4. Low hourly counts

The hourly count is the number of guests who experience an attraction during a given hour. Counts are taken very seriously at the theme parks, and employees are under constant pressure to meet certain targets. This can make them feel frazzled, especially when something goes wrong that could affect the count.

At a private special event, hourly count goals largely go out the window. There is generally plenty of time during the event for all guests to experience all of the available attractions, and ride vehicles are routinely half-filled or less. With no lines building, there is no need to set efficiency targets, so employees are able to relax and take their time with the loading process.

5. Personalized guest interactions

Theme park workers are always encouraged to have meaningful exchanges with guests, but the realities of busy operational days make it tough. Without hourly count concerns on the employee’s end, or the fear of not accomplishing everything at the guest’s end, interactions between employees and guests become more personal during a special event. Sometimes a guest just wants to stand around and talk about something that is meaningful to him, such as a hobby or personal interest. Some guests ask for insider information or trivia about the parks. Some get drawn into a game of catch or a similar activity initiated by an employee. Whatever the guest’s interests might be, a special event provides plenty of time for personalized interactions.

6. Going off script

Spieling employees are generally expected to precisely follow their written script. Some attractions provide a few different approved alternatives, as is the case with certain Jungle Cruise jokes, but attractions employees are not supposed to improvise or significantly deviate from the approved material. In general, this also holds true during special events. However, a special event gives spielers the opportunity to read their audience and deliver a show that works for them. For example, you might get a vehicle full of super-fans of your ride. Rather than having you deliver a standard show, they could request that you spend the journey giving them fun facts about the ride. At a special event, you have the opportunity to give them what they want without worrying about ruining the show for others.

I worked a special event at Kongfrontation on the night of Bill Clinton’s election. There were TVs in the windows of some of the apartments in our New York set, and someone had tuned them all to election coverage. The election was the hot topic of conversation that night, with guest after guest trying to find out if we had heard who won. My tram was about half full when we passed by one of the televisions. I looked over in time to see the words “Clinton Wins” pop up on the screen. I broke character to make the announcement to my guests, who promptly broke into raucous applause. I then slipped back into character and continued the ride. I believe it was the right choice for that particular group of guests at that specific event, but it was something I never would have done during a normal operational day.