Our 40th Anniversary Year – Creating a Culture of Responsiveness to Guests

In the heat of the season, it is easy to get caught up in individual tasks and responsibilities and not become a student of the overall guest experience. Trying to see things as your guests perceive them, addressing complaints immediately and remembering to laugh a little with your customers and lighten up are all important tools to really connect with them. And once a positive link has been established, chances are your guests will be back next year or sooner if you are operating a year-round attraction.
Tourist Attractions & Parks is celebrating its 40th anniversary year. If the magazine has made a difference for your business, as we sincerely hope it has, we invite you to send us a congratulatory letter on your letterhead to editortapmag@kanec.com. The magazine is published by a dedicated staff, and these letters will be kept in a company scrapbook in our offices, as well as posted to our website.
In this issue, you will find the same insightful editorial that we always offer, stories that will keep you informed on your colleagues’ operations and catch you up on the latest business-building tips. Additionally, TAP’s print advertisers continue to represent the best of the best in the business. We also offer an archive of stories and news at www.tapmag.com. While visiting online, don’t forget to check out the banner ads and sign up for the weekly eNewsletter. In addition to industry news, TAP’s newsletter content includes an original story with fresh vendor and location interviews crafted each week by regular Contributor Julie Ritzer Ross. The stories cover everything from food service to insurance and are a must-read for facility owners and managers.
This is our annual Magic of High Technology issue, and we offer stories on sound, lighting and special effects at aquariums and advances at waterparks. These two categories of attractions will always be family favorites and both stories address how the guest experience is benefiting from technological improvements.
We also offer the annual Profiles in Excellence feature. In this special section, a selection of advertisers tell the stories of their businesses. It is interesting reading that may help you find your next great vendor.
Amusement park attractions of all sizes need to reinvent themselves to a degree each year to keep the experience engaging for customers. Nowhere is this truer than at the nation’s large parks. In The Large Park Report, Contributor Chad Emerson examines how premium experiences are enticing customers to craft a unique visit.
We also offer a look at how menus are made at Major League Baseball stadiums around the country, the question of drop-off inflatable rides, employee training strategies for both bowling centers and coin-operated device operator companies and top tips for improving summer spending for family entertainment centers.
I hope you enjoy the issue. Please email me at editortapmag@kanec.com with your comments, questions and suggestions.