A ‘Mickey Millennium’? Crowd Is All Ears
Speaking before a spirited, 3,000-strong crowd at the Pond in Anaheim, Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner touted the new theme park and resort expansion of Disneyland that he says will pump millions into Orange County.
In remarks at a benefit for Cal State Fullerton, Eisner--who wore a Mickey Mouse bow tie with his tuxedo--detailed expansion plans that he said will bring 14,500 new jobs and generate revenue of “$25 million a year to Anaheim and $10 million a year to Orange County.”
A gigantic mouse-ears sculpture formed the backdrop for Eisner’s appearance before a crowd eager to hear his take on the world of Disney.
Eisner playfully invited guests to a news conference Jan. 1, 2001, where he will speak of “our Mickey Millennium,” an announcement that will follow the “Mighty Ducks’ victory at the Stanley Cup, and, even more certain, the Angels’ victory at the World Series.”
The new theme park--Disney’s California Adventure--is part of a comprehensive entertainment development concept, he said. Due to open in four years, it will include a major new hotel as well as dining and retail areas.
For all of his company’s successes, there are still failures, said the man who took over leadership of the faltering Disney Co. in 1984 and turned it into an entertainment giant with revenue last quarter of $6.3 billion. “In my job, I get to deal with failure every day,” he said--movies bomb, videos flop, children are bored with new theme park concepts.
“But failure is unavoidable and indispensable. It’s not how you fail; but how you deal with it. It is only failure if you do not learn from it.”
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Eisner said before going on stage that he agreed to speak at the benefit because students at Cal State Fullerton play a major part in the success of Disneyland as cast members.
Eisner’s appearance was the second in the “Front & Center” benefit series staged to raise money for the university. Net proceeds of $250,000 from Thursday’s event will be combined with $200,000 from last year’s benefit in a scholarship fund for high school National Merit finalists and semi-finalists.
Last year’s benefit showcased Ret. Gen. Colin L. Powell; next year, broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite will be featured.
Guests who held $500 tickets were able to join Eisner for a black-tie dinner on the ice hockey rink--camouflaged for the evening with black AstroTurf. Guests who held $20 or $10 tickets came after dinner, sitting in the stands to hear Eisner speak.
Elaborating on his decision to speak on behalf of the university--which he did free of charge--Eisner said “thousands--really, thousands of our cast members are students from Cal State Fullerton. And, of course, this was being staged at the Pond, where we [Mighty Ducks] play hockey.
“I rarely do this kind of thing,” Eisner said. “Usually you have to travel too far and I like to stay in my office. But Orange County was close and important.”
Getting Eisner to appear was no easy task, explained Larry Zucker, the university’s vice president for advancement.
“He had turned us down once for this,” Zucker said, “and we continued to find alums that were in proximity to him--either knew him socially or through his board. Ultimately, the level of the contacts intrigued him and he decided to do the event.”
Continuing to present a renowned speaker at the event is at once an exciting and daunting task, Zucker said. “There aren’t that many people who are internationally known to bring in for this kind of event. Former presidents come to mind, and Princess Di . . . we have others in mind that we’d rather not talk about yet.
“But the advantage that having Powell and Eisner--and next year, Walter Cronkite--gives us is that we can get any speaker in the world to consider our offer because they know it’s a legitimate event.”
Scholarships from the Front & Center events will first become available for the 1997-98 school year. Drawing merit scholars into the university “helps build the number of our school’s elite academic students,” Zucker said.
“Any time you can bring in top academic students that might not have come to Fullerton--who may have chosen to go to a private school--it diversifies your student body.”
The Front & Center benefit was formed “well in advance of how to use the net profit” from the event, Zucker said. “It was created to increase exposure for the university. The net result is not nearly as important as the fact that we are able to interact with top-caliber people in Orange County.”
University alums were well represented at the event.
Honored for community service was Ralph’s Grocery Co. CEO George Golleher, who was designated Cal State Fullerton’s “Orange County Person of the Year.”
Other alums included event chairs Gareth C.C. Chang, senior vice president of Hughes Electronics Corp.; Leonard Dreyer, President and CEO of Marie Callender’s Restaurants; and Bill Ross, vice president of public affairs at Disneyland.
