Adventure Park Insider
We hope you enjoy these three complimentary articles from API.
Park 360: CLIMB Works Keana Farms Settling Down for a Long Winter’s Nap Spooky Sells If you like what you read, scan the QR code to subscribe at a discount, just for ACCT members.
A look at the common themes and wisdom found in Adventure Park Insider’s ongoing park profile series, Park 360. PARK 360 DEBRIEF BY BEE LACY
What’s an adventure experience without a good debrief? Since its inception, API has profiled a wide va - riety of adventure operations within its pages as part of the ongoing Park 360 series. The passion, dedication, and enthusiasm for the aerial adven - ture industry shines brightly within the profiles, which examine parks far and wide with varied offerings and program delivery. What follows here is a debrief of the common themes and wisdom found throughout some of those more recent profiles. EXPAND YOUR AUDIENCE Too often, operators overlook key consumer groups when creating pro- gramming and offerings. For example, a large percentage of us in the aerial adventure industry connect with the adventure- and adrenaline-seekers participating in our activities. But we sometimes neglect those individuals who may not share that same level of experience or penchant for risk. This tendency can lead to construction of a park that is, as Go Ape CEO Vernon West put it, in “Go Ape Goes West” (Fall, 2021), “half built,” with gaps that exclude guests who are nervous, young, or have limited abilities. There are different ways to fill those gaps, but the more people that can play at your operation—more, as in, different ages, abilities, interests, etc.; not necessarily more volume of people—the more fun that can be had, and the better your business will be. So, take the time to look at your offer - ings and ask the question: Who are we leaving out? Family-friendly. Offering programs, elements, and activities that are unique and accessible to a wide variety of par- ticipants and guests is a way to increase demand. Consider Upla (“The Hoopla for Upla,” Fall, 2022), an adventure park lo -
BY APRIL DARROW
Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp serves children and adults with disabilities, an audience that is often excluded from aerial adventure activities.
cated in the suburbs of Montreal, which has found early success with a low-skill, family-friendly attraction—a multi-level, brightly-colored network of netted tram- polines, tunnels, slides, and ramps. The netted network creates multifunctional spaces that allow for a self-guided, per- sonalized experience for a wide variety of individuals. The attraction’s striking visual impact and the open-ended invita- tion to bounce around encourage adults and kids alike to jump in and play. Accessibility. The gaps in access to aerial adventures are especially large for folks who have disabilities. “Adapting for Your Audience” (Winter, 2023), looks at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp in north - west Oregon, which began focusing on serving those with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the 1950s. The camp’s mission to empower those with disabilities through equitable access to the outdoors and recreation has led to opportunities for these oft-excluded participants to experience personal growth and, of course, have fun.
As MHKC executive director Dave Mc - Donald explained, the activities attend - ees take part in at camp are “the experi - ence of a lifetime” for most campers. While not achievable for some sites, accessibility is worth the time and effort to address in operations. The impact of equitable access to adventure activities on individuals, families, friends, etc., is truly life changing. Not to mention that, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly one in four American adults live with a disabil- ity (mobility, cognition, hearing, vision, etc.)—a huge potential market. Expanding our audience in responsible and appropriate ways will only help us grow as an industry; it should be a pri - ority for any operation looking to have a real impact in the adventure world.
LET GUESTS DRIVE BUSINESS DECISIONS
When your guests tell you what they want, listen. Guests will often provide
PARK 360 DEBRIEF
your park longer. Consider Xcaret in Cancun, Mexico (“The Cancun Colos - sus,” Summer, 2022). Xcaret’s adven - ture parks are unusual in that they are all-inclusive, which means food and non-alcoholic beverages are part of the package. Nonetheless, having food and beverage outlets helps create other revenue-generating opportuni- ties, such as alcohol, souvenir, or other incidental purchases. Also, having multiple waystations in one park allows Xcaret to spread out the crowds and keep guests enter- tained between activities. Happier guests who have access to what they want hang out longer, resulting in bet- ter performing operations.
