Orion-XL200 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Saw this on Facebook this morning....that's normally Coasterstock weekend. Guess it's no more. Many thoughts on this....what are your thoughts? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion742 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 1 hour ago, Orion-XL200 said: Saw this on Facebook this morning....that's normally Coasterstock weekend. Guess it's no more. Many thoughts on this....what are your thoughts? I received a message from ACE about it this morning. If it makes the event more exclusive I’m all for it. This could be great or terrible we’ll have to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Could they just be having the conference the same weekend as Coasterstock as a separate event? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiian Coasters 325 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Update from Great Ohio Coaster Club on Facebook: Per Chad Showalter at Kings Island - Coasterstock will return in 2025. This year there will be some opportunities for coaster club members to attend behind the scenes tours,, early ride times, and other perks that will be announced by the park at a later date. https://www.facebook.com/greatohiocc 2 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 I really hoped Chad was going to pick up the reigns in 2024 and show the critics that the department has (not only the GP, but enthusiasts as well) wrong. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion-XL200 Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 I highly doubt that this is anything other than an ego thing. When the event has a pretty clear blueprint and is pretty standard each year, how could it be a timing issue? Tickets went on sale generally in February for the weekend before Memorial Day. People believing it’s a timing issue are hilarious… Does anyone really believe that even if it couldn’t happen on the weekend before Memorial Day the park had no other weekends that could have hosted the event? How can they host ACE Spring Conference with a likely similar/copy of itinerary of Coasterstock that weekend if timing is an issue? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2024/january/coasterstock-2024-update?fbclid=IwAR1bN3w8QPUKjZysxSuV6YKIThx--gt6PLrO35YgS0AVnNfkQWPwdODCUXg Official notice. Kings Island is dedicated to offering a unique coaster event every year for coaster club members to take part in. In 2024, the park will celebrate our longstanding relationship with American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) by hosting its Spring Conference from May 17-19. More information will be released about this event and ticket purchasing in the coming weeks on the ACE website. Due to the timing, we will not have Coasterstock in 2024, but we are looking forward to its return in 2025. Throughout the 2024 season, Kings Island will host a series of coaster club opportunities, and we will be in touch with those clubs and past Coasterstock participants before the season begins with more details. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JubJester Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 They just simply didn't want to have it. That "excuse" shows it in my opinion. Pretty much knew they were skipping it since last summer. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastfan11 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Noasterstock 2024! So, who actually thinks the event will happen in 2025? The park doesn’t owe anyone anything, but this comes across as a slap in the face to many. It could’ve been a perfect opportunity to make a kind gesture to the enthusiast community that could’ve done wonders to repair the strained relationship between this/other communities. Event aside, I’m just knocked out by the complete display of incompetence from Cha… er, The “Kings Island Team.” I work in a similar role/field and the type content and actions displayed would probably get me fired. Just a bad look, dude. KI has the ability to do much better. And I know they will. I love the place and hate to be so aggressively negative especially after they’ve done so much, so well the last few seasons. Pretty disappointing. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoan Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 I was actually thinking of taking one of my kids this year too, I guess that derails that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 I think some of you give Chad too much credit in his role and responsibility with the park LOL. I am sure he is not the final go/no go decision on Coasterstock. If the GM or corp wanted it, they are doing it despite his objections. He can either be on board and participate or be shown the door. Everyone knows Coasterstock was Don's "baby", but was the coordination of the event the duty of the area manager, digital marketing position (which is not Chad's role) or was the responsibility given to Don the person due to his recognition in the industry? And if it was given to Don the person and not the position, then what position within KI would take it over when Don the person left? Did anyone complaining apply for the open position when it was posted? Many have put the park in a tough situation. If they decided to not have Coasterstock, what would happen is what we are seeing now with folks saying that the current staff isn't competent and can't put on the event. If they held Coasterstock and put on the best event ever and due to the upcoming merger brought in the actors that played the roles in the DC Universe and we all got to personally sit next to Gal Gadot/Wonder Woman and Superman for a ride people and they brought Beyoncé in for a private concert many would still say the event sucks because Don isn't working for the park and didn't host the event.... If you were the park GM and saw the enthusiasts community bad mouthing EVERY move the park makes, would you be willing to want to invest and put the time in to hold an event for them that is clear they wouldn't be happy regardless? Based on podcasts and appearances Don has made at several events, it appears many take the loss of Don working at KI harder than Don himself.... Unfortunately, Don leaving KI is one of those events that some people are never going to get over and will badmouth everything the park does moving forward. Don't get me wrong, constructive criticism for the park we love is fine as we all want more out of the park and know there is always room for improvement, but there are also many that believe this bashing has gone on long enough and it is no longer constructive criticism but rather personal attacks for the people left to fill Don's shoes. And really, how many enthusiasts events does a