Big Mickey Is Watching

摘要

Jason McInemey and his wife, Melissa, recently tapped their lunch orders onto a touchscreen at the entrance to the Be Our Guest restaurant at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort and were told to take any open seat. Moments later a food server appeared at their table with their croque-monsieur and carved turkey sandwiches. Asks Mclnemey, a once-a-year visitor to Disney theme parks: "How did they know where we were sitting?" The answer was on the electronic bands the couple wore on their wrists. That's the magic of the MyMagic+, Walt Disney's $1 billion experiment in crowd control, data collection, and wearable technology that could change the way people play-and spend-at the Most Magical Place on Earth. If the system works, it could be copied not only by other theme parks but also by museums, zoos, airports, and malls. "It's a complete game changer," says Douglas Quinby, vice president for research at PhoCusWright, a travel consulting firm.