Before joining the activities staff at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort in New York in 2002, I had spent several years working as a program and camp director. During that time, I learned that the true success of a program wasn't found in the activity schedule – it was found in the memories people carried home.

When I transitioned from summer camp to the resort industry, I expected to learn different programs and operations. Instead, I found myself building upon many of the same principles I had already come to value. One of my greatest mentors at “the Ranch” was Cathy, who managed front desk operations and the scheduled recreational activities. Looking back, I now realize that she wasn't simply teaching me how to manage recreation programs – she was impressing upon me that memorable experiences rarely happen by accident.

Cathy believed every employee contributed to the guest experience. Whether someone worked at the front desk, in housekeeping, maintenance, horseback riding, lifeguarding, or activities, everyone was expected to greet guests warmly, engage them in conversation, and genuinely care about their stay. She also firmly insisted that an activity schedule should do much more than communicate information.

The resort's activity schedule was an invitation.

Every activity had to include a brief description designed to build anticipation and help guests picture themselves participating. We weren't simply offering wagon rides – we invited families to "hop on" for a leisurely ride through the woods. A bonfire became an opportunity to relax with friends, roast marshmallows, sing songs, and create memories while ending the day together. So, the words we chose to share on our schedule began to shape the guest experience well before anyone even arrived at the activity.

Looking back now, I realize that Cathy wasn't simply sharing personal preferences or management style. She was modeling principles that researchers are still exploring today.

Her lessons included:

✓ Every employee contributes to the guest experience.

✓ Every interaction matters.

✓ Learn guests' names whenever possible.

✓ Activity descriptions should build anticipation – not just provide information.

✓ Small details often become lasting memories.

✓ Experiences don't happen by accident.

Fast-forward more than twenty years. While preparing for one of my Recreation and Tourism classes this spring, I found myself reading several hospitality, tourism, and recreation studies on memorable experiences. What struck me wasn't how different the findings were – it was how closely they matched lessons I learned over twenty years ago while working at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort.

I expected to discover entirely new ideas,  Instead, I found myself repeatedly thinking,

"I've seen this before."

Not in a journal.

At a resort.

The research didn't replace what I had learned as a practitioner. Instead, it gave me the vocabulary to describe what outstanding recreation and hospitality professionals had been modeling throughout my career. As a professor, that vocabulary has become incredibly valuable. It helps me teach my students to think beyond simply leading an activity or following a schedule. Instead, I challenge them to think more intentionally about designing experiences, just as great supervisors and managers strive to develop that same mindset in their staff.

Three ideas from the research, in particular, stood out to me, and I think they have practical implications for all of us. (Links to the articles referenced in this blog are provided at the end if you'd like to explore them further.)

Reflection #1: Experiences Are Designed – Not Simply Delivered

One statement immediately caught my attention. A hospitality article described the industry's primary goal as creating memorable experiences, rather than simply delivering services. A parks and recreation article made a similar argument, suggesting that organizations are really in the business of creating sensations and memories, not simply offering programs.

That distinction may sound subtle, but I think it's incredibly important.

As recreation professionals, we spend countless hours planning logistics. We think about staffing, schedules, equipment, safety, registration, supplies, and contingency plans. Those things matter… they have to.

But logistics alone don't create memories.

Research suggests that memorable experiences are intentionally designed through thoughtful planning, meaningful interactions, engaging environments, and attention to the many details surrounding an activity. Looking back, that's exactly what our activity schedules were designed to do. They didn't simply tell guests where to be at 7:30. They invited them to imagine themselves there before the experience even begins.

Reflection #2: Experiences Are Co-Created

One of the most interesting concepts I encountered was the idea of co-created experiences.

Rather than viewing an experience as something we, as staff, simply deliver to participants, researchers suggest that memorable experiences emerge through the interactions among staff, participants, family members, companions, and even the unexpected moments that no one could have planned.

That resonated with me immediately.

• A family may remember the horseback ride – but they’ll definitely remember the instructor who patiently encouraged their nervous child as they climbed into the saddle.
• Someone may remember winning the bocce ball tournament – but more guests will remember the activities staff cheering everyone on, joking with participants, and making the entire event feel like a celebration rather than a competition.
• Guests may remember the bonfire at the lake – but not because of the setting or the fire itself. They'll remember the stories that made them laugh, the songs everyone sang together, the conversations that lingered long after the fire burned out, and how those moments made them feel.

Those moments weren't listed on the activity schedule. Yet they became the experience.

Reflection #3: The Experience Begins Before the Activity

A third idea repeatedly appeared throughout the literature: experiences unfold as a journey.

Researchers suggest that experiences begin long before an activity starts and continue long after it ends. Expectations begin forming when participants first read a schedule, hear a recommendation, or interact with staff. Likewise, memories continue developing as people reflect on their experience, share stories with friends, or look back at photographs months or even years later.

Again, I found myself smiling.

Without ever using the phrase participant journey, Cathy understood exactly what those researchers were describing. She knew that the guest experience began at check-in and continued through every smile, every conversation, every activity description, every interaction with staff, and every detail throughout a family's stay.

As I reflected on these studies, I realized something encouraging: The research wasn't replacing the wisdom of experienced practitioners. It was validating it.

Many of you reading this have probably worked alongside your own "Cathy." Perhaps you've had a supervisor who insisted on learning guests' names. Maybe you've worked with someone who believed every interaction mattered or who expected activity staff to be ambassadors, storytellers, encouragers, and hosts... not simply people who knew the rules of the game.

Those professionals understood something that researchers continue to explore today.

Experiences don't happen by accident.

If you supervise seasonal staff, consider asking a different question during orientation or before an activity begins. Instead of asking, "What activity are you leading today?" try asking, "What do you hope people will remember about this experience?"

That simple shift changes the conversation.

Staff begin thinking beyond equipment, rules, and logistics. They begin thinking about anticipation, atmosphere, inclusion, conversations, encouragement, and the countless interactions that help transform an activity into something participants remember long after they return home.

Perhaps that's why this research resonated with me so deeply. It didn't tell me something I had never known. Instead, it confirmed what exceptional recreation and hospitality professionals have been quietly demonstrating for decades.

So, the next time you're reviewing an activity schedule or preparing staff for a busy weekend, don't just ask whether the program is ready. Ask whether the experience is. Because experiences don't happen by accident.

Want to Explore the Research?

These articles helped shape the ideas shared in this blog. If you'd like to dive deeper into experience design, co-created experiences, and memorable guest experiences, they're an excellent place to start.

Agapito, D., & Sigala, M. (2024). Experience management in hospitality and tourism: reflections and implications for future research. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 36(13), 57-76.

Alzboun, N., Alshurideh, M. T., Al Kurdi, B., Al-Sulaiti, K., Alrawabdeh, W. A., Al-shamaileh, M. O. F., & Alzoubi, H. M. (2024). Maximizing Engagement in Hospitality: Analyzing Visitor Awareness and Experience in Dubai. In International Scientific Conference Management and Engineering (pp. 93-101). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

Ellis, G. D., & Rossman, J. R. (2008). Creating Value for Participants through Experience Staging: Parks, Recreation, and Tourism in the Experience Industry. Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, 26(4).