I volunteer! as….Chaperone?
So I might have mentioned I have a teenager before. Once or twice. She’s a delight most of the time. The rest of the time she reminds me too much of me (I can hear the parents out there nodding from here). I do not, however, usually put myself willingly into the company of many, many teenagers. Yet, here I am – about to embark on a week long trip with lots of them. To top it off, I will be responsible for them. Yes, you read that right.
Some things mean a lot to me
So, how did I get myself into this situation, you might ask? Well, we are headed to my old stomping grounds and one of my favorite places ever – to Walt Disney World. I will admit, when my daughter first told me that she was going to be marching through Magic Kingdom and performing at Downtown Disney (ok, Disney Springs….someday I’ll adjust…maybe), I got a little teary eyed. Those of you who know me personally, know that rarely happens. My daughter was pretty concerned. Rather amused too, I’m guessing. When you have an musical kid, watching them perform in special places is a magical thing – seeing them perform in the most magical place on earth? Well.
Is the most magical place on earth magical for everyone?
My history with Walt Disney World goes way back- all the way to high school. We won’t discuss how many years ago that is, but the memories are pretty grand, and they involve my family – you know, my Mom, my Dad, and my best friend, Tracie – who came along with us- and is and was most definitely part of the family. Flash forward to ten years ago when we lived on the Space Coast (Brevard County, near NASA and Cape Canaveral for those of you who aren’t local – and the reason I still have a 3-2-1 *liftoff* phone number years later, because, come on – it’s cute!) and Disney and Florida resident discounts? yes, please! This trip marks a chance to revisit a place I saw a lot of in the 8 years I was a Florida resident but the first time going back as a visitor.
How does a company maintain a vision?
Disney is a brand that I have always admired – and no more so than how Walt Disney modeled and built WDW itself. From Walt Disney’s words “You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world…but it requires people to make the dream a reality.”, he created a plan to continuously grow and change as the world and his customers changed. I haven’t been to any of the parks in three years, and I already have a list of attractions and sections that I have not seen. This little detail is incredibly true to Walt Disney’s initial vision for the park. Funnily enough, I knew about Walt Disney’s vision for WDW from my very first visit as well – because it is present throughout the parks, presented in the storytelling and exhibits, nearly 50 years later.
What would you like to be remembered for?
Brand is about making an impression and ultimately our customers decide our brand. We work to design the experience for our customers through careful design and knowledge and insight into that experience. (Hey, that’s what I do!) Ultimately, as a company or an entrepreneur, you have to decide what you want to be remembered for. Are you ready to figure that out?
If you want to iron out your branding messages or visual identity, drop a message in my inbox – If it’s between the 14-24th of February, I have a date with a mouse and a bunch of musical high schoolers, so I will hit you back when I return! Send me calm thoughts and check out my social media channels to see the latest of how the kids are doing in the sunshine!