Booked a trip this Oct...and almost didn't!

[Phonedave]

Somehow I missed your response, an now I just found it.

Just some comments (because I love this sort of stuff, real business and economic drivers for the reasons businesses make the deicisions they do)

Dave, I agree with so much of what you are saying here ... but I don't want to turn the thread completely into one about economics and politics in our fair nation. Instead, I'll just focus on your points that directly involve Disney ...




It can be tough to produce quality and keep Wall Street happy, no doubt.

But it's possible. Disney did it for decades. Pixar did it for its entire history. Many companies can do so.

But it requires leadership ... visionary leadership that understands its products and its audience and the value of the name (or as the idiots that have turned Disney into something less than call it 'the brand'). And leadership that won't sell its soul for a quick payday (see Disney cheapquels).

Disney's product has always been umatched creative content be it in animation, theme parks, resorts etc ...that changed starting around 1995.
It became all about leveraging the Disney name to make as much as possible regardless of quality. And it still didn't impress Wall Street as when Disney reached a nadir in quality in many business units over the past decade, Wall Street didn't push the stock higher to greenstamp the quality cuts with a higher per share price.

Now, with folks like John Lasseter around, there's some justified hope.

The problem is it has become harder and harder to produce quality and keep Wall Street happy since Dinsey was "born". Yes, it still can be done, but in order to do so you need some serious leaders. Leaders that not only have the vision to do so, but also the charisma to convince others that they are right. Wall Stree wants immediate results - trust me, I know this all to well, I get calls 3-4 times a week about metrics we report out to investors - convincing people to wait a bit until the plan comes to fruition takes a lot of skill. The world has really changed with both transportaion, purchasing patterns and power, and communications. It's funny to me, the way some people complain about the money that senior leaders make, yet when they get a cruddy leader they complain about it. There are precious few CEOs out there that have the combination of vision, intellect, ruthlessness, and at the same time, the ability to project a warm and fuzzy image. Paying them is how you get them on board.

But P&R still need to be cleaned out from the top down. I'd venture to say I'd dump half the execs Disney has worldwide right now. And WDI still has Imagineers with no clue as to what people go to Disney parks for, which is scary.

Sometimes a house cleaning is what is needed.

Well, yeah Dave, they are crap execs ... but they are in power nonetheless.

I also don't feel unless it's an issue of safety (like those pesky monorails that aren't being maintained) it isn't the job of folks like us ... just fans ... to do free consulting for TWDC by offering them ways of improving their product and making more $$$.

I know how much some consultants get for ruining Disney's parks and resorts, and I'll be damned if I sit here on a site monitored by the Mouse and give them ideas for free.

If they want to hire me as a consultant (and get me off these boards), they know where I live (really!) Otherwise, I'll just point out the flaws until they do something about things themselves.

[/quote]

The funny thing is, when you or I offer free adivce, they tend not to heed it. But let a consultant give them the same advice attached to a $25,000 price tag, and its taken as gospel.

-dave

[evanescence4ever]

So that's that! Any Micechatters going to be at WDW Oct. 17-22?

we're going for the halloween celebration (idk when we are going though) but sometime around that. i like that time of year because few people go to WDW because school just started and people are going to work, so few people visit this time of year.