We are very excited to see all of you that RSVP’d for this very special night! We will have great food, great entertainment, and some surprises! A few notes: FIRST – we are spending a lot of money for this event for you, which we are happy to do because you all deserve it! But since we are paying a PER PERSON price, if you RSVP’d, we expect you to be there. SECOND – The Magic have a SOLD OUT game that night that also starts at 7 pm. Please arrive early enough to find parking and be on time for the event. Although there are plenty of garages and places to park for $10 around the Performing Arts Center, you may have to park further uptown. If you do, you can always use the Lymmo Orange Line to get to the Dr. Phillips Center for free.

NEW LOG SHEETS
We have re-designed our Log Sheet to make them flow easier, but we are having some problems with people not filling out the starting sheet for the next person correctly. When you print it out for the next shift, all you have to fill out is the SHADED area – the beginning inventory and starting bank entered by, day and date, starting bank, and all of the starting inventory counts. We tried to make it easier for you by shading this area and making the border around it DARKER.

NEW LOCATIONS OPENING
We are excited to announce the acquisition of 2 new properties – Legacy Vacation Resort, which will go to the gifting team, and Windsor at Westside, which is part of the VIP Team. If you are working these locations, please get with Cindy and Marc respectively before your shift.

INTERVIEWING PROSPECTS
We are looking for GREAT prospects to join the AGS team! If you know of anyone that is OUTGOING, loves that attractions, is dependable and responsible, and can work ANYTIME, including nights and weekends, please have them call the office to set up an interview.

HAPPY GROUND HOG DAY!

HEALTH INSURANCE UPDATE
All of you who enrolled for the Group Plan are now loaded into the system. If you have not yet received your temporary ID card, please let Rick know so he can send it to you.

CALLING OUT SICK PROCEDURES
There has been something going around and we’ve had a lot of people calling out sick in the last few weeks. We just want to remind all of you of the correct procedures: You must TALK to a manager – NO TEXTS, E-MAILS OR VOICEMAIL MESSAGES. If you don’t reach the MOD, then continue calling all managers until someone answers and you actually speak to them. Call as EARLY as possible. If you are working an AM shift and you don’t feel well the night before your shift, CALL THAT NIGHT. If you wake up feeling sick, call by NO LATER than 6 am for a 7 am shift. If you are sick in the middle of the night, wait until 6 am to call.

GREET GUESTS IN THE LOBBY
We can’t stress how important this is. We want each of you to get out from behind the desk and act as a “Hotel Ambassador”. Greet guests in the lobby with a pleasant greeting, SMILE, welcome them, and introduce yourself as the concierge. Let them know you are there to help them with any questions and you have the tickets available for them. If you are at the Vistana Resorts and there is no line, ONE of you should ALWAYS be in the lobby greeting guests.

UPCOMING ORLANDO MAGIC GAMES
1/31 – Boston Celtics – Black Game – VERY LIMITED tickets available; 2/5 – LA Clippers – Black Game; 2/7 – Atlanta Hawks – White Game; 2/10 – San Antonio Spurs – Black Game. All managers can book these games and now Dimary can also book for you.

ORLANDO CITY SOCCER
Orlando City has once again chosen AGS to be the exclusive in-market Guest Service provider for their tickets! The season kicks off March 6th!

SUGGEST SEA WORLD!
Our sales on Sea World products are down from last year. Besides Merlin, all Sea World products are out HIGHEST profit single day time tickets that we sell. Sea World should be recommended to EVERY guest that wants to go to Magic Kingdom. Talk to your guests about how family friendly it is, yet they have 3 roller coasters for thrill seekers. But it’s also more relaxing to take in shows instead of waiting in line all day for rides at Disney. Let’s try to get those sales back up!

