Welcome to the Live with Sondra podcast where
we dive deep into business, tech, and entrepreneurship.
Hosted by me, Sondra Shannon, CEO of GateMaster
Technology. Each show, we explore the latest
trends in ticketing attractions and guest experience,
helping you stay ahead of the curve in this ever
-evolving world of attractions and events. Whether
you're an industry expert or just getting started,
this show has insights to inspire and empower
you. Today's episode is sponsored by GateMaster
Technology, your trusted partner for ticketing
and attraction management solutions. Let's get
started with the show. All right, we are live.
Welcome back to the Live with Sondra show, where
we dive into inspiring conversations and real
connections at the intersection of leadership,
innovation. and the business of attractions.
And today I'm really excited about this show.
I just actually told our guest, I'm like, I might
be a little nervous today because this is somebody
that I've watched for many years in their career,
and they've been an inspiration to so many of
us. And yeah, I'm excited for you to hear who's
coming on the show. But before we get started,
let me just give you a word from our sponsors.
This episode is brought to you by GateMaster
Technology. The original attraction to innovators
behind cashless systems and now in the industry,
the industry leaders in food and beverage point
of sale and integrated mobile ordering. Imagine
this. Your guests are relaxing in their cabana
or lounge chair, ordering burgers, drinks, desserts
right from their phone. And with GateMaster's
mobile ordering, they can browse the full menu,
place an order, get notified by text when their
order is ready for pickup or delivery. There's
no lines, no hassle. I'm also going to add no
hangry kids. Just more time to enjoy the venue.
I always say that because you guys know I talk
about my hangry kids in line at the water parks
all the time. Our mobile ordering system has
been proven to increase revenue by 20 to 40 %
because guests can spend more time with your
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not just about convenience. GateMaster gives
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full back of house management, location tracking
for efficient pickup and delivery, seamless tipping
and tabbing, real -time text notifications for
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visit gatemaster .com to learn, How to make your
operation faster, smarter, and more profitable.
GateMaster is leading the way in cashless convenience
and next -gen guest service. So before I introduce
you to today's guest, let me ask you our question
of the day. What is one innovative food and beverage
idea that you've implemented or seen that has
significantly boosted? guest engagement, or revenue
at your attraction? Let us know in the comments,
and we'd love to hear your thoughts. Today's
guest is a powerhouse in the attractions industry
and someone who truly embodies what it means
to lead with purpose. Ken Whiting is the president
and CEO of Whiting Foods, where he oversees all
food and beverage operations at the iconic Santa
Cruz Beach Boardwalk. But that's just the beginning.
With over 40 years of experience in the industry,
Ken has helped shape revenue strategies for attractions
across the globe. He served as the 2022 chair
of the board for IAPA, the Global Association
for the Attractions Industry, and continues to
be a guiding force in its future. Ken also is
the author of Waves for Teenage Workforce Success,
a powerful book that has been adopted by hundreds.
of businesses to help elevate and empower young
workers. He's deeply passionate about developing
the next generation of talent, and he walks the
talk. Oh, and I heard this one, and I was like,
this guy is something. He is not only leading
teams and when he's not leading teams or creating
an innovative guest experience, he's likely lacing
up his running shoes. Ken has completed over
70 marathons and triathlons. Yes, 70. Wow. That's
an accomplishment right there. So if you're ever
curious about food trends, teen workforce culture,
or what the future of attraction industries looks
like on a global scale, You are in for a treat.
So without further ado, please help me welcome
Ken to the show. Ken, welcome to the Live with
Sondra show. Hey, Sondra. Thank you for having
me. And I need you to give all my introductions.
That was incredible. Oh, well, hey, I am honored
to have you here. I meant what I said. When I
was sort of building this show, And we started
having guests. I tried to start thinking about
ways that I could create a platform where I could
have people like you, advocates for this industry,
people who've done so much for all of us. And
I truly think that everything that we said is,
and that I've said, I truly mean from my heart
because, you know, I know we don't know each
other that well. I'm hoping to get to know you
better today and throughout this show, but also.
