An open letter to Mr. Matt Oiumet

[PREMiERdrum]

Mr. Ouimet,

To begin, I can say with great certainty that the news our your hiring at Cedar Fair was a surprising, and welcome, sign of change to those of us is the fan community. While I was very much aware of the wonderful improvements you were able to make during your time in Anaheim, I never would have guessed you would be tapped to come to Sandusky. It was encouraging to see such a bold move by the board; Perhaps an indication that they recognize the current trajectory of the company isn't sustainable, and certainly not in the best long-term interest of the shareholders. You likely already know this, but you've got your work cut out for you.

Many of us have watched as a company once known for stellar guest experience and organic, conservative growth became overwhelmed by dramatic over-expansion and a general lack of focus. The parks we loved were stripped of their character in the name of "progress", as new, gigantic, more "marketable" steel scream machines were built ever taller, faster, and more extreme. We've watched as details and effects were allowed to fall by the wayside, ultimately feeling like we were the only ones who noticed their absence. Perhaps most damaging, though, is what we've seen happen to the guest experience. It seems that, year after year, food prices increase as quality decreases, an obvious relic of an antiquated business model. The perception of value wasn't just lost, it was obliterated in a hurricane of overpriced and under-appetizing burgers, pizzas, and cotton candy. I encourage you, once you're settled in Sandusky, to take a walk through the Cedar Point parking lot at mealtime. You won't just see a handful of people picnicking out of their cars, in my recent experience it's been dozens and dozens of families eating cold sandwiches and chips in the parking lot.

All this doom-and-gloom isn't to say that there haven't been any highlights recently. The $.25 Cotton Candy promotion of 2006 was a wonderful idea, that appeared to be quite popular with park guests. Did it directly contribute much to the bottom line? Of course not. What it did, however, was exponentially improve the guests perceived value. It gave them a good story to tell, and perhaps made them feel more comfortable coughing up $8.00 for a microwaved hamburger. The post-"Coaster Wars" ride installations have shown a great deal of creativity, although unfortunately we've already lost some of the recently-installed effects (Maverick's launch tunnel comes to mind). More recently, we've seen some very positive news coming from Kings Island, though it appears as though this is a park-level effort instead of a directive from the corporate office. They've returned Backlot Stunt Coaster's effects to working order, restored and even upgraded the theatrical lighting in the queue for Flight of Fear, and added some props and placemaking to the aircraft carrier-themed Flight Deck.

The problem, however, comes with consistency. Kings Island's restored Backlot Stunt Coaster is still countered by its 2 more neglected counterparts in Virginia and Canada. Any goodwill bought with the $.25 cotton candy has long ago been tossed aside by several years of atrocious in-park goods values. The smart relocation of Ocean Motion is easily offset by the stupid relocation of Demon Drop.

With all this in mind, there's a few things I think we would all love to see happen:

1. Don't take the guest for granted, even once they're through the gate. Cedar Fair still seems to be operating under the antiquated "lose money on the front end, make it up on the back end" business model. If you protect the integrity of your ticket pricing, you won't need to make up gobs of cash at every hotdog stand, midway game, and parking booth. How do you get guest to pay more to get in? That brings us to...

2. Offer the guest something worth paying for. Disney's success isn't built on $50Million mountains or state-of-the-art Audio Animatronics. What they get right more than anybody in the industry is in the details. From the time you pull up to the toll both to the time you leave the lot, you are truly treated like a guest. They know you could spend your hard-earned money anywhere, but you chose to spend it there. In all my trips to parks around the country, I always felt "appreciated" at the Disney parks. And finally...

3. Expect Excellence in Everything. Mediocre isn't going to cut it. "Good enough" isn't truly good enough. I know first hand that there is still incredible talent left within the company, clearly evidenced by some of the recent projects. What needs to change, however, is a corporate culture that is more focused on politics and "attaboys" than delivering a superb, unique experience to each and every guest. There's obviously some systemic issue that is acting as a roadblock to continued excellence. Tear that roadblock down and let people do what they've been hired to do.

We've seen the incredible things you've been able to accomplish in your career thus far, even against some stiff odds. Please know that the fans of this once industry leading company are behind you, and anxiously await the wonderful things we're sure are coming down the road.

[calakapepe]

With Backlot Stunt track in mind... does no one miss the water cannons that used to blast up? Or the "water splash"?

I know I miss that a lot. And the fog entering the tunnel.

