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Alyse Sklover is the Senior Manager of Events and Partnerships at ROLLER. Her career in the attractions industry began at The Walt Disney Company, where she worked in merchandise and entertainment in Tomorrowland before transitioning into the music industry. After studying at Rosen College of Hospitality Management, she returned to attractions at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, later joining IAAPA during the pandemic as the FEC and LBE liaison. Following a role with Escapology, she joined ROLLER, where she now focuses on events and community marketing initiatives that strengthen collaboration across the attractions industry. In this interview, Alyse talks about “nail it before you scale it,” collaboration as our power-up, and letting your guests be mad.
Nail it before you scale it
“Make sure that your focus really is on nailing it before you scale it.”
Alyse emphasized that attractions often become so focused on creating memorable “wow” moments that they overlook the operational basics guests expect. Drawing from her experience at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, she explained that safety, cleanliness, and consistency must come before entertainment enhancements. She pointed out that no amount of “pixie dust” can overcome overflowing trash cans, unsafe walkways, or poor food quality.
She also connected this philosophy to larger entertainment brands. While she admires the creativity and energy of many organizations, she believes the industry sometimes becomes overly focused on spectacle instead of operational fundamentals. Alyse argued that once a company reliably delivers on core expectations, the added entertainment elements become much more impactful.
Collaboration as our power-up
“Collaboration is my absolute favorite thing. And the power up for sure, it's what keeps this industry going.”
Alyse described community marketing as a way to strengthen the already collaborative nature of the attractions industry. Rather than building competing platforms or sales-focused events, her goal is to make existing resources more accessible to operators who are often stretched thin. She discussed creating regional events, roundtables, and resource hubs that help operators connect, learn, and support one another.
She believes attractions are unique because competitors openly share ideas, strategies, and best practices. Alyse shared a story about one roller skating operator willingly allowing another operator in the same state to copy her liability waiver because she simply wanted to help. She noted that poor experiences at one attraction can negatively impact perceptions of the entire industry, which motivates operators to collectively raise standards rather than protect information.
Letting your guests be mad
“Just let me be upset. I'm not mad at you. This is not your failure. You're trying to make it right, but just let me be upset.”
Guest recovery is one of Alyse’s biggest passions, and much of her philosophy was shaped during her time at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where rocket launches could be scrubbed moments before liftoff. She explained that guests often traveled internationally and built entire vacations around launches, making those emotional disappointments incredibly difficult to recover from. Instead of immediately trying to “fix” emotions, she learned the importance of first allowing guests to feel disappointed and heard.
Alyse also stressed the importance of empowering frontline employees to resolve issues quickly. Crew members were given tools and recovery options they could offer immediately without waiting for management approval. She believes silence and delays only escalate frustration, while empathy and decisive action build trust. In many cases, she argued that a well-handled recovery can create a more loyal guest than an experience where nothing went wrong at all.
Alyse can be reached on LinkedIn, as well as through ROLLER’s website. To learn more about ROLLER, visitroller.software.
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