Changes in the market

[MickeyD]

Ugly business practice has become rife in share driven companies empowering the big decisions to their Bean counters. As a result such companies are failing to properly empathise with their consumers or it's employees. In these scenarios the Board of Directors enjoy low costs, high profits whilst the Share holders cash in on the success of their investments. As Directors and Share holders demand increased profits then continuous cut backs will have to be made. Sadly this has to affect the quality of the Product delivered as well as the employee's involved in delivering it. In the long run this is a short term business model that will see business grow fast and inevitably fall even faster In my opinion, Westfield is the best example of this kind of share driven model and certainly not an example worth following for any company seeking a strong and successful future. Village, Flight Centre Limited, Stella Resort Group & Ardent Leisure- all companies that must maintain a strong customer focus. 1-ply toilet paper, over priced food, blatant advertising, touting, cheap furnishings, poor service or mediocre Theme Park rides are hardly the kinds of things that attract business, growth and a promising future. How they could possibly think that people don't notice this astounds me

[rappa]

I see your point, hell I agree with it. But in the case of our Theme Parks people vote with their feet. The parks are enjoying some of the best attendance levels ever, so clearly the customer IS happy with the product. To be fair I feel the quality of the product that is being built/offered is on the increase, it's just the scale of the attractions that are getting smaller, if that makes sense. We're also seeing a change of focus. A park can spend say half a million on something like Halloween (not saying that is the figure, just pulling numbers from the air) and have a direct increase on revenue and attendance, an immediate return. You can do that 12 times a year and still have not spent as much as on a major attraction. If we want to see the parks capex spending change, it's the mass market audience you have to change, not the companies.

[Linus1995]

If we want to see the parks capex spending change, it's the mass market audience you have to change, not the companies.

This. Could not agree more djrappa, you are very right in saying that if the parks are seeing some of their best attendance levels and that they are pulling it in with the attractions they have now (low cost high profit) then why change? I do think that the attendance figures would be slightly boosted because of the introduction of the VIP passes and stuff.

[CruiseSF]

This is the reason why I would like to see either Universal or Disney build a park here (not saying there is going to be). It will change peoples views on what a park should be like and the current parks will have to up their game to survive.

[Reanimated35]

I'd much prefer a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park here

[Gazza]

Why? Knotts sucked. Disney doesn't. All academic anyway....None of those companies would be doing a park here any time soon.

[rappa]

Very interesting to see what the new Cedar Fair CEO does, after all he was probably the best Disneyland has seen in decades...

[Reanimated35]

Why? Knotts sucked. Disney doesn't. All academic anyway....None of those companies would be doing a park here any time soon.

I was thinking more size/budget/thrill wise, not theming. Disney has the best theming ever without a doubt but they cater more towards family over thrills. Don't get my wrong I'm not saying they don't have thrill rides, but compared to Knotts/Six they have pretty much nothing.

[Linus1995]

This might sound dumb, and I don't know THAT much about business' and whatnot, but would it at all be a profitable idea for someone like Cedar Fair or Six Flags to build a park on the Gold Coast and essentially "steal the market" from the other parks? I certainly know that if one of those companies built a bigger and better park here on the Gold Coast my VIP pass would be out the window. I can just imagine the amount of people going only to this "new" park and deserting the older ones. Again I'm not very business savvy and my conception of this might be completely wrong. Is there any possible way of this happening?

[themeparkgc]

Considering Six Flags sold a heap of their parks, filed for bankruptcy, and removed almost all licensed themeing to cut back on costs, I doubt we'd see them open a new park anywhere in the foreseeable future. As for Cedar Fair - I doubt it also.

[Linus1995]

I think we've long established that themeparkgc, sadly, but the point I was asking is that if they WERE to do it, wouldn't there be a significant profit involved?

[rappa]

It would be hard. You'd have to invest 100s of millions to build what you're talking straight up rather than over years and years. The interest on those loans would be killer and may prove the whole thing not profitable. Look at Hard Rock/Freestyle Music Park. After all the maximum they could charge would be $100 for a year long pass as that price point has been set by our current parks.

[Reanimated35]

I don't know about the general public, but I'd shell out $200/yr if they started a park with a few large coasters on open day

[mattcrombie]

Don't wanna sound rude, but can we move this talk to another page or topic. Thanks

[MacPark]

Its simple, I think all themepark enthusiasts that want to go to the parks alot would be happy to pay more money to visit parks with bigger rides and more "replay value". I think that we are not the target group. Its about tourists and big dollars who come in once a year and spend on the over priced food and see EVERYTHING in thepark and its takes most the day and they go back to the hotel happy with all the souvenirs. We just dont have that "theme park junkie" culture of the USA. I have just travlled the USA and Canada for 3 months and you see a place like Orlando and its a mecca for people like that. As much as I would love the see the Gold Coast become that we just dont have it in is to do that. Not enough tourists nor a big enugh population. As long as they are making the tourists happy and a new big ride every now and then that brings people back every few years they seem happy with that. We all want more but it honestly will never happen. Our parks are only a few rides shy each of being great parks. Move world with 3 more big attractions would be an amazing place for sure. Dreamworld could get there too with another few big coasters etc. Dreamworld seems like its more of a six flags style park where as Movie World has that Universal style polish. Wet N Wild is great and Sea world could do with a big eticket ride to really bump up what is an amazing parl already I think.

[Slick]

^ Is it a possible correlation that the reason there's no culture is because there's so many people saying that we can't have a culture? I just think it's funny that a small group of Americans (talking about TPR of course with their recent trip, and their group that came here was smaller than the people who frequent here at this website) with a positive outlook can make ERT's and stuff happen and a group of people whinging, like above, for some odd reason, don't get the same response from the parks. Maybe what i'm trying to say, is if we as a community stopped going out of our way to make sure the parks weren't giving us anything and then being right about them not giving us anything and instead went "hang on a tick, let's create some action here, create a report and do something as a group" then we'd actually have some culture like overseas. I don't think it's hard personally.

[MacPark]

well lets do that then. I personally think our parks are pretty good and only just short or being great. I would love to see a proper culture happening here in OZ. So what are steps to getting this started? There is obviously people who love theme parks in Australia it just seems hard to find many people besides the die hards that will get off the internet and meet up and do something instead of sitting home complaining from there PC. I havent really seen any proper coaster events in Australia. Is this what we need and would people really come or just say they would?

[www worker]

Wasn't someone on here a while ago about how they made an Australian club or something ? EDIT: found it http://www.australiancoasterclub.com.au/

Edited July 21, 2011 by www worker