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IAAPA Update
I look forward to serving as Chairman of the Board in 2023 and having
more contact with members around the world. It’s a great opportunity to meet members and to listen and learn how we (IAAPA) can better serve their needs.
SS: Do you have any goals for IAAPA in 2023? JP: When you’re Chairman of the Board you champion the big issues facing the industry while simultaneously supporting the team that’s doing the work to address them. My one year as Chair will go by fast and my role will be to ensure IAAPA remains focused on initiatives and projects that best support global safety and education opportunities while ensuring the regional teams have the right resources to meet the varying needs of the members they support on a daily basis. This includes helping IAAPA become more flexible and enthusiastically
embrace change – within the industry, member constituencies, the regions, and more. We learned a lot during the COVID pandemic about how to operate and how to adapt, and we want to continue to move forward and apply those learnings so our members can operate successfully today and well into the future. The biggest decision the association will have in 2023 will be choosing
its next leader. With Hal McEvoy’s impending retirement, we have the responsibility to identify, hire, and set his successor up for success so they can lead the IAAPA global and regional teams, and continue to serve and support members in a timely and impactful manner.
SS: You’re a global operator. Do you see vast differences in the industry across the regions, or are they more similar than most of us might think? JP: There are definite differences around the world. While North America and Europe are similar in many ways, Latin America and the Asia Pacific regions have very different issues and needs, and IAAPA must be sensitive to that. There is a disparity of income in these regions, and that impacts the
industry in everything from how attractions operate to how operators charge their customers, how employees are paid, and so much more. The type of attractions and the entertainment options they provide are often unique to their region as well, and we need to have programmes, education and services that can better equip them to deal with critical issues such as safety. While North America and Europe have a more established attractions
industry, the landscape is changing with how much time guests will spend at their location, and the types of entertainment they are looking for. The attractions industry is dynamic, and IAAPA’s role is to help members
prepare for, and adapt to, change. IAAPA has the opportunity to provide localised training and information sharing across more platforms, as well as in more languages. I believe IAAPA can – and should – continue to invest in additional support for regional teams so they can better meet the direct needs of the regions they represent.
SS: Where do you think IAAPA has the greatest opportunity to serve the attractions industry? JP: IAAPA is the community for family-friendly entertainment; no-one can do what IAAPA can. IAAPA’s focus on the global safety of the industry, while representing operators and suppliers around the world, is critical. No-one can support global growth, safety, ongoing training, and industry representation like IAAPA, and we should not waver from those key issues. And while those will remain at the heart of what we do, IAAPA can also
embrace the opportunity to welcome new types of members. The biggest thing we can do is understand we should not limit ourselves by the current definitions of ‘member’ and the categories they might fit nicely into. We can look at membership with fresh eyes, and for ways new constituencies can become a part of IAAPA, as well as help members adapt so they are not left behind as consumer behaviour, wants and needs change. Entertainment is changing every day, and that includes ways guests
engage with our industry. For example, you do not always have to physically go somewhere to take part in an entertainment activity. Digital, virtual, augmented reality – even opportunities like taking part in an escape room via Zoom – are all ways guests can, and do, engage with entertainment. We can do more to better understand how guests want to interact with us.
SS: What do you think most people would be surprised to learn about you? JP: (Chuckles) Nothing. Truly. I hope my friends and colleagues in the industry already know that there’s not much I will not do, especially on behalf of Ripley Entertainment and our team. And I’m sure the broader IAAPA membership will see that this year. The history of Ripley Entertainment and the history of IAAPA are similar – both
were started by showmen. They were bold people who provided entertainment to the communities they lived in – as well as those they travelled to. Ripley Entertainment has always embraced the idea that it is OK to be
different, and we have celebrated those differences by giving people the opportunity to share and display those differences – sometimes in extreme ways. We have been able to provide places and ways for them to immediately feel at home. Our team continues to introduce and develop new ways to celebrate individuals and tell their stories. I am proud of how we have continued Robert Ripley’s legacy of telling stories about people in a way that is safe, fun, and celebratory. Our entire team lives by that, and together we look at all we do through that lens. The global attractions industry does that, too. It truly is the foundation of why we
do what we do – we create stories and experiences and make them accessible to people. I enjoy being a part of this incredible industry and community, and will do whatever I can to support it, while having a little bit of fun along the way.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 31
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