park really need to host in a year? If Don were still at the park and ACE did their thing and Coasterstock did their thing, people would probably complain the events were too similar. I thought in one of the podcasts Don said the reason for doing Coasterstock was to eliminate multiple enthusiasts events and just have one big one. These events are a lot of hard work behind the scenes and maybe Don wouldn't have wanted to put both on in one season if he were still at the park? If you are going to attend the ACE event with a pre-meditated mindset of not enjoying it and nitpicking every little aspect of it, maybe you shouldn't attend the event and let people that are going to enjoy the event have that opportunity to attend...it is hard to believe, but there are people that don't know who Don is and would attend the event and have a wonderful time... 7 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 44 minutes ago, disco2000 said: If you are going to attend the ACE event with a pre-meditated mindset of not enjoying it and nitpicking every little aspect of it, maybe you shouldn't attend the event and let people that are going to enjoy the event have that opportunity to attend...it is hard to believe, but there are people that don't know who Don is and would attend the event and have a wonderful time... Some think Don owned the park (figuratively). For many enthusiasts, he was the face of the park. I think most would agree that he authored Coasterstock and it wouldn't be the same without him. I didn't think it would continue this year but I decided not to go if it did. Sometimes it's good to walk away and reevaluate later. I do plan to go to the ACE event pending work request is given. But the event and Coasterstock are not the same thing. People would be foolish to go in with the mentality of nitpicking. I've only gone to one ACE regional event at Kentucky Kingdom (I know, I know, I'm a bad ACEr) but they seem to have top notch events. I think this takes alot of the pressure off of KI to plan and execute an event, placing it on ACE, and giving them a breather. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastfan11 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 2 hours ago, disco2000 said: Did anyone complaining apply for the open position when it was posted? Anyone in the marketing industry who is familiar with the content they have recently produced would have no desire to apply for the position. Like the Camp Snoopy construction update “video” from the last day or so. Ha. If you have a lackluster dinner at a restaurant and you have legitimate complaints about the experience, should we expect you to apply to be the new head chef? Such a tremendously flawed argument that’s thrown around too much. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 8 minutes ago, beastfan11 said: Anyone in the marketing industry who is familiar with the content they have recently produced would have no desire to apply for the position. Like the Camp Snoopy construction update “video” from the last day or so. Ha. If you have a lackluster dinner at a restaurant and you have legitimate complaints about the experience, should we expect you to apply to be the new head chef? Such a tremendously flawed argument that’s thrown around too much. The difference is people with a lackluster dinner experience are not claiming to be chefs, yet many here complaining about the park PR claim to be in marketing... If people are that passionate about the park and think they can do a better job and produce better content, apply... sometimes that tremendously flawed argument is a valid argument...as an example, it is the very reason why many people enter politics because they are fed up with the direction it is going. I know many people passionate about a company and sought out a job there because they felt they had the credentials and ability to do a better job than the person they replaced. Maybe those in the position are that bad at their job, or maybe they are simply doing what they are being told, or maybe their bosses don't have a clue how to PR/market and have handcuffed the creativity of those in those positions. Or maybe it is a little of it all. At the end of the day an employee (regardless of industry) has to keep their boss happy and meet the job performance metrics assigned to them to keep said job. Obviously we don't know what metrics the staff is being evaluated against or what criteria they used to hire the opening that was filled, but someone developed those performance metrics and criteria for filling that position. Maybe the anger should be directed towards the higher paygrades and not the messenger (in this instance the PR Team)... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JubJester Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 4 hours ago, disco2000 said: Did anyone complaining apply for the open position when it was posted? You can't have criticism, and if you do you can't talk because you didn't apply for the job? I'll make sure to apply next time and let you know. Didn't have the credentials to do it when the job was opened. I'll also make sure to apply for the GM job as well so I can complain that the trash can locations are not to my liking. Is be suprised if Coasterstock next year happens, and to what others have said.... Are there no other operating days? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonofBaconator Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 5 hours ago, disco2000 said: Did anyone complaining apply for the open position when it was posted? So in order to have an opinion and criticize someone, you have to have applied for their position in the past?…. By that logic, I can’t criticize a Bengals wide receiver for dropping a pass because I never tried out for the team. I can’t make a complaint about a meal I ordered at a restaurant because I’m not the chef. I can’t criticize a politician because I never ran for office. I could go on. Maybe if you want people to not criticize you, don’t do things that would warrant criticism. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdf21972 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 I can see the headlines next year, saying that due to non-interest in the event as no one has talked about it in a year, we have made the decision to cancel the CoasterStock event. We will be looking into other events in the future and thank you for your support of this event these last few years. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 20 hours ago, disco2000 said: The difference is people with a lackluster dinner experience are not claiming to be chefs, yet many here complaining about the park PR claim to be in marketing... If people are that passionate about the park and think they can do a better job and produce better content, apply... sometimes that tremendously flawed argument is a valid argument...as an example, it is the very reason why many people enter politics because they are fed up with the direction it is going. I know many people passionate about a company and sought out a job there because they felt they had the credentials and ability to do a better job than the person they replaced. Maybe those in the position are that bad at their job, or maybe they are simply doing what they are being told, or maybe their bosses don't have a clue how to PR/market and have handcuffed the creativity of those in those positions. Or maybe it is a little of it all. At the end of the day an employee (regardless of industry) has to keep their boss happy and meet the job performance metrics assigned to them to keep said job. Obviously we don't know what metrics the staff is being evaluated against or what criteria they used to hire the opening that was filled, but someone developed those performance metrics and criteria for filling that position. Maybe the anger should be directed towards the higher paygrades and not the messenger (in this instance the PR Team)... Guarantee that if you had the perfect candidate they still would have picked who they did. Why do I know this? Because the person they picked didn’t nearly meet the requirements listed on the job posting. No disrespect to person who got it. But let’s be honest - the person who was picked was chosen because they aren’t a threat to the decision maker. Probably part of the reason why the position was open in the first place. So no - “if you don’t like what’s going on then you should have applied” is not an argument that holds water. 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr0y Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 On 1/13/2024 at 4:37 PM, Orion-XL200 said: I highly doubt that this is anything other than an ego thing. When the event has a pretty clear blueprint and is pretty standard each year, how could it be a timing issue? Tickets went on sale generally in February for the weekend before Memorial Day. People believing it’s a timing issue are hilarious… Does anyone really believe that even if it couldn’t happen on the weekend before Memorial Day the park had no other weekends that could have hosted the event? How can they host ACE Spring Conference with a likely similar/copy of itinerary of Coasterstock that weekend if timing is an issue? If I’m not mistaken Coasterstock was originally supposed to make its debut in 2014 but was delayed to 2015 because ACE was hosting its spring conference at the park for 2014. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion-XL200 Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 Just now, Tr0y said: If I’m not mistaken Coasterstock was originally supposed to make its debut in 2014 but was delayed to 2015 because ACE was hosting its spring conference at the park for 2014. That I'm not sure....even if that were the case, it's been the same time frame since the beginning of the event during each event. Timing is a really sad excuse IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 I'm sure the park has their reasons for doing the ACE conference and not Coasterstock. I sincerely doubt Chad is the only person involved in that decision (or the one who has the final say on which events happen). Keep in mind that a large three-day enthusiast event like this takes a lot of planning and coordination between the various departments. It's entirely possible the park just decided it wasn't feasible to hold two large enthusiast events so close together. Take the time to find other events to attend with the various clubs (GOCC hasn't announced any 2024 events yet and Coaster Crew only has one listed on their website), visit a new park that weekend or even join ACE and hit the spring conference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion-XL200 Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 1 minute ago, Oldiesmann said: I'm sure the park has their reasons for doing the ACE conference and not Coasterstock. I sincerely doubt Chad is the only person involved in that decision (or the one who has the final say on which events happen). Keep in mind that a large three-day enthusiast event like this takes a lot of planning and coordination between the various departments. It's entirely possible the park just decided it wasn't feasible to hold two large enthusiast events so close together. He actually has a lot of say with it. When Don was forced out by Chad, the responsibilities of the department went to him. It's more about the "timing" being used as the reasoning on my end. Why couldn't ACE utilize another date or why couldn't Coasterstock be held on a different date? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 I stand by what I said. Whether you want to believe it or not is up to you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gforce1994 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 The timing is perfect because it’s the 40th anniversary of the first major enthusiast event in park history - AcCE Spring Conference. That year heralded the opening of King Cobra: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenban Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 The ACE spring conference just like all ACE events moves around, the dates are determined by the park who hosts based on availability to host the event not ACE. I imagine the park jumped at the chance to host the event and decided they did not want to host two events in the spring and just used the dates for Coasterstock. I would have made the same decision. Trying to host two events, plus the opening for Camp Snoopy is a lot to cram into a short period, cancelling Coasterstock is honestly the logical choice. For years the park has used the excuse of Coasterstock for why they do not work with coaster clubs to hold events at the park. I am more interested in seeing if they do smaller events for other clubs like GOCC, or just ignore them all this year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 50 minutes ago, Kenban said: For years the park has used the excuse of Coasterstock for why they do not work with coaster clubs to hold events at the park. I am more interested in seeing if they do smaller events for other clubs like GOCC, or just ignore them all this year. I might be misinterpreting your wording. I don't think it was an excuse. Don has publicly said, at Coasterstock, that he designed the event so relationships can be made, outside of your own club. Logistically, it may help to combine into one group instead of several groups during the season, but I don't see that as an excuse. Three of my coaster friends I made at Coasterstock