I've been able to watch your career over the
years that I've been in the industry. Well, you
said I run marathons. Being in the industry has
been a marathon for me, not a sprint. Because
if I have anything, I have a lot of years behind
me. Now, much more behind me than I have in front.
But as we were chatting earlier, you said, boy,
don't we have the best jobs ever. And this is
an industry that really, the attractions industry,
that just puts us next to people and places that
come together with a common bond and are willing
to share and to get to know each other. And I
couldn't be any... happier and more proud of
where I've spent my professional life, for sure.
Well, you know, one thing I've always wanted
to ask you, if it's okay, is just how you got
started, because I don't think I know that part
of your story. Well, let me, yeah, it might be
helpful, just let me try to give a quick version
of why I'm sitting where I'm at, and I am sitting
at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk right now,
and I will just say as a small disclaimer or
edit you would know that i operate all the food
and beverage our company does operate a lot of
the food and beverage here but honestly not a
hundred percent but combined we just have a tremendous
uh growing food and beverage program here at
the park i got my start um one family business.
From my father's standpoint, we've operated right
here in Santa Cruz for over 70 years. So for
a very long time. And my first job was, I don't
know, maybe I was 10 years old and I was peeling
bananas for the chocolate dip bananas that we
sold then and still sell today. And, you know,
from there just worked every... in every opportunity
there was, every job that I had to do, something
that I didn't want to do probably, I still had
to do them in full family business style. But
then when I became a young adult and there was
a full -time position, a need for one of us in
the family to be full -time at that time, I said
yes. And I think that my own... nature is one
of not wanting to operate in a vacuum. And at
that particular time, it just seemed like we
were talking about what other people did and
we couldn't do that because this is how we do
it. And that's all good. But I just started to
reach out honestly to primarily in California
to other parks and just asking them. Like, hey,
I visited Knott's Berry Farm and I saw you were
doing this item. And what can you tell me about
it? And who did you buy it from? And all those
kinds of things. And I instantly learned that,
well, it was like, hey, Ken, why don't you just
come on down? And the next time you're here,
you know, check in with me and I'll show you
around. And people just were so welcoming and
helpful and encouraging. And I found that with
anybody I just called out of the blue. And so
after a couple of years of that, I just was,
I mean, I was all in on this industry at a very
young age then. I was attending IAAPA. My first
one was in 1979, I think. And going to the education
sessions and learning and meeting, learning plenty
and meeting others from our industry that were
sitting in the room. same thing was happening.
And these people became friends. They became,
they shared information and I was loving it.
And I walked into, during one of the expos, I
just walked into the education office and asked
how I could help out and, and volunteer. And
they connected me to, at the time, a gentleman
that was the chair of the food and beverage committee
who welcomed me in. And, and man, back then we,
I mean, we were small. I didn't know anything.
And I was hanging out with the big boys back
then. And it was very intimidating. But at the
same time, I learned that they were sincere and
honest and transparent and helped this young
kid along in a crazy way. And so I just never
looked back from. raising my hand to be a volunteer
at IAAPA and within our industry on a lot of
fronts that I could go on and on about that,
but I've done a lot of things with a lot of bringing
people together within the industry and hung
in there with IAAPA, never, ever, ever imagining
that I'd be a board member, I'd be an officer,
and there's not a chance on earth I'd ever chair
this organization, never even thought about it.
but that's what happened and so i've just um
i've been a blessed man as it relates to uh where
i've spent my time and the people i've gotten
to meet and the things i've gotten to know and
maybe along the way been able to help a couple
folks uh myself so uh um that's what i do And
with the background being food and beverage,
but I've learned so much more, almost, Sandra,
perhaps like you in terms of, you know, you have
a technology solution, but you have to know every
discipline and every area to really be, to really
add value and to serve the needs of your clients.
And so I've had the good fortune of having a
pretty broad background. Yeah. I mean, I always
think it's so interesting how people get started.
And what I loved about what she said is it started
with family, which is something that's really
important to us at GateMaster because we're also
a family business, but also something that I
think you see time and time again in the industry.
And one of the things that I really love is families
thrive. families can really thrive in this industry.
