We need you to become an Attraction Industry professional. Possibly now.

Photo by Taylor Rogers on Unsplash

You might be 22 years old. Or 13. Your age doesn’t really matter, because it’s never too early for you to decide that you want to make a difference in the attractions industry — I chose at 12 that I would work for a theme park. And I could never imagine myself working for another industry.

I am lucky enough to meet students through my work at university and young professionals by volunteering with IAAPA as the chairman of the group of outstanding professionals that every year coordinate dozens of conferences and workshops for other industry professionals. And we all agree we’re having quite a challenge in finding the new generation of parks’ operators, managers, imagineers. At the same time, young people in love with parks and attractions don’t know how to jump on board, scared about showing up, ultimately choosing to work for other quite boring industries. Many give up before even trying.

Why do we need you as a future professional?

There are no fixed rules, you have heard this over and over again. Huge companies and families are operating small attractions. There are high-tech suppliers and merchandise producers, roller coasters and gardens, french fries and advertising campaigns. Our industry represents (almost) any job type on earth and still struggles to funnel the passion and the enthusiasm of the new generations and help them become the leaders of tomorrow.

I can only advise according to my worldview, my experiences and the choices I made. But hey, I was a parks’ fan and I’ve been working in this industry for 22 years. And yes, you could as well!

I was a student and an intern when I got my first name tag… and it was because a friend borrowed me his just for the time of a picture! (but you can still see my pride)

10 tips for any kid who wants to make it in the attraction industry

1. Be passionate
   We might have read on Instagram or Facebook some of your comments, the passion with which you follow this industry and the anger when we don’t meet your expectations. Please don’t leave any space for people who are not deeply in love with our industry. We need you to get that job and commit to change our world for better.
2. Be curious
   Read, watch, visit, ask as much as possible. Reach out to professionals on LinkedIn and dare to pose the right questions, study researches and dig deep into what’s not told, download annual reports and scan them with a laser beam, visit mums’ forums and discover how they think differently. Your best tool is a single word, followed by a question mark. Why? And why? And why?
3. Be obsessed with improving
   Do your best to become fluent in a foreign language, explore the disciplines you love from every angle, don’t wait for your teachers to expand your knowledge, do something each and every day to become better than yesterday. Keep track of what you learn, observe yourself leaping, be brave to try out things and fail.
4. Be humble
   When observing things from outside, the choices we as old guys make might seem impossible to understand. Or even worse, stupid. And yes, they can be. But please trust they are made with deeper knowledge about business, parks, and life that you might have so far. So the best gift you can make to yourself is not judging, but trying to understand. Ask us why. And learn from us when we are brave: sticking to the status quo, innovating, making mistakes and succeeding.
5. Be visible
   Create your social profiles making yourself visible in the industry and be aware that everyone checks social profiles before hiring someone. Join the industry associations — they offer reduced fees for students and young professionals. Attend events, print your first business card, act as a professional. Never postpone your first steps: right now is always the best moment.
6. Be humble (yes, again)
   When you join a company, the best way to set yourself up for success is to be humble. To learn everything you can, to help everyone you meet, to listen a lot and even more before talking. To respect who has been working there and to take every chance as an extra opportunity to learn. Try every job: you will learn marketing by staying at the turnstiles, HR by frying chips, design by standing in line for a boring ride.
7. Be an observer
   What could be improved in the company you’ve joined? What is the change the industry would benefit from? Take notes. Hundreds of notes. Who are your customers? Who are your guests? What do they say? How do they behave? Why do they choose your competitors? Who is your attraction not for? Why do your fans adore you? Why is not everyone a fan?
8. Be in love with soft skills
   Observe people, dynamics between them, unwritten rules, who decides and who influences, who stops decisions, who is eager to change and who is resistant. Attend soft skills workshops, practice empathy, join a mastermind group, look for a good therapist, understand what moves you and what moves others. Expose yourself to emotions, be vulnerable.
9. Be indispensable
   Excellently do your job. Make a difference. Connect dots and people and opportunities. Help to find solutions. Ask yourself every day “how would they miss me if I was gone?”. We want to applaud you not for your successes, but because you try and you’re brave enough to dance with fear. Your tasks can be assigned to someone else, while the impact you have on other people is unique to you.
10. Be constantly updated and share knowledge
    You will learn so much by working for a company. And still, there is much more to learn around the world to make you a better professional and human being. Keep learning, read newsletters, take every opportunity to approach everything with a curious mind, no matter if it is a store, a library or the menu of a fast-food restaurant. And inspire everyone you can.

Once upon a time, I was a young professional as well

Please, do so much more than what’s requested by your job description.

Do it for yourself and let us all benefit from it.
We need you to come and change us.
We need you to write new rules and decide which of the old ones are still good.
We need you to care about your future staff and not just refer to top-line corporate mission statements.
We need you to stop everyone who’s seeing guests as a mass and not caring enough about them as individuals.
We need you to be patient and plan your revolution drip after drip.
We need you to inspire the next generations of kids to create an even better attractions industry.

We need you. Now.