feedback, ask about specific goods, request services, or inquire about other activities. Generally, these questions start with “do you have…?” This infor- mation can tell you a lot about what people want and how they are willing to spend their hard-earned money. Track common requests and look for ways to address them. Ancillary products. Go Ape managed to quadruple its ancillary earnings by simply observing customers’ wants and needs. “We’re serving more previously unmet needs in terms of providing products that people find valuable as part of their experience,” said West. New merchandise options such as branded cups, buffs, and a wider range of gloves resulted in higher sales and can improve customer satisfaction. Adding ancillary products and offerings such as merchandise and F&B can also be a way to round out your offerings, disperse guests, and keep people in
Xcaret’s all-inclusive food and beverage encourages guests to stay longer and spend more on incidentals.
something.” That awakening points to an opportunity to include environmen- tal education as a part of adventure offerings, in commercial and more traditional settings alike. Even before the pandemic saw outdoor participation boom, Brian Funtleyder, co-owner of park building and manage- ment company Boundless Adventures, worked with Pringle Nature Center in Bristol, Wis., to develop a network of aerial adventure courses to supplement
NURTURE YOUR GUESTS WITH NATURE
During the pandemic, many people flocked to outdoor natural spaces to find solace and safety. As Go Ape’s West noted, “People are reconnecting with nature. They’ve probably connected to nature in a way they haven’t done for years, and I think that will awaken
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educational activities already in place at the center (“An Educational Opportuni- ty,” Winter, 2019). Why? The simple answer: because the forest is right there. “Some parks have com - pletely ignored the fact that they’re in the woods,” said Funtleyder. Not including an environmental edu - cation component is an opportunity lost. “The benefits [of an environmental education component] far outweigh the costs,” he argued. Guests appreciate the opportunity to bring more home than just a souvenir t-shirt; a long-lasting connection to the natural world, and newfound knowledge of it, can be deeply gratifying. Operators can foster such connections and should take advantage of the resources already at their disposal. CLIMB Works Keana Farms in Oahu, Hawaii, is another example of this (“Hawaii State of Mind,” p. 46). The zip tour operates on a working farm that produces more than a million pounds of produce a year on Oahu’s famous North Shore. As part of the zip tour
experience, guests eat fresh farm offer - ings like cherry tomatoes, bananas, and macadamia nuts, learn about the farm’s operation, and explore Hawaiian cul - ture and history through informational plaques and guide-led education. The programming is impactful: “Peo- ple might come out looking for an adrenaline rush, but they leave with a better understanding of and respect for Hawaii and its rich history,” said CLIMB Works owner Nick Thompson. MAKE IT EASY AND RECOGNIZABLE We’ve all been there: You’re interested in purchasing something online but aren’t 100 percent sold. You reconsider, and never complete the transaction. Conversion. Those incomplete trans- actions are reflected in an operator’s conversion rates (the percentage of the total number of visits to a website that result in a purchase). When West found Go Ape’s conversion rates were below the desired percentage, his team investigated the cause. They discovered that a recent software change had led
to a “high-friction e-commerce customer booking experience.” It had become harder for guests to book an experience. Activities at Pringle Nature Center focus on providing a way for people to connect with the natural world.
To fix it, the team moved the most important items “above the fold” on the
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PARK 360 DEBRIEF
website, were intentional in their use of colors and graphics, and reduced the booking process by a step, leading to fewer dropouts from the process. Put simply: Making the booking process quick and easy means guests are more likely to actually go through with it. Branding and name recognition are also important factors when it comes to conversion. The Trekking Group CMO Jean-François Couture invented the word “Upla” for the Quebec-based park to strengthen its brand value. “I invented the word while seeking a playful, meaningful, simple, and catchy brand name,” he explained. The Upla trademark joins The Trekking Group’s other Quebec-based properties under the umbrella brand name Arbraska, another invented moniker of Couture’s. Made-up words, called “arbitrary marks,” have the highest brand value due to their strong trademark protections and
Upla is the playful, catchy brand name for a new netted attraction in Quebec.
evocative nature. The lesson: If you want guests to remember you, create innova- tive, easy to remember, and fun brand- ing to stand out from the crowd. COMMUNITY IS KEY While business may be the bottom line, community relationships are also a cornerstone of long-term success. Investments that benefit the environ - mental, cultural, and economic stability
of communities hit the trifecta in terms of responsible and impactful practices.
