Storytelling Meets Systems: Disney Wins the 2025 Imagination Award

At Walt Disney World, magic happens behind the scenes just as much as it happens on stage or on screen. Project and asset managers deliver complex capital programs that preserve the guest experience while advancing innovation across facilities. From world-class theme parks and resorts to ride technology and infrastructure, Disney’s team handles over a thousand active projects annually—all carefully managed through PMWEB.

At the 2025 Project Empowerment Awards, Disney was honored with the Imagination Award, celebrating their unique ability to blend storytelling with technical excellence, and their use of PMWEB to empower that balance.

A Capital Portfolio Built on Storytelling and Precision

Facility Asset Management (FAM) at Walt Disney World oversees 45 square miles of property including four theme parks, two water parks, Disney Springs, over 25 resorts, a sports complex, and hundreds of behind-the-scenes facilities. Projects span:

• Ride maintenance, refurbishment, and upgrades (e.g., steam trains, themed rides)
• Infrastructure and utility enhancements to support guest services and operations
• Construction and renovation of resort accommodations and cast support spaces
• Integration of accessibility improvements (e.g., wheelchair access for century-old rides)
• Engineering solutions that merge legacy systems with modern technologies

From preserving Walt’s beloved steam locomotives to reimagining guest access to classic attractions, every initiative combines creative vision with technical discipline.

What Project Empowerment Looks Like and Why It Matters

Disney’s success is measured not just in project completion, but in guest delight and operational consistency. With PMWEB, their teams have established:

• A single system of record for managing over 1,000 projects annually
• Standardized cost and forecasting workflows across departments
• Real-time financial synchronization through robotic process automation (RPA), reducing errors and accelerating approvals
• Greater control over capital project schedules tied to show integrity and park operations
• Seamless delivery of complex projects that minimize ride downtime and maximize guest experience

PMWEB allows teams to plan, forecast, and execute with the confidence that systems will support the creative outcomes guests expect—and that timing, cost, and story remain in sync.

Strategic Objectives Behind the Partnership

Disney’s use of PMWEB is guided by key strategic goals:

• Preserve the guest experience by reducing downtime during high-impact refurbishments
• Enable operational transparency across finance, construction, and engineering
• Ensure accessibility, inclusion, and safety in every project
• Support creative storytelling through technical solutions that enhance, not constrain, the narrative
• Advance innovation in project forecasting, financial automation, and lifecycle planning

Two standout initiatives—automated RPA integration with SAP and a deep overhaul of their project cash flow forecasting—demonstrated how technical complexity can be managed without compromising creative quality.

Celebrating the Imagination Award

Walt Disney Attractions Technology earned the Imagination Award for elevating project delivery to an art form. Their pioneering use of PMWEB across automation, forecasting, scheduling, and storytelling represents the kind of innovation the award was created to honor.

At Disney, imagination doesn’t replace discipline, it empowers it. And with PMWEB, they continue to reimagine what’s possible, one project at a time.