One of my mentors always says, when the business
isn't okay, the family's not okay, right? And
in this industry, it's the truth because so many
of us are family owned and operated institutions.
And so I love that that's how you guys got started
and that you have this long history of being
a family business, but also you've just taken
this to the next level with what you've done
and being a part of that. And I certainly, share
that sentiment of going to IAAPA and feeling
intimidated. I think my first IAAPA was like
1999. And I was working for QZAR at the time.
Actually, I don't know if you know this about
me. I used to run the QZAR laser tag in Santa
Clarita, California. Oh, okay. That was my start
in the industry. I have a sister -in -law that
lives there. How's that? Oh, nice. Nice. Yeah.
My family, a lot of my family is still there.
But yeah, being out there and then going to IAAPA
and really being somewhat intimidated by all
of these things that you have to learn about
this industry to truly understand the entirety
of what our guests experience, how to keep them
safe and how to feed them, which is what I think
is really, I'm really excited to talk to you
about today because I know that that's something
that you've helped so many. understand that food
is part of the experience and it can make or
break the experience, right? It's become such
a growing strategic element of the visit anymore.
It's become an attraction in itself many times,
for sure. But it's definitely a significant revenue
driver for any... property of any size or type
yeah yeah i think one thing that is interesting
about food so i had a i had a social influencer
she just travels around the united states to
different attractions eating their food and i
i haven't i don't know if she's been i know she
was waiting to go to epic to the new steakhouse
yeah epic universe and and i haven't been yet
yeah I haven't been yet either, but I know she's
going to cover it because she literally, like,
she's traveled to every Disney across the globe
and all the various parks and just tries their
food and blogs about it and does her journey
about it. But I think that's something that is
interesting compared to how it used to be in
our industry. You know, food was just there to
keep people fed and hydrated. But now, you know,
you've got influencers like her today who are
visiting our parks. and actually showcasing what
we're either doing really well or maybe where
we have room for improvement, which is why I
am curious if you could tell us, with what you
do and what you've advocated for, with food being
a part of the attraction, beyond what's happening
at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, can you share
some examples of maybe attractions that have
truly... that it truly excel at what they're
doing. Sure, sure. And first I'll just say, I'm
just kind of thinking out loud here. One, I'll
say it is not a one size fits all formula, meaning
that you mentioned Epic Universe. You got these
giant destination theme parks where guests are
there for three days and then the parks for 12
to 15 hours a day. The expectations and needs
there. are far different than the trampoline
park or the laser tag arena where I'm drawing
a local clientele that drives by all the chain
restaurants and all the local places on their
way in and out. And I'm only on site for an hour
or two hours, whatever it might be. So it's way
different. However, with all that said, the food
and beverage tends to be the second revenue source
for... most attractions that fall within that
range of properties. I know right here in Santa
Cruz, we've done so much in recent years of advancing
the food and beverage and looking at everything
that's available and adding what's new. or making
what we already do better. In fact, I'm just
going to share this. This isn't to be about us
or about me. I just want to share this because
this just came out the other day in a local,
we had a local influencer down and do the food
and beverage tour of the park. And her headline
is from butter chicken to brisket, you know,
a guide to the Santa Cruz beach boardwalks food
scene. And so we, it's incredible the amount
of items we sell here. that we never used to
sell and that really echoes what has occurred
around the industry i've been at it long enough
now we're in the mid 80s i was in a group with
a group of food and beverage operators and one
of them talked about how they tried bottled water
You know, and it actually sold a little bit.
And I was there going, not a chance on earth
bottled water is ever going to be sold in our
industry or anywhere. Who on earth would buy
bottled water? We have drinking fountains, for
crying out loud. So there's been an evolution,
right? And burgers used to, speed used to be
such a huge value. You got to get the food out
as fast as you can. And you just loaded that.
hot hold or the shoot with your burgers and your
hot dogs. And so you can just kind of get them
out. Well, today it's not that way, right? It's
opportunistic if it's not that way. If you are
grilling out in front, if you've increased the
quality of your ingredients, people will gladly
pay more. They will gladly. wait a little longer
they will um they just want to know that once
they get their order that there's a wow attached
to it it tastes good that maybe they didn't expect
it it's like boy this is a surprise i had no
idea the food would be that good here and that
now here applies everywhere anymore um it it
applies at the at the travel lane location that
Only has a little grab and go and maybe they're
making their own pizza because they do a lot
of birthday parties, right? It's got to be special
or the brands they have available have to be
meaningful and popular. Health food has certainly
found a way in. And again, it's a bigger deal
when I'm out of property for a few days than
it is when I'm out of property for two hours.
