Ardent Leisure FY 20 results

[Naazon]

Dreamworlds biggest problem is the media bringing up the deaths. Once the court cases are settled and DW focus on moving forward with new rides and shows (which they are working towards already) there will be minimal opportunity for the media to bring it up and it will fall out of public memory.

 

Time is all they need to recover their public image. Cash is what they need to afford time.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

1 hour ago, Naazon said:

there will be minimal opportunity for the media to bring it up and it will fall out of public memory.

You don't get how the media works...

Any mention of Dreamworld for years to come, court case or not, will usually get tagged with some reference to the incident.

It's a bit how 'hard luck' family stories on the news as early as September start referencing 'just XX weeks before Christmas. Happens every year. The media just try to add more emotion to stories to get a reaction and I think it's quite likely the TRRR incident will continue - even if the park was bought by new owners, even if they changed the name - it'll still be 'the place where 4 people tragically lost their lives'

[Jdude95]

8 hours ago, AlexB said:

You don't get how the media works...

Any mention of Dreamworld for years to come, court case or not, will usually get tagged with some reference to the incident.

It's a bit how 'hard luck' family stories on the news as early as September start referencing 'just XX weeks before Christmas. Happens every year. The media just try to add more emotion to stories to get a reaction and I think it's quite likely the TRRR incident will continue - even if the park was bought by new owners, even if they changed the name - it'll still be 'the place where 4 people tragically lost their lives'

>70 years in the future
>Dreamworld has turned into the Westfield Coomera branded Township
>2 vehicle car crash happens 
>On the very same spot where 75 years ago the TRR tragedy took 4 lives, a car crash has now taken one more. 

[StingRay]

3 hours ago, Jdude95 said:

>70 years in the future
>Dreamworld has turned into the Westfield Coomera branded Township
>2 vehicle car crash happens 
>On the very same spot where 75 years ago the TRR tragedy took 4 lives, a car crash has now taken one more. 

HA! Exact same reason why a smoke machine was moved from a ride at LPS when it reopened.

Memories.

[RobMac]

DW [and most every other tourism driven biz] is a total wipe-out for 2020, 2021 and much of 2022. It will take a good two years for things to head back toward normal, assuming Covid vaccines/treatments get to market over the next say 3-6 months.

Looking mid to long term at DW, it needs to get back a Longhurst type vision of quality themed attractions, quality over carnival type quantity. It's a decade long journey and it will be tough. Start with a serious rebuild of Rocky Hollow with new Log Ride, something for a wide age bracket. Go for 2 coasters and a 3rd dark ride, but again quality is key. Post 2025 look to building a hotel on the property - I think a couple of developers sniff-around with that idea from time-to-time, so finding an experienced developer partner and hotel/resort operator would be doable - DW may wish to do it on their own and develop the skill-set in-house. The hotel would bring an entire new dynamic to both DW and the Coomera area. GC Council/State Govt [with a Fed contribution] could look at extending the "G" light-rail up to Coomera in the second half of this decade. Tourism movement potential and help serving the booming area behind the GC.

Food for thought, just ideas, some may come to fruition and some not. But let's all be honest, DW is as boring as a house brick these days.

Edited September 9, 2020 by RobMac

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

4 hours ago, RobMac said:

DW may wish to do it on their own and develop the skill-set in-house.

...because that concept has worked so well for them in the past!

[StingRay]

6 hours ago, RobMac said:

DW [and most every other tourism driven biz] is a total wipe-out for 2020, 2021 and much of 2022. It will take a good two years for things to head back toward normal, assuming Covid vaccines/treatments get to market over the next say 3-6 months.

Looking mid to long term at DW, it needs to get back a Longhurst type vision of quality themed attractions, quality over carnival type quantity. It's a decade long journey and it will be tough. Start with a serious rebuild of Rocky Hollow with new Log Ride, something for a wide age bracket. Go for 2 coasters and a 3rd dark ride, but again quality is key. Post 2025 look to building a hotel on the property - I think a couple of developers sniff-around with that idea from time-to-time, so finding an experienced developer partner and hotel/resort operator would be doable - DW may wish to do it on their own and develop the skill-set in-house. The hotel would bring an entire new dynamic to both DW and the Coomera area. GC Council/State Govt [with a Fed contribution] could look at extending the "G" light-rail up to Coomera in the second half of this decade. Tourism movement potential and help serving the booming area behind the GC.

Food for thought, just ideas, some may come to fruition and some not. But let's all be honest, DW is as boring as a house brick these days.

Completely agree. Tourism is wiped out for a few solid years at this stage. Companys have lost millions and want to try and save millions also. Different tourism operators will go about this in different ways also.

Ah, nostalgia. What would we do without it?. The Longhurst days started the love affair with the park and definitely showed what an Aussie theme park is capable off. It has been covered many times what went wrong and who it so blame about the changes over time. With the way the current financial climate is within the world tho, I don't see how DW could openly and honestly try to get back to those levels of theming etc. That takes a lot of money. It is not the time or the effort that's the issue here. Money makes the world go around.

They need to focus on the new coaster. Yes, a few rides have been closed but you can't always predict the end of life of machinery and components. 

I agree another family attraction is needed. Water-based with a high hourly output. 

The hotel. Currently, I am happy for this to sit on the back burner. As I think its an expense they don't currently need to worry about. Remember. it will take a few years for the tourism market to cover as you've mentioned.

[Vidgamer]

Personally i've always thought that Dreamworld should look to integrate some dining precint outside the park. If you think about Coomera it is still missing a lot of things that are down the coast and more readily accessible (Grill'd, Schnitz, Pancake Kitchen etc.. fast casual). If they could think of a way to have a dining precinct in that area it could mean that more after dark opportunities are possible. Westfield Coomera's dining area is good, but still missing a lot. 

[Gazza]

Westfield Coomera has equivalents though for people that enjoy branded fast casual....Bettys Burgers, Burgerd, Miss Claudes Crepes, Bavarian Beer Cafe etc

[StingRay]

Gazza is on the money. Westfields have those options. No need for the park to invest in something that is right around the corner.

[rappa]

I’m a bit anti all this doom and talk of years till recovery and tourism will never be the same again and all that stuff. 
 

The reality is we don’t know. If a vaccine came out Jan 2021 (I said IF so let’s not debate that) vast majority of people would get it, borders would open, restrictions would lift and DROVES of people who are cashed up and been stuck at home would flood the Gold Coast. 
There is a lot of pessimism from a generations of people who never lived through world adversity so feel like this is a one off event that we will never recover from. It’s just not that. 
 

There is also the notion that no one will travel for years and everyone is broke. Also not true. A great number of industries are busier than ever. Freight is doing record trade, people have money, and they can’t wait to spend it. 

[Brad2912]

I also think any thought of an early 2021 vaccine is fanciful. 
Mid-late 2021 is possible, but it’s far from guaranteed. 

Was only a few decades ago the medical field were confident they’d have a viable vaccine for HIV within 12 months, 30+ Years later and it still isn’t here. 
 

I also don’t think uptake if a vaccine is found is going to be anywhere near what the government predicts/wants. People are a lot more vary of injecting things into themselves if their kids that are “fast-tracked” without time for any mid-long term effects to be known. Any No Jab-No Travel policies that will no doubt be rolled out by the government will also harper recovery as it will limit who can come to the coast, and pressure may even come onto operators themselves to adopt no vax-no entry.