The Official Magazine of IAAPA
Be Generous
When raging wildfires caused $2 billion worth of damage in the Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood team members immediately began asking how they could help the surrounding communities. “Two days later on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m., we had a phone call with [park co-owner] Dolly [Parton], and Dolly said, ‘I don't care how many people were affected,’” Owens says. “‘I don't care how we're going to find the money. But whatever it is that we have to do, we have to do something.’” These conversations resulted in the My People Fund, which offered $1,000 a month for six months to those who lost everything in the blaze. Leftover funds—which were collected from a charity telethon—were rolled into the Mountain Tough Fund, which Dollywood used to assist with devastating regional flooding in 2024.
Collaborate with Government Stakeholders
Striking pictures of the Santa Monica Pier’s iconic Ferris Wheel standing strong while the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires raged in the background spread its publicity to viewers across the world. Pacific Park was then tasked with attracting visitors to a reopened park. “There was tons of money injected right away, from a tourism standpoint, to get the word out that, hey, we're open,” Klocke says. “To put the message out there, we relied on Visit California, on state organizations … It was a real challenge.” By working side-by-side with state organizations, the park was able to get the word out to the public that the rides were once again ready to entertain.
Stay Loyal to Your Brand
Chuck E. Cheese’s has 470 locations spanning 47 states, and an additional 93 internationally. As Alejandra Brady explains, “Where a kid can be a kid” is not just a catchy slogan, but a way of operating. “It starts with a community commitment,” Brady says. When a preschool in Eaton, California, burned down, she began thinking about how to communicate the news to the children. “How do we explain this to two year olds and four year olds? And I'm like, ‘Oh, we don't have to explain it to them. Let's just give them moments of joy and play, because that's what matters to them.’” The local Chuck E. Cheese locations became a place of refuge, where families could take their kids free of charge and experience joy once again.
Attendees emerged from the EDUSession with takeaways on how to more effectively navigate natural disasters. “It's about staying true to your brand, having that thorough communication up and down, and making sure that whatever it is that you're executing that's something that you can be proud of, and that stands on the principles that you were founded on,” moderator Sharon Parker concludes.
