Ana26 Pre-con Podcast: More Than Disney - Your Insider's Guide to Anaheim

There's Disney — and then there's Anaheim. Join us as Scott Oklin, Chief Marketing Officer at Visit Anaheim, takes us beyond the resort district to the hidden speakeasies, authentic churro trucks, vibrant cultural markets, and unexpected neighborhood gems that make this city worth staying one more night. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned conference-goer, this episode will have you planning your itinerary before you ever board the plane. 

Transcript

Andrew 0:00

So all of our episodes are extremely valuable, especially prepare for our NSDA conference in Anaheim. But this one has information that goes beyond just your learning experience as a an educator, but it could be your experience as a tourist in Anaheim and beyond Anaheim.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

It also connects some of the stuff that we talked to Alicia about when we're talking about NSTA being a place to find your people. So maybe you find some people and you'll learn how to do some really cool stuff outside of your comfort zone with some new people in Anaheim.

Andrew 0:38

And it gives you the chance to pre-plan so you can make the most of your time while you're there. Yeah. So we want to welcome to the show Scott Oakland, who is from Anaheim himself. And Scott, I know that you are a specialist when it comes to all things Anaheim. So what are you currently doing? What is your role in Anaheim? And can you tell us a little bit about this city?

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Yeah, absolutely. So thanks for having me on this and excited to chat with you, kind of dive into all things Anaheim. So, yes, the Chief Marketing Officer here at Visit Anaheim. I started in September of 2024 and have very quickly immersed myself in all things that have to do with the city. And just excited, I think, about the trajectory that the city's on, which I know will certainly dive deep into economic development. And then, you know, I think in addition to that, just some of the untold stories, what I've kind of been referring to as the underbelly of Anaheim, but I'm excited to share with you guys today.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Ooh, I kind of want to know what your favorite underbelly story is.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Good question. We can try to take a deep dive. I'm a huge FB guy. I love going out for unique food, unique drinks, and quickly came across a place called Strongwater, which is a hidden tiki bar slash speakeasy in Anaheim. The owners, Robert and Ying, two amazing entrepreneurs. They've basically themed the entire tiki bar with different like Easter eggs and stories and different stories of like lore and bring like the pirate vibe to life, and their drinks doesn't hurt, are through the roof. Amazing. So Michelin recommended, just absolutely amazing place that you definitely need to book your reservation as far in advance as you as you're the name of that again. It's called Strongwater.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Strongwater, right now.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Yeah. Food's amazing, drinks are even better. And the vibe is just something I think. I think like what we've been talking about in Anaheim is like you have the iconic meeting the unexpected. So you have the iconic nature of Disney, you've got the ducks, you've got the angels, things at the Anaheim Convention Center, obviously being the largest on the West Coast. But then like you have these like really unexpected places, Strongwater being one of many. You've got Okayama Bakery, which just has incredible Japanese pastries and matcha. So there's just a lot. There's rooftop bar scenes and breweries. So you're gonna start getting me going here. And I'm not gonna be able to stop. But yeah, just some really, really, really cool stuff to kind of take that deep dive into if you're looking to travel a little bit. I hate to get a little bit cliche, like off the beaten path. Yeah. But like I said, it's kind of like that underbelly grit of Anaheim, so to speak.

Andrew 3:11

Scott, when you were saying that, I was thinking, man, we're gonna air this, and all of our listeners are gonna hear this information and they're gonna reply to these things.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

No, we're gonna we're gonna book it first in the part.

Andrew 3:20

Right. But I also thought, okay, let's tell them that it's closed on Thursday so we can go there third. You're right. Like we'll get all this questions and look, it's closed on this day.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

