2014 In Dreamworld - Tail Spin construction, Wipeout refurbishment, Triple Vortex construction

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

As I've made plain in this thread recently - I volunteer as a supervisor with the V8 Supercars volunteers. I've done Gold Coast, Ipswich, Townsville, Darwin, Bathurst and Sydney events over a number of years.

I can speak with experience and authority that the Friday events receive far less attendance (as the main events are usually only in practice or qualifying) than the weekend events do. This is further impacted by many ticket holders having a thing called WORK on a Friday.

I usually have (and usually need) fewer volunteers on the Friday for those reasons.

Although this year was different - Ipswich usually makes it FREE ENTRY on Fridays to encourage more attendance at the event.

...and just as I finished typing this - Reanimated got in - cheers bud!

[Reanimated35]

Hahaha. Sorry. Was bored. But I should be back at work tomorrow so I won't be on here as much

[bladex]

If the harness was loose enough to allow you to have physical separation between your lower abdomen and the harness (because your gut couldn't be smashing into it if it had contact the entire time) then I would suggest your Harness was not on tight enough.

whatever it was it bloody hurt and it also done my back in a bit too. don't think i'll be going on it again.

[Brad2912]

I'm gonna go as far as saying you are the first person to ever be injured on Buzzsaw. More than likely you already had an underlying issue/strain/injury and the force of the ride may have put more pressure or strain on a muscle. Hence the Rider Advisory sign on the entrance

[Reanimated35]

Next week on Judge Judy - Bladex vs Dreamworld

[Brad2912]

The claimant believes his sore back was caused when the ride when 'whoosh' and his guts went 'smash'.

If you managed to injure yourself on Buzzsaw I'm glad LW isn't still around. The smashing of your head may have injured your coccyx

[BigKev]

As I've made plain in this thread recently - I volunteer as a supervisor with the V8 Supercars volunteers.

I hope you get paid.

[bladex]

More than likely you already had an underlying issue/strain/injury and the force of the ride may have put more pressure or strain on a muscle. Hence the Rider Advisory sign on the entrance

there wasn't was perfectly fine until i got off the damn thing. if you don't hold on tight when the train hits the bottom your stomach will get smashed into the harness. was able to ride everything else afterwards.

Edited October 26, 2014 by bladex

[westical]

I can speak with experience and authority that the Friday events receive far less attendance (as the main events are usually only in practice or qualifying) than the weekend events do.

2013 Gold Coast 600 Attendance -

Friday: 56,639

Saturday: 64,219

Sunday: 54,380

Edited October 26, 2014 by westical

[downunder196]

With the whole is Buzzsaw rough thing...

I rode it a week after opening and I rode it a few weeks ago. Sitting in the front it is fine but I've noticed that in the back row, as you go through the station the first time, it is a bit rough. While it's not anywhere near as bad as other rides on the Coast it is definitely worse than when it first opened. I don't understand why you keep bashing on people who say it is rough. It's not the smoothest ride, but it's also not the roughest.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

2013 Gold Coast 600 Attendance -

Friday: 56,639

Saturday: 64,219

Sunday: 54,380

This may end up needing it's own thread if it continues, but attendance figures at the V8 events don't tell the whole story.

First of all - I accept the figures you quote as being reliably obtained from V8 management. The same figure has been provided to numerous media outlets also... however there is one small problem with attendance figures provided by V8's - they're self serving.

Every 'big event' loves to toot their own horn - but here are the flaws:

Unlike our theme parks, where we have a barcoded, ticketed entry system at turnstiles (I don't know about anyone else but i've seen gate staff wave a big group through and then manually turn the turnstile after scanning each ticket to ensure an accurate count) - most events run by the V8s aren't turnstiled. It's just not feasible to rollout a turnstile system for a weekend.

Larger events have multiple entry points. Gold coast has around 6 different gates. Bathurst you can enter the venue through no less than 3 different gates. You can also be 'on property' prior to lockdown with resident's passes. In Bathurst, people can also enter 'the mountain' by helicopter. Tickets aren't scanned by barcode readers - they are simply inspected by gate staff, and then hole punched in the appropriate spot on the ticket. Not all tickets have a barcode either... and guests of race teams and VIPs have cards that last the entire season...

