The Ocean Park Story, From Adversity to Opportunity and then Success (Part 1)

I.                  The Situation Analysis

In many of my Blog articles, I shared many experiences from Ocean Park Hong Kong.  I was very fortunate to have had a successful 15-year career with Ocean Park, leading its sales and marketing initiatives from 2000 to 2015.   The challenges were immense, and perhaps it was these insurmountable challenges that motivated and drove me forward.  

While I have described individual experiences that helped me direct sales and marketing, I want to share more of the Ocean Park story.  It was a journey “From Adversity to Opportunity and then Success.”   During my 15-year career, I was proud to be a keynote speaker numerous times, presenting this story to different corporations, business partners, at business and industry conferences, and to a number of Universities throughout Asia and America.    

In the next few chapters, I would like to share some highlights from this story.   It will chronicle the journey and describe some of the strategies and actions along the way that led to success.

For my first day on the job in early June 2000, it was hot, sunny, and humid.   Summer had just started in Hong Kong.   First on the agenda, as is for any new job, is to conduct a “situation analysis.”   I met the team for an initial introduction and then set out to do the situation analysis.   While there were many historical facts and statistics to review of past performance, I felt it was more important to listen to guests and gauge their impression of the park first hand, positive or negative. This may be more important than the numbers.   

I gave up my 3-piece suit for a comfortable polo shirt and Khaki trousers in view of the humid warmth and walked into the park.   From the vantage point of a location along the much-traveled path to the cable car terminal, I settled under a shady tree.   As the majority of visitors will travel this path to the cable car, I was sure to see lots of guests and hear lots of comments.  This would be my spot for the next several days to gather feedback for my situation analysis.

It is amazing what one can learn when one seeks input and listens intently.  Aside from getting the facts directly from the source, the process was most enjoyable.  It gave me a chance to meet and interact directly with guests while introducing myself as the new salesman for the Park.  When asked for their opinions, they were frank and “brutally” honest.   They didn’t mix any words, held nothing back, and opened up clearly, firing on all cylinders.  They were very eager to speak.

What I learned was an eye-opener, and the comments were extremely consistent over the course of the three days.   There was little, if any, deviation from different guests, which meant only one thing: they all felt the same way about the park, lots to improve.    

Coming up next: results of the situation analysis.