'Undercover Boss' Revealed! Part 2 of Our Interview with Herschend CEO Joel Manby

Last week, I had the chance to talk with Joel Manby, CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment, about his experience on the CBS reality show, “Undercover Boss,” in which he went undercover to work frontline jobs at Herschend properties.

If you haven’t had a chance to watch the show, you can see the full episode here on the CBS web site. Be warned—you may want to keep a box of tissues nearby.

In our discussion, Manby (below, right) divulged some great lessons learned from the experience which we weren’t able to talk about until after the airing. Here’s part two of our interview:

IAAPA: Why did you choose those specific locations to visit (Ride the Ducks at Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta, Georgia; Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri; and Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey)?
Manby: I’ve visited Dollywood so often that I knew they might recognize me. Even at Silver Dollar City, I’ve worked the gates there, so we had to wait for the people who knew me to go on break for 20 minutes and we filmed in that small window of time. Also, we just recently purchased the aquarium, so I hadn’t really gotten to know the workers there yet. And with Ride the Ducks, if you don’t go on tour with that particular captain, you might not meet them.

What reactions did you get from workers who appeared on the show as well as park employees after the big reveal?
To see the look on the hosts’ faces when they met me and realized who I was—it was so much fun. What was really meaningful was when I got to reinforce what I saw in them and how great they were. People don’t get enough encouragement in life, so the chance to do that was really fun.
As far as the rest of the Herschend staff, since filming, we’ve experienced a huge morale boost.

Is there anything you want HFE to do differently, or objectives you’ve reevaluated since stepping into someone else’s shoes?
The main changes we implemented were those to programs that will help our employees.
We really beefed up the marketing for our Share it Forward program to motivate people to apply for it. As a leader, if you see someone who has just lost their health insurance or has a family crisis, it’s your job to help them through that time.

We added a component within the Share it Forward Foundation, as well. Mercedes and Jennifer, who were both on the show, are single parents. This inspired us to create a new program for single parents. If you make under a certain income level and you’re a single parent, you’ll be able to get a financial stipend for medical or daycare needs to help pay for expenses like childcare and health care. Seeing things firsthand helped me to see the need for this.
Another thing we did was establish a scholarship in honor of Jack and Peter Herschend. We’ll annually fund a full-time educational scholarship during their school year, and while they’re in school, we’ll pay them half of the salary they earn over the summer, so they don’t have to go part time and work.

Also, we have a sub-program of Share It Forward called an Emergency Needs Program for people in financial crisis. We gave Richard [from the show] the catastrophic limit of $10,000 and went in there with a construction crew and redid his doors and heating system. For me, that was truly one of the highlights of being with Herschend. It was a really gratifying moment, and he has such a sweet family that it was all really meaningful.

Albert, who you saw on the show, would have had to work for seven years to get his undergraduate degree. In the summer, they’ll make their full-time wage, and then when they’re in school and not working, they’ll still make half of their salary.

That’s what I got when I worked with General Motors during college. Harvard was still expensive back then, and I never would have been able to afford it. But they paid me half my salary as I lived in Boston and worked for them. Also, when I was in high school, a man funded my private education, so I’ve had both a company and an individual help me go to private schools. This is a way for our company to give back—and everyone can apply.

How do you feel about the outcome of the show and the decisions you made because of it?
The decisions we’ve made as a result of the show are all difficult, because they all cost money. But it all goes back to what we’re trying to create—a culture of servant leadership. The guest experience can never rise any higher than the passion of your employees. It is our responsibility to take care of them.

One thing I was really trying not to do was a lot of "one-offs." I wanted to do something systemic throughout the whole company. We didn’t have much time so that was hard. We literally shot the experience, and they came to do the reveal the next day. I had to decide what we could and should do in a very short period of time … it was exciting!

Photos courtesy of Herschend Family Entertainment

Space Allocation 2010: Final Numbers/Thoughts

Space Allocation 2010 is over. The committee placed 604 booths across 301,650 net square feet of exhibit space.

