August 17, 2009 (Day 1) – 5:35 pm
This was the first day of formal training in the Disney Institute program. We are getting a behind-the-scenes peek at what Disney does that makes them so successful. After six hours of training, it is a little difficult for me to decide which golden nugget I should write about; I filled up 9 pages of typewritten notes on my laptop today! But we had an experience that mirrored one of the principles we learned in class, so I’m going to write about that. It is the concept of “The Secondary Guest.”
Most of the attractions and destinations at Disney are designed for kids; Disney is unrelenting in making sure the experience the children have is amazing and memorable. Just take one look at a six year old girl staring up into the eyes of Cinderella and you see the magic happen right in front of you – Cinderella is not a beautiful woman dressed in a costume. Cinderella is real and that little girl is both enchanted and awestruck.
Along with every child who comes to Disney, there is an adult who is usually a parent or a grandparent. What about them? Here is what we experienced when our class went to see Turtle Talk:
Turtle Talk is part of the Finding Nemo exhibit that everyone has to see. On an animated screen, Crush the turtle has live, real-time interactions with the audience, especially the little kids sitting closest on the floor. Before you can get to Crush, you have to, not surprisingly, wait. But something was different while we were waiting (about seven minutes). I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, but then I figured it out. There were no unhappy children. I looked and tried to find them and couldn’t. Not one of them was crying, whining or screaming. The children were in the waiting area, engrossed in kid-height touch screens, fun fish information and manta-ray tanks.
Then I looked at the parents and there was a noticeable absence of stress. Plenty of them were tired, but you could tell they were enjoying a moment of quiet normalcy while their kids were entertained. This was not an accident. Disney could have said, “There will always be lines. Let the parents take care of the kids while they are waiting.” But they did not. You see, the parent is a “secondary guest” at Disney. And the experience the secondary guest has is as important as what the child experiences. The waiting area was designed with parents in mind. Even the show had plenty of family friendly humor just for adults.
Who is your secondary guest? If you own a salon, is it the child that accompanies the parent? Is it the friend who will notice your client’s new hair color? If you sell groceries, who is the secondary guest? Is it the person buying the bananas or is it the family at home who will be eating them?
Who is your secondary guest? Are you investing time and energy in ensuring the experience of your secondary guest is equal to the experience of your primary client?
(c) The Alicia Arenas Companies, LLC 2009
Photo courtesy of Raymond Brown
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post! What a fascinating concept.
Thanks Emma! I agree. This topic is important. Disney did a great job with this concept.