There you go. I think you'll appreciate the story. So we we're going through a rebrand really for this Anaheim, but also for the destination. And we're pretty knee deep in it right now at the moment. And uh so we just were wrapping up our video and photo shoot this past weekend, and part of that that story is really like the Disney and right. So Disney's our crown jewel, it always will be. We're extraordinarily fortunate and humbled to have it as that. And so it becomes a Disney and story, especially like for this video photo shoot. And so one of the points of interest in that's going to be shown in the video is a place called Don Churros. And Don Churros is a Kuro truck that is in the parking lot outside of the Anaheim marketplace, which is home to Mexican flea market, super authentic, amazing businesses that pop up inside of that flea market. And Don Kuros itself, if you go on the weekend, like line wrapping around. I mean, you you could wait upwards of like 45 minutes to get Kuros. And so we had this part of this video shoot there. And we had the two individuals who are cast to be in the video itself. We had a five-piece mariachi band that was playing. And this woman came up to me in the middle of it and was like, Can I ask you, you know, what you guys are doing here? What are you filming? I was explaining to her, you know, visit Anaheim or the official marketing organization, a drive visitation into the city, and we're really looking to tell some of these untold stories to people that are coming far and wide to the destination. And she started to kind of get a little emotional. And she goes, I have to tell you that the owner of Don Churros, his father was from the same town that I grew up in in Mexico and started making churros in that in my hometown. So, long story short, I moved to Anaheim and found Don Churros, and it was like kind of the comforts of home. And she's like, it's just this so meaningful to see that you all are capturing something of the Disney and story. And it was one of those moments of like really validating some of the storytelling and places of business that we have to offer to the visitors that are coming to the city. So just a really fun story, and they're and their touros are amazing.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

So it's interesting that you talk about that because I grew up outside of Orlando, and every time people would come to visit, they're like, let's go to Disney. I'm like, but there's so much more.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

Yeah, totally. Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

So that's awesome that you guys are doing that.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

It's it's those authentic experiences that I think that we have found people are looking for when they're traveling.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

Yeah, because there's always something fun to do. Like Disney's great, and don't get me wrong, we're definitely gonna go while we're there. But there's something to be said about visiting a new place and finding something new, and especially like going outside of your comfort zone and making a rule of not eating at a chain restaurant or like visiting a place that you haven't been to before. So that's exciting.

Andrew 6:05

Scott, when we're traveling to different conferences, going to new cities that we've never been to before. I would always love to have something like this where I could listen to a podcast and say, okay, here are some of the things that I want to make sure and this is authentic Anaheim, and you've you've already mentioned so much. But if I were coming in and you know, I want to experience this conference to its fullest, but I also want to get out and I want to be able to walk around and just see the spaces. Maybe they don't have to be the torchy things. What would some of those things be that you're like, look, this isn't within walking distance, or make sure you go to this spot or see this area? What would be some of the things that you might say rattle off the top of your head? You know, it's kind of just general areas that I might want to go to or walk to or go see while I'm there.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

Yeah, totally. So, you know, I think it goes without almost without saying that you've got to go and walk the streets of Catella, that whole resort district. Our streets are lined with beautiful palm trees during the day. There's there's the shade to it, you get that Southern California vibe. You can walk through downtown Disney, do some shopping, obviously grab a bite to eat there. Like those are kind of again, maybe like those iconic areas that people come to expect for Anaheim. I think as you kind of start to meander around the city, you get into the packing district, you get into like that center city promenade and going and experiencing the packing house, international food hall with just an incredible history. That's where citrus is really being packed up and shipped throughout the country way back in the day. So there's a hist a historical element to it. You've got museo, which is a really interesting museum that from time to time will have different exhibits talking about the lowrider culture. One of our partners, Alvarex Coffee, their owners, Lillard and Amy. Amy's family is one of the oldest coffee roasters in Anaheim, and they're doing different coffee tastings uh inside of the museum. So some really rich cultural experiences that you can have there, but then not to be outdone, right? Like you still have the Honda Center that's right there to go and experience a ducks game. You go over to Angel Stadium and be able to go and experience professional baseball. So, you know, I think that when you look at just the experiences that Anaheim has to offer, you do have this world-class attraction, everything that that has to offer, the safety, the security of the resort district. But then you kind of have that counterbalance where in 10 minutes you can get to the other side of the city and go and experience some of these really rich cultural experiences. You know, we talk about our rooftop bar scene, our brewery scene. There's just some really, really neat hidden gems, you know. And then Garden Grove is a really small city that's just pushed right up against Anaheim. You've got places like cottage industry, steel craft, also have these like really local, very culturally rich restaurants and businesses that I think just kind of rounds out the destination.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

At Visit Anaheim, we talk a lot about just like how do we get people to stay one more night? How do we get people to understand, like set up your base camp in Anaheim, but like you could be on a ski slope in two hours, right? Like you could go up to Big Bear and go ski at the same time, then you go in the opposite direction and you go boating for the day. So, not very many places, if any, in the world that I think bring that value prop to the table from a regional perspective that we're able to kind of highlight in Anaheim as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

That's fantastic. How is transportation? So, what is there's there public transport? How do people get around? Should they Uber, not Uber? Like what kinds of things should people do for transportation?

