This week on Green Tagged: ‘Schoolcation’ packages debut at Four Seasons Resort Orlando, cancelations of Mickey’s Christmas Party and IAAPA Expo, live performances coming back, and how the theme park capital of the world is battling public attitude.
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Disney World Resort Introduces ‘Schoolcation’ with Supervised Remote Learning
The Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World is offering supervised “schoolcations” that allow kids to attend class remotely from the resort’s dedicated learning space and then experience the ultimate “recess” at Explorer Island water park. While kids are attending school online, their parents can work, and then the whole family can head out for fun at the park.
This seems like a win-win scenario—it benefits the resort by driving more people to its resort, it provides a powerful motivation for kids to do schoolwork, it allows parents to get work done—which has been especially challenging with kids being at home—and then the whole family can celebrate together.
This model also begins to break down the concept of fixed vacation time. We’re being forced to redefine how to do school because of the pandemic. School—and work—can take place almost anywhere these days, because it’s gone remote.
Read the PR here.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Canceled
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is officially canceled. However, Disney announced with news of the cancelation that it would be adding new festive décor, themed merchandise, seasonal food and beverage offerings, and entertainment all across Walt Disney Resort, and Santa would be making appearances at all four resorts and Disney Springs. This announcement about the cancelation of the Christmas Party is more proactive than the one about the cancelation of its Halloween events—which was just, “Halloween canceled”—because it mentions what will take place instead that’s equal or better.
Read the article at Inside the Magic here.
Audubon to Close New Orleans Insectarium Due to Drop in Tourism
The Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans announced it will be shuttering its doors due to a drop in tourism. The current plan is for many of the insectarium exhibits to be relocated to a renovated space in the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas at the foot of Canal Street, which would save roughly $1 million a year in lease payments. So, here’s an attraction that’s closing but is looking to move at least some of its exhibits to a less expensive location. This might be a good idea for many of venues to consider—especially since we may not need all the space we did previously due to so many people working remotely. If something like an insectarium—which has living creatures in it—can pivot in this way, so can many of us. And finding spaces with lower rent might help save businesses.
Read the article at Nola.com here.
IAAPA Cancels IAAPA Expo 2020 Due to the Pandemic
If you’re reading this, chances are high you already know that IAAPA canceled its annual Expo. Philip is coming from the perspective of an exhibitor, and he has an issue with how IAAPA is handling this cancelation, because the organization isn’t refunding exhibitors for booth rentals. “They said they’ll get back to us in October with how much money we could possibly be refunded for our booth rentals after they subtract their management fees for the year. Or we can roll the rental fee over to 2021. This is upsetting to me because, effectively, they’re asking us to loan them our exhibit money for an entire year,” said Philip. The IAAPA has announced a virtual show, but there’s no exhibit aspect as of yet.
Scott pointed out that the IAAPA supports the industry and is trying to stay afloat. He noted that the announcement of this decision was held until the very last second, and there will probably be more information about it soon.
Read the article on Blooloop here.
Transformations in Performance
The next three stories aren’t in the theme park space directly, but they deal with the changing nature of performance. People are finding a way to pivot, and we must incorporate some of these changes into our offerings.
Coastal Elites Films Monologues Written for the Stage for Release on HBO
Coastal Elites has created a collection of monologues written by Paul Rudnick initially for the stage that have been adapted for the screen. These were filmed during the pandemic from home studios by actors like Bette Midler, and these pieces were all edited together for release on HBO. The concept of performance being rewritten for the screen is great, because we can still get these stories out there.
Read about this New York Times article here.
Godspell, the First Professional Musical Staged in the U.S. Since Live Theater Shut Down, Is a De Facto Public Health Experiment
This revisioning of the stage musical “Godspell” involved rewriting many of the scenes to incorporate spatial distancing. This production was performed outdoors, and it sold out. Godspell is the perfect show for this experiment, because it’s a show that’s open to interpretation. Scott noted, “You could perform Godspell in a fountain, in a factory, or outdoors with spatial distancing. When it opened in the 1960s, it was a completely new approach at a classic story. It was revolutionary, so it’s the ideal show to continue to push those boundaries and try new approaches.”
Read the New York Times, including incredible photos of the new social-distancing tech, in the article here.
Ho, Ho, Hum: Struggling Retailers Brace for a Muted Holiday Season
This story is about how retail shopping will change, but we’re interested in the Santas. For the upcoming holiday season, about 30% of Santas stated they were exploring video-conferencing options like JingleRing, which arranges virtual visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus. There are other strategies discussed in the article for how Santas can appear live at shopping malls and keep everyone safe.
Virtual characters calls are great, and something you can consider implementing. However, we think it’s important for children to be able to see Santa in three dimensions—full size, not on a screen. This type of real interaction is essential to every part of the theme park and attractions industry. Begin working on your plan now to get real, physical interaction.
Read the New York Times article here.
Short News Items: Detangling the Damage of the Pandemic
Frommer’s “Maybe It’s Time to Say It: Flights and Theme Parks Aren’t Making Us Sick” points out that if people adhere to safety recommendations on airline flights and at theme parks, they won’t get sick from coronavirus.
The U.S. Travel Association, along with dozens of industry groups, launched “Let’s Go There” a campaign to encourage Americans to start planning their next trip. Research finds “97 percent of respondents reported that having a trip planned “makes them happier,” while 82 percent reported it made them “moderately” or “significantly” happier.”
SeaWorld Orlando/Aquatica passed the first COVID-19 “Strike Team” inspections.
SeaWorld “is laying off an undisclosed number of its furloughed employees, as confirmed in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on September 4,” Blooloop reports.
