Hungry for an attraction with BITE? Halloween Horror Nights has something to sink your teeth into!
By Brian Szaks
There once was a time when theme and amusement parks only needed one concept to produce fun, bring in Guests, and raise their financial “bottom line.” But then came the idea of holiday celebrations, and the “lid flew off the casket”…so to speak.
Parks nationwide were starting their own holiday celebrations, ranging from independently owned parks to larger chains such as Cedar Fair, Six Flags, and even Disney. Each attempted to offer something that the other does not, by targeting different demographics such as age groups and locations.
One of the more popular celebrations, Halloween, has turned into a battle be- tween parks to see who can outdo not just each other, but themselves, year after year, attempting to keep the scare “fresh.” This year, on October 1st, Universal Orlando kicked off its own brand of scare-fest, Halloween Horror Nights (HHN), to the locals. Back for its fourteenth year in a row, the event was held in both parks, dubbing itself as “Twice the Size, Twice the Fear” (curiously, however, it is only in half of each park). The kickoff was a media event disguised as a show called The Moment in Time, taking place at the end of Port of Entry, or Port of Evil. “It’s a great way to kick off the event,” says Susie Storey, Public Relations Senior Representative for Universal Orlando. “It makes a really unique way of showing off the ‘What’s Your Breaking Point?’ marketing method.”
Fun at first bite
One of the key elements of any Halloween event is mazes or houses. Universal boasted seven new houses this year and four major “Scare Zones,” two of which were means to get from one park to another and attempt to mask backstage areas. The number may continue to grow if attendance demands. Updating scares and adding houses is an essential aspect in keeping interest alive in your Guests and their desire to return.
In the past, Universal has featured mas- cots and themes for the event. This year’s theme was “What’s your breaking point?” Although it was sans mascot, a few of the previous years’ mascots could be found in a maze entitled “Horror Nights Nightmares.” Changing themes and mascots can help tie together the entire event, build excitement, and create a tool that your marketing department can spotlight all over town.
Shows are also necessary to help attract a wider range of individuals to the event. Universal presents its own stage show entitled “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure.” No celebrity is left out when it comes to this parody of pop culture. The show is a must see tradition for any HHN regular.
HHN also brought back its popular Festi- val of the Dead Parade. Tossing out beads in a Mardi Gras-style fashion, elaborately themed floats wind their way around the Universal Studios portion of the event. Other parks showcase parades as well, including Six Flags Magic Mountain, who has the Parade of the Living Dead. This processional is the park’s way to kick off Fright Fest every night by showing their characters as they “commute to work.”
Getting your “Mummies” worth
While parks have the ability to build permanent structures and rides, Halloween mazes are generally temporary, but some- times require just as much planning and cost. Adding operations, security, characters, and extra food and beverage employees, parks can sometimes have quite a large bill to pay.
For smaller parks and attractions, these numbers can really make or break the event. According to a 1998 survey of haunted attractions in conjunction with Haunt- ed America, Inc. and Haunted Attraction Magazine, the total amount of revenue for the sample of 98 attractions was $4.2 million dollars, or $42,000 per attraction, whereas its mean or average operation cost was at or slightly below this amount for some. Not very promising.
A large portion of cost goes towards employees. Whether they are employed to scare in the houses, sell food or drink, or act as security, they all factor into a complex budget. Alone, Universal Orlando has some 600 “scareactors” for their event. This number does not include the Security that is present in each house as well as the operations personnel that oversee the flow through each house.
So where can extra revenue be made? Tickets are one option. Unlike Six Flags parks, Universal and Disney have turned their versions into “Hard Ticket Events” that require a separate admission ticket from the day pass that guests may have already bought. The parks usually close one hour before the Halloween event starts so all day Guests can be cleared from the park. Although there is an upgrade option at Universal called the “Stay and Scream” ticket, it still costs guests $30.75 (plus tax) in addition to the regular gate admission.