Which begs the question... how do they get their attendance counts?

It's quite simple really - they do so by counting the number of valid tickets that grant entry to the event each day. It's far cheaper if you plan to go for the whole weekend to buy a three day pass than it is to buy two single day tickets...

(Source - Ticketek website prices correct as at 10am QLD time on 27/10/2014

Sydney NRMA 500 general admission:

3 day trackside - $117.24

2 day trackside (satsun) - $112.14

Friday Only - $30.58

Sat or Sun Only - $76.46

Paddock Access (3 day only - also requires 3 day trackside pass) - $30.58

There are two points to make about the pricing:

1. it is clear that Friday as an event day isn't valued by it's price alone - it is only an additional $5 to upgrade from a 2 to a 3 day pass. The single day ticket on friday is less than half the price of a single day satsun too.
2. Most serious race fans want to enter the paddock. Seeing the workshops and garages behind the scenes, meeting the drivers, and also touring some stalls and stands that are only available in the paddock area means most people buy the paddock upgrade. You cannot get paddock access on single day tickets, so if you want to enter the paddock - you have to buy a three day pass.

so when you have tickets such as these:

...they all count for Friday, Saturday and Sunday - regardless of whether they are used. The only way to know if they are used is to count the number of hole punch 'dots' are in the hole punches at the end of the day - but even if they did that - it would still be unreliable as mobility impaired persons are sometimes directed through different gates manned by security (who check, but don't hole punch tickets).

So you take that figure, and then you add on every hard card that has been issued for that event (for sponsors, general media (not television crew), and guests of race teams), and then you add on the number of 'single day' tickets that were sold for that particular day as well - like these:

...and that is how you get your attendance figure for the day.

Bathurst, Gold Coast and other 'street' events are also tricky - as EVERY resident needs a resident pass as well (even kids where children are chargeable) - so imagine the number of people in the high rises around surfers that are within the GC600 precinct that would hold a resident pass - and add that to the count as well.

The only people who don't form part of the count are people who are there strictly for work purposes - caterers, cleaners, event officials, track officials, tow truck drivers, media crew such as camera guys and commentators etc.

Unlike stadiums, where max capacity is known, and every seat is numbered - attendance at V8s can be a shaky nail to hang your hat on - especially when you see it for yourself, at every event, time and time again.

Edited October 27, 2014 by AlexB

[Tim Dasco]

Well are you guys saying that even things like Telethon are wrong and people should get paid. Well even celebrates volunteer to go to Perth for the weekend and not get paid. But in return they get a hotel, flights and food and drink. This is a similar thing that Dreamworld was offering but on a smaller scale. You do some work and get free entry and food and drinks was what Dreamworld are offering. Are you saying that these things are wrong?

Don't you dare say that Telethon is wrong because WA rasied 25 Million for PMH and telethon.

[New display name]

Alexb This year they did not punch a hole in my ticket. It was scanned every day I went in. I believe the numbers work the other way because with every adult ticket you could take a kid under 15 in for free. The kid did not have a ticket so only the adult ticket was scanned.

The figures from the amount of paying people would be a lot lower then entry numbers. I have been 7 times and have never paid once. Last year I ended up with 16 free 3 days passes that I gave away. This year I only ended up with 2 three day passes.

They get the money back anyway for us non-paying people. $9.50 = 1 can of Jim Beam or $6.00 = 1 can of coke.

Edited October 27, 2014 by skeetafly

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I wasn't aware they had moved to scanners Skeet - I've had to have July-Dec off due to other commitments occurring in Brisbane this year.

I can say our gate staff carry 'clickers' (similar to what some theme parks use on rides) and they keep a (somewhat unreliable) count of kids coming through the gate - these numbers are provided to V8SC daily and are added to the gate counts.

As you say - you had free passes. These are still issued by the same ticketing authority and are counted just the same. The non-usage of free passes is even higher for obvious reasons - eg: if you weren't able to find someone to give them away to even if you did, they didn't end up using and hadn't planned to go.

