Just a short note on yesterday’s news…
We knew this executive shuffle was coming, and as before we see both the expected and the unexpected taking place. First and foremost the good news is that Florida will probably get some much-needed attention. George Kalogridis is familiar with the property, knows where all the skeletons are buried, and understands that paint is something to be used on a regular basis. (I even expect that even all the Orlando Pollyanna’s will come to see that things could be much better run and maintained than they been in the past.)
While some folks didn’t always see eye to eye here, Kalogridis understood Disneyland was a show, and he kept it fresh and in good running order. Hopefully the work on getting the Orlando complex back into shape will start sooner rather than later, and then they can get serious about countering all the increased competition they will be facing.
As far as our new president here at Disneyland, we’ll see how much Michael Colglazier has evolved since his last stint here. There is certain to be a cultural adjustment, as unlike Florida, the core Disneylanders are just as keenly focused on show quality as they are revenue-generating. But so far the early word is good; Animal Kingdom for the most part is one of the better maintained parks in the Orlando resort, and Michael has been seen out and about the property, interacting with the cast members working it. (The Tree of Life falling to pieces was a result of many poor choices and decisions made by his predecessors.) I don’t think there’s any other theme park on the planet that gets the attention Disneyland does from both the world at large and its devoted clientele. There’s a very exciting future planned for the Anaheim resort, and hopefully Colglazier will be the showman to present it to us.
Apparently there are more changes to come in the Parks and Resorts division as far as executives being shuffled around, but so far it for us here it looks pretty good. (Goodness, even Zenia has a new lunch partner – Meg! And there may still be a division going away to satisfy the cost-cutting they mean to do – if not two.) As the cliché goes though, the proof will be in the pudding. And you know it will be very darn expensive pudding because it’s from Disney and they always get a premium price for it.
What are your thoughts on the exec shuffle? Post your impressions or insights below…
See you at Disneyland!
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