On top of the hard ticket, there are also additional upgrades such as the Halloween Horror Nights Express (a version of the daytime Universal Express program, though this one is not free) as well as VIP tours (which include “priority” admission to the houses and “preferred” seats for the Bill and Ted show).
Still looking for ways for your park or at- traction to make extra profit? Utilize the themes and characters that make your event a marketing dream. Icons, taglines, and haunted house names are all great sellers when it comes to merchandise. What gift shop would be complete without an “I survived X haunted house” t-shirt?
Desire even more profit? Take a page from Universal’s moneymaking handbook. The parks also have added numerous beverage carts, food stands, and in the past had fortunetellers and extra midway games. No area is left without enticing park Guests to spend more.
Targeting the Fright
Vampires know exactly where to strike, and so should you. Marketing your event early enough to build up excitement is key to any great kickoff. “This year, we rolled out the information in June, trying to get [out] information. We were very excited about the big news of being in two parks!” says Storey. To ensure that everyone knew about this big venture, Universal utilized every type of media available including radio, television, and billboards. By throwing the kickoff media event, and producing The Moment in Time, the company also was able to receive news stories and magazine articles, which is the best kind of advertising-free!
On Universal’s elaborate website, teaser ads were placed and updated constantly ensuring that Guests would check back periodically to learn more about the event and build excitement. There were also options to allow for advance purchases and information about where to find discounts (a cross promotion was used with Burger King restaurants).
While the icon of this year (a distorted head) was plastered all over Orlando, Universal’s marketing department went all the way to the state border to ensure that Florida residents, and even some in Georgia, were aware of this year’s event. “This is really the Florida ‘drive’ market we go after,” adds Storey. “We do have people that come from all over the country, but it is mostly [instate] and surrounding areas.”
Storey also adds that utilizing Public Relations, Entertainment, and Operations is key to a successful event. Having synergy throughout your departments can ensure a smooth event from start to finish. Each department has a different purpose but their goals are all the same – success for the company and fun for the Guests.
Although Universal mostly targets teens and young adults, your park can ensure more turnstile clicks by widening its haunt- ed offerings to all ages. The Magic Kingdom (Disney) and SeaWorld (Busch Entertainment) offer events aimed specifically at families with younger children. Candy stations, playful ghosts, and fun games are created all over the parks to ensure less trick and more treat for the young ones.
Offering Halloween activities all day long may also be another key to broadening your demographics. Some parks, like those in the Six Flags chain, operate their haunt- fests during the daylight as well, and have special kid-zones for the younger ghouls.
It really does not matter whether your operation is a haunted house, FEC, theme park, or large resort. It takes time, brain- storming, and pride to turn any good idea into a Halloween event success and keep the scare fresh. Remember, it is one thing to frighten a Guest and another to make them want to experience it again and again.
The moment in time
Universal’s premiere of Halloween Horror Nights begins with The Moment In Time, a short presentation designed to introduce Guests and the media to the theme behind the year’s events. InPark Magazine spoke to Susie Storey, of Universal Orlando, about the festivities.
InPark: At what point in the development of HHN and The Moment in Time is Public Relations involved?
Susie Storey: HHN is definitely an entertainment event, and they start as soon as the previous year’s event closes. They look at the event and say “Great, now what can we do better for next year?” A few months later, task forces start meeting with members from all the departments to develop planning, marketing and operational strategies. It is definitely a team effort, but entertainment is the creative mind behind the event.
InPark: What role does secrecy play in unveiling a new event such as HHN?
Susie:We don’t really use secrecy a lot in the event. This year, we were excited about the big news of using both parks for HHN and rolled out information in June, earlier than normal.
InPark: How do you approach this kind of premiere, versus an attraction premiere, such as The Mummy?
Susie:This year, we took the approach of HHN as we did the opening of the Mum- my. It was the biggest thing we had done, and it was amazing. We had so much success with The Mummy that we took that same approach with the early release for HHN.
