Running a theme park takes robust management expertise, dedication, and a little bit of luck. Kartika Rodriguez, Vice President of EPCOT at Walt Disney World, has all three of these qualities, even within the midst of change on the park and in her personal work over time.

“I have an undergrad in industrial engineering and my master’s in manufacturing engineering with a concentration in engineering management. So when I started with this company, I actually started out in the industrial engineering group which is more like an internal consultant group with the company,” she says.

Over her 23 years of working for The Walt Disney Company, she’s had about 10 completely different roles inside the firm. She’s labored within the name heart, as a back-of-house help managing venture {dollars}, what she calls a “chief-of-staff” position at Magic Kingdom the place she assisted in opening the wildly well-liked New Fantasyland space of the park, then moved to EPCOT as a common supervisor. After working in that position for about 5 years, Rodriguez was promoted to vice chairman of EPCOT, the place her focus has been the transformation of the park.

Technology on the Disney Parks as an inspirational device

Disney Parks around the globe depend on technology day by day, from how folks enter the theme parks to how points of interest repeatedly run every single day. “Technology is here to stay, and it’s up to us to continue to try different ways to improve our guest’s experience in general,” says Rodriguez.

Just a few new points of interest and eating places have opened at EPCOT over the previous few years together with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Space 220, respectively, within the new World Discovery space of the park. Rodriguez believes that these new additions to EPCOT not solely enable folks to be uncovered to new expertise however encourage future generations.

When Space 220 — a restaurant themed round eating 220 miles above earth — opened, Rodriguez was readily available to ask households what they considered the expertise. “A little boy, he was probably about eight years old, he’s like, ‘I know what I want to be now, I want to be an astronaut or an engineer.’ And you think about this technology and just inspiring and opening up people’s eyes and daring them to dream,” Rodriguez explains.

Educating folks about completely different cultures is the center of EPCOT

EPCOT can be recognized for its World Showcase, which is a round pathway round a lagoon the place 11 completely different international locations from around the globe are proven by means of interactive pavilions. Within every pavilion, the forged members that work there are from the respective nation, permitting company to work together with folks from varied cultures. These cultural representatives are an important half to educating company.

“The ability to educate people based on different cultures, they get a chance to experience different foods, they get to see architecture, [and] our culture reps talk about their culture,” explains Rodriguez.

To Rodriguez, the concept that everybody can work, play, and be taught from one another is vital. “It’s the heart of what I think Epcot represents and does so well,” she says.

It’s vital for Disney followers to see themselves within the parks

Like Disney movies leaning into extra numerous characters, the Disney Parks are persevering with to carry extra range and inclusion into the theme parks. In reality, in 2020, it was introduced that “Inclusion” can be an added “key” to Disney’s coaching program. The different 4 keys are security, courtesy, present and effectivity. Of the brand new key, Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products mentioned in a Disney Parks Blog story, “Inclusion is essential to our culture and leads us forward as we continue to realize our rich legacy of engaging storytelling, exceptional service, and Disney magic.”

One range and inclusion champion that Rodriguez highlights is Carmen Smith, who’s the Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Development Product/Content and Inclusive Strategies for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products. “I was [recently] speaking with Carmen Smith, who does a lot of our diversity content. And what I love about the women within the organization [is] this ability to lean in to tell different stories and their ability to be empathetic, to walk in someone else’s shoes and to have the desire to really understand and what to know someone else’s story,” says Rodriguez.

In a latest interview with Forbes, Smith mentioned, “Our world is always in motion, and I think we’re always evolving, growing, and for us to be relevant, we have to look at the stories we’re telling. We have to make sure that we are being inclusive, that we’re not perpetuating misconceptions or stereotypes.”

Inclusion is a pillar of what EPCOT stands for. “Understanding that there’s a multitude of stories out there, then bringing that together to be able to tell our guest’s and people’s stories from around the world so that people can connect and see themselves, and hopefully be inspired by our stories,” explains Rodriguez.

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