Disney's new Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum says his strategy is balancing the needs of its most ardent parkgoers with its less frequent visitors. This includes focusing on large-scale park expansions to draw in new guests and smaller, more immediate updates for annual passholders.
Mazloum said these efforts are already paying off, touting the company's recent fiscal-third quarter in which the Experiences division posted record quarterly revenue.
"We are bringing the yeti back to life," Thomas Mazloum announced to 12,000 Disney parks fans.
He also announced the return of fan-favorite characters Dreamfinder and Figment to EPCOT in Florida and an overhaul of Tomorrowland in California.
A balancing act
For Mazloum, the focus of his tenure as head of Disney's experiences division will be about balancing the company's massive expansion plans with targeted updates for annual passholders.
"Our job is to listen carefully and then find the way to harmonize the different needs and wants," he said.
Mazloum said these efforts are already paying off, touting the company's recent fiscal third-quarter earnings report in which the experiences division posted nearly $10 billion in revenue.
Driving attendance with IP
Next up is the refurbishment of the Carousel of Progress, which is expected to be completed in late spring 2027.
Disney's portfolio of IP has been the bedrock of its theme parks, and the company has a vast well of stories and characters to tap into to entice parkgoers.
Rewarding loyal parkgoers
Equally important are the guests that frequent Disney's parks more often. These attendees have some of the strongest emotional attachment to the parks.
"This new set of announcements demonstrates that Disney is listening to what fans want," said Gavin Doyle.