Zip World of North Wales, and The Wilds of southeast Ohio, are two operations that have made the reclamation of used and abused mining lands central to their mission (“Mining for Adventure,” Summer, 2020). Projects involving land restoration, a focus on locally sourced materials, and employment opportuni-
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ties for otherwise deprived communi- ties have created a web of support from the surrounding populations. The Wilds vice president Dr. Jan Ramer said building a park on reclaimed coal- mined land was a costly endeavor, but the positive economic impact has been tremendous for neighboring commu- nities. The Wilds contributes nearly $15 million to the regional economy, according to a study conducted by Ohio State University. Zip World, built on old mining grounds in North Wales, has had an even greater impact on its surrounding communities and economy, bringing in $325 million over a five-year period. “Our towns and villages are quite de- prived post-agricultural and industrial communities,” said Sean Taylor, found- er and CEO of Zip World. “We employ 450 staff at the busiest time. We have a headquarters in Llanrwst. Our supply chain—fences, equipment, harnesses, and trolleys—consists mostly of goods that are all made locally. It’s fairly re -
The reclamation of old mining lands in North Wales was key to Zip World’s vision.
warding to be in a position to do that.”
Lessons to be learned. In short, there’s a lot to be learned from the Park 360 profiles, even when the profile might be quite different from your own opera - tion. The profiles illustrate how other operators have defined and fulfilled their mission, and can spark ideas that help you refine or expand your own goals. Innovation is hard; let your peers provide a starting point.
Not only is it rewarding to run a busi - ness with a positive impact, guests also appreciate the opportunity to be champions for a cause. A global survey by management consultancy firm Accenture found that 60 percent of consumers were making more envi- ronmentally friendly, sustainable, and ethical purchases.
SETTLING DOWN FOR A LONG WINTER’S NAP
There are many considerations—and many benefits—to properly closing your park after the season ends.
BY DON STOCK President, ZipStream Aerial Adventure Parks
It’s 7:15 p.m., and the last guest of the season—brow damp with sweat, Cheshire Cat grin across her face— exits the final zip. The long aerial adventure season is finally over, and the thought of checking out and enjoying the off-season feels awfully good after the hectic pace and long days of the previous few months. The temptation is strong to simply lock the doors and head for the hills. However, before settling in for that long winter’s nap, it’s wise to invest the extra time needed to close operations in a way that sets the stage for a successful (read: less stressful and less expensive) opening in spring. Thinking ahead now can save a lot of money and heartache later. I can say this with such confidence because—just like licking a frozen flag - pole—we’ve learned the hard way. After seven years of operating a commercial aerial adventure park, we’ve learned a great deal about how to avoid leaving our taste buds on the frozen steel. As with most things, having a plan is a great help. We’ve found that the items needing attention when closing up for the season fall into seven distinct areas, which are relatively universal for most operations.
Gear can get grimy and worn after a long season of use, so closely inspect and wash each peice before storing it for winter. Credit: Misty Mountain
>> continued
SETTLING DOWN
1. THE COURSE This is the star of the show for our busi- nesses. In most instances, the course is the primary reason people show up and give us money. And all courses take a beating during a busy season. Chances are, lots of small issues accumulate over the course of a summer (frayed element ropes, worn wooden compo- nents, etc.). Due to the pace of high season, those items generally get put on the “fix it when we get time” list. This is one of the easiest places to start in preparing for closing. • List all needed repairs. Regardless of whether you do your own repairs or have a vendor that makes repairs for you, no work can really begin without a thorough list of items that need attention. • Do a walkthrough. Many of those items should be noted on the daily inspection reports that (hopefully!) your qualified personnel execute prior
Course elements take a beating. Do a thorough walkthrough of the course shortly after closing and create a list of all needed repairs so work can be scheduled in a timely fashion. Credit: Adirondack Extreme.
to opening every day. However, it’s hard to beat a thorough end-of-season walkthrough to note all the little things that need to be addressed, as well as the more critical structural and arboreal issues that may have developed.
a list, ensure that the qualified entity that is designated to make the repairs has an adequate window of time to get the work done. Putting off the walk - through—and even the repairs—until early spring, when the entire industry gets busy, will likely cause unnecessary stress. This is especially true if you rely
• Schedule the repairs. Once you have
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helmets, lanyards, as well as zip trolleys, carabiners, and belay connectors on a commercial tour—takes its share of abuse. With thousands of hands and bodies coming into contact with it through the course of the season, each piece can get pretty grimy and worn. • Clean and wash. At the end of the season we typically wash all of our soft goods according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, and then let them dry thoroughly prior to storing them. • Inspect and repair. Everything also gets a close inspection. Any units that need attention (i.e. elastic keeper straps that need mending, etc.) get set aside for repair or for further inspection by a qualified person if there is damage or wear beyond simple cosmetics. • Take inventory. Through this process we also do inventory, so that we know how many pieces of gear will need to be replaced. This gives us budget data leading into the following season, and also gives us time to order and pay for
gear before the end of the year, which may have positive tax implications.