But at the minimum, it's a service. I mean, you've
got to make sure you're meeting the needs of
your guests on everything. Go ahead. I was thinking,
you reminded me of something when I was at Morgan's
Wonderland with IAAPA just a few weeks ago. We
were doing our tours and they were talking about
the food. And how they used to try and have healthy
options. Because when they started, that was
their initial thought. Like, let's have healthy
options. But one of the things that they realized,
and they still kept the healthy options. But
one of the team members was telling me that they
really had to start adding a lot more treats.
And unique treats. Because they realized that
their guests were coming there to have a treat.
And so it's like you said, you got to have a
little bit for everybody. You got to meet people.
You've got to personalize it a bit. And I thought
that was really interesting. It really is. It's
a smart comment. And by the way, and that's a
conversation that I've been in a thousand times
probably about health foods, you know, but it's
growing, but I don't think the indulgent food
items are going anywhere. right? One of our longest
lines for sure is the funnel cake stand. But
at the same time, we're busy everywhere, but
the indulgent items aren't going anywhere. We
look at, and anybody else is looking at, how
are you doing better? Churros is a good example.
I mean, we saw a lot of... I don't know, churros
that you buy frozen. You cook them fresh, you
cook, you warm them up. But now we have a location
that just makes them fresh right in front of
the guests, right? From start to finish. Wow.
Yeah. And so let's make that indulgent item even
better. But I've read a lot about even above
my pay grade, but the, you know, the psychology
of when a guest walks into the front gate of
a park or attraction, all bets are off. I mean,
I can justify anything because when I go home,
I'm not going to have a funnel cake, as an example.
So today's my day to live on the edge a little
bit. And those are the items, quite honestly,
that are an attraction that folks come for and
that they're searching out when they go to an
attraction, for sure. For sure. You know, because
I grew up in Southern California, my grandfather,
his favorite thing was the tiki room at Disneyland.
And, you know, we still have this tradition.
And if anybody watching who's been to an IAAPA
event with me, they know if we're in a group,
I'm like, can we please go to the tiki room first?
Because that was like my grandfather's thing.
We had to go to the tiki room and get a dole
whip. And that was such a treat for our family.
And it's a tradition for our family now. I've
carried on with my kids and even in groups with
my colleagues. If we're at Disneyland, I'm like,
come on, just give me that. I'll go anywhere
else you guys want to go. But we got to go to
the Tiki Room and get a Dole Whip first. Because
I can't even go there without doing that. So
just to your point, the food is part of the attraction.
It becomes part of the... traditions for people
because also the churro my mom wouldn't end it
we'd end every night with a churro right it it
it's it's true and uh i mean the the the dole
whip at disney is a great example of how parks
they look for the creating a signature menu item
something that i can only now i can buy dole
whip or dole soft serve in other places now but
disney's the one that brought that To life, really,
and made it. a part of their own identity, quite
honestly. And they sell a lot of Dole Whip at
the Tiki Room. A lot. I imagine. And they don't
taste the same unless you're at the Tiki Room.
Somehow, there's some kind of magic with their
Dole Whips, I've noticed. That's funny and true.