I spoke with several committee members today, and they all said it was another challenging year but they were happy with the result. Monty Lunde, principal for Technifex Inc., felt as I did the committee was never able to quite settle into an extended groove, where the booth assignments really flow at a regular pace, but as I addressed in earlier posts, all of you out there following along have made this a more interactive experience for the committee, so this type of pace is to be expected now. Lunde said overall this improves the process because people have what they want now and are able to immediately work out the details of their booths with their appropriate committee member, rather than having to wait until after the fact to try and sort things out.

Jim Seay, president of Premier Rides Inc., spent most of his day walking back and forth in front of the big board, making suggestions and helping to keep the flow going as well as possible. Despite the stop-and-go pace, the committee placed almost 50 more booths this year than last in the same amount of time, which Seay said had a lot to do with returning to Orlando's Orange County Convention Center, a place the members are obviously familiar with.

"It was nice to get back to a well-known environment," Seay said. "The convention center is set up so well for our show."

"It was good and worked out well," Committee Chair Jack Mendes said after assigning the final booth shortly before 3 p.m. "Everybody hung in there, did a good job, and we got it done on time. It was a good meeting, and the show's looking good."

All right, so that does it from another long, hectic, and productive IAAPA Space Allocation. This is always an exciting beginning to the IAAPA Attractions Expo season; it's easy to start imagining how all these booths are going to look on that big ol' convention center floor.

From here on out, if you have any questions about your booth, or for those of you following along who might not actually have space reserved yet, the Exhibit Sales Team can help if you e-mail them at exhibitsales@IAAPA.org.

Space Allocation 2010: Day 2, Afternoon Session

2:45 p.m.: The committee will be DONE with booth assignments momentarily. The members will only be here until 3 p.m., so if you have a booth move, it must come in RIGHT NOW!

Thanks to everyone who followed along this year—we had our third straight year of record readership. I hope it was helpful.

2:33 p.m.: Still having in-depth discussions right down to the last. Been working a solution for the past 15 minutes, but I think we're about to start up again.

2:15 p.m.: Getting very close to the end now. Just placed No. 575, CES Sales Inc.

1:47 p.m.: The committee just placed No. 541, Space Dome Technologies Ltd. (Simulation), which means they've now assigned booths for all returning exhibitors. Now they hit the home stretch, comprised entirely of first-time exhibitors. This section typically goes rapidly.

1:25 p.m.: During the lunch break I spoke with Alan Ramsay, president/CEO of CLM Entertainment Inc., who's participating in his first Space Allocation as a committee member. In 2009 Ramsay sat in the back of the room observing what he calls "the science behind the chaos," and he said that experience definitely paid off this year now that he's part of the procedure, watching over companyies that fall in non-traditional amusement categories—vaccuum cleaners, for instance.

"It gave me an idea of how the process goes," he said. "It's very organized, there's a logical method to it. Fundamentally, the ultimate 'science' is to ensure the good of the show in everything that's done."

The committee's been on pause for a few minutes dealing with booth moves, but they're about to start up again on No. 518, Alpine Products LLC.

1:06 p.m.: No. 500 is on the floor! AAAG was just placed. About a hundred to go.

12:46 p.m.: The committee's back from lunch with booth moves to handle before assigning the final 120 booths.

Space Allocation 2010: Day 2, Morning Session

12:02 p.m.: The committee's breaking for lunch, with the last booth placed No. 481, Janus International Hospitality Student Exchange. Booth moves caused the past 45 minutes to bog down, but the committee remains ahead of last year's pace.

11:11 a.m.: Hanging out in the Space Allocation meeting reminds me of my former life as a newspaper reporter. There's nothing like a busy newsroom on deadline, with phones ringing, conversations going back and forth, challenges and solutions being debated. It's a glorious, constant, productive racket.

Space Allocation is like that.

I've had IAAPA V.P. of Exhibit Sales Pete Barto in my ear all morning as he works the phone trying to get exhibitors coming up for placement in the best possible position. Down the table from him is the rest of the Exhibit Sales Team, keeping in constant contact with the committee to make sure everything's flowing correctly, while Director of Operations Diane Vidoni mans the massive physical floor plan over on the other side of the room.

