Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts- Customer Service Department of the Year – Leisure & Tourism

Dr. Phillips Center is a world-class performing arts center in downtown Orlando, presenting diverse international, national and regional artists while providing inclusive arts education and community engagement for all ages.

Briefly describe the nominated department: history and past performance (up to 1,250 characters):

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, located in downtown Orlando, is a cornerstone of the region's cultural and economic landscape. Spanning two blocks, the venue serves as a gathering place for internationally acclaimed artists, diverse community programs and world-class educational initiatives through Dr. Phillips Center's AdventHealth School of the Arts.

Conceived over two decades ago by visionary leaders and fueled by philanthropy, the arts center opened in 2014 with a vision to make the arts accessible to all. Since then, it has hosted 5,100+ performances and 2,740+ events, contributed $227.6 million annually to the local economy, welcomed over 5 million guests and invested over $26.9 million into purpose-driven community initiatives.

In FY 2024/25, DPC welcomed 774,506+ guests across 1,034 performances and launched the inaugural Frontyard Holiday Festival at Dr. Phillips Center, supported by AdventHealth-a free community event expanding access and programming.

From December 4, 2025, to January 4, 2026, the festival hosted 80 free performances and welcomed over 154,000 guests, giving the guest services department more opportunities to create meaningful, lasting impressions. Even amid this surge, customer service remained exceptional, with 94% of guests rating their experience as "favorable," demonstrating the team's ability to scale operations without compromising quality.

Outline the department's achievements since July 1, 2023 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 1,500 characters):

Guided by Dr. Phillips Center's Arts for Every Life® vision, the Guest Services Department has led significant advancements in accessibility, inclusion and guest experience since July 1, 2023-particularly as attendance and programming expanded rapidly.

As performances and special events nearly doubled, Guest Services introduced guest-first innovations to ensure every patron feels welcome. Enhancements included Gala Pro Audio Description, sensory bags, complimentary binoculars and Quiet Rooms-private, sensory-controlled spaces inside theaters. The arts center also achieved and maintains Certified Autism Center designation, with over 80% of public-facing staff completing specialized training to support guests with autism and sensory sensitivities. In December 2025, these accessibility enhancements were successfully extended to the Frontyard Holiday Festival, ensuring inclusive access for all guests.

These efforts produced measurable results and significantly improved accessibility and inclusivity, furthering the vision of Arts For Every Life. In a 2024 guest survey of 8,926 respondents, 94.08% rated their experience as "favorable," 93.1% said they were likely to recommend Dr. Phillips Center and 83.9% identified as repeat visitors.

Guest Services plays an important role in supporting community engagement and education programs. In 2024 alone, the department supported Giveback initiatives that welcomed over 3,100 guests from community organizations-many attending live performances for the first time.

Additionally, Guest Services supported 53 elementary, middle and high school group visits. To date, over 790,760 students and participants have been engaged through 975 educational initiatives, each interaction anchored by a Guest Services team member committed to creating a memorable and welcoming experience.

Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 1,500 characters):

Dr. Phillips Center's Guest Services Department sets a benchmark for excellence by seamlessly integrating large-scale operations with highly personalized, inclusive service. While many performing arts venues offer baseline accommodations, Dr. Phillips Center has embedded accessibility, inclusion and proactive service into every stage of the guest journey.

The department's comprehensive approach to accessibility places the arts center among a small group of national leaders in inclusive performance experiences. Notably, Dr. Phillips Center is one of only two performing arts centers in the Southeast to meet educational programming standards while maintaining Certified Autism Center credentials. This expertise and preparedness were especially evident during the Frontyard Holiday Festival, where accessibility enhancements were implemented seamlessly for a large-scale, outdoor, free event-demonstrating adaptability and operational excellence.

In addition to accessibility leadership, the organization undertook a major service transformation by bringing box office operations in-house. This strategic shift allowed for improved quality control, faster issue resolution and a more cohesive guest experience from first interaction through curtain call. To support this transition, the organization expanded staffing to 15 ticket agents, launched a fully staffed call center and introduced live chat functionality on the ticketing website. As a result, the FY 2024/25 guest survey found that 91% of guests rated the ticket-buying experience as favorable.

Together, these achievements demonstrate that Dr. Phillips Center delivers world-class customer service that extends well beyond ticket sales-creating meaningful, inclusive experiences that strengthen community connection, guest loyalty and organizational performance.

Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 1,500 characters):

Supporting materials include:

• Dr. Phillips Center Accessibility Page - Detailing initiatives such as sensory bags, audio descriptions and Quiet Rooms.
• Survey results - Highlighting guest satisfaction and repeat attendance metrics.
• Press coverage/releases and community impact reports - Showcasing the expansion of our Giveback program, educational initiatives and arts & wellness programming.
• Customer testimonials - Demonstrating the impact of our guest service innovations.
• Accessibility enhancements & implementations

Collectively, these materials provide clear, verifiable evidence of the Guest Services Department's performance, innovation and leadership in customer service excellence within the leisure and tourism industry.