Secrets

[Ilovthevu']

There are so many times when an amusement park wants to keep a new ride or rides a secret until a certain time. My question is why. The way that I feel about it is that if you told the public earlier about a new ride they might become really excited and in anticipation.

Yes, I know you can consider enthusiasts different people than non. However, I do believe that someone who goes 1,2,3 times a year will still want to try out the new rides just as bad as a enthusiast.

I guess I can look at how Hurrican Harbor was talked about before it is being built. Yes, it is an effort in trying to get people to buy season passes, but yet doesn't it get people hyped up about the coming year.

The only thing that I can think of why secrets are put off (which seems completely stupid) is that people won't come to the park because a person really wants to go on a new ride in the coming year.

A ((FAKE example)) of the above is that it is now October 15, 2009 and thus the park is open because it would be Fright Fest. SFGAm announces a 20 pretzel loop coaster. So, SFGAm might believe that I wouldn't want to go to Fright Fest for the reason that I would rather wait until next year when that rollercoaster is built.

So do you have any opinions/thoughts about secrets?

[rct2wizard360]

We all know the Hershey Park feud with Turbulence, part of the reason why parks keep it a secret. They do it incase something screws up, or with Deja Vu's case, still developing. Most of the GP would forget about a new project if told early in the game, we're enthusiasts so we can keep up to date, if your an average park goer visiting 1 or 2 times a year, you obviously have other things going on in your life that your gunna forget about, as with this.

Just my 2 cents!

[SfGaMownz]

Well if they announce it during Fright Fest I don't think attendance would be drop very much because usually people go during Fright Fest because it is Fright Fest. Fright Fest is only one month throughout the year and is very crowded always. If a regular non-season pass park visiter planned their trip during Fright Fest and not because of Fright Fest and all that it offers and just to ride the rides, I would laugh in their faces for being so dumb. So that is obviously not something that I would think would keep them from announcing something. I don't really know why parks do it word is going to get out as it is. I mean look at S:UF everyone knew about it in September, they didn't even try to hide it at all. Some rides are different though, like in 2001 you had no idea that V2 and Deja Vu were going to be built, except for the fact that Sky Whirl was all but disassembled, but that didn't really give away anything. Who knows why they do it.

[FParker185]

Basically it comes down to, whoever announces first will probably be outdone by some other park...

You dont want to be SFGAm getting a new coaster of some sort but nothing out of the oridnary or spectacular, and announce that in October, then Kings Island in a national media circus (like they usually do, even for the smallest of thing), do a huge announcement for their new attraction, then when opening day(s) rolls around people are thinking of PKI's new ride and they have forgotten about SFGAm's new ride a long time ago.

Also there are elements of secrecy, you dont want to be installing a regular Huss Frisbee, then announce it in Sept, giving a nearby park time to sign a contract for a Huss Giant Frisbee then really load on the advertising dollars in your market. There are quite a few variables in the art of Public Relations.

Also of course as we've seen, if what your are doing is really freakin huge, like..say a whole new waterpark, then you can announce it really early, but then you are comitted to having to support the advertising campaign which we are seeing in the form of SFGAm's website closely following construction which will likely culminate in some spectacular media day that covered far and wide.

[Shockwave8802]

they will tell us about any new ride or attraction once it is set in stone that we are going to get it. They wont sit there and tell that we "Might" get a new ride.

[Galvan]

How many more days until opening day?

THE OFFSEASON SUCKS!

[SfGaMownz]

Also of course as we've seen, if what your are doing is really freakin huge, like..say a whole new waterpark, then you can announce it really early, but then you are comitted to having to support the advertising campaign which we are seeing in the form of SFGAm's website closely following construction which will likely culminate in some spectacular media day that covered far and wide.

Yeah, I can see how you figure that. Its like Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, it didn't matter when they announced it because there was no way any park could build a bigger ride then that with 6 months or less to plan.

[Drkstarboard]

Off season does suck.