It's all at the same time. But creating signature
menu items that maybe I can only get. When I
go there, you know, it is one of the formulas
for success because those things have halo effects
as well. At least that's my term for it in terms
of if I'm going for some food item, whatever
it happens to be. Well, it makes me think about
food when I'm at that property and of all of
all things. So. But that's it. No, that's a Disney
and the Tiki Room in Dole Whip. That's a good
example. Well, and just kind of along those same
lines, because I know one of the things that
you've effectively helped integrate into some
of these attractions are things like food festivals,
right? That's right. That's an interesting part
of the food business that's evolving quite a
lot lately. I don't know, maybe it really accelerated
coming through and out of COVID. Because even
during COVID, there were some properties, Knott's
Berry Farm was one for sure, but there's a lot
that could be open. We couldn't have rides open,
but you could open food locations with all the
conditions that needed to be in place. And so
there was a lot of that occurring during that
period and accelerated it. Coming out of COVID,
there's a lot of properties have added their
version of a food festival, a food event. And
honestly, at that point, now you've got a, it's
a promotion, it's an attendance driver, it's
a length of stay strategy. It is a huge halo
effect over the fact that this location is all
about. food at the same time it's less expensive
than buying a new roller coaster to uh to drop
people to have you look at you think about park
like dollywood i think they have their festival
driven i think they've got three or four a year
that each one is lasting the whole quarter a
couple months anyway and and so yeah food festivals
have really become a way to um uh Well, to expand
the marketing's promotional arsenal of how we
get guests to come and how we want guests to
feel about properties. A lot of, I think about
back in Pittsburgh, they did a, I'm going to
embarrass myself now, but a regional menu item.
I'm just drawing a blank all of a sudden. But
it's a way to feature regional food, which also
is on. trend as well uh guests are looking for
those uh when you can deliver a local item something
is from that part of the country that makes it
it makes it unique and there's a there's an attraction
to that as well uh pierogies is what i was thinking
about i think and um And so, yeah, food festivals
are really becoming oftentimes an anchor now
at a lot of locations or food promotions, even
if it's just a happy hour kind of timeframe,
a timeframe event that never used to occur in
the past. But food's being used as a way to draw.
Right here in Santa Cruz, though, we've had an
annual clam chowder festival. We've had it for...
I should know this, but very close to 50 years,
55. Yeah. I mean, it's like, I think we just
had the 47th or eighth year along that line.
So, so they've been around for a long time as
well, but, but in more recent years, there's
been this continuum of delivering food in various
and sundry ways. A lot of limited time offerings
now too. We certainly do that. where you can
test items throughout the year. Yeah, well, like
the boysenberry, because you were at the IAAPA
North American Summit. The boysenberry. How many
menu items did they have? 50 of them, I bet.
I don't remember. It was a lot, but there were
quite a few things that I never even would have
considered mixing with boysenberry, like with
the brisket. Yes, that was very good. Delicious.
It was delicious. And then they had like a Chinese
chopped salad with boysenberry, which was an
interesting twist because you're mixing different
flavors. It was really fun. But you know what?
What I found to be really dangerous, and I have
not missed one in the last few years, and I hate
to bring up Disney again, but it's in tandem
with IAAPA. They have their international festival
at Epcot. The food and wine during IAAPA. So
we've been staying the last probably four or
five years, however long I think. I don't know
if they've always done it, but as long as I've
known about it. It's been a long time now. That's
an example of it's probably expanded and grown
and evolved, but it's been an event for them
for a long time. And as soon as I found out about
it. So, I mean, now I'm. Making that part of
my tradition with my team at IAPA is to stay
after so we can go walk from country to country
and experience those different foods. And it's
your reason to go. Yeah, it's a reason to go.
If it was just about the other rides or attractions
they have, you might not go. You wouldn't go
over here in any case. I mean, don't get me wrong.
Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite ride.
Make no mistake. But that's a great example of
how food and beverage has expanded. By the way,
in all sorts of kind of recreational and leisure
time or kind of non -traditional environments,
stadiums and arenas are the same thing. Parks
and attractions. Look at airports, for crying
out loud. It was the last place you wanted to
eat. 20 years ago or pre 9 -11. And, and now
I'll go early just to, I'll make sure I have
lunch or something just to be there on time.
And it's, it's a, those environments have changed.
And, and I think I used this word a bit ago,
but it's really been this continuum of following
either leading and or following consumer preferences
and trends, right? We've, we as, we as consumers
have become in the last Well, more in the last
decade now, last 15 years or more, we're way
more food and beverage savvy and looking to explore
new food items and probably under the growth
of the food channel on TV and all of these things.