WAYS TO SELL DINNER SHOWS
We need to see an increase in our dinner show sales as well. How? Ask your guests if they have any dinner plans. Then go into the options for dinner shows. Show them that for the price of a nice dinner for the family, they can get 2 hours of entertainment as well. Be smart about where you send them. If it’s ADULTS, talk about Sleuth’s and Treasure Tavern. If they have kids, talk about Pirate’s and Medieval Times. Think about where they are buying tickets to. If they are going to the I-Drive 360 attractions, suggest SLEUTHS! It’s next door and they can walk there! If they are going to Universal, suggest Blue Man Group and Pirate’s. Offer a $10 discount on BMG if they purchase Universal tickets.

MANAGER VACATIONS
Ana Maria – Back 2/1; Rick – 2/3 – 2/10

UPCOMING EVENTS IN ORLANDO
Here are some of the events we can sell through TickPick: 1/30 – Def Leppard/Styx; 2/2 – Barry Manilow; 2/3 – Graham Nash; 2/4 – Europe; 2/5 – Penn & Teller; 2/9 – 2/10 – Shen Yun; 2/13 – Yanni

INCENTIVES
Orlando Magic Monthly – Sell 15 – Get 2 Terrace Level Game tickets; Sell 30 – Get 4 Chase Club Level Game tickets.

Employee Notes: Happy Birthday to Liliana on 1/30, Nilda on 2/2, Susan on 2/3, and Florence on 2/5!

If you are at a location that has a CHIP READER for credit cards, it MUST be used. Follow the instructions on the terminal. BE CAREFUL because if the card declines when using a chip reader, IT WILL PRINT OUT A LONG RECEIPT AND AT THE VERY BOTTOM IT WILL SAY “DECLINED”. If you are selling more than 4 tickets to one attraction, all members of the party must be in front of you. NEVER accept a card that comes up “declined” even if the guest says that there is money on their card. NEVER sell tickets to someone that is not staying at the hotel/resort. Be especially careful when accepting GIFT CARDS because many times there will be a balance due. Be sure to look at the screen and if it says BALANCE DUE, be sure to collect the balance! Also, you MUST get a SIGNATURE on any credit card slip that requires one. If you don’t and we get a chargeback, WE LOSE that money and we will have no choice but to charge you for the loss. You MUST write on EVERY receipt 1) Tickets Purchased (abbreviate); 2) ID Number; and 3) Room number.

WATER PARKS – CLOSURES
With it being the winter season, you must advise your guests that purchase ANY ticket that includes a water park that if the temperatures DROP BELOW 70, there is a possibility that they will close. Have them check the weather forecast and remind them that the tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE and they are buying them at their own risk. We CANNOT refund water parks that are purchased as part of a combo ticket! Also, DON’T FORGET TO TELL YOUR GUESTS THAT TYPHOON LAGOON IS NOW CLOSED AND ONLY BLIZZARD BEACH IS OPEN. Disney has already announced that due to low temperatures, Blizzard Beach will be closed Saturday 1/23 and Sunday 1/24.

LEGOLAND CLOSED TUESDAYS & WEDNESDAYS
Legoland is back to being CLOSED on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

A FEW COLD DAYS AHEAD!

HEALTH INSURANCE UPDATE
Guys, you have no idea how frustrated we are with Blue Cross. This has been a nightmare with them handling our account. Although our effective date is 1/15, they are now saying that our staff will not be loaded into the system until the beginning of NEXT week – hopefully by Monday. Because of this, we will not be doing any payroll deductions for health insurance until the next pay period. We are so sorry for all of this.

VOIDING DISNEY TICKETS
When you send Disney tickets to the office to be voided, here is the procedure: 1) Wrap the tickets in the “Congratulations” page and put them in your deposit envelope. 2) Highlight the tickets sent to the office on your EOD report and write “Void” on the report next to each ticket that you are sending in. This will keep us from having to track down tickets and possibly charging you all for tickets that should have been voided.

FUN SPOT CHANGES
The tickets for Fun Spot are NO LONGER good for both parks on the same day. They are only good for one park. Remember, we only sell adult vouchers because the child is based on height. So with any children, they are measured when they get to the park. If they are UNDER 54”, they will receive a $10 gift card to use for in park spending. We are also adding a Family Four Park for gifting which we will give more information about at a later date.

