FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DISNEY INSTITUTE PROGRAM ON LEADERSHIP, CREATIVITY

AND SERVICE COMING TO THE DAN RIVER REGION

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL, December 19, 2002 -- Disney Institute is bringing its renowned professional development program to the Danville, Virginia area on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at the Stratford Inn Conference Center.  Sponsored locally by the Danville Community College Educational Foundation, the full-day program, beginning with registration at 7:30 a.m., will give local business professionals the chance to discover the business behind the magic that Walt Disney World Resort has created for millions of guests from around the world for more than 30 years.

            Registration is being conducted now. The cost is $295 per person if registered by January 15, 2003, or $350 per person if registering after that date.  The registration fee includes course materials and refreshments.  For more information, call Martha A. Walker, Executive Director of the DCC Educational Foundation, at 434.797.8495.

“With the popularity of our programs at the Walt Disney World Resort, we’ve had many requests to take programs out to communities across the country,” says Larry Lynch, Director, Disney Institute.  “In our unique on-the-road program ‘The Disney Keys to Excellence,’ participants will hear Disney success stories and get a glimpse of the successful management philosophies we employ every day at the Walt Disney World Resort.”

According to Lynch, it’s an entity unique in the world of business meetings.  “What makes the Disney learning experience so different and meaningful,” says Lynch, “is that we don’t simply teach theory.  We showcase philosophies and strategies that have made the Walt Disney World Resort a success – ideas that are easily adaptable to other organizations.  We do this by taking people inside the Disney operation, showcasing on-stage and behind-the-scenes locations so attendees see firsthand how it all happens.”

            The Dan River Region Disney Keys program has three components:

·                                Leadership, Disney Style – Participants discover how effective leadership has been the catalyst at Disney to drive employee/customer satisfaction and bottom-line results, from the company’s inception to today.

·                                Managing for Creativity, Disney Style – Participants learn to identify ways to create an environment that fosters creativity and positions their organizations for positive success.

·                                Service, Disney Style – Participants explore world-renowned Disney principles for service excellence.

Thousands of business leaders from more than 35 countries and 40 industries have attended business programs at Disney Institute.   At the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disney Institute offers customized programs, workshops, business presentations, and behind-the-scenes tours tailored to meet the needs of groups meeting at Walt Disney World.

For more information about Disney Institute, call 407.566.2620, or visit www.disneyinstitute.com.