People are willing to adventure a little bit
more on the food scene and are more knowledgeable
about the food scene and are willing to. experiment
with, try and pay for that opportunity as, as
well. And I don't disagree. I think what's interesting
too, that you brought up is the marketing that
it, that it brings, because when you met, you
mentioned the food network, but then we look
at like what's happening on social media, it's
giving attractions a lot, you know, even more
to talk about. I like what you said about it
gives people a reason to come back because you're
doing something new. Maybe it's a one -time offering.
And I think that that is a really cool strategy
for attractions, especially maybe those that
are looking to figure out how to get people to
come back. Because you're right. I'm the same
way. I go to the airport to eat now. Actually,
my favorite in the C Terminal here at Denver
is La Casitas. Okay. Actually, do you know? uh
john from disney uh john dent oh yeah he's always
telling me they're not the best tamales in in
in denver but i'm like no they are the best tamales
so we have that i got that back and forth next
time i see him but you know because they've they've
now set up shop in the denver airport and it's
one of our favorite restaurants locally My husband's
always like, let's leave three hours early so
we have enough time to go to La Casita. Because
you're right. It's a draw for people to be able
to have these good food experiences. Go ahead.
No, no, please. Well, I was just going to say,
into the attractions industry specifically, season
pass holders or members are such a growing piece
of the attendance. And so those are folks that
you want to welcome back, right? Yes. You know,
you can only ride the ride so many times. So
coming to dine, right, is very attainable if,
in fact, you deliver what they're looking for.
So, you know, knowing who your guests are, knowing
what they want, giving them a shot, telling them
about it. Well, I'm curious how you feel about
these meal passes because, you know, at our park
that's local, the kids and I all have our meal
passes. And I will say this, like there's a Friday
night we don't have anything to do. We'll shoot
over there, have dinner. And you're right because,
you know, we've ridden all the rides. I can't
tell you how many times. And I still love them.
But, you know, my kids have their favorite restaurant
inside of Elige's that they go to and eat every
time. The meal passes have been. there's a lot
of new, if you, if you have that, there's a lot
of nuances to them or when you can use them and
what's available. Sure. But, but they are value.
If you, in fact, you do that. And of course they're,
and they're very successful. If developed and
executed correctly, they're very successful.
And it's a, it's really all about pricing them
based on how many times you think you're going
to go. to Elitch and, and you, but then you don't
go with that often. And, and so, but there, for
those folks that use them, they are, they've
been great. Absolutely great. Well, what I think
is really cool about it as a mom is just that,
you know, I can, the kids were going, you know,
Saturday all day by them, you know, by themselves
with their friends often. I mean, I'm there a
lot of times, but they don't want to hang out
with me. No, no, no. So they're off doing their
thing. But at least this way, like it's a manageable
expense for a family. But what I do appreciate
is there are some good options, right? You know,
there's some decent food options because it's
like you said, I'm not going to go there and
eat on Friday night if I don't know that I can
get, they've got a burrito bowl. I can tolerate.
I'll eat that. I'll eat that on Friday nights.
Right. So the kids can play and have a good time.
And, and, and, you know, at the end of the day,
you pay almost twice or three times as much for
the pass, but it's worth it because of the convenience
and what it does, especially for me as a parent,
the peace of mind, I know they're going to have
food. They're going to eat. The unlimited drinks
is a huge value add, you know, never can stand
hydrated. You're calling out great examples of
how food is used as a value for guests, for sure.
Elitch does a great job with all that, by the
way, as you well know. Yeah, I love Elitch's.
Well, hey, I know we're running up, bumping up
against time, and there is something I wanted
to talk to you about, and that is your book and
the next generation of the workforce. Because,
you know, that is something. You mentioned you've
got to be aware of all the parts of the business,
and food is a part of the business that does
require quite a lot of staff. We're a very labor
-intensive business. I don't know how AI is going
to affect us in the big picture, but I know that
we still will need hundreds of folks serving
guests in various and sundry ways. All of that
can't... Won't go away. Let me ask about my book.