MANAGER VACATIONS
Armando – Back on Sunday 1/24; Ana Maria – 1/23-1/30; Rick – 2/3 – 2/10

CHECK DATES ON DISNEY TICKETS
Again, please be sure to check your dates on your CONVENTION TICKETS. If they are dated BEFORE April, 2015, or they have a reservation number LOWER than 142325297 they need to be sent to the office. Convention tickets are the ONLY tickets that expire, but you should ALWAYS rotate your DisneyQuest and Water Park tickets and keep the OLDEST ones on TOP to sell first.

ORLANDO MAGIC SALES
You guys are doing a GREAT job with Magic sales! Our next two home games are BLACK games: 1/22 vs. Charlotte Hornets and 1/31 vs. Boston Celtics.

SECRET SHOPPERS ARE OUT
We want to remind all of you that we have secret shoppers out checking on honesty, service and sales ability. They are also renting Rental Cars so you must follow proper procedures. Dollar/Thrifty MUST be used FIRST, Action second and Enterprise third. Anyone using a non-approved company will be terminated. All rentals MUST be put in the POS and a voucher created so we can track payments and make sure you get paid. All transactions must be properly recorded in the POS and a FINAL SALES RECEIPT must be given. Anyone not doing this will be terminated.

APPRECIATION PARTY 1/31
We are happy that so many of you have RSVP’d for the party! If you did, PLEASE be sure to come! We are paying a PER PERSON price, so if you don’t come, we are wasting money. If for any reason you change your mind, please let Marc know so he can fill your spot with someone else. Don’t forget to “dress to impress” – NOT FORMAL WEAR, but evening wear

UPCOMING EVENTS IN ORLANDO THAT WE CAN SELL
http://blog.tickpick.com/upcoming-events-in-orlando/.

INCENTIVES
Orlando Magic Monthly – Sell 15 – Get 2 Terrace Level Game tickets; Sell 30 – Get 4 Chase Club Level Game tickets.

Employee Notes: Congrats to Humberto for 1 year on 1/24! Happy Birthday to Karen on 1/28!

There still seems to be some confusion on the Sea World tickets. We have changed the pricing in the POS to match their online pricing, so there is no need to give additional discounts. Basically if a guest wants: Aquatica – print Aquatica; Sea World OR Busch Gardens – Print “Choose Your Adventure – 1 Visit” located the second from the bottom of EZ Ticket store; Sea World AND Aquatica – Print Sea World/Aquatica combo ticket ONLY if the guest knows for SURE they are only going ONCE to each of these parks; Sea World and/or Busch Gardens and/or Aquatica – Print “Choose Your Adventure 2 or 3 Visits” based on if your guests wants 2 or 3 visits to ANY of the 3 parks; “Choose Your Adventure Unlimited Visits” if your guest wants 14 days with UNLIMITED visits to ALL 3 PARKS and FREE PARKING (This ticket should also be printed for the 6 Park Flex/Bundle). Things to keep in mind: Any 2 or 3 Visit tickets allow the same park to be repeated if desired. For example, a guest can go to Sea World TWICE with the 2 Visit ticket, or with the 3 visit ticket a guest can go to Sea World TWICE and Busch Gardens ONCE. The do NOT have to go to a different park for each visit.

WATER PARKS – CLOSURES
With it being the winter season, you must advise your guests that purchase ANY ticket that includes a water park that if the temperatures DROP BELOW 70, there is a possibility that they will close. Have them check the weather forecast and remind them that the tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE and they are buying them at their own risk. We CANNOT refund water parks that are purchased as part of a combo ticket! Also, DON’T FORGET TO TELL YOUR GUESTS THAT TYPHOON LAGOON IS NOW CLOSED AND ONLY BLIZZARD BEACH IS OPEN.

ORLANDO EYE NOW OPEN
The Orlando Eye has finished their maintenance and has now re-opened.

HAPPY MLK DAY!

