Hugh Darley of Providence Island Ventures: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In Your Industry
An Interview With Dina Aletras
Inspire others to dream. I have hired hundreds of people over my career and I have to say I am proud of that fact as they have gone on to do great things in all three industries we have excelled in as leaders.
As part of our series about how to become known as a thought leader in your industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Hugh Darley.
Hugh Darley is a renowned authority in the cruise tourism, entertainment and hospitality industry. In addition to being a consultant to international ports, hotels and resorts, he speaks globally and inspires others to dream.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us! Our readers are eager to learn more about you. Could you provide some background information about yourself?
I was born in a small town in south Georgia and learned a lot about simple pleasures in life. My grandparents owned the Skate-R-Bowl, a local entertainment center that served several counties where you could bowl and roller skate. It was my first experience in the “guest experience” realm where I learned many lessons in human nature. I aspired to be a Disney Imagineer from a young age after watching the Wonderful World of Disney episode, “The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean.” I had an opportunity to become an Imagineer at age 24 for the completion of EPCOT at Walt Disney World and became a Show Designer and Art Director for the company. The role as an Art Director at Disneyland opened the door for a career in innovative work with industry leaders in hospitality, entertainment as well as cruise destinations later in my career.
What establishes you as an authority on thought leadership? Could you briefly share your expertise with our readers?
My life experiences developed from humble beginnings and led to working with some of the most imaginative people of the 20th century. Early on, I worked with some of the original Disney Imagineers like Wathel Rogers and John Hench and later worked with Las Vegas Casino Innovators like Steve Wynn, Bill Bennett and Barron Hilton in redefining Las Vegas in the late 1980’s. After working for Disney, I became an entrepreneur at age 28 and was thrust into creating world-class entertainment venues, rides and attractions and started what we now call “designing the guest experience.” Unlike master plans which focus on quantities and program elements, we create “vision plans” that include the emotional rewards of a space, not just the technical aspects of the plan. A special personal opportunity was in working with Michael Jackson and seeing his approach to perfection and execution of performance in the greatest detail. He was an inspiration in every aspect of delivery of a truly authentic guest experience and looking at the world with a childlike sense of wonder.
Can you recall a funny mistake you made when you were first starting out? What lesson did you learn from it?
As a young Imagineer working on site at EPCOT, I assumed everyone on site was a worker bee and just working to get the job at hand done. Most of my fellow Disney employees were on average 20 somethings and had no idea we could not accomplish the impossible. I kept watching a guy in a golf cart approach the many Disney crew members with quite a commanding position of authority. I assumed this guy was just an experienced project manager who certainly knew his stuff. When he approached me and challenged decisions I was making in the field, I from my practical authentic self defended my decisions. I honestly felt the decisions I was making were justified and voiced that confidence. As the project progressed, I learned the man’s name was Dick and he began asking me more questions to seek my opinion. (At Disney everyone is known by their first name on their name tag.) Dick began to ride me around to look at other areas and make some on-the-spot design solutions. The rides became an almost daily routine. One day a fellow Imagineer asked how long I had been with the company and I responded, “About 3 months.” He asked how I knew the president of the company so well. My response was, “I don’t know the president of the company.” My coworker said, “The guy in the golf cart you are riding around with is Dick Nunis, the President of Disney.” The takeaway here is never underestimate the power of authentic opinion and the need to express your thoughts and convictions honestly.
What are the most significant disruptions you foresee in your industry over the next five years, and how can businesses adapt to these changes?
Working in the hospitality and cruise industry, I see great challenges in enjoying authentic life experiences where technology and media have not altered reality or the understanding of reality. The simple pleasures of life are under great pressure of being “over curated.” Hospitality, entertainment and destinations are moving away from simple enjoyment and becoming lifestyle or political statements. A pure natural experience is becoming extinct. Businesses and industry leaders should work hard to preserve the natural world and foster opportunities for humanity to have authentic experiences in nature, at home and through the many media outlets.
Can you explain the benefits of becoming a thought leader? Why is it valuable to invest time and resources into this?
With media and communications over processing our lives today, we need innovative leadership in returning to life pleasures that are natural and move away from the manufactured pressures of today. The world has advanced into a constant need to produce something, process something or make a decision on a moment’s notice. Life today is under too much constant pressure to perform. There is no down time and the thought that down time is in some way wasteful. A thought leader looks to the betterment of people’s human experience, not to burden the human experience with artificial pressures of technology or information. I look to find ways to make life a simple path to be enjoyed and not a chore to be accomplished. We all need to invest time in our own definition of our life expectation and set goals to enhance life, not make it more complicated.
Can you share an example of a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you leveraged innovative thinking to overcome it?
My life’s work can be divided into three parts: Theme Parks, Hospitality and Cruise Tourism. During my entire career, I’ve been challenged by the same daunting question. How do you pursue a project and value the authentic execution of it versus the monetary value you can achieve? My challenge has been not seeing the profit over the passion for creating an authentic experience. It’s a dilemma that all creatives find in their life’s work. It’s not always about the money. You can always accomplish a said task cheaper. The true skill in being an innovator is to be able to place the appropriate value on the end result. It is a known fact that most creatives end their lives penniless, but the desire to see their passions through results in some of the world’s greatest achievements. Again it’s not all about the money! For example, Walt Disney World’s Cinderella Castle was not created for a great return on investment. But without Cinderella’s Castle, you wouldn’t have a Magic Kingdom.
Now that we have covered that, we’d love to hear your advice on becoming a thought leader. Can you share five strategies that someone should follow to gain recognition as a thought leader in their industry? Please include examples or stories from your own experience for each strategy.
