Today, while digging into some past events for research, I ran across an email that I sent on April 2nd of last year. The timeliness of me finding this almost exactly one year from the day it was written is purely coincidence. I just sort of tripped on it while combing through an archived file.

To set this up, let me fill you in on just a bit of background. This was written to a client who had been through a bit of a ringer. She had tried to get a hold of someone at Disneyland about planning an event for her family. She was given a runaround and basically got the feeling, from whoever she spoke to, that her small group just wasn’t worth the time. This makes my blood boil, but I won’t elaborate on it now…

To make a long story short, she made a bit of a stink (rightly so, might I add) and caught the attention of some higher-ups over on the sales side. She got some special attention from some senior folks over there before she got to me. Once I talked to her on the phone, we were well on our way to planning some really cool things that the resort had never done before.

Even though her name was passed to me with a “guest recovery” sort of warning, we got to know each other and she became one of my favorite Disney fans. Before that though, she sent me a message a little worried that I had been tasked to kiss her “you-know-what” because the poor way Disney treated her in the beginning…

… here was my response:

I’m going to try and take off my Disney hat for a minute and speak to your fear of [your sales manager] and I being tasked to kiss any kind of you-know-what’s. You can bet that there have been serious discussions and very red faces concerning your path into the works here. But please understand that those discussions have not centered around you in particular, but ANY guest who contacts us wanting information. As you said when we spoke on the phone, there are very few guests that would have put up with the run-around that was thrown your way. And if it happened to you, I would be willing to bet that there have been guests, however small their numbers, who just gave up and took their party somewhere else. I don’t pretend to know all the challenges that our sales team is faced with, but I know they are working hard to make sure that there is no such thing as a crack for a guest to fall through.

Trying to say all that without speaking for other individuals is sort of tough. But it’s very easy for me to explain the attention you receive from me. My drive really has nothing to do with dollars, or guest count, or any of those other things that our very talented accounting and sales folks have to worry about. I am here to make magic, and I’m really excited when I have the chance to create something special for a family.

As you can imagine the lions share of the events that are produced at any of our properties are for corporate partners and clients. We have synergy meetings and management retreats, networking cocktail receptions and oh so many working lunches. Mixed into that we have great chances to wow crowds with show moments and entertainment bits designed to enhance the message of an event. All of these events happen in the spirit of ‘return on investment’. While it’s fun, and we create smiles, there is a deeper meaning to the stories we tell that is somewhat lost on the corporate crowd. That deeper meaning is perfectly placed in front of a family.

I have a love for the legacy Walt Disney left behind. I have a deep desire for every guest that comes in contact with me to leave knowing without a doubt, that Disney people are the ones that can make amazing things happen. It’s what I thought when I was growing up, and when I came to Disneyland I held onto that. It’s the reason I am here, and it’s the reason I love what I do. Its actually that mind-set that has helped me enjoy every second of my time with Disney.

I am admittedly an old school Disney geek. I don’t care much for marketing messages and corporate speak. I live for that little tingle and chill that comes with playing Duck Duck Goose with 30 kids in front of It’s A Small World when Alice and the Mad Hatter come bounding in to join. Its the same chill I feel every single time I see Mickey Mouse magically appear on stage in a puff of pixie dust and say “some imagination, huh?”. And it’s the same amazing feeling when I’m holding the hands of my little niece and nephews as it starts to snow on Main Street USA and Hailey notices “I don’t even need a coat”!

So the energy that, I admit, can feel a bit like I’m playing to you and going a bit overboard, is honestly my norm. The fact that you like the ‘unusual’ experiences for your family as much as I like to create them is an amazing (and very welcome) coincidence.

I know it can feel like a pre-packaged corporate message, but I really do appreciate that you’ve chosen to celebrate your life, love, and family with Disney. And whether you choose to play here at Disneyland, or at Walt Disney World, or any of our other places. We really are one team with one dream, and we will make some magic for you.

The words that I wrote back in April of 2005 are as true now as they were then. Sometimes I need a little reminder about why I’m here. And when I get in a slump that reminder usually comes in spades.

There is real magic being made here every day!

While Disney certainly isn’t perfect, there is no other group of people on this planet that I would rather have my name associated with.