CONVENIENCE FEES
Please do not lie about Convenience Fees. When selling the One and Two Day Disney tickets, you must disclose it this way – “While we pay the same price as everyone else for these tickets, we want to offer them to our guests so they don’t have to stand in line and also allow them the ability to set up the Fast Pass in advance. We do have to charge a Convenience Fee in order to cover the costs associated with these tickets, like credit card fees. However, if you don’t want these advantages, you’re welcome to wait in line at the gate”. DO NOT LIE and say the prices are the same please!

HEALTH INSURANCE UPDATE
Due to delays with Blue Cross, the effective date for the new Group Plan will be FRIDAY, 1/15. Sorry for the inconvenience. Everyone should be loaded in the system and your Policy numbers should be available by the middle of next week. Just a reminder that in order to keep your insurance, you must be scheduled a minimum of 30 hours per week. Anyone not maintaining 30 hours will be canceled.

ALL REFUNDS MUST BE APPROVED
If a guest asks about a refund, you can remind them that all tickets are non-refundable, but if they insist, please call the office or a manager. We WILL refund unused tickets with a 15% restocking fee. All refunds must be explained IN DETAIL on your log sheet, including the manager that approved it.

LEGOLAND CLOSED TUES & WED
Legoland is back to being CLOSED on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. As with all parks, check your calendars daily!

OUTTA CONTROL MAGIC SHOW AT WONDERWORKS CLOSED 1/11-1/18
They are closed to refinish their floors and will re-open for shows starting 1/19.

FINAL SALES RECEIPTS MANDATORY
Every guest that purchases from us must walk away with a FINAL POS sales receipt. If the guest uses a credit card, this should be stapled to the customer copy.

PRINT DISNEY EOD REPORT
While you need to VISUALLY log at all attraction End of Day reports and match them up with your POS report, the Disney report MUST BE PRINTED and attached to the back of your log sheet. If you are sending in tickets to be voided, these must be highlighted on the report and you should write “Void” next to these tickets.

MOD – LEAD SCHEDULE
Please be sure to use the leads as your first point of contact. The managers get bombarded with phone calls on a daily basis, so try to call the leads with simple questions first. After that, be sure to click on the “MOD Schedule” on the AGS Homepage to call the appropriate manager for any other questions. Thanks!

BACK TO BACK SHIFTS
If the PM shift is not there at the close of your shift, you cannot leave without notifying a manager. Make sure all tickets and money are counted before leaving.

MANAGER VACATIONS
Armando – 1/14-1/23; Ana Maria – 1/23-1/30; Rick – 2/3 – 2/10

APPRECIATION PARTY 1/31
The party is now SOLD OUT! We are still looking for volunteers from the Gifting Team to work PM shifts at Vistana on this night. If you would like to volunteer, please call Cindy. Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS IN ORLANDO
http://blog.tickpick.com/upcoming-events-in-orlando/.

INCENTIVES
Orlando Magic Monthly – Sell 15 – Get 2 Terrace Level Game tickets; Sell 30 – Get 4 Chase Club Level Game tickets.

Employee Notes: Wow! No birthdays this week. Have a great week!

We’ve been having a lot of issues with credit cards lately. Here’s what we need to do: if you have a card with a chip and you have a “chip reader”, the chip reader must be used. If the card declines, the screen will NOT read declined, so you must look at the slip closely. It will print a longer than normal slip and at the very bottom it will say “declined”. For Gift Cards, sometimes the balance on the card will not cover the sale, so you must check to see if there is a balance due. Also, if a card is DECLINED, never accept it, even if a guest says there is money on it and they call their bank, because their bank is usually a “friend” on the other line. DO NOT accept a declined card. Don’t forget that every slip must have these things written: tickets purchased, ID #, and room #.

WATER PARKS – CLOSURES
With it being the winter season, you must advise your guests that purchase ANY ticket that includes a water park that if the temperatures DROP BELOW 70, there is a possibility that they will close. Have them check the weather forecast and remind them that the tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE and they are buying them at their own risk. We CANNOT refund water parks that are purchased as part of a combo ticket! Also, DON’T FORGET TO TELL YOUR GUESTS THAT TYPHOON LAGOON IS NOW CLOSED AND ONLY BLIZZARD BEACH IS OPEN.