Althought I AM really pleased with the effect used for the bullets. Paramount should've done that when it opened, but I really miss the fire followed up by a sudden attack of water bursting up.

[CedarPointer]

I would be more upset if I got wet on a ride I didn't expect to get wet on. And, I think the water was actually damaging the track (check out the old splashdown track). I really like the new bullet effects but I would like them more if the time they were on was shorter. It doesn't look as much like a flash the way they have it now. But it (along with FoF, Crypt, and most of the new stuff this year) is certainly a step in the right direction.

[calakapepe]

Indeed. You think perhaps haunt could be vamped up aswell??

EDIT: No pun intended

[RingMaster]

Indeed. You think perhaps haunt could be vamped up aswell??

EDIT: No pun intended

That's what I'm hoping for this year with all the attention that's been paid to detail around the park. Although with his background being the president of a theme park that doesn't have a Halloween event as mature or graphic as the Halloween Haunt franchise, there may be a chance they could get toned down a bit to the level that Cedar Point's Halloweekends is (at least KI's needs to).

[bkroz]

According to those here who know much more than I, we may never see the return of fog / mist / fountains on many of the rides at Kings Island due to the damage that the moisture can cause. As was mentioned, look at Backlot's splashdown (which, I think, was more due to the gigantic bubbling water pumps underneath it than the slight spray out the sides - Kings Dominion's has the splash without the pumps operating, so that is possible). Tomb Raider: The Ride was evidently ravaged by the fog and water in that room. Same with the track on Adventure Express.

It's a shame though... Look at Diamondback. It's clear that when the steel is properly sealed and treated, even prolonged, forceful water exposure can have minimal effects.

And while I hate to nitpick at the additions on Backlot Stunt Coaster, I have to agree. The helicopter used to fire one round, stop, and then fire a second (since originally, the first round burst the gas pipes and the second round lit that gas on fire). Now, it fires for 25 seconds nonstop, and the red flashes go off at random but repeat that same random pattern about a dozen times. I wish they'd at least go off in order front to back, to make it look like the helicopter is actually aiming well... And if the water effects could be returned, I'd die of happiness... It was a nice, spritzy, misty way to cool off on a hot day AND was a great surprise effect. But those are the things that you have to be a real heel to complain about after having gotten some nice themeing detail. Hahah.

GYK, appreciative and increasingly hopeful.

[BoddaH1994]

I agree with many of your points, but you've got to remember that as far as "perceived value" is concerned, the cotton candy was quite the opposite.

Let me give you some quick examples of perceived value:

"A hamburger is for $8 while a side of fries is for $4, so $10 for the combo is a really good deal."

or

"The lowest quality of tire goes 30,000 miles, the silver level of tire goes 50,000 miles, and the gold level of tire goes 100,000 miles. The gold level of tire is too expensive, so I think I'll go with the silver." (assuming the person would typically buy the cheapest tire)

Let's use a Cedar Fair example from a few years back:

"I can visit Kings Island all year with the Gold Pass for $100, or I can visit all of the Cedar Fair parks with a Maxx Pass for $150, or I can go all out and get the Maxx Pass Plus for $180 and visit all of the parks and water parks. I think I'll buy the Maxx Pass." Obviously, the model didn't work out, but I think that was the intention.

So, if cotton candy was $.25, then it makes the $8 burger seem a lot more expensive.

Think of it this way:

"I can get cotton candy for $6 or I can get a burger for $8, so I might as well spend the extra $2 and get the burger."

[Diamondback FOF]

I enjoyed reading your letter and thought it was well thought-out. Just a couple proofing things to fix:

Paragraph 1: "To begin, I can say with great certainty that the news our your hiring at Cedar Fair was a surprising, and welcome, sign of change to those of us is the fan community."

-Change "our" to "of"

-Change "welcome" to "welcomed"

-"is" to "in"

Paragraph 2: "You won't just see a handful of people picnicking out of their cars, in my recent experience it's been dozens and dozens of families eating cold sandwiches and chips in the parking lot."

-After "cars" change the comma to a semi-colon

Paragraph 4: "The smart relocation of Ocean Motion is easily offset by the stupid relocation of Demon Drop."

-I know the word "stupid" creates a contrast with "smart" that you're trying to create but I'd take it out. I think the word "stupid" seems kinda child-ish in what is a nice, business-type letter.

*My comments are not meant to be nipicky, just helpful. Also, I think what I said is correct....I could be wrong