaza area, you can see a very tall tower in the back. The building is blended to look Moroccan so that it won't disturb the presence of the Moroccan pavilion. In actuality, this tall building is the attraction "Tower of Terror" (which is my FAVORITE ride). The attraction is blended so that it can be in both Hollywood Studios and Epcot at the same time. Another example is "Soarin'". Soarin' is an attraction (ride) in Epcot where you go on a journey across the country in a hang glider. This involves a very high set theatre. The theatre can be seen behind the Canadian pavilion but is blended to look like mounds or mountains so that it doesn't stand out so much. It can be in both Future World and the World Showcase at the same time. Little things like this amaze me about Disney. If you go on a ride there is nothing out of place. There are props that people probably never turn to look at. But they are there - for those rare one or two people who actually care and actually want to see the props. I don't know how they do it, but Disney is full of geniuses who think of just about everything. I can't count how many times I've been surprised by the detail in a ride or attraction or show or just a prop. How they are all so authentic and quality made. I hope that if I come to design anything for myself - a business or commercial or anything productive - that I can put my mind to making it as perfect and authentic as possible.
Just like Walt. Dream it. Do it. Live it. Disney.
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