Interesting interview with Mark Shapiro from motley fool

[Bob O]

I got this from another site and found it interesting.
Any thoughts/comments??


Take Your CEO to Work Day
http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/200 ... 060105.htm

[zjohn1988]

I want a coaster

[Director_Guy]

Good find.

[Raging_Bull]

I want a coaster

I doubt we'll get one for at least a few more seasons, our park does well enough compared to others that we don't need one right now.

[sixflagsguy]

Compared to other Six Flags parks, no, we don't need a new coaster, because the smaller