• Recertify equipment now. In addition, some items on your course, such as auto belays and some zip line braking components, may require periodic recertification, which necessitates removal, shipment, and reinstallation prior to use in the next season. Waiting until spring when EVERYONE is scram- bling to get courses ready for opening is the worst time to get on a company’s recertification schedule. If you won’t be operating your course for several months, take the units down, send them in for recertification, and then keep them stored over winter to be reinstalled after your annual preseason professional inspection. You’ll avoid the spring rush and have the added benefit of saving your units several months of exposure to the elements.
• Store securely. One thing to keep in mind when storing gear over the winter is—like us humans—mice and other furry friends seek shelter from the harsh weather conditions. Appar- ently, nylon is a spectacular material for making cozy nests. Therefore, when storing items such as harnesses, ropes, and lanyards, make sure potential nest builders cannot touch them. If harness- es and other items hang, keep them well off the floor. And don’t fool yourself with the illusion that storing said items in a standard snap-lid plastic bin is the solution. It’s not. Ask me how I know. 3. STAFF GEAR AND EQUIPMENT Like participant gear, staff gear needs a thorough inspection, cleaning, evalua- tion, and documentation at the end of the season.
2. PARTICIPANT GEAR AND EQUIPMENT Participant gear—including harnesses,
• Documentation. Really? Yep. Staff gear inspections need to be logged on
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an ongoing basis to be compliant with OSHA requirements. SETTLING DOWN • Stay current with OSHA. OSHA com- pliance for your course is a subject for a different article, but it’s something that operators should invest the time and resources to learn about. If it’s not something that you’ve historically understood or paid attention to, the end of the season is the perfect time to
staff than to start a new season with the same old only-kinda-working equip- ment that they limped to the finish line with last season. Check it out, make a list, and get the stuff fixed or replaced while it’s fresh in everyone’s mind. • Buy and act on extended warranties. Here’s some free advice you’ll thank me for if you heed it: if you purchase elec- tronics online, always get the Square Trade or whatever item replacement program that’s offered. Why? Because even if you put the tablets used for check-in or online waivers in those cool, rugged, rubber cases—heck, even military spec armor—some little minion will still find a way to bounce it off his little sister’s head and crack the screen. If you have the protection, just send the tablet back for a new one. Mischief, managed. 5. FACILITIES • Clean and inspect. Places where people gather on a daily basis will need some attention, such as check-in areas, gear-up areas, demonstration areas, ticketing and merchandise areas, guide break rooms, etc. They normally endure wear, tear, and a general accumulation of “stuff” through the course of a busy season. All will benefit from a general cleaning and de-cluttering. • Clear out the area. Make one last call for the items in the lost and found, and then either chuck the stuff in the circular file, donate it, or offer it up to the highest bidder. Whatever the case, get rid of the junk at the end of the sea- son and get all the spaces—especially indoor spaces—tidied up so a mess isn’t waiting for you in March. • Itemize and make repairs. Any big structural or cosmetic issues with buildings, grounds, and infrastructure should also be noted and addressed. If you don’t own the property, but lease or license space on someone else’s facility, they will need detailed infor- mation and lead time in order to make repairs before next season. So, if you want that annoying roof leak in the gear room fixed prior to the inevitable April showers, best let the landlord know in November.
board the compliance train.