LEGOLAND CLOSED TUES & WED
Legoland is back to being CLOSED on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. As with all parks, check your calendars daily!

ORLANDO EYE CLOSED 1/4 – 1/13
Don’t forget that the Orlando Eye will be closed for scheduled maintenance from 1/4 – 1/13. Madame Toussads and the SeaLife Aquarium will be open as normal.

OUTTA CONTROL MAGIC SHOW AT WONDERWORKS CLOSED 1/11-1/18
They are closed to refinish their floors and will re-open for shows starting 1/19.

SET GOALS FOR THIS YEAR!

DISNEY CONVENTION TICKETS
Please make sure you are checking your Convention Tickets in inventory for the print dates. If they were printed PRIOR to April of 2015, minus them out of your inventory and send them to the office in your deposit envelope. Those tickets are expired. No other pre-activated tickets expire, including the Water Parks and DisneyQuest, so no need to send them in.

ROTATE TICKETS – SELL THE OLDEST FIRST
Along the same lines, please make sure you are looking that the PRINT dates on your pre-activated Disney tickets and you’re selling the OLDEST ones first. Always leave them on TOP. This should be done for Convention tickets, DisneyQuest and Water Parks.

NO CLOSING DESKS EARLY
Our desks have published hours at many of the hotels and resorts. While you can TELL your guests to come ½ hour before the closing time, you must continue to service them until the closing time. We are getting reports from Vistana that some of you are closing ½ hour early so you can leave on time. You cannot do this.

ALL HOTELS OPEN AT 7 AM
All locations open at 7 am. The only exceptions are some of the gifting desks and vacation home clubhouses. Please be ON TIME and be at your hotel at 7 am.

GIFTING TEAM MEETING 1/13
There is a MANDATORY Gifting Team meeting on Wednesday, 1/13 at 3:30. Location TBD. Please check with Cindy if you have any questions.

CODES CHANGING
We will be changing many of the location codes over the next week. Please call the office the DAY BEFORE your shift to see if your location has been changed.

READING GAZETTE IS MANDATORY
With a staff of 90 people, it is very important that you read all of the communications we put out – especially the Gazette and When to Work messages. This is the ONLY way we have to communicate to each of you important information in a timely manner. Please be sure to read all of this information.

SEND ALL GUESTS TO OPC’S FIRST
We are still getting complaints at some of our hotels and resorts that they are not getting all guests sent to the OPC first. Again, Vistana is the one complaining the most. If you have a guest approach your desk, please make sure they’ve first had a chance to talk to the OPC.

SMOKE IN DESIGNATED AREAS ONLY
You are NEVER to smoke in guest’s view, including in front of the hotel or behind the desk. This includes E-Cigarettes. This looks very unprofessional and will not be tolerated. Smoke breaks must be taken in a designated area out of guest’s view.

APPRECIATION PARTY 1/31
Everyone should have received the E-Vite for our 25th Anniversary Appreciation Party at the DP Center for Performing Arts. This will be a very special event and we would like to see as many of you as possible there. However, if you would like to stay back and work, we do have locations that will need to be covered – particularly the Vistana locations. Please let Cindy or Rick S. know if you would like to work. Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS IN ORLANDO
http://blog.tickpick.com/upcoming-events-in-orlando/. Here are some of the highlights: Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, 1/14 – 1/18; Paul Anka, 1/14; Macklemore &Ryan Lewis, 1/20; WWE Royal Rumble, 1/24.

INCENTIVES
Orlando Magic Monthly – Sell 15 – Get 2 Terrace Level Game tickets; Sell 30 – Get 4 Chase Club Level Game tickets.

Employee Notes: Happy Birthday to David on 1/10, Diane on 1/12, Carlos on 1/15, and Rick S. on 1/14! Congrats to Maribel for 1 year on 1/14 and Jon F. for 7 years on 1/12!