Well, anyway, the Annual Shareholders Meeting was in Anaheim this year so I figured I should check it out. It had to be good, right? Following is the email I sent to fellow shareholders, friends & family.
Subject: Shareholders Meeting notes
Gas to get to the meeting - $7
Souvenir Pooh & Friends bracelet -
$2 Diet Coke at the Anaheim Pond - $3
Witnessing CEO, Bob Iger's patience while fielding cringe-inducing questions from the shareholders - Priceless
Following are my favorite questions from the meeting:
"Why do you still allow smoking in your films?" (Disney films do not feature smoking. Other Disney studios do, depending upon subject matter. Good Night and Good Luck was given as an example. )
"Why haven't we re-released Song of the South?" (Oh, I don't know. Something about jovial singing slaves just rubs some people the wrong way.)
"Why can't we bring cameras into this meeting?" (Because they just showed you top secret intellectual property in the form of Pixar trailers you idiot.)
"If compliance is an issue, why don't you just buy a factory in China and make everything there?" (Compliance (child labor etc) is not an issue but if it were they'd need one helluva factory to handle all of the Disney merchandise produced for the world. Sit down and shut up!)
"If compliance is an issue, why don't we just make everything in the US?" (Seriously? This is a shareholders meeting. We want to make a profit right? Have you any idea how much a Mickey Mouse watch would cost if produced in the states? Why not just suggest Disney file for non-profit status while you're at it?)
"Is it true that you're removing the "C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A" and the Golden State Bridge from the entrance of California Adventure?" (Wow, this is critical question brianiac. Our profits will really be impacted by that one.)
And, drum roll please... My #1 favorite question of the day:
"The park is darker than it used to be, especially around the Matterhorn. There used to be little twinkle lights in the tress over there. Well, my wife is confined to a scooter and has almost tipped over a couple of times in the dark. Can you improve the lighting please?" (Seriously? You've got the ear of a Fortune 500 CEO and you're telling him about your wife tipping over in her scooter? First of all, your wife has bigger issues than tipping over and secondly, we all know you're here to lay down groundwork for your lawsuit. The folks at Disneyland can't wait to catch you on tape pushing your wife over in the dark. Please go home now.)
Oy!
Will I be going to the next shareholders meeting? Of course! The Q&A portion of the meeting is a train wreck. You just can't look away! I highly recommend the experience to all.
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