4. OFFICE EQUIPMENT • General cleanup and inspection. While you’re neck deep in cleaning and throwing things out, inspect radios, tablets, charger cords, computers, paper printers, credit card scanners, receipt printers, cash drawers, etc. All need to be assessed, fixed, and possibly replaced before the next season starts. Nothing is more annoying to a returning
>> continued
SETTLING DOWN
SK
6. PERSONNEL • Take stock. Staffing for the following season is a commonly overlooked consideration while in the process of closing up. However, this is a critical time to take stock of how many ex- perienced staff will be returning and how many newbies you’ll have to drum up in the month prior to opening next spring. • Evaluations and reviews. Typically, we use this time to do staff evaluations for those who have served the entire season, and discuss their intent to return the following year. We also discuss promotions or pay raises if it’s appropriate to the situation. Some companies have incentive programs that pay bonuses at the end of the season, so this is a great oppor- tunity to have those conversations and maybe even have an end-of-season party. • Engage staff in the shut-down process. If you’ve already taken care of evaluations and incentives, keep your best staff around for an extra week anyway and engage them to help with the process of closing up properly. It’s a good way to not only lighten the load on management, but also build rapport and get some valuable feedback from them about the season. • Schedule spring job fairs and postings. While you’re think- ing about staffing for next year, be sure to put an event on your calendar for at least six weeks ahead of opening that reminds you to post your job listings so you’re not scrambling to assemble potential staff for training. ZipRecruiter.com is a great site that has borne a lot of fruit for us. (Ed. note: consider the classifieds at adventureparkinsider.com, too.) 7. PR, MARKETING, MERCHANDISING • Evaluate PR/marketing spend and effectiveness. Your marketing should be something that you keep track of and make necessary adjustments to throughout the summer, but at the end of the season you can add it all up. Review your PR/marketing spend and evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and what makes the most sense for the following season. If you don’t already have a system that quantifies the success of your marketing efforts, establishing such a system should be at the top of your winter to-do list. • Inventory, order promotional items. Do a thorough inven- tory of leftover logo items and other merchandise to see what sold, what didn’t, and determine purchasing needs for the upcoming season. If you do this early enough and have time to make the merchandise order before the end of the year, you can stock up for next year on this year’s taxes. In the end, it’s really all about resisting the strong (and well- earned) temptation to just close the door and run when the busy season is over. By finding the energy and focus to cross everything off your list before turning the lights out, you’ll make the opening process in spring so much easier. And that extra peace of mind will make your long winter’s nap a whole lot sweeter.
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SELLS SPOOKY
There are many ways to make a park frightfully fun for Halloween.
BY BOB CURLEY
Ffear Fforest is an immersive haunted carnival- themed event at Zip World’s Betws-y-Coed park in Wales.
I n a business built on thrills and chills, it’s not shocking to learn that some adventure parks are making a killing with Halloween-themed events. Demand for Hallow- een-themed fun is incredibly high, and aerial adventure operations are ideal venues to provide a unique, memorable experience. Operators take a variety of approaches to amp up the freight factor come fall, from hiring scare actors and installing animatronics to using darkness as the primary attraction. Efforts range from big budget to low budget, and from super scary to kid-friendly. The reasons operators have launched a Halloween event or theme, and how they got started, vary, too. Regardless of the approach, though, or why or how it came to be for certain operators, all agree that it’s well worth doing.
Darkness is the scariest element
of the Zombie Zips at Mountain Ridge Adventure, N.Y.
continuous belay systems allow guests to fully immerse themselves in the Halloween experience. “They know they don’t have to worry about their own safety,” she says, adding that the scare actors “lend unexpected twists and turns throughout.”
successful, she says, but the Hallow- een-themed nights—begun in 2020— usually sell out. There are plenty of variations on this approach. At Take Flight Aerial Adven- ture Park in Kittery, Maine, Zombie Zip “walkers” guide guests through the park’s six-station zip line course in the weeks leading up to Halloween. Likewise, the Halloween Tree Top Tour at Empower Adventures in Middleburg, Va., is the usual tour augmented with glow sticks, music, and—during the day—a Pumpkin Drop where guests aim gourds at targets as they zip line above. The Creepy Glow program at The Adventure Park at Storrs in Connecticut and the HallowGlow Glow Nights at Michigan’s TreeRunner Adventure Parks closely parallel the parks’ usual glow night events, further demonstrating that Halloween events needn’t be built from the ground up.
