I will be in Philadelphia next week, covering Roy's briefing and the shareholder meeting for MousePlanet. While I have no idea whether or not I'll have the opportunity to ask questions at either meeting, I'm planning to be prepared.

In that vein, if YOU had the chance to ask a question at Roy's briefing or at the shareholder meeting (before questions are quickly cut off), what would it be? Remember, the question should not allow much room to wiggle out of answering it, especially for the annual meeting since they'll be in circle-the-wagons mode.

Ok, I don't have a specific question for you.

But what I would do is pull up all the articles over the past year about Disney's failings. Statistics, numbers. Hard facts that can't be glossed over with "everything's ok".

I'd bring up what Eisner said at Larry King Live and say "how can he say such and such and such is doing fine when I have the facts here to say that they aren't?"

Ask this:
"Why can't I be Cinderella in the Parade?"

OK, a serious one:
"Is there a possibility that Disney can split the company into two separate entities -- one consisting of the networks while the other consisits of the traditional Disney business? Wouldn't then selling the network entity to the highest bidder be in the best interests of shareholders while retaining long-term brand recognition in the core entity?"

Ooh, GOOD ONE, sediment! :)

Although they'd just say "no, it's in our best interest to hold on to our assets at this time, because I said so."

"When DCA opened in 2001, you blamed its dismal numbers on the effect 9/11 had on tourism. Attendance proceeded to worsen, and has recently only crawled back to its opening year numbers, yet now you claim that the park is doing well - exactly when in the past 3 years did "dismal" opening numbers in the year following 9/11 become good numbers in a year so far removed from the incident, and why?"

or "How do you justify claiming these numbers are good when they were considered bad only 3 years ago, especially now that you don't have 9/11 as an explanation for them?"

"And how do you explain DCA's poor showing prior to 9/11?"

Originally posted by sediment
"And how do you explain DCA's poor showing prior to 9/11?" "You've been spending too much time on the Internet." -- Michael Eisner

how does selling $3 tiggers at wal-mart improve brand value (i don't want to say value, but i can't think of the right word)? if creative quality is so high, why has disney resorted to selling direct to video sequels while it's feature films have done so poorly recently?

How about...

Are you willing to reinstated positions in the theme parks that were once considered essential to the guest experience but which were done away with for the sake of cost cutting once the profit margin is high enough? What about similar positions which were one considered essential to the creative processes throughout the Walt Disney Company? Or will you continue to "experiment" and have "test periods" sporadicly removing positions and then back pedaling when the system breaks down looking for every possible corner to cut as your employee moral continues its ever quickening downward spiral?

Originally posted by Andrew
"You've been spending too much time on the Internet." -- Michael Eisner
That's what he'd say, and he would be right. And he wouldn't be answering my question. That's a trifecta, so it's a poor question.

I think it would be interesting to have the opportunity to ask a question at either meeting as there are a lot of things that I wonder about the strategies on both sides. Certainly, the biggest trick would be to come up with questions that are open-ended enough to avoid "yes/no" responses as well as specific enough to make it somewhat difficult to provide a non-specific answer.

I think that the biggest weakness of the efforts by Mr. Disney and Mr. Gold so far has been the serious lack of specific solutions offered for the laundry list of problems that they have been providing. To that end, I would want to focus on trying to get them to offer some idea of how they would solve at least one of the problems that they have identified. Since it is an area that particularly interests me, I would probably choose to focus on the Disneyland expansion project, asking them to outline specific ideas for how they would have approached the project differently in order to achieve better shareholder value out of the investment.

At Disney's company meeting, I can think of a whole bunch of topics that I'd be interested in hearing the management team and board directly address. My thought here would probably be to focus more on future strategy rather than past mistakes, so I would look for a question that might give some insight into what direction management would take going forward.

I'm not certain exactly how I would phrase it, but my thought would be to focus on Disney's past reputation as a groundbreaker in various types of entertainment (animation and theme park attractions, in particular) and what resources they have in place or planned for identifying and using whatever may be the next big innovation. The main goal would be to get some insight into how Disney plans to balance the importance of R&D to the company's mission with the need to contain costs and maintain appropriate investment levels in proven businesses.

-Jeff

Originally posted by sediment
Ask this:
"Why can't I be Cinderella in the Parade?"

No! ME! I am outnumbered in my family 2-to-1 guys (husband and son) to girls (me). Me want to be Cinderella in the parade! You don't know what it's like in my house, all the "Ewwwwwwwwwww!" I get........ --harumph-- ;)

Serious question to Roy Disney and Stanley Gold: I support you in what you're doing, but genuinely curious minds want to know what you both did on the Board of Disney and working for Disney as an executive, between 1984 and November 30, 2003 and December 1, 2003 to stem the tide, turn things around, keep things "as Walt would have done them" and generally have actively avoided what is transpiring now? In other words, everything you and your website and press statements say about the Disney company and Board of Directors now, what specifically did you do, either of you, to prevent any of it from happening?

Serious question to Michael Eisner: Are you aware that you are making money bashing Catholics through the Miramax film division you run, some of their films are distorting of the Catholic faith that millions follow, and why is it necessary to the Disney bottom line to make money doing that through your Miramax motion pictures, and what do you intend to do in the immediate and long term future to stop it?

As always your mileage and opinions may vary, but that's what I'd ask if I could.

And sediment dressed as Cinderella.... I think I would pay to see that! ;)

I was hoping that Mark would ask.

Originally posted by sediment
I was hoping that Mark would ask.

Oh, OK, then Mark can ask and also wear the Cinderella tiara! Seriously, Mark, you are taking all of us with you in your mind and heart. All these posts here, the ideas and opinions posted all came from Disney fans just like you who love the legacy and want to see it preserved. Pack us gently and well into your suitcase. Safe travels, Mark! And let's get more ideas for questions for Mark to ask, see his criteria in the first post of this thread.

Some interesting ones here. I have some other interesting ones I haven't seen here yet. Keep 'em coming, folks. I'll be pulling ideas until I leave Tuesday morning on that wonderful four-plus hour drive.

Edited to add: Oh, and while I was in the Remember the Magic parade on the actual 25th anniversary of WDW's opening (what a day!), I will not be wearing the tiara. Gimme them mouse ears any day! :D