It's been a number of years ago now. During a
time, God darn it, probably 12, 15 years ago,
when labor market was really tough. And not only
that, colleagues of mine, others around the country,
everybody was complaining, not only about not
having enough, but more about, good God, these
teens today. Sure. They just don't know anything,
you know, and lots of frustration and people
calling off from work very casually without concern
about anything other than I want to go surfing
today and not work, you know. And so I just,
at that time, went about starting to chat with
this kind of, this stemmed out of IAPA, started
to chat with just all sorts of operators around
the country. And then with all that said, there
were also, there was evidence of success. Well,
you know, these people here are managing a certain
element this way. They changed the uniforms or
let their employees wear hats that the guests
could buy, all the cool hats, not the... industrial
thing that we used to give them. And that was
a win. And over here, they were putting training
online and doing scheduling online. And that
was a success. And over here, they reformatted
their entire training program and understood
that they needed to really educate their employees,
not just train them and could not assume that.
That they get it, if you will. And so there were
all these signs of success. And so I did manage
to put a whole program together at that time.
And it was very popular. And I was actively engaged
with all over the country speaking on the topic.
And I don't know that too much has changed since
then. The broad stroke. And under the sensitivity
of time here, the broad stroke is you've got
to look at, you have to manage young people through
their eyes, not through whatever it looked like
to you at that day, through your own eyes of
being a teen, but through the eyes of today's
teens. And at least have some. patience and compassion
around what that might look like different and
what might be important to them and make adjustments
in the workplace and adjustments of maybe policies
and procedures that inspires and motivates them
to contribute at higher levels. And it's very
possible to do that for sure. You know, technology
always pops up as the big difference. And, you
know, we all look at it. We're on technology
right now. But the younger you are, it's so much
a part of your life at levels that I probably
can't even understand. And at my age, I certainly
know the difference as well, that you can survive
without getting on the computer or my phone,
I guess, you know, on a daily. So since then.
I think the biggest thing that's probably changed
is because of the consistent exposure to technology
and a screen and so many young folks' social
life and human connections come through digital
formats. I don't think that's, this is me thinking
my own beliefs. I don't think that's doing anybody
any favors. COVID. kind of accelerated folks.
They were isolated for a while and that didn't
help. And so I think there's a growing need to
really be sensitive to the mental health of young
people as well. And so, I mean, I know that we
offer programs for folks that, you know, they
can get help if they need it. Or we try to make
sure that we're open to understanding what might
be going on in somebody's life. And I say we,
that's our industry now, for sure. But it's a
requirement because we need them, candidly. But
we care about that. We, being our industry, are
great employers. First jobs matter in young people's
lives. There's countless stories of starting
at the lifeguard. They're working the ride. They're
sweeping in the park or working the parking lot
or selling churros. And the next thing you know,
you're the president of a park or you found your
full -time pathway forward. And in fact, IAAPA
has embraced that through the IAAPA Foundation,
where our, and I sit on the board of that, as
our mission is to engage young people into a
career, into our industry, and to make sure that
they understand that we're a choice. So, and
not just a summer job, you know, or a means to
get my real job. We can be the real job. I mean,
there's so much more I could say about working
with young folks or the things that we put together,
but it's really that looking, understanding what's
going on in their lives. Yeah, I think that's
a great way to... To open the eyes of the attraction
operators, because I agree with you, this is
one of the things that I love the most about
this industry. And I have to say from my own
personal experience as a young person who started
in an attraction, this is kind of my moonshot.
I didn't have a college degree. I didn't have
parents who had done anything really big and
I didn't have a lot of guidance, but I did have
this job where I could see an opportunity. in
the future and i think if we really look at like
what we can do for the young gen the next generation
of people with regards to the jobs that we're
creating for them and the opportunities it's
so huge i love this about our industry we um
uh through our foundation there's a lot of diapus
foundation there is um yeah there are things
in the work to make sure that we're communicating
that in a broad, broad level to the young people
we have even right now. So they're thinking about,
cause you can go so many ways, right? You go
to, you might be selling funnel cakes today,
but I can take my technology interests or my
mechanical engineering interests or my marketing
or finance or other, whatever, or culinary interests
and find a professional pathway forward within
our industry. And, and do that anywhere in the
world. So lots of opportunities all over the
place. That's amazing. Well, Ken, I so appreciate
you being on the show and spending so much time.
