Disney Institute
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Disney Institute is the professional development and external training arm of
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
. The company showcases 'the business behind the magic' through seminars, workshops and presentations, as well as programs for professionals from many different industries, including healthcare, aerospace/aviation, government/military, food/beverage and retail. The Disney Institute was formerly a resort and learning center opened in February 1996 by
Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film st ...
. The resort, which was partly based on the
Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown in the Western Southern Tier of New York State. Established in 1874, the ...
in New York, was envisioned as a new direction in vacationing; one that was more about hands-on learning, personal development and interactivity rather than the more passive, entertainment-based experience traditionally offered in Disney's theme parks. The institute's original curriculum was pared down over the years due to lackluster attendance. Its main public campus closed in 2003 to become Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. The program including accommodations and some meals started at $3,700. At the time of the resort's closing, Disney Institute instructors compiled their customer service courses into a book titled ''Be Our Guest, Perfecting the art of customer service''. Disney Institute is different from
Disney University Disney University (DU) is the global training program for employees of the parks and experiences divisions at The Walt Disney Company also known as Cast Members. Many college students can participate through the Disney college program. The Disney ...
, which is the internal "
cast member In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenp ...
" training division of the company.


History


As a residential community

The site of the original Disney Institution can be traced back to June 1973, when Disney announced plans for a master-planned residential community of
Lake Buena Vista Buena Vista, meaning "good view" in Spanish, may refer to: Places Canada *Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, with the name being originally derived from “Buena Vista” *Buena Vista, Saskatchewan * Buena Vista, Saskatoon, a neighborhood in ...
. The community was to be divided into four themed areas: Golf, Tennis, Boating and Western. By May 1974, A total of 133 town homes had been built and an adjacent shopping center, the Lake Buena Vista Village, was being constructed. The developer, Lake Buena Vista Communities, was planning to build single family homes, apartments and condos in the near future. In July 1974, a construction contract was awarded for a retirement community, vacation townhouses, and apartments. The shopping village opened in March 1975 and 60 Treehouse villas were completed that October. The residences were nicknamed "Villas", and were designed to showcase energy-efficient housing ideas. They were built clustered around courtyards and cul-de-sacs to conserve space and green areas.


As a resort

Because the residents would have the ability to vote on Resort Construction, and due to taxation issues, Disney decided to abandon the residential aspect of the project and focus more on hotel accommodations. In the 1980s, the villas were transformed into a hotel resort, starting with the construction of the "Walt Disney World Conference Center". The resort opened as "The Village Resort" in 1985. The name was changed to "The Disney Village Resort" in 1989. The Lake Buena Vista Village shopping center changed its focus towards Walt Disney World visitors, thus being renamed "Walt Disney World Village", which was later absorbed into the present-day
Disney Springs Disney Springs (previously known as Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village in 1975, Walt Disney World Village in 1977, Disney Village Marketplace in 1989, and Downtown Disney in 1997) is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the W ...
(formerly Downtown Disney) and named The Marketplace. The villas were divided into several sections: *Vacation Villas: One-and-two bedroom dwellings. *Fairway Villas: Townhomes that overlooked the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. They featured energy-efficient features, such as their roof overhangs and double glazed windows. *Treehouse Villas: Three-bedroom octagonal villas on top of pedestals to withstand flooding and allow for natural drainage. *Club Lake Villas: Added in a later building phase and were meant to appeal to conventioneers attending meetings at the Walt Disney World Conference Center. *Grand Vista Suites: Four single-family dwellings originally constructed as model homes for the residential development.


As The Disney Institute Resort

In 1996, the Villas became part of the Disney Institute. The Vacation Villas became known as Townhomes and The Club Lake Villas/Club Suites became known as Bungalows at this time. Early on the Disney Institute hosted 40 different programs with 3-day to a week long stay ranging in price from $429 to $1,310. Section D pgs 1 & 8 The Conference Center, as well as other common buildings, were renovated and absorbed into the institute. Institute buildings included 28 program studios, a 225-seat performance center, a 1,150-seat outdoor amphitheater, a 400-seat cinema, a closed-circuit TV station (DITV), a radio station (WALT) and a sports and fitness center with a full service spa. The resort had a restaurant called "Seasons" and featured a themed dinner menu that rotated nightly. Guests had to choose to participate in an array of over 80 programs. These programs were under categories such as Animation, Culinary, Gardening, The Great Outdoors, Photography, Television and Youth. In 2000, Disney changed the focus of the institute from a family-oriented program, to a multi-day seminar for business professionals to learn the "secrets" behind Disney's customer service and business culture. However, this concept did not last, and the resort was closed down in 2003 to make way for the
Disney Vacation Club The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a vacation timeshare program owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, a division of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a segment of The Walt Disn ...
resort, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. Most of the Villas were torn down, except for the Treehouse Villas, which were renovated and reopened. The former Institute program studios and spa building were renovated as the clubhouse of the Saratoga Springs Resort.


References


External links


Disney Institute
{{Authority control Walt Disney World The Walt Disney Company 1996 establishments in Florida Michael Eisner