The "Innovation Mandate"

The "Innovation Mandate"

"What's new this year?" Your guests are going to ask you. Group leaders may ask you before they confirm their booking. Just how will you reply?

Guests are demanding. They want new stuff every year! What is this insatiable desire for newness? It is the "Innovation Mandate".

Here are some ideas for meeting this annual call to action:

1. Move things around. Routine brings boredom. Simply by moving  activities to new locations on the farm creates the perception of "newness". Modify and clarify your activities by type or by guest age. For example, cruise lines create "Neighborhoods" of activities based on guest categories. (This keeps young children from ruining a couple's romantic dinner.)
2. Change things on the inside. You may have attractions that have remained the same on the outside for years, such as a maze or hayride. Don't give up on that attraction, change what's on the inside. As entertainment farms mature in the marketplace, changing the guest activities becomes the way to innovate. Our corn maze games can be added to any maze regardles of your provider. Maybe it's time to freshen up your maze experience with our professional designs. Maybe it's time to reroute your hayride, add music, or new content.
3. Add something unexpected. Your guests may expect you to add another hay wagon, but text messaging?! Sure, I'm partial to games we invent, but that's because they work. Novelty is still the most effective tool for answering the Innovation Mandate.
4. Innovate your staff training. At both IAAPA and NAFDMA conferences an inordinate amount of time was spent on the importance of staff training. Chick-Fil-A scripts how guests are greeted and thanked. It's all to create an experience guests remember and value. Training is cost-effective as well. Simply spend those first slow weekends walking around to each station coaching your staff!

Conclusion: You have to have an answer to the Innovation Mandate. Plan ahead to move things around, change on the inside, add something unexpected, and work with your staff to make this year great. When they ask you, "What's new this year?" be ready with a compelling answer.