I know we're bumping up on time and you've been
so generous with your time and the information
that you shared today. I want to make sure that
if anyone is watching today or listening on our
podcast, you know, what's the best way for them
to get a hold of you or connect with you? Yeah,
I get it. without having anything on the screen
the simplest way is linkedin i mean that's my
only that's my only uh social network and uh
and i spend a moment on there so uh uh i'm easy
to find on there just ken whiting and i'm sure
i'll pop right up so yeah that's awesome i actually
really love that our industry has embraced linkedin
too because I'm sure like you, I've been in this
industry for a long time. There was a time where
I didn't know how to connect with my colleagues.
And today, you know, we're very lucky that way.
I am not a social media guy, but over time, I
built my really around the attractions industry
and maybe food and beverage industry, hospitality
in the bigger picture. And I get, I mean, on
a daily, every day, there's somebody reaching
out to me. about something and from all over
the world. And yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty
powerful. Well, of course, cause you are an amazing
man who's done amazing things and I appreciate
you sharing your journey and your insights. And
I appreciate you being on the show today. I really
do. Yeah. Thank you for saying that. And I'm
grateful one for the time, but also for what
you're doing for the industry. This is, this
is real. You're bringing on folks that are, you
know, the sum total is a. A lot of information
for those that can follow you and learn a lot.
Hey, well, I appreciate that. And you know what?
We failed to mention you are the 50th guest and
we are celebrating the 50th guest today. So thank
you for being one of those monumental guests
for me today. My team reminded me, they're like,
remember, he's the 50th guest. And you reminded
me before we came on here. So that's really neat.
So thank you for sharing that with me today.
Very fun. Well, it's been my pleasure to be a
part of this. All right. Well, I'll talk to you
soon. Thanks for being here. All right. I'm out.
All right, guys, that was a great show with somebody
that I think everybody needs to hear from or
listen to. And we can all learn from really.
I know I learned a lot today and I say this all
the time, but like, I feel like my brain is getting.
bigger because I've been able to sit with 50
of the most incredible people in this industry
and have conversations with them about their
careers, what they're doing, the insights that
they have. And I, I do hope that that's something
that you also get from this show. Maybe your
brain's going to expand and get bigger like mine
because you're watching. So I do want to thank
you for watching. I want to thank the team who
helps us put together this show and for all the
guests that have been on here. It's such a, I'm
so excited that we've hit the 50th guest today.
That's just an incredible accomplishment for
both me and my team, but also I couldn't have
done this without these amazing guests. So I
really want to thank you for being here with
me today, for being a part of the conversation
and for continuing on your professional journey
of getting better at what you do. We know that
information like this can help parks thrive and
create. better experiences for our guests. And
that's really the end goal is massive success
in this industry means happy guests and happy
people. So this is just part of that conversation
that we need to be having. And I'm really grateful
to Ken for being here today. And this show would
not be possible without our sponsors, GateMaster
Technology. And I hope that you will visit them
today at www .gatemaster .com and find out more
about how you can have integrated technology
that helps with your guest experience and maybe
even helps your team. We've talked a lot about
on this show how your tech stack. Says a lot
about how you feel about your guests and your
team members. And I think that a big part of
that is, you know, the work that has to be done
in order for it to be efficient. And we can certainly
help you with some of that. And even if you aren't
looking at making the switch, we also have our
performance coaching where we just help you strategize
about how you can make more money with your existing
system. So feel free to reach out to us if that's
something that we can help you with. So thank
you again for being. a viewer, a listener. If
you're listening on the podcast, be sure to leave
us a comment. If you're listening live, we appreciate
the comments. If you're listening on a replay,
hashtag replay so we know you were here. We'd
love to celebrate you and know that you were
here. I appreciate you guys and I'll see you
on the next Live with Sondra. Take care.