RIT Hosts ‘Disney Keys to Excellence’ Training Program on Dec. 1

“It’s the Disney magic: Business schools teach their practices and businesses try to imitate them.” — Dean Ashok Rao, E. Philip Saunders College of Business at RIT

Companies know it’s anything but business as usual during the current economic conditions, and many are faced with financial woes and concerns about long-term survival.

Wishing on a star might help, but for that truly magic touch, there’s the Disney Institute—global industry leader experts who can share their successful and proven business methods to help organizations thrive and reap the rewards of improvements in leadership, management, service and brand loyalty.

Rochester Institute of Technology welcomes the Disney Institute to Rochester on Tuesday, Dec. 1, for a one-day local workshop at the RIT Inn and Conference Center, 5257 West Henrietta Road. Open to the public, the Disney Keys to Excellence program is an affordable opportunity to learn best business practices from Disney insiders, and discover ways to easily and immediately adapt and apply those best practices to pick up the pace in these slow economic times.

“Disney is iconic in the business industry for their customer service, but it’s also their innovation, creativity and ability to see the big picture that sets them apart,” says RIT President Bill Destler. “Their strength is focusing on solutions, not problems. This training program will help reenergize local businesses and organizations who want to tap into their success.”

Ashok Rao, dean of RIT’s E. Philip Saunders College of Business, says Disney has long been the premier innovator in customer-centered services.

“Everything at Disney is designed to provide visitors a superior experience and they have learned to adapt to cultural norms across the globe,” Rao explains. “It starts at the parking lot when cast members wish them ‘a great day in the Magic Kingdom’ and even janitors are trained to stop their duties and give visitors information they may need. Plus, the patter for rides are tightly scripted so every customer can have the identical experience, and even the ‘wait’ in waiting lines are managed for enjoyment. They know what works and how to make it happen.”

Accordingly, the Disney Keys to Excellence program offers professional development that “doesn’t cost—it pays.” It pays by creating a framework of focused energy during uncertainty; pays by helping an organization gain share in the slow economy; pays because it has been proven to strengthen employee morale and retention.

“There is no better time than now for RIT to partner with Disney Institute, one of the most sought-after world class brands for training in business excellence and creativity,” says Cindee Gray, assistant vice president, Government and Community Relations at RIT. “RIT is pleased to be the academic host to share the magic that propels Rochester forward.”

There is no prerequisite training required to attend the Disney Keys to Excellence program. The cost is $395.

Editor’s Note: Rochester Institute of Technology is internationally recognized for academic leadership in computing, engineering, imaging technology, and fine and applied arts, in addition to unparalleled support services for students with hearing loss. Nearly 16,800 full- and part-time students are enrolled in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs at RIT, and its cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation.

For two decades, U.S. News & World Report has ranked RIT among the nation’s leading comprehensive universities. RIT is featured in The Princeton Review’s 2010 edition of The Best 371 Colleges and in Barron’s Best Buys in Education. The Chronicle of Higher Education recognizes RIT as a “Great College to Work For.”