Summer is coming to a close, and at Epcot, the International Food & Wine Festival begins. Only this year, Epcot is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of this festival. It was the first of the four festivals during the year, to include Flower & Garden, Festival of the Arts, and the festival of the holidays. And its advent has perhaps shaped how guests approach this park more than any attraction or other offering here at Epcot. We’ll talk about the history of this festival and how it has evolved over the years. Then we’ll check out some of the culinary offerings being showcased. We’ll look at some new and interesting bites, but also commemorate some of original offerings that have been here for decades. In the process we’ll look at how some of the lessons of this festival can serve as inspiration in work and life. So join us as we share Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival at 30, as we nibble away at better ideas.

Podcast & Video

Note! Two ways to enjoy this presentation:

As always, we have our podcast, which can be found here.

Additionally, we’ve added a YouTube video, that is more than just audio, but has video throughout. You can see that here.

History of Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival

Our podcast and YouTube video cover several fascinating facets associated with Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival. They include:

• Where the original idea came from
• How it dared to be a much bigger event than traditional food & wine festivals
• How one considers price compared to value
• How it used an unsuccessful stage show to make a permanent home to its festival bands
• How pin trading gots started by the same man who created the food & wine festival at Epcot

Souvenirs from Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival

Consider these free souvenirs as ideas for you and your organization:

• How could a small, successful idea grow into a much bigger opportunity?
• How could another project pay for something bigger and better?
• How do good ideas evolve over time to better ideas?
• What is the difference between the cost of what you do and the price or value to your customer?
• How do you increase the value behind the price of what you offer
• how do you take risk in making something bigger than what others have done before you?

Disneyland Insights: Inspiration, Ideas & Magic for You and Your Organization

If you like this kind of nerdy insight on all things Disney, then check out my newest offering. For over a year I’ve been capturing and sharing stories of Disneyland, while creating a new online tool for you to explore all of them in one place. It’s called Disneyland Insights: Inspiration, Ideas & Magic for You and Your Organization and it’s an interactive, multimedia experience. This is truly designed for those who are seeking to find new ideas that will guide you to 

1. Provide Individual & Organizational Leadership Excellence
2. Create Employee Engagement & a Team Culture
3. Offer a Superior Customer Experience

Not only does the content through examples, stories and models play to these themes, but each section provides “Souvenirs for You and Your Organization”. They are reflective questions that may be used to better the work or operation you may be lead or be part of. And in that instance, it is more of a business focus. In fact, many may utilize funding set aside in their organization for training and development to purchase this volume.

Click here to order Disneyland Insights: Inspiration, Ideas & Magic for You and Your Organization. It’s also available on the show notes page of our podcast. Whether you’re on a comfy sofa at home or on Main Street, U.S.A. this experience allows you to navigate through all nine lands to explore some 100 locations where you can find Disney insights that will be inspire and guide you and your organization. 

Books From Your Host at Disney Insights

Also, if you’re looking to grab something today, go to Amazon where you will find four of my books available for purchase. Three explore Disney at length, and one explores world class businesses to include Disney. Check them out!

My newest book, A Century of Powerful Disney Insights, Volume I 1923-1973, The Walt & Roy Disney Years is available! 

Also, check out my two of my other books, The Wonderful World of Customer Service at Disney and Disney, Leadership and You. 

Also, for those examining other business benchmarks beyond Disney, check out Lead with Your Customer: Transform Culture and Brand Into World-Class Excellence.

Thanks for joining us for this podcast. Know that as in the title of my organization, Performance Journeys, it’s as much about the journey as it is about performance. Find the second star to the right, and keep going straight on till you reach it. Follow the compass of your heart, and know that with a smile and a song, a little faith, effort and pixie dust, your dreams can come true. After all, if we can dream it, we can do it. Until next time, bright suns, we’ll see you real soon!