The cost of alcohol is no different to concession stands at other 'temporary' events where suppliers need to ship in trailers to serve from, cold rooms, ice, product and staff, and it is to be expected that you would pay more for a product out of a mobile vendor than you would from a local pub. Our parks charge upwards of $4.50 for a bottle of coke, and they have an established and reliable supply chain...

[westical]

Shouldn't Sunday's attendance be higher than Friday's though?

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Absolutely, which is why I said their attendance figures are a shaky nail to hang your hat on.

[Jakev8]

This years 600 out of the last 6 GC600's i'v been to was by far the best out of the lot, having the light-rail this year was a big "thumbs up"! For the event this year.

Walking around the track and sitting up in the grandstands seats you could feel such a good vibe that the 600 had never felt befor. Everyone was talking about how much the G-link has given the event a new chance of being one the biggest events Queensland has to offer.

Getting to and from the track was the easiest it's ever been in a long time and knowing that we could leave the track go home have a shower and be back at the jim beam sound event with in the same hour from leaving the track was a big thumbs up for this years event.

There's even talks from V8SC officials that we could see 215,000+ walk throw the gates at next years event with plans now in place to add an extra 3-4 more grandstands and platinum stands around the track next year. Onley downside is this years event cost me and miss's a total of $1800 cause I had put on an extra 10kgs from last years event meaning I had to bye all new XL REDBULLRACING gear, other then that hands down one the best 1 yet...

[Reanimated35]

Well there's your first problem. You support RBR

[Jakev8]

let me guess mate your an FPR or a DJR supporter ?

[Reanimated35]

RNR > FPR > DJR

[Jakev8]

Very nice ? have you got a few of them

[Tim Dasco]

Just going to say. Does this have anything to do with Dreamworld anymore. Why not move this into the chit chat section.

[Brad2912]

Well given that TV, Wipeout & TS are completed, this thread is off topic already so may as well continue that way...

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Just going to say. Does this have anything to do with Dreamworld anymore. Why not move this into the chit chat section.

Yes it does.

Dreamworld hired on volunteers for a one-off film shoot.

V8 Supercars hires on volunteers for one-off race events.

Reanimated is a fan of V8 supercars

So is Jake.

So they're discussing V8 Supercars in terms of the gold coast event

Dreamworld is also on the gold coast.

Dreamworld also happens to have an attraction in Ocean Parade called V8 Supercars Redline

So - does the discussion have ANYTHING to do with Dreamworld - yes it does - on several levels.

Does it really matter on page 67, especially when numerous people have already pointed out (including myself twice) that there isn't really anything else 'on topic' to talk about, that people go off on tangents that are somewhat, although not really related? No.

If we're going to start splitting off threads, then i'd like all 1,6734 posts sorted into threads based on whether they are:

• tail spin,
• wipeout,
• triple vortex,
• trains,
• coffee shop,
• other shops,
• annoying street performers,
• matters relating only to WWW (*and therefore not appropriate in a "dreamworld" thread),
• Screamworld (does anyone really care?)
• Videos and photos specifically posted by Slick
• Photos not uploaded directly to Parkz but hosted on external sites in breach of site policy
• Sarcastic replies to stupid questions
• (Actually we'll probably need two threads for those)
• Stupid Questions
• Questions asked more than 10 times (original question stays in thread on-topic)
• Unrelated SPAM
• Dreamworld Film shoots, and their similarities to the RSPCA, V8 Supercars and Emergency Service volunteers
• All replies posted by Reanimated

If you can find a moderator willing to do that - then please - let's move the posts so they're all on topic.

I think at this stage given the lack of response (and even participation in) these off-topic discussions by Richard, Joz, Gazza, Rappa and Flea, chances are nothing is changing...

Perhaps we could alter the thread title to reflect it's current purpose? Maybe just add on "and associated waffling" to the end of it?

Edit - forgot one:

• Coke, Pepsi and their associated fans, likes and dislikes amongst members. (Featuring Mountain Dew)

[Reanimated35]

Very nice ? have you got a few of them

Nah just the 3. But as long as Reynolds stays with bottle o I'll keep buying them. So far that means at least one more for 2015.

And Alex, my own thread hey? Not sure how to take that so either, thank you, or screw you haha