Volume 2, No. 16. August 23, 2002
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Attraction
on the job
It is not that Bryan Burgess is lonely. It's
just that he's pretty much alone in his field as the attractions manager for
the Fort Worth Zoo. His job is to oversee a 39-person division with the sole
purpose of operating the zoo's rides and attractions, and in that role he has
few peers among zoos.
He has plenty among amusement parks, though, which is where he got his start.
He worked for six years at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, three of those
years in ride operations and three as a supervisor in ride operations and park
services. With little chance of advancement beyond his seasonal status at the
Six Flags park, he moved over to the Fort Worth Zoo, working in operations for
2 1/2 years. In September 2000, as the zoo was developing its Texas Wild! exhibit,
which includes a train, carousel, play barn, arcade, theater and the Wild Weather
Extravaganza multimedia show, Burgess was made attractions manager where, in
addition to the Texas Wild! attractions, he takes care of the Tasmanian Tower
rock climbing wall and coin-op rides.
“Most zoos lump (attractions) in with the customer service department,”
Burgess said. “For training purposes we have a huge advantage here. We
can concentrate on the safety and efficiency of the rides. We spend an unbelievable
amount of time focusing on safety, which I picked up at Six Flags.”
For networking purposes he calls on his amusement park colleagues to help him
with operational issues. He believes that, in time, more zoos will be adding
amusement park elements, and he will have colleagues in his own industry who
not only must deal with such ride-specific issues as capacity, throughputs and
parts but also such zoo-specific issues as limited capital, funding resources
and upcharges.
While he thinks more zoos will incorporate amusements and attractions into their
offerings—“I hope we move in that direction,” he said— he
does not see zoos abandoning their current personalities. “There is probably
a line. You probably wouldn’t see a roller coaster go a hundred miles an
hour and up 300 feet in zoos. There will be a distinct line.”
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