5 Books Every Activity Park Operator Should Read in 2025

Why Reading Matters for Park Operators

Running an activity park means wearing a dozen hats: operations manager, marketing director, HR lead, customer service champion, and financial controller — often all before lunch. It's tempting to think there's no time for reading.

But here's the truth: the operators who level up fastest are the ones who learn from outside their bubble. The best ideas in our industry often come from hospitality, retail, or general business — adapted to the unique challenges of running a venue.

These five books have been recommended by operators at IAAPA, mentioned in industry discussions, and personally found valuable. Each offers practical insights you can apply immediately.

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1. "Thanks for Coming in Today" by Charles Ryan Minton

Why it matters for park operators:

This book tackles the #1 challenge in our industry: building a team that delivers consistently great guest experiences. Minton, who spent years at Bloomingdale's, breaks down exactly how to create a culture where employees care.

Key takeaways:

• Hire for attitude, train for skill — Most operators do the opposite
• Recognition beats criticism — The 5:1 ratio of positive to corrective feedback
• Standards must be specific — "Be friendly" fails; "Greet guests within 10 seconds" works
• Leaders set the floor — Your staff will never exceed the standard you demonstrate

Practical application:

Take Minton's "Service Snapshot" concept: have a trusted friend visit anonymously and rate your team on 5 specific behaviors. The feedback will be more honest than anything your managers observe.

Best quote: "You don't build a great service culture by accident. You build it by design."

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2. "Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer

Why it matters for park operators:

Danny Meyer founded Shake Shack and Union Square Hospitality Group. He's obsessed with "enlightened hospitality" — the idea that taking care of your employees first leads to them taking care of guests.

Key takeaways:

• The concept of "hospitality" vs. "service" — Service is technical delivery; hospitality is how you make people feel
• Mistakes are opportunities — A well-handled problem creates more loyalty than no problem at all
• Invest in culture carriers — Some employees naturally spread positivity; identify and nurture them
• The tip of the iceberg — Guests see 10% of your operation; the 90% behind the scenes determines their experience

Practical application:

Meyer's "What happened?" rule: When something goes wrong, start by asking "What happened?" not "Who did this?" It shifts the conversation from blame to problem-solving.

Best quote: "Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you."

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3. "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara

Why it matters for park operators:

Guidara ran Eleven Madison Park, named the world's best restaurant. This book is about going above and beyond in ways that seem crazy but create unforgettable experiences.

Key takeaways:

• "Dream weaving" — Listen for what would make a guest's experience magical, then deliver it
• Surprise beats expectation — A $5 gesture they didn't expect beats a $50 one they did
• Invest in the end — The last moment of an experience disproportionately shapes the memory
• Permission to care — Give your team explicit permission to do something special

Practical application:

Create a small "delight budget" for your front-line staff. $50/month that any team member can use to do something special for a guest — no approval needed. The stories that result will be worth 100x the cost.

Best quote: "Being unreasonable in the pursuit of making people happy is often the most reasonable thing you can do."

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4. "Be Our Guest" by The Disney Institute

Why it matters for park operators:

This is the bible of guest experience for themed entertainment. Disney literally wrote the book on creating experiences, and this distills decades of learning.

Key takeaways:

• The Four Keys — Safety, Courtesy, Show, Efficiency (in that order)
• "On stage" vs. "backstage" — Every guest-facing moment is a performance
• Details matter — Guests may not notice the 99 things you got right, but they'll remember the 1 thing wrong
• Cross-utilization — Train staff to help anywhere, not just their assigned station
• Practical magic — The best "magic" is practical problem-solving dressed up as delight

Practical application:

Adopt Disney's "everything walks" concept: if you see trash, you pick it up — no matter your role. When managers do this visibly, staff follow. It sets a culture of collective ownership.

Best quote: "Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends."

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5. "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael E. Gerber

Why it matters for park operators:

Most park operators are technicians who started a business — great at the work, but struggling with the business of the work. Gerber's classic explains why this happens and how to fix it.

Key takeaways:

• Work on the business, not just in it — You can't improve what you're too busy to observe
• Systems set you free — Document everything; make yourself replaceable in daily operations
• The franchise prototype — Build your park as if you had to franchise it (even if you never will)
• Three roles: Entrepreneur, Manager, Technician — Most owners are stuck in Technician mode

Practical application:

Pick one task you do daily. This week, write a simple guide that someone else could follow. Next week, have someone else do it. Repeat. Within a year, you'll have reclaimed hours of your week.

Best quote: "If your business depends on you, you don't own a business — you have a job."

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Honorable Mentions

A few more books that came up in conversations at IAAPA and within our operator community:

• "The New Gold Standard" by Joseph Michelli — Inside the Ritz-Carlton's legendary service culture
• "Giftology" by John Ruhlin — The strategy behind memorable gifts (think: group leader appreciation)
• "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss — FBI negotiation tactics that apply surprisingly well to vendor negotiations
• "Buy Back Your Time" by Dan Martell — How to delegate effectively and stop being the bottleneck

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How to Actually Read More

If you're thinking "I don't have time to read," here are some practical strategies:

1. Audiobooks during commute — Audible or Libby (free through libraries) turn drive time into learning time
2. 15 minutes before bed — It's better for sleep than phone scrolling anyway
3. Book clubs with other operators — Accountability plus discussion makes ideas stick
4. One book per quarter — That's just 4 books a year, and you'll still learn more than most

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The Bottom Line

Running an activity park is hard. No book will solve your staffing challenges, weather dependency, or competitive pressures. But the operators who invest in learning consistently outperform those who don't.

Start with one book from this list. Apply one idea. Then read another.

The compound effect of continuous learning is the closest thing to a cheat code in our industry.

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What books have shaped how you run your park? We'd love to hear your recommendations — reach out and share your favorites.