A NATURAL FIT
“Adventure parks can be intimidating; it’s not every day that the average person is zip lining through forests and over rivers or dangling over suspended obstacles,” says Chrissy Very, senior regional site manager at Go Ape, which runs “Frights at Height” at various park locations each fall. “What can feel ‘scary’ on its own organically lends itself to Halloween events.” Go Ape’s Halloween program evolved out of a non-themed evening program launched in 2015. “We had incredible demand for daytime activities, and didn’t want to end the fun just because the sun went down,” explains Very. “Plus, experiencing a ropes course at night feels entirely different than the same course during the day. It seemed a natural path from invigorating night- time zip lining to increasing the ‘scare’ factor and aligning with our audience’s want of haunted attractions in October. Halloween has a mass following.” Go Ape adds actors and animatronics to its regular Treetop Journey course, along with Halloween lighting and décor.
SIMPLE ADJUSTMENTS
Many parks take simpler, less elaborate steps at Halloween. Existing programs as well as extant attractions can be re-themed for the holiday, according to Colleen Tyler, assistant general man- ager at The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring, Md. The park’s long-running “Glow in the Park,” which offers evening visitors an opportunity to zip line and clamber the ropes course amid neon lights, is adapt- ed and enhanced for “Halloween Glow in the Park” with scary music and decor as well as costumed staff. A costume contest and candy handouts encourage guests to dress up for the event. Halloween Glow in the Park is held on the Friday and Saturday nights closest to Halloween—although not on Oct. 31 itself. “It’s hard to get people to come out on the day of Halloween,” explains Tyler. The regular Glow in the Park events held throughout the year are
FILLING A VOID
The UK’s Zip World, which operates seven adventure parks in Wales and England, got into the Halloween game when it saw the opportunity to offer something special. It launched the haunted carnival-themed “Ffear Fforest” event in 2018 at its Betws-y-Coed
Very says that the security of the parks’
Go Ape adds actors and décor to
various park locations for “Frights
at Height” each fall.
Simply scary. Parks don’t need to make a huge upfront investment to stoke the spook, according to Michael Cellini, co-owner of Mountain Ridge Adventure in upstate New York, who says darkness has proven to be the scariest element of his park’s Halloween experience. “When people get out of their cars, all they see is a path of tea lights leading into the dark,” he says. Once on the trail, the only navigation is via a “bloody line”—pink masonry tape strung on both sides of the three-foot-wide path through the woods to the top of the zip line course. Zombie guides lead groups of 12 guests every 20 minutes, ensuring an eerie silence to go along with the lack of light. After seven years of hosting its Zombie Zips at Mountain Ridge Adventure, Cel- lini says he’s learned that dim lighting also mitigates the need to go overboard with detailed décor. “Our first year, I was pulling teeth out of animal carcasses to display, but people walked right past them,” he says. Go all out. Go Ape’s Very, however, feels the key to a successful Halloween event is to “go all out,” she says. “The out- doors—and frequently, indoor parks—
location, and added a “Monsters of the Mine” version at a second park in 2022.
largely on how ambitious their Hallow- een plans are. Adjusting an existing glow event is pretty seamless, whereas Go Ape’s more elaborate events have more of an operations impact. Scaled back. Bahman Azarm, founder and CEO of Outdoor Venture Group, which operates The Adventure Park at Storrs and five other locations, describes the experience on offer as “more of a Halloween theme than a Halloween event,” focusing primarily on decor rather than added attractions. It’s an approach that has evolved since the company launched its first Halloween nights at its former West Bloomfield, Mich., park in the mid-2010s. “We hired a designer and staff and bought animatronics to create a walk- through experience on the ground, mostly aimed at kids under age 12,” Azarm recalls. “It worked out well, but it took a lot of time to set up and a lot of manpower to run.” More simplified Halloween-themed nights seem to work equally well at get- ting people to come to the parks during times where they otherwise might not, he says. Like Storrs’ regular glow nights, the Halloween offering typically sells out.
“There was no one doing large-scale, im- mersive Halloween events in the area, and we knew we had a special location that is super creepy in the night,” says Zip World brand manager Wesley Earl. “We felt that adding some theatrics and characters would really draw people in, because it was more authentic than what other people were offering.” Zip World incorporates several attrac- tions into Ffear Fforest. The ropes course becomes “The Nets”, for example, infest- ed with killer clowns who also roam the park’s mountain coaster and grounds. “There isn’t a set path; you could en- counter a character at any point,” says Earl. “This enables us to create a really immersive and personal experience that’s different for everyone.”
