Jennifer Thomas-Sassone is an experienced leader in the attractions industry with a unique perspective on guest experience. Most recently, Jennifer was General Manager at Xtreme Action Park in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and the story of how she ended up there is not only incredibly entertaining, but completely aligns with her views on how attractions should provide a great guest experience. Prior to Xtreme Action Park, Jennifer came from the health and fitness industry, which gave us an opportunity to bounce back and forth between attractions and fitness centers, and discuss the similarities between the two in terms of how they operate. Pay close attention to how Jennifer defines what it means to deliver a “predictable experience,” which is much more important than going above and beyond. In order to create a predictable experience for your guests, Jennifer talks about looking at each attraction and area of your venue as its own business unit, with specialized team members who are experts in that space, versus the more widespread practice of cross-training employees so they can jump in wherever they’re needed. Also, if a guest complains, even if it’s about service, Jennifer believes that it is not that staff member’s fault, but the processes put in place that led to that guest’s dissatisfaction.
