The name Walt Disney is synonymous with magic and creativity. I marvel at the wellspring of talent, imagination, and innovation that has emanated from the Walt Disney Company since the 1920’s. I’m an ears-wearing devotee of Mickey and the gang, so I was naturally thrilled to receive a proposal request for the Disney Caribbean Beach Resort in the late 80’s. That was 30 years ago, and Wilson Associates’ long-standing design relationship with Disney went on to include multiple hotels at Disney World, Disneyland, Euro Disney, and the Disney Magic cruise ship. The relationship with Disney highlights another of my business ideologies: When you have the right team in place, there is no need to micro-manage.
Our first team was organized for the initial presentation in 1987, and after the first meeting we didn’t feel the chemistry was quite right. With a shuffle of personnel, we hit on a winning combination of talent, organization, management, and design expertise. Disney apparently agreed. Our projects with Disney had countless team members, but one was a constant: Connie Jackson. Connie began her career with Wilson Associates as a design intern in college, and thankfully never left! Her work ethic is unmatched and she is a natural at establishing and maintaining client relationships. She believed wholeheartedly in the Disney “magic”, and had just the right sparkle to head up those projects. With Connie at the helm, the Disney team was busy and productive and happily didn’t require much hand-holding by me.
The design team often works closely with Disney Imagineers during the conceptual design phase of the projects. Disney was a tough client in that their expectations for design talent are lofty, but they are also shrewd business people and contract negotiators. Our team always worked hard to put on a real show for the presentations held in our office. A great benefit of working with Disney was the opportunity to work with high-profile architects such as Robert Stern, Michael Graves, Antoine Predock, and Antoine Grumbach.
Our first project, Disney Caribbean Beach Resort opened at Disney World in 1988 and featured five islands: Martinique, Jamaica, Aruba, Barbados and Trinidad, all with their own signature design scheme. For the presentations, I recall pineapple, coconut and mangos down the center of our conference table, non-alcoholic Mai Tais with umbrellas, Jamaican music playing, Caribbean themed and colorful fabrics, tiles and carpets everywhere. Michael Eisner and the other Disney executives appreciated theme development, and our team tried to display it at every opportunity.
Connie and her team also worked on the flagship hotels at Euro Disney in Marne-la-Vallee, France – The Cheyenne, the Santa Fe, Sequoia Lodge and Davy Crockett Park. The Disney Swan and Dolphin Hotels (Michael Graves Architect) at Disney World opened in 1990 and were headed up by a second Wilson team, with staff from our New York office.
The Sequoia Lodge theme at Euro Disney was so well received, that Connie and her team were asked to return for the design of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge in Orlando. Opened in 1994, following on the tails of Euro Disney, the lodge’s architect was Peter Dominick. It was based on the great national parks of the western U.S., and is one of my favorite Disney hotels.
Disney Magic was a Cruise ship, and our team worked with Design Continuum and Rockwell Group in New York. It was an overall Art Deco theme with some wonderful custom designed decorative lighting. Most of these projects were just massive in scale. The yardage specifications on ballroom, hallway and guest room carpeting was jaw dropping.
It was early on, when sitting in a Disney design presentation, that I saw the strong relationship between the client and our team. It was a wonderful, illuminating moment of “they’ve got this”; and, I realized I didn’t need to appear at every meeting. The “letting go” aspect of running a growing business is often difficult for entrepreneurs. However, taking a step back is an absolute MUST if your goal is to expand your business. If you are hands-on managing every project within your firm, then you need to ask yourself three things: Am I hiring the right people? Am I assembling solid teams? Am I giving them the latitude to grow and shine on their own?
WA’s work with Disney is indeed a shining star in my company’s history.
