In the early 1960s. when corporate America was gearing up for the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York, Walt Disney decided this would be an ideal opportunity to test his ideas of outdoor entertainment beyond the confines of Disneyland. Part of his approach to convince participants in the Fair to let him design their exhibits was that "...they'll be getting shows that won't be seen for just two six-month periods at the Fair; those shows can go on for five or ten years at Disneyland."
It's been 25 years since the Fair, and from the four exhibits designed by Disney five major attractions are still operating at one or more of the Disney Theme Parks— far exceeding even Walt's expectations.
Marty Sklar and |ohn Hench, no President and Senior Executive Vice President respectively of Walt Disney Imagineering, were with Walt at the Fair. "getting into the World's Fair was a trial balloon for Walt," says Sklar. "He wanted to see if his kind of entertainment would appeal to the more sophisticated eastern audience— sophisticated' in that that's where the nation's leaders, the decision-makers were based. As it turned out," he continues, "the Fair was one of the great stepping stones to Walt Disney World"
Hench concurs. "We didn't see why we had to be in the World's Fair!' he remembers. "We had enough to keep us busy at Disneyland. But Whit thought we should be part of it; he wanted to see how our brand of entertainment would go over with a different audience mix. We didn't know it at the time, but he was looking to Florida."
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