PW-FEB20-30-32-Industry-Influencer.qxp_Feature 02/03/2020 11:19 Page 32
Industry Influencer
www.parkworld-online.com
the company had been trying to pitch to parks some 30 years before – “it just took us a little while to get there,” says John. John explains Sally’s name change was a
natural one: “Sally Dark Rides is the evolution of Sally’s legacy, encapsulating all of our success over the decades. While our history has provided a secure origin for our stories, this brand evolution allows us to better introduce what we do best— dark rides.”
Shaping the industry For his entire career, John has been an active participant in the industry. He has twice served as a director of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) and was awarded the Meritorious Service Award for his work in 1994 and the Lifetime Service Award in 2016. He has been a member of the International Board of Directors of the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) for three terms, a long-standing governor of the prestigious Applause Award and recently served on the IAAPA Hall of Fame Committee and Audit Committee. In 2013 John was inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame for Sally’s work in the field of dark rides. John remembers the early years of his involvement with IAAPA well: “There was
no M&S (manufacturers and suppliers) committee, but there was a space allocation committee, so they brought the manufacturers in to establish where people would go exhibit. We would sit in a room over a course of three days with a big piece of paper and plan it all out, without using computers - imagine that! But did I want to be on that committee? – Hell yes!” he says with a smile. In the following year, John and a few close colleagues worked hard to give
manufacturers and suppliers more of a voice within the Association: “There was an Allied Industry group that was allowed to select one or two people to represent the constituency at board level. Bill Alter and I lobbied hard to increase the number of manufacturers. I was told unequivocally it will never happen, ‘don’t
even try’ and I said ‘well, you make your money through us…, so, if you really want us to not say anything and not be represented here, you are not listening to your customers.” So, John came up with a plan - because board members serve three year
terms, he suggested electing one person every year as a manufacturer for a three year term, so you rotate one out and one in, “this meant there would be three of us, allowing for a real election, a review of the manufacturer member,” and greater opportunities for information sharing. “It was an enlightening experience, being a part of the board. I had an opportunity to go to China and get involved in the developing social constructs that IAPPA is now famed for.” The Association has, says John, constantly evolved
and got better at listening to its constituents as it became first and foremost much more of an international organisation. “I look at where we [the Association] are now, all the staff, all the services, the evolution of education, the satellite shows that have come out of it, we’ve come a long way. “It took about 15 years or so for the Asia show to
offer those participating a return on investment, so in my board position I suggested we all get behind the show and start selling it; we didn’t have anyone on the ground out there and we had been trying to build this show for 10 years. It wasn’t easy for us to set up an Asia and Europe office, but that’s what we did. By supporting these other two shows the Association changed drastically.” Reflecting on just how far Sally and the industry itself
has come over the last 42 years, John says: “It’s been a progression, and one that’s been good all the way through. We (the manufacturers) got more involved in the association for self-serving reasons, and helped make the show better for all of us. Now, we are one of the strongest shows in the country, attracting more than 40,000 people per year. The association is a social group as much as it is a commercial group. I have lots of friends in this industry and some of my best friends have never bought a thing from me!”
32 FEBRUARY 2020
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
