D23 makes tweaks & improvements as Disney’s official fan club heads into 2011

Jim Hill

14 years ago

Have you noticed that Dale – as he's represented within the
D23 world – is almost always wearing a set of Mickey Mouse ears?

Well, there's a reason for that. The folks who run the
Official Disney Fan Club want to get across the idea that they're listening.

Take – for example – last year. When, in response to people's
concerns about the cost of joining D23, Disney then created a two-tiered
membership system for D23. With Gold-level memberships going for $74.99, and
Silver-level memberships (which still provided all of the same benefits as a
Gold-level membership with the exception of a subscription to Disney
twenty-three magazine) $34.99.

And speaking of Disney twenty-three magazine … Given how
dynamic the Company is these days, it's hard to do justice to everything that's
going on in & around the Mouse House with a single quarterly magazine. Which
is why – to supplement Disney twenty-three – the Disney Geek vlog was created.
So that members of the Official Disney Fan Club would then be updated weekly on
what's going at the theme parks, the Disney Channel et al.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moor-qOSXwI]

Speaking of which … Recognizing that not every D23 member is
a theme park aficiando … Well, that's why the Official Disney Fan Club made an
effort in 2010 to develop events that would appeal to members of all ages.
Which is why D23 staged that special screening of "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam
"
on the Disney Studio lot back in August.

And because there are just as many Official Disney Fan Club
Members who have toddlers as those who
have tweens … Well, that's why D23 decided to hold a preview screening of that
new Disney Junior series, "Jake and the Neverland Pirates," in the Studio
Theatre on the Burbank Lot on January 29^th.

"We're learning as we go here," said Steven Clark, Head of
D23 when we spoke last week. "Trying to build on our successes, while – at the same
time – listen to what D23 members are actually saying about the Club and then
giving them more of what they want."

Take – for instance – that Destination D: Walt Disney World
Resort 40^th Anniversary Celebration event which D23 will be holding
at the WDW Resort May 14 -15^th. Given how successful (and popular)
last September's Destination D: Disneyland 55^th Anniversary Celebration
event was, Clark and his team were anxious to replicate that experience while —
at the same time – make a few tweaks.

"Rather than do what we did in Anaheim, which was hold the
Great Disney Scavenger Hunt right after two full days of panels &
presentations, we decided to switch
things up this time around," Steven explained. "Put the Scavenger Hunt – which,
because that Disney World is so much bigger than the Disneyland Resort, is two
days long – ahead of all those panels & presentations. So that – after all
that running around — people will then be ready to sit down and listen for a
while."

And speaking of Disney World's Great Disney Scavenger Hunt,
while Steven and his team were down at WDW last month for D23's Magic and
Merriment event, they actually got to try out a few of the trivia questions
that had been created for the Epcot portion of this challenge.

Chip 'n Dale dressed up in their holiday best for last month's Magic and
Merriment event. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"We have this great group of people, this army of volunteers
down at Walt Disney World who are helping us out with the scavenger hunt
portion of this event," Clark continued. "And they've come up with some
extremely challenging questions that I think people are really going to enjoy."

And speaking of volunteers … Given that more divisions of
The Walt Disney Company now have a better understanding of what exactly D23 is,
what a great conduit the Official Disney Fan Club has become when it comes to
reaching the Company's most dedicated fans … Well, that's why a lot of these
parts of the Company are now extremely excited about this year's D23 EXPO.

"The first time we presented a D23 EXPO, we only had 8 or 9 months
to pull it together. This time around, we've had a full two years to prepare.
More importantly, we've been meeting with every division of the Company. Trying
to coordinate who will be giving presentations and what will then be put on
display," Steven said.

As for those presentations at this year's D23 EXPO (which
will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center August 19^th – 21^st)
… Clark wasn't quite as forthcoming with details about that event as I'd hoped
he might be. Other than to say that the nominating committee for the Disney
Legends just had its first meeting and that some very interesting &
deserving candidates had been nominated this time around.

"I realize that the 2011 version of the D23 EXPO will be one
day shorter than the 2009 version. But given that we'll be extending the
operating hours of this year's event as well as offering lots more programming,
I'm sure that the 2011 event will be just as big a Guest satisfier as the 2009
event was," Steven stated.

And with each year that goes by, Clark and his crew will continue
to futz with the Official Disney Fan Club's mix of elements. Trying to give D23
members the sorts of perks that they'll actually use (EX: 40% off on seats to selected
performances of Mary Poppins on Broadway, a year-round 20% off discount on merchandise ordered through ABC's online store et al) plus
give them access to the sort of cool, behind-the-scenes info that die-hard
Disney fan really crave.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PvWH_um9t4]

"That's why we created Armchair Archivists. To give D23
members some idea of how big the Archives actually are. The great wealth of
material that we work with every day," Steven said. "We actually just shot our
first episode on the new set of Steve (Czarnecki) and Josh (Turchetta)'s show.
It'll be interesting to see how people react to the new, improved version of this
web-series."

And that – when you get right down to it – is what Steven Clark & Co. are always
trying to do with D23. While he's quick to talk up what he thought Disney's
official fan club did really well in 2010 ("I thought that the concert which we
presented at Destination D – which Jeffrey Epstein put together, by the way –
was spectacular. Easily one of my favorite things that D23 did last year"),
Clark's also always looking for ways to improve the Club's offerings. Finding
new things for D23 members to see and do.

"Wait 'til you see some of the film footage that we'll be
screening at May's Destination D event," Steven enthused. "There's stuff that's just
going to thrill Disney World fans."

So as the Official Disney Fan Club finishes up its second
full year of operations, what sort of tweaks would you like to see D23 make in
2011 and beyond?

Your thoughts?