SPEAKER_00 9:26

Great question. Throughout the resort district, the resort district is extremely walkable, right? So, like the hotel campus that's in and around the convention center, it depends on where you're trying to get to, right? But extremely walkable and very, very safe and secure as a result of just having those types of attractions nearby. Ride share, there are buses that the hotels have available to them, right? Our shuttles that Disney also has, depending on where you're staying and what you're trying to accomplish. Ride shares are always an option for people that are probably the path of least resistance.

Andrew 9:54

You know what I really appreciate with what you share, Scott, is it sounds like Anaheim is a space where you can find whatever it is you're looking for. If you're looking for hustle and bustle, you can find that. If you're looking for a quiet spot that's easily accessible, that there's really, it sounds like something for everyone in this space. And if you come in with I think a sense of adventure, some curiosity, and either a plan or an idea of what you want to do, you should be able to navigate to something that would fit within kind of your parameters in some capacity. Is that an accurate summary of Anaheim?

SPEAKER_00 10:31

Yeah, Andrew, I think you hit the nail on the head, right? Like I think there is such an opportunity for people who are coming here for business, for conferences, to be able to understand that this can be that respite. This can be your kind of oasis to really put on your creative thinking hat, to network, to be able to have the spaces to do so that are both elevated and sophisticated, fit that audience perfectly. And then in the same vein, and this is a big piece, like we really envision Anaheim as being the world's ultimate playground. When we talk about playgrounds, we're talking about for kids and for adults.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

That's awesome. What's Knottsbury Farm?

SPEAKER_00 11:08

Uh so Knottsbury Farm is over, it's in it's technically in Buena Park. Um, it's a very, very family-friendly focused theme park. So think of like the type of theme park that I grew up in Pittsburgh. And there's a there's a great amusement park called Kennywood that I grew up with in Pittsburgh. And Kennywood was very yeah, like it has a nostalgia to it. Knotttsbury is incredible. It has all of the Snoopy characters and the peanuts characters are a part of part of the vibe there. There's some incredible rides. They do the Boysenberry Festival. There's just some really interesting events that pop up throughout the course of the year, but it's another attraction. It's yet another reason for families to kind of explore and extend that lane to stay as a park that has a very different feel than Disney does.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

I'm looking at your calendar events, and on Saturday, the 18th, when people are gonna be maybe in town or getting ready to leave town, you have Seven Seas Food Festival.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

Yeah, it's close by. But you know, Patrice, one thing to call out if you're on our website, we launched this AI trip planning tool, which you can probably see right on the home screen of the page.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

I was gonna ask you about that.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

So we work with an AI company called Mind Trip. And Mind Trip is it's way more than a chat bot, as you can probably see if you're playing around with it. But what Mind Trip allows you to do is just hyper-personalize what type of experience you want to have in Anaheim. You can create itineraries, you can share those by creating an account with friends and family, and you can really put your budget in there for what you're looking to kind of spend on a food experience, on a hotel experience. Um, so the intention is for our site, like we don't want to tell you why we think you're on our site. We want you to tell us why you are on our site by asking questions of my trip and us being able to serve up the content. So that's the huge piece on just being able to have people explore before they get to Anaheim as well as while they're actually in destination as well.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

So that site's visit Anaheim.org. I know you're talking the plan your trip tab. Yeah, I just popped up. Exactly. It just popped up on like this is so cool.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

It's we're having a ton of fun. There it is.

SPEAKER_01 13:18

I'm definitely playing with it right now.

Andrew 13:23

This this has been so informative, and I I was already very excited to go to Anaheim, but now knowing what you've shared, it just adds a whole other layer to it. Scott, on behalf of our listeners, thank you so much for taking the time to share this. This is valuable information that I imagine we will be listening on their way to Anaheim and then have the chance to make these plans and get repaired so they can make the most of their experience. And I really love what you said. One more night, right? So if you're listening to this before you go there, try and plan for one more night and really make the most of your experience at Anaheim.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

Thank you. Thank you for having me and really excited to welcome all of you to Anaheim. And please let us know why you're here if there's anything that we can do to make your visit to our destination that much more memorable. We're we're totally here for it.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

Oh my goodness, I'm so excited. I'm so excited to go now.

Andrew 14:15

And for our listeners, and for our listeners, this is the one, the episode that you want to make sure you put this into your group chat with everyone you know who's going to this conference. Put this one in there and share it with them so that everybody can make the most of their experience in the internet.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Thank you guys.