are traveling buddies nine years later and they are from different clubs. ( Coasterstock was my first event, I just got into coasters as a hobby the year before Coasterstock began). I'm glad for the ACE event and hope I get off work to be able to attend. But I doubt ACE said " host us that weekend or we walk!" The park could have hosted another event later in the year for ACE and kept Coasterstock. I'd imagine ace does quite a bit of the legwork, and let's face it, the tickets seem to be quite a bit more than Coasterstock. I'd guess the park gets a good portion of each portion as ace is non profit. So, not having to plan an event as in depth and making more money seems a no brainer to me. But then again, none of my guesses could be accurate. Only the organizers and park people know everything. And I'm fine with that. I think the less I know of what happens in the holy of holies , the better off it am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenban Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 21 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said: I might be misinterpreting your wording. I don't think it was an excuse. Don has publicly said, at Coasterstock, that he designed the event so relationships can be made, outside of your own club. Which might even be true. I am not even considering comments made publicly by the park or its employees. This is purely from discussions with representatives of coaster clubs that I have had at events, and with friends who include regional representatives for a coaster club. What I have been told is that it’s common for the different clubs to try to reach out to the park annually, which at the time the conversations occurred, was essentially Don, and they were shot down every time. The answer was always either no, or a requirement to have a huge minimum attendance that essentially no club could reach. The park did not want to do smaller regional events. Part of the argument I was told was that club members are already welcome to come for Coasterstock so there is no real need for another event. These conversations are mostly from several years ago at this point. Realistically I can’t even blame the park even if it’s completely true. It’s a lot of work to put on an event, especially if a club can only get 50-100 people to attend. The clubs all want their own little private events because that’s one of the best ways to justify their existence. In the parks announcement it claims “Throughout the 2024 season, Kings Island will host a series of coaster club opportunities, and we will be in touch with those clubs and past Coasterstock participants before the season begins with more details.” Having smaller events throughout the year could actually be a good thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 38 minutes ago, Kenban said: Which might even be true. I am not even considering comments made publicly by the park or its employees. This is purely from discussions with representatives of coaster clubs that I have had at events, and with friends who include regional representatives for a coaster club. What I have been told is that it’s common for the different clubs to try to reach out to the park annually, which at the time the conversations occurred, was essentially Don, and they were shot down every time. The answer was always either no, or a requirement to have a huge minimum attendance that essentially no club could reach. The park did not want to do smaller regional events. Part of the argument I was told was that club members are already welcome to come for Coasterstock so there is no real need for another event. These conversations are mostly from several years ago at this point. Realistically I can’t even blame the park even if it’s completely true. It’s a lot of work to put on an event, especially if a club can only get 50-100 people to attend. The clubs all want their own little private events because that’s one of the best ways to justify their existence. In the parks announcement it claims “Throughout the 2024 season, Kings Island will host a series of coaster club opportunities, and we will be in touch with those clubs and past Coasterstock participants before the season begins with more details.” Having smaller events throughout the year could actually be a good thing. Several clubs have done events during the Coasterstock era. Specifically, I know GOCC and TPR have been there. People who wanted to do events had the opportunity; however, they had to work with Group Sales to hammer out the details. The main reason why individual clubs didn't do as many events is likely that they couldn't guarantee the numbers since people aren't going to travel twice to the same park twice in one year - especially if they are coming from far away. Everyone who has said that putting on these events is a big effort is absolutely correct. It's also a big drain on resources. As opposed to ACE, GOCC, Coaster Crew, TPR, KIC, etc all requesting events with some being told 'no' because of the limitation on resources, the idea was to have one big event that everyone can enjoy. Cedar Point plays their hand in a similar way with their event. I attended the first two Coasterstock events. Once tickets became hard to come by, I stopped going because I had done most of the activities and knew most of the speakers. I'm sure that I would have had a great time, but I feel good about my decision to relinquish my spot to someone who may be experiencing all of this for the first time. The years that I went I had a great time! I also made friends at Coasterstock that I will always value. It's being said that it'll be back in 2025, and for the sake of those who truly love the event each year, I hope they do... but I still have my doubts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonHelbig Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 55 minutes ago, Kenban said: What I have been told is that it’s common for the different clubs to try to reach out to the park annually, which at the time the conversations occurred, was essentially Don, and they were shot down every time. The answer was always either no, or a requirement to have a huge minimum attendance that essentially no club could reach. The park did not want to do smaller regional events. 100 percent inaccurate! 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenban Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 26 minutes ago, DonHelbig said: 100 percent inaccurate! All I can say is what I was told, and I will fully admit this is mostly from a few years ago, maybe I am remembering some details wrong. The thing is I have heard this from multiple people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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