1 . Focus on your authentic self and always stay true to your own passions. Leaders don’t follow conventional norms or thoughts. Steve Wynn’s concept for Treasure Island was not conventional as he wanted to create a great show outside on Las Vegas Boulevard to draw the crowds that would then enter the Casino. His idea to have one of the ships actually sink was an example of his passion for telling the authentic story.
2 . Learn everything you can about your interests and continue to learn every day. My mentor, Wathel Rogers, at Walt Disney Imagineering, taught me to over deliver on the guest expectation. Even the smallest of detail will help draw the guest further into the story. I learned to see the story through the guest expectations and then over deliver. I took on a small attraction at Walt Disney World, The Frontierland Shooting Gallery, that no one wanted to do because it was just too small of a project. I learned so much about the process of a complete Disney experience. I learned about authentic storyline, props, dressings and building rockwork. I learned about laser technology in the guns we created to replace the real lead shot. And I learned about audio recording, playback systems and lighting design. We actually learned about a new technology in 1982 known as compact digital recording and made a trip to Japan to see the new compact disc player by SONY. We were the first commercial use of compact disc plays in the world.
3 . Seek solutions to problems and do not dwell on the endless excuses. Once thought leaders learn about a challenge they start to find solutions and never look back. In working with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines I noticed the company was so focused on the ships but left the guest transition into a port of call to chance. I simply applied the authentic story to the destination and then planned accordingly. In Falmouth, Jamaica we defined a new cruise port of call and named it Historic Falmouth Jamaica. We designed reproductions of 1850 buildings and street plans which established Falmouth as a destination and trading port in 1733. Our buildings replicated the smallest detail buildings of the period and when seen from the cruise ships, extended the historic city right up to the ship berth. Cruise travel is actually about the journey which includes the ships and the destinations.
4 . Meet everyone you can in life and expand your social network with positive influences. I always marveled at how easy it is to meet new people and through honest exchange of information create a lasting relationship. Aspire to meet people who might help you achieve your goals. Create situations where you can meet and possibly work with them. Success is truly gained by who you know; it’s a fact. My career path has been blessed with meeting some of the most inspirational people of my time. The list is too long to write here, but my advice is to identify those people you think could help you reach your goals and reach out to them!
5 . Inspire others to dream. I have hired hundreds of people over my career and I have to say I am proud of that fact as they have gone on to do great things in all three industries we have excelled in as leaders.
How do you foster a culture of innovation within your organization, and what practices have you found most effective in encouraging creative thinking among your team?
Understand that those you work with are equals and that everyone’s thoughts are their own and need to be heard. Allow everyone to participate in the creative process.
Who do you think is an outstanding example of a thought leader? What specific qualities impress you about this person?
Pierfrancisco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises
As the Executive Chairman of the world’s third largest cruise line, Pierfrancesco is providing positive inspiration to an entire industry. He has vision and a positive approach to the many challenges faced in the rapidly growing global tourism industry. As a leader in a privately-owned company, he brings a personal passion and commitment in addressing all aspects of his decision making. His leadership is advancing discussions on a wide range of environmental and fuel innovations that will lead other industries to follow suit. His public speaking also brings a sense of confidence in the cruise industry and pushes a positive agenda in spite of liberal scrutiny. He asks questions and opens doors to a larger conversation on innovations and is accessible to his industry colleagues and his competitors.
How do you stay informed about the latest trends and developments in your field, and how do you incorporate this knowledge into your strategic planning?
There is no replacement for actual experiences. I travel a lot as traveling allows you to see actual places with a new perspective that may go unnoticed in research and in third party references. When you experience new cultures, you open your mind to new ideas and approaches to storytelling. When I travel, I love to meet new people and see how their life experiences are influenced by tourism and touristic development. We need to understand that our future development projects should also enhance the lives of local residents and improve their lives as we entertain and educate our guests.
Some people feel that the term “thought leader” is overused and has lost its impact. What are your thoughts on this?
A thought leader is anyone who can inspire others and inspire others to dream. You can use any number of terms to define someone who is inspirational; but the ability to inspire others to dream is truly a leadership quality!
How do you balance short-term business goals with long-term strategic vision, especially in a rapidly changing market?
To be truly successful you must remain in business long enough to make an impact, so short term goals provide the financial feasibility to continue as a going business concern. However, the need to feed the business should not be your goal. An inspirational company will not see profits as the goal, but the means by which to meet the inspirational goals which may not always be monetary. I strive for accomplishment by how many lives I can influence in a positive way. My biggest thrill is to see someone’s excitement from experiencing the attraction or destination I created regardless of the money, (if any), I receive from its creation.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? How has it been relevant in your life?
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”― Albert Einstein
My life gift is in seeing things I am imagining before they are a reality. My success has been when I can see that vision realized.
Many influential figures in business and entertainment follow this column. Is there someone you’d love to have lunch or breakfast with? They might notice if we tag them.
Elon Musk
How can our readers further follow your work online?
www.hughdarley.com and contact me at hugh@hughdarley.com
Thank you so much for your insights. This was very insightful and meaningful.
About the Interviewer: Dina Aletras boasts over 20 years of expertise in the corporate media industry. She possesses an in-depth understanding of growth, strategy, and leadership, having held significant roles at some of the UK’s largest media organizations. At Reach PLC, the UK’s largest tabloid publisher, she served in various director capacities. Additionally, she held leadership roles at The Independent Magazine Group and DMGT. Her extensive knowledge spans editorial, digital, revenue, sales, and advertising.
Upon relocating to Switzerland, Dina took on the responsibility of managing and promoting the international section of Corriere del Ticino — CdT.ch pioneering the English page “onthespot.” She also was the Co-Editor of Southern Switzerland’s first official Italian and English bilingual magazine.
