Two Meetings

IT TAKES PEOPLE TO MAKE THE DREAM A REALITY
On May 27, 1975, Walt Disney Productions (WDP) hosted the 27th annual American Society for Personnel Administrators (ASPA) conference at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World. The ASPA represented personnel executives from America’s largest corporations. More than 1,000 companies were represented at the conference. The theme for the conference was “Accountability plus Productivity.” Creative, eh?
The Welcoming address was given by Card Walker, President of Walt Disney Productions. At the time, Disney had just over 17,000 employees worldwide. In reviewing what guests said about the Disney parks at the time, Walker said, “First, they comment about the cleanliness of our operation, second, they comment about the friendliness and courtesy of our employees, and third, they remark that we offer a good show.”
It was Walker’s opinion that the people who worked for him made more of a difference in the guest experience than any of the sophisticated technical achievements on display at the parks. Especially at Walt Disney World, which was meant to be a “total recreation environment.” For Disney, the goal was to feature “the predictability of motivated employees.” That goal was the connection to the theme of the conference. 
At the time, management was concentrating on making sure each employee understands that they are not a “spare tire, but rather a vital wheel in keeping us on the road.” To that end, Disney had instituted “preventive maintenance” programs. Walker asks, “Do we show the same concern for each employee that we show for each machine?” 
Walker reminded the audience that the respect for the employees started with Walt Disney. It was Walt who said, “I use the whole plant for ideas. If the janitor has a good idea I’ll use it.” The only thing Walt demanded was, “If you bring me a problem, have a solution. Lots of times the solution is the right answer and it’s just a matter of saying O.K.” Walt’s approach was based on the “Four C’s” for success. 
Curiosity - “[Walt] was always exploring new paths and experimenting with new technologies.”
Confidence  - “When you go into a project, have faith in your ability to do it right.”
Courage - “When you believe in something, believe in it all the way.”
Constancy - “Stick to it...and work hard to do the best possible job.” 
Through a strong commitment to training, Walker said, employees would learn that “our world is often make-believe, but we create make-believe with real people.” Meeting the guest’s expectations was not a “happy accident.” Have things changed much over the past 40 years? Is the company as committed to the well-being of the Cast Members?
EPCOT: THE SALES PITCH
EPCOT would not have been possible without the cooperation and sponsorship dollars from some of America’s largest corporations. It could be said that the first date in that courtship came on May 15, 1976 at the 1st EPCOT Future Technology Conference, hosted by Walt Disney Productions (WDP). The exclusive event was held for forty “key representatives from the scientific, business and academic communities” according to a press release. 
Walt Disney Productions Chairman of the Board Donn B. Tatum was the man responsible for making the pitch to get these organizations to partner with the entertainment company and make Walt’s last dream come true (or some version of it). For over 10 years, the Disney team had been working on EPCOT and now they wanted to involve corporate experts in energy technologies, agriculture, and food production. 
How could an entertainment company be so bold as to think they could change the world? Look at Disneyland. Through the operation of that facility, Disney gained “valuable experience in such areas as transportation, electronic systems, and the handling of large numbers of people with efficiency and personal care.” This success lead to Walt’s fascination with urban planning. Anything Walt was interested in became a priority at the Studio. Tatum claimed that Walt wanted EPCOT to “serve as an example to the world of the ability of the free enterprise system to meet the needs of people in living and working and moving about.”
The first phase for the development of Walt Disney World was the Magic Kingdom, the resorts, and more than $150 million for the necessary infrastructure. Turning a swamp into a vacation resort was proof that the Disney organization had the right stuff. The next step was to attain the same level of guest capacity of Disneyland (70,000 guests). This was accomplished with the addition of Space Mountain and the PeopleMover in 1975 (apparently the second the largest expansion of the Magic Kingdom right after the New Fantasyland). 
The next phase would be much more ambitious. Tatum suggested that EPCOT was meant to be “an on-going meeting place where creative people of science and industry from around the world may gather to discuss and communicate concerning specific solutions to the specific needs of mankind.” Disney needed help from outside experts. EPCOT was to become a place where companies can “develop, demonstrate, and communicate prototype concepts and new systems and technologies, and their application in creating better ways of living.” Tatum felt that technological changes were happening so rapidly that “the average person is perplexed and, in all too many cases, in a state of despair.” That is why EPCOT was needed. 
What Disney could bring was “long experience in communication with the public through visual and tangible means - many of which were innovative and usually effective - and we had an understanding of the importance of and empathy with science and technology.” EPCOT would become the showcase “from which, the information essential for the future can be gathered, disseminated, and most of all, communicated in a meaningful way.” 
WDP also had unprecedented powers with the creation of the Reedy Creek Improvement District on May 12, 1967. For the first time, a company could have a partner “with broad, sweeping power to allow and encourage the introduction, testing, and demonstration of new ideas, materials, and systems, based on standards of performance. What other organization but Disney could provide that? Some of the early examples of this forward thinking included the AVAC trash disposal system, the lightweight steel modular construction of the two hotels (the Contemporary and the Polynesian), and a progressive building code. 
By the mid-1970s, the idea of a city in Florida with a permanent population was dead. WDP was working on plans to build a form of community and I will get to that in a future column. Instead, for EPCOT the leadership developed a strategy that focused on a under appreciated Disney strength, something they discovered quite by accident, during World War II. While making training films for the US military, Disney learned how to to communicate complex ideas in an entertaining way. In order to stay true to Walt’s dream, this would be the pitch to EPCOT’s potential partners. This was the purpose of the 1st EPCOT Future Technology Conference.