BoddaH1994

Clearly Matt Ouinet.

CHAOS becomes Alien Abyss. Trivia on the bandstand Scare Zone: Abandoned in Rivertown https://www.visitkingsisland.com/entertainment

It won the Golden Ticket for “Best New Ride.” I do agree that some built up the shed in their own heads and were disappointed; however, I think the GTA alone demonstrates that people walked away from the ride and/or experience overwhelmingly positively. I think if the, “What’s in the shed?” campaign was damaging then they wouldn’t have won.

(not the best photo) Looks like this lot got a new sponsor, including new signage.

Some have demonstrated that it’s not terribly important. I’m just following the industry trends.

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I don’t think so. He’s been trying to move on since stepping down as CEO. He probably wants to do his own thing, either joining a different board or opening his own business.

Stepping down for personal reasons, according to the article. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230901895746/en/Cedar-Fair-Announces-Departure-of-Matt-Ouimet-from-Board-of-Directors

Why hmmm?

There was actually a hinge on the exit side of the support structure. I remember for years hearing that the ride was designed to be able to be dismantled without destroying the building. I guess we found that to be true.

https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/local-news/holiday-world-announces-halloween-in-the-sky-drone-show/amp/

…and what’s your famous line?

Can you tell us more, like if anyone new was inducted into the HOF?

Right, but I didn’t really have seasonal events in mind, which seem to stick around longer. See also, many Winterfest shows. I guess you could make the same argument for Carnivale as you would with the Nick Parade. 2005/6 was such an odd year, though, since it was the CBS split. Then there was the acquisition. I have to admit that I forgot that Endless Summer ran for three seasons. Great show, but three years of it… that seemed a bit taxing. If ever there was a year where there’d be another third season, it’s 2024.

Plus… the BAF isn’t a benefit to you. It’s a benefit to someone else. You have a pass!

I’ve always been torn about this. This got the promotion that they wanted to get out of it, so from a marketing/PR standpoint it was very successful. My concern is that they tell hundreds of angry parents and disappointed kids each day that they can’t ride the various rides because they’re too short. This is done in the name of safety. Demonstrating that an 18” plush that doesn’t have the correct body mass can safely ride could really throw gas on the fire of those confrontations.

So they added Monday and Tuesday? I’m just asking because I had a few people ask me. I wanted to make sure people knew because it’s an odd quirk in the schedule to have the waterpark closed when the park is daily.

Perhaps they are using their BAF, which I think includes VIP access. Online sentiment isn’t a perfect indicator, but I’ve seen a lot of people just doing one person in their family as Prestige for the parking, which I would agree makes sense. Aside from the bait-and-switch stuff that has been discussed at length, I’m wondering where people see the value in it. We would eat in the VIP Lounge often, but that was more of a, “we paid for it, might as well use it” thing. The line skips were nice, but after about the first month, we stopped even getting them. We often gave them away. Online people are hiding them and telling people to find them. It was tempting at first, but I bet a lot of the Prestige-type people are more like me than they are the typical guest - I don’t ride all that often anymore. KI is more like a meeting place for me and my friends. The Preferred Parking is the top spot for me, but could I justify $200 more for that? All of the other perks were just cannon fodder to me. A $50, $100 add on? Sure. A $200 add on? Eh. Now, I know people that are buying it for their own reasons. The reasons are good. One works close to the park, often goes over on his lunch, eats, and goes back to work. That makes sense. But are there thousands of those people out there like that? Time will tell.

Not sure if this was always scheduled or if this changed, but as a heads up, Soak City is closed Wednesday through Friday, August 16 - 18, 2023. See the full calendar for the most update to date details: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/calendar-and-hours

Yeah, he’ll enjoy those benefits for like two weeks before they’re quietly removed and the language is removed from the web site with no communication from the park. #Sucker Oh, wait. I was thinking of somebody else.

I think y’all are reading way too far into all of this. The performers have no idea if it’s coming back. Management probably isn’t sure either. One thing to consider, though, is that since the development cost of the show is sunk, it would probably cost much less to bring the show back than it would to develop a new one. Of course there’s always the possibility of a dark theater, recycled show, etc. I would say the chances are about 50/50 of it coming back. A third year for a show would be kind of unheard of, but these are strange days.

Right - but that's three lower capacity rides right next to each other. That actually helps with crowd disbursement. Of course this will have a long time for a while, but it should even out with time. Unfortunately, the market for kids' or family coasters is often low capacity stuff. I had heard rumors about a kids' coaster, but had heard it would be more similar to the one in Canada. I'm beyond happy with this! I hope that back section of PS gets new life. Right now it's like the Sears wing in a dead mall.

The Season Pass Group on Facebook has photos of the Winterfest floats being loaded into the shelter area.

Warm water for Winterfest, you say?

No, I totally understand your skepticism. It’s also appreciated. What you have to understand is that marketing is an art, not a science. So let me throw these question at you for context: - How much revenue does a billboard generate? - A TV spot? - A radio live read? Heck, even an internet ad campaign is VERY trackable, but flawed. Just because you didn’t click on that Kings Island banner doesn’t mean you didn’t make a purchasing decision because of the banner, or even the awareness created by the banner. Essentially, the formulas I mentioned above attach a monetary value to PR. I think that’s self-evident. For a revenue-generating analysis, it’s actually much easier to observe the difference out of market. I mean, could KI have a really good spot WGN and sell zero tickets in the Chicagoland area? Sure. But historic data reflects otherwise. I don’t think it’s fair to say that anyone doing this is justifying their role. This is a real expectation of most companies (or clients). A decent PR guy can get a reasonable story out to the locals in a snap. Those stations should be an e-mail away if your relationship is good. Stuff slightly out of market is critical: Indy, Chicago, Cleveland, etc as well as on the rim of the market: Lex, Louisville, Columbus, Huntington. These are markets that may not have the necessary ROI for a full advertising campaign, but a couple of good hits per year can sell a ton of tickets. But also, just look at what’s evident for what we see throughout the industry. When there is a BIG story (Knievel, new coaster, etc - that level) they rent a satellite truck. This allows you to broadcast live across the world. You know what those cost to rent? Well into the five figures in most cases. Why on earth would companies allow that expense if the value wasn’t proven? Why do major publicity stunts like Knievel or Knievel Jr? You honestly think the tickets they sold those day covered the cost of those events? The success or failure of those events rocked entirely on how many eyes it reached in the lead up (and that the both survived the jump, I suppose!). Don’t you think things like that would never happen if it was just about a PR guy beating his own drum? I know you are looking for a bit more of a clean-cut answer, but again - it’s an art not a science. Just remember: the more eyeballs you reach- good; the more fresh meat you reach - even better.