Shanghai Disney Resort General Manager: Shanghai - a win-win land where dreams come true

As a Parisian with a romantic sense of humor, Philippe Gas has a special connection with Asia. Having spent years working across the region in destinations such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia, in 2014 he finally settled down in his second home - Shanghai.

(Philippe Gas, General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort [Photo/Shanghai Disney Resort])

The day Philippe first left Asia, a place he had lived for six years, he knew that he wanted the chance to come back, no matter when or where it might be. He first came to Shanghai in 1999, a place he found familiar - especially the former French concession area. In 2014, seizing what he called “a chance of a lifetime”, he returned to Shanghai as the General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort. Since then, while operating China’s largest foreign-invested entertainment project, he has witnessed plenty of miracles taking place throughout Shanghai. If there was a chance to rethink his coming to Shanghai, he said he would make the same decision again and again.

(Philippe Gas in an interview with Eastday.com [Photo/Shanghai Disney Resort])

Shanghai: first choice for foreign investment

Philippe’s history with China first started 20 years ago, back when he was working for The Walt Disney Company in the US and was asked to take a job in Asia. At that time, he travelled to both Beijing and Shanghai and started to develop a knowledge of the country. Of course, back then tourism in China was not very developed as the service industry, especially the hotel hospitality service, was only just starting to emerge.“This has matured in an amazing way in twenty years, when you think about the level of service throughout the country, the number of tourist spots, and the development of transportation and infrastructure,” said Philippe.

Take ski resorts for example. As a skier, Philippe said,“You have amazing spots in China today to visit. This is a country that has fantastic opportunities to develop the right infrastructure and focus on building the level of expertise and service, understanding what the consumers want, and going with that. And China is very dedicated, and it’s going very fast in that direction.”

When it comes to foreign investment, Philippe thinks the situation was tentative two decades ago. People clearly understood the potential of China, but it wasn’t obvious that they could come and perform, or develop the business that they wanted or thought appropriate. As a result, people were trying to identify local partners and do some very entrepreneurial activities in China.“Today you have a lot of major international, multi-national companies who are coming, or have come, and have huge operations, so I think the level of bullishness has changed entirely in terms of the ability to go and develop the economy in China,” said Philippe.

People are fascinated by China today, not only by the culture but also by the potential of the market, and by the opening of the market to the rest of the world. In recent years, thanks to Shanghai’s openness to business and foreign investment, Philippe has witnessed the center of business and the economy in Asia go from Singapore to Hong Kong, then to Shanghai. Shanghai has become the top choice for foreign investment.“For many businesses, being in Shanghai is essential because of the practicality and all the opportunities that the Shanghai government has given to companies, to help us develop, grow, partner, and establish relationships that are critical to succeed in the long-term in a country like China.”

Win-win development between Disney and Shanghai

While most of Philippe’s stories in Shanghai relate to Shanghai Disney Resort, his most unforgettable Shanghai story was the day that Shanghai Disney Resort opened its gates on June 16, 2016.

Twenty-two years ago, Disney entered the Chinese mainland, which was at the time a small market. Back then, the company only had an operations team in Beijing. For most Chinese, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were just cartoon characters on TV screens. Who would expect that one day they would set foot on the mainland?

(A finale shot of Shanghai Disney Resort groundbreaking ceremony on April 11, 2011 [Photo/Shanghai Disney Resort])

Shanghai Disney Resort is the first Disney resort on the Chinese mainland. For the project, Disney and its Chinese partners made a record investment of USD $5.5 billion, thereby creating the largest cooperation project between China and the US since China launched their reform and opening up policy in 1978.

Thanks to strenuous efforts made by both sides and years of arduous negotiations, in January 2009, nearly 20 years after the idea of bringing a Disneyland to Shanghai was born, it was finally announced that Disney would build a theme park in Shanghai. On April 8, 2011, the day Shanghai Disney Resort officially broke ground, Mickey Mouse, wearing a traditional Tang suit, appeared for the first time in Shanghai’s Chuansha New Town.

(As the tallest and biggest Disney castle in the world, the Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disney Resort successfully topped out on May 19, 2015.[Photo/Shanghai Disney Resort])

Although not involved in the early negotiations between Disney and Chinese partners, Philippe fully understands the reasons why Disney chose Shanghai as its first step into the Chinese mainland market. First, Shanghai has a huge consumer base: within a three-hour ride of Shanghai, you can reach approximately 350 million income-qualified consumers. The second factor was China’s developing economy and the changing perceptions and expectations of Chinese consumers – from being very focused on work and developing wealth, to balancing their lives and the need to take a vacation and enjoy the tourism industry. Finally, Shanghai is a place with a pool of top quality talent from which Shanghai Disney Resort could recruit.

As it turned out, Shanghai Disney Resort achieved profit in its first full fiscal year, making it one of the most successful Disney resorts ever opened worldwide. To achieve an Authentically Disney and Distinctly Chinese feel, Disney has established a very strong relationship with its Chinese partners - a critical element of Shanghai Disney Resort’s success.“What reform and opening up has contributed to Shanghai Disney Resort’s success has been this common goal to understand the objectives and capabilities of each partner in a very pragmatic and open way,” added Philippe, who regards the Chinese partners as a key guide to help the brand to better understand the target consumers. He views them as invaluable, stating that “getting their guidance is critical.”

Since the park first opened, the “Shanghai Disney Effect” has been prominent. The Resort’s presence has created about 12,000 direct jobs, and close to 60,000 indirect job positions all over China, thus contributing to the economic growth of the country. It also plays a key role as a flagship example of the successful development of tourism in the city and works on supporting the growth of Shanghai and the city’s economic transformation towards a service-based model. By introducing new standards, the resort shares best practices with its Chinese partners to contribute to the growth of tourism in China and helps raise the level of service in the country. As Philippe said,“We’re here for the long term. We want to grow with Shanghai and contribute to the growth of Shanghai.”

“Shanghai is my home”

“Between the first time I came to Shanghai in 1999 and the day I arrived to live 14 years later, the city has changed completely,” Philippe said. Coming from a country where people take their time, the pace of life here is much faster.“Shanghai is a city that transforms very rapidly.” When he first arrived here, Lujiazui was still very much nascent, with few tall buildings other than the Oriental Pearl Tower TV Station. It was hard for him to even imagine what it would be in the future.

In 2014 when he returned to Shanghai, he was impressed by the pace of the growth of Pudong. One of the first things that he did was to go to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center.“There is a huge model, which gives you a sense of how the city has changed, grown and has developed over time.” Whenever he has friends coming to visit him, he likes to take them there first in order to help them understand what the city was, what it has become, and what it is preparing to be.

In Philippe’s eyes, Shanghai is a combination of history, fashion and vitality. He said,“Shanghai is a great place for me to enjoy a weekend, to bike, to walk around, to do some sports, and to meet with friends– it’s now become my home.”

(Wishes for China’s further reform and opening up from Philippe Gas)