BIG OR SMALL PRODUCTION?
Animatronics and actors, or tea lights and scary music? Different operators take dif - ferent approaches, and all seem to work.
Operationally, the amount of adjust- ments parks need to make depends
are immense. You get out what you put in, and to make it truly immersive, bring in all the figurative bells and whistles. Lights, actors, décor—get creative.” Of course, the additional hours and pro- duction of a nighttime operation calls for additional safety considerations. “Our days extend into the evenings, and our staff stay later,” says Very. “We typically shut down for an hour or two between our daytime and night activities to test all equipment and shift gears. We provide light throughout the course and high-traffic areas, and our staff have reflective vests and light sources, as well. We hire scare actors to ensure we are delivering a high-quality experience to our guests. Additional training is provided to staff to ensure they are equipped to manage safety in a darker environment.”
these woods, and the only means of escape is to jump on this scary steel cable,” he says. “It’s more of a ‘Blair Witch Project’ vibe than a haunted house or hayride, with the occasional screams from the zip line off in the distance,” says Cellini. The zip lining itself is done in near-total darkness, adding another layer of “fun scary” to the experience, notes Cellini. “Guests have no idea how high they are or how far they are going,” he says.
een-themed Glow in the Park events are the same price as our standard Glow in the Park.” Marketing boost. Even without yielding up, though, it’s still well worth the effort. A unique event like a Halloween experience can make a splash in the marketplace and raise awareness of an operation generally. “The Halloween theme drives press coverage and awareness, which gives us some earned media boost and drives volume during the Halloween sea- son,” says Fisher. “It also gives people a reason for an additional visit if they have already come out to the park, and is something fun to talk about in our marketing communications and social media. The key is starting the promo- tion of Halloween events right after Labor Day.” “From a marketing perspective, a lot of people learn about us because of Zom- bie Zips,” says Cellini. Follow a plan. Regardless of what Hal- loween theme you choose, Zip World’s Earl advises park operators to “have a clear direction you want to take the experience.” “Even if budget doesn’t allow you to ful- fill the production you dream up, don’t let it hold you back,” he says. “Do what you can with the budget you have, don’t overspend, get as much content as you can, and then invest back into the event next year. Focus on repeat business, and give people a reason to come back.”
THE PAYOFF
Things like extra staff, costumes, scary statues, lighting, and hay bales cost mon- ey, of course. Mountain Ridge Adventure charges a small premium for Zombie Zips: $59 last year, compared to the usu- al $54 admission fee. And whereas the park’s normal pass allows for multiple zip line rides over a two-hour period, the Zombie Zips ticket only allows for a sin- gle time through the experience, which typically takes about 1.5 hours. “It typically sells out; it’s profitable, but not as much as our daytime experi- ence,” says Cellini. “But it’s fun to do and is kind of an end-of-year party for us.” Other parks just absorb any extra costs and keep ticket prices the same for Hal- loween as for normal operations. “We have Halloween decor as part of our normal operation during this period, but we don’t charge any premium on tickets,” says Candie Fisher, president of Outdoor Venture Group. “Our Hallow-
RAISING THE FEAR FACTOR
Halloween glow events tend to be family friendly, but some operators get serious about being scary. Mountain Ridge Adventure, for exam- ple, warns up front about its Zombie Zips: “Intended for mature audiences. This is not your Disney-esque horror. This is the real deal and will scare the **** out of you.” Guests follow a half- mile, bone-strewn “terror trail” through the dark to the park’s 10-station zip line, with costumed “zombies” acting as guides and zip line attendants as well as providing scares along the trail. Tell a scary story. Storytelling can be just as important as special effects in creating an immersive Halloween ad- venture park program. Zip World’s Ffear Fforest, for example, harkens to the mysterious disappearance of a group of carnival guests: “Legend says that each Halloween, Mr. Wallace comes back to town, and lures unsuspecting guests to the Fforest to attend his cursed carnival, but very few make it back out,” accord- ing to the attraction’s website. At Zombie Zips, guests are told they need to follow the trail to a tower to escape the horde of ravenous undead, says Cellini. As the story goes, “Back in the ’70s, 18 people went missing in
Getting ready to play the part of zombie guide on the 10-station zip line at Mountain Ridge Adventure.
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