“Waiting in lines to pick up your badges at an event is so much fun," said no one ever. But waiting in lines echoes back to simpler times. People met their true loves in them. Lines spawned an industry of line-waiters, some of the earliest gig economy members.
When I think of lines I always look to the masters of line management: the Disney Parks. Even before getting all high-teched up, Disney cleverly relied on combinations of in-line entertainment, monitors with views of the ride to get your endorphins going, and curving lines so you were always overhearing a new conversation. More than Ford, Disney turned lines into
behavioral science.
Skipping the line became a source of revenue. For those unable to fork over between $400 and $900 a day for the elite VIP tour, there are enough other Disney line enhancement choices to make your brain hurt. There were Fast Pass days (now retired) and Magic Bands (based on RFID). The latest include Disney Genie, a free line-manager app that basically tells you where to go when, though you will spend a fair amount of your day with nose-in-app. For an extra daily fee (under $50) there’s a mind-bogglingly complicated series of options including Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. Top it off with Digital Photo Passes that act as your built-in paparazzi at certain locations. |