The committee members are constantly on their own cell phones touching base with their constituent groups, then talking among one another to ensure no one's stepping on another's virtual toes. Some of the members stay stapled to their seats and man their personal virtual trade show floor layouts, while others prefer to stalk back and forth in front of Diane's big board as they look for spaces. And all the while, Committee Chair Jack Mendes' voice booms over the room's sole microphone keeping everything moving, confirming assignments and moving on to the next company.

Yeah, it's busy in here. Shouldn't be any other way.

Just placed Polin Waterparks & Pool Systems, No. 466. We're now into the companies with two year's exhibiting seniority.

10:54 a.m.: Less than 150 booths left to assign today.

10:52 a.m.: The committee paused a few minutes ago to let the IAAPA Exhibit Sales Team catch up on confirmations after that flurry of assignments in the past half hour. During the break I talked to Bob Domkowski, marketing manager for ITT Water & Wastewater, about this morning's session. Talk to 14 different committee members, you'll probably get 14 different takes on how this process goes. Domkowski, participating in his fourth Space Allocation, said: "This is the most challenging portions, I think, the fill-ins, trying to satisfy requests and come up with unique space sizes and placements."

The committee continues to move right along in what is certainly the most consistent hour of this entire process, though booth moves and a few larger booth placements pop up occasionally and halt the process. They just placed No.450, Amusement Insurance Resources, with three years' seniority.

10:17 a.m.: The committee is CRUISING right now: Just assigned No. 433, Unlimited Snow, with three years' seniority.

9:51 a.m.: Just assigned No. 400, Seasafe Inc., with five years' exhibiting seniority.

9:38 a.m.: We're getting close to another milestone, as the committee approaches No. 400. Right now they're working on No. 395, Eworks Pro Inc.

9:00 a.m.: OK, going back a little bit, the committee took some time this morning to redraw portions of the floor plan because they looked ahead and saw there are several large booths coming up for assignment. To accommodate the exhibitors as best as possible and maximize traffic flow on the show floor, a few portions of the floor plan were adjusted; often these things have to be done on the fly as the committee sees how the floor shakes out. Check here for the updated online layout.

The committee just assigned No. 379, GEP Productions Inc.

8:53 a.m.: Google's been having technical difficulties for the past half hour, and it just came back, so sorry about the lack of posts. Will update what's been going on momentarily, but for now the committee is at No. 375, InPark Magazine.

8:19 a.m.: Still working on booth moves/floor plan adjustments. I will post again once new booths start going on the floor.

7:57 a.m.: Getting ready to start up again this morning. A handful of booth moves to take care of first, then on to new assignments, starting with No. 360, International Currency Technologies Inc., with six years' exhibiting seniority. There are currently 359 booths on the floor covering 226,900 net square feet.

Space Allocation 2010: Day 1, Afternoon Session

6:02 p.m.: The committee just wrapped after a long day. The last booth placed was No. 358, Max-R, with six years' exhibiting seniority. Although it ran a bit later than last year, the committee nevertheless placed more booths today than it did on Day 1 last year, which was another challenging session.

As a reminder, the committee will start at 8 a.m. EDT tomorrow, instead of 9 a.m.

5:35 p.m.: I spoke with Jack Mendes again quickly between assignments and he echoed Tim Timco's comments from earlier on why this afternoon has taken more time than anticipated.

"We got bogged down in a lot of special issues and problem childs, and it took us longer than normal," he said. "We've had more inquiries, and a lot of it is the exhibitors are watching it online and getting back with us, changing things and changing their booth sizes. It's a good thing, but every time we do that we stop and go."

Mendes said he likes to hit about No. 400—or two thirds of the total companies—on Day 1, but they probably won't hit that before having to break tonight for dinner (the meeting was scheduled to stop at 5:30). He said the group will come in an hour earlier than planned tomorrow, meaning assignments should start at 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Mendes hopes assignments should click away at a good clip tomorrow.

"Historically, as you get to the smaller booths it's less of a problem with moving things around and finding spaces for them and not being near competitors," Mendes said.

Then again, nothing this year has gone exactly as we'd thought.

4:51 p.m.: Art Attack, No. 301, was just placed. "I call that the halfway point, guys!" Jack Mendes said into the microphone.

4:37 p.m.: The committee's starting up again, with, yep, another booth move. Now it's on to No. 285, Ideas Extremas S.A. de C.V.

4:19 p.m.: I just spoke with Tim Timco, vice president of sales and marketing for Worldwide Ticketcraft, about the, uh … deliberate pace of this afternoon's assignments. He believes it's a result of this new IAAPA Information Age—namely the online floor plan and this blog.

"As more people follow things on the Internet, it gives them an opportunity to call in right away where they didn't in the past," Timco said. "It helps us all address things immediately, rather than after the fact. It may cause us to go a bit slower, but in the long run it serves its purpose and is worthwhile."

The committee's taking a short break, but will resume the proceedings shortly. The last booth assigned was No. 283, QubicaAMF Worldwide, with 10 years' exhibiting senority.

3:46 p.m.: Pace is better the past half hour, though it seems like every time I go to write that very sentence, something comes up to slow the process down. In general booths are moving faster now. Just assigned No. 272, Novelty Inc., with 10 years' seniority.

3:15 p.m.: Sorry for the lack of updates over the past hour, but there's just not that much to report other than things still are going very slow this afternoon. It's not any one thing, just booth moves that require a lot of discussion, checking of the floor plan, etc. We're behind last year's pace in Vegas at the moment, which is surprising but it just shows the committee is working every question thoroughly. We're still hanging around the 250 mark in seniority.

2:24 p.m.: The committee's back, and seems things are settled. Just placed Tapeswitch Corporation, No. 239. Right now we're in exhibitors with 12 years' seniority.

2:13 p.m.: The committee is taking another break, in light of discussions popping up all over the room. The committee's seeing some potential upsizing in booths and it's about time to start placing inflatables, so in light of several requests coming in at the same time it's bogged down the process for a little while.

1:47 p.m.: Back in session. Price Chopper, No. 228, just went on the floor.

1:38 p.m.: The committee's taking a short break as a few members continue to discuss some booth assignments.

1:24 p.m.: During the lunch break I talked with Committee Chair Jack Mendes, who said the morning went well.

"Normally it's a little slow getting started trying to get everything in place," he said. "I think this afternoon will move a little bit quicker."

Dan Kroeger, president of Gold Medal Products Co., concurred with Mendes that pacing was good, and said he was surprised there wasn't more feedback for booth moves. "Maybe it's a bit too early for that," he said.

Mendes said coming back to Orlando for 2010 does help the allocation process "because it's a big square with a minimum amount of columns. We don't have multiple levels or ceiling height issues, so it's a pleasure."

"We're all used to the Orlando facility," Kroeger said. "People can say, 'Put me in the spot I was in two years ago,' so it simplifies things."

Kroeger believes the pace will quicken this afternoon, as further into the process the newer exhibitors typically take less space, so it's easier to place them. At the same time, however, it gets more complicated to accommodate requests as the floor fills up. "You still try to fit people into the general vicinity of where they want to be," he said.

The most recent booth assignment was Tornado International Ltd., No. 215.

12:52 p.m.: Committee's back from lunch, starting with a few booth moves that came in, and then starting up fresh with Ragtime at No. 192.

Space Allocation 2010: Day 1, Morning Session

12:16 p.m.: Stats update: 195 exhibitors are on the floor as of now, covering 130,700 net square feet.

12:10 p.m.: The committee is breaking for lunch. The booth just assigned was Professional Rides AG, No. 191. The lunch break is set for a half hour. We're about a third of the way home.

11:34 a.m.: We're plowing past the two-hour mark now, and the committee just placed PEM Fountain Co., No. 163. That means the committee's hovering around the 50-booths-per-hour pace they like. There's a lunch break coming up in an hour or so, and then I expect the pace will quicken a bit this afternoon.

11:16 a.m.: BOOTH UPDATE: American Coaster Enthusiasts, No. 153, was just placed.

11:12 a.m.: During the break, I talked with committee member Dick Mason, president/CEO of Mason Corporation in Brentwood, Tennessee. This is Mason's first official stint on the committee, but he participated in Space Allocation several years ago as an emergency alternate. I asked him the difference between then and now:

"At the time, it was not as computerized," he said. "It's a lot more efficient now. There was a lot more pencils and erasers before. This is like a war room—it's fascinating. It does justice to the members; everyone's trying to give people the booths they want."

10:47 a.m.: OK, they're back. Dealing with a booth move first, then back to assigning new spaces. This is a good time to remind exhibiting companies to watch for your confirmation e-mails and send in any changes ASAP.

10:33 a.m.: The committee's taking a short break. Up next when they return: No. 130, WorldRide Service & Supply Inc.

10:29 a.m.: It's still not too late to submit a contract for Space Allocation. A contract just came in a few minutes ago from a company that decided it wasn't prudent to miss out on this week's activity. The committee can't guarantee immediate placement, but the company will be worked in and it's certainly better to be in the mix today than wait until after the dust settles and pick up what's left.

To that effect, a few minutes ago a committee member called a member he knows isn't in and should be to let that potential exhibitor know how important it is to be involved today. For companies with significant exhibiting seniority, waiting until after Space Allocation is like throwing money away.

10:11 a.m.: Just a refresher on how this process works: The 14-member committee is comprised of members from different disciplines throughout the industry. Those committee members are then charged with keeping track of exhibitors in their respective areas. Everyone has a printed list of exhibiting companies, ranked in order of seniority and including preferences for potential booth spaces.

So the individual committee members look down the list for companies in their areas ahead of time and determine best possible booth locations based on those specified preferences. That way, when Committee Chair Jack Mendes calls out the company's name for assignment, the associated committee member is ready with an recommendation. When it works like this, the assignments come at a quick clip.

Discussion ensues, though, if a company's request is already taken, and the committee works to meet the exhibitor's expecations as best as possible given what's available on the floor. An e-mail confirmation of that assignment is sent immediately, so the exhibitor can respond in kind if it would like a different booth.

9:57 a.m.: It's been a sluggish start this morning, catching up with those 25-plus exhibitors, but now things are rolling right along. We're approaching No. 100, Safari Thatch Inc.

9:46 a.m.: A few technical difficulties out of the gate, but the committee's wrapped up with the few 25-plus holdovers, so now we're going to start running in order. The committee just assigned No. 85, Lil' Orbits Inc.

9:27 a.m.: OK, we're under way! All exhibitors with 25 years' seniority or more are assigned prior to Space Allocation, but a couple of those are being dropped in first, then the committee will resume regularly scheduled programming. By tomorrow afternoon, 602 booths will be on the floor!

9:20 a.m.: Going over some IT stuff, but we're getting close to go time.

Good morning, all. The Space Allocation Committee is getting settled here in Reston, Virginia. Committee Chair Jack Mendes of Bob's Space Racers is going over a few notes and then we'll be off and running.

Remember to refresh this page often to see my updates throughout the day.

Space Allocation 2010 Starts Monday Morning

The IAAPA Space Allocation Committee is gathering in Reston, Virginia, today (near Dulles International Airport) in preparation for two busy days of IAAPA Attractions Expo 2010 business.

The fun begins tomorrow morning at approximately 9 a.m. EDT, when booths will start filling the floor plan of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, the home of this year's conference and trade show.

For the third consecutive year I'll be covering Space Allocation wire to wire (it should wrap sometime early Tuesday afternoon). Keep refreshing In the Queue for the latest updates on how the booths are progressing, what number is up next, and in-the-room discussion by the committee members on how they feel the meeting goes this year.

So, rest up and get ready for an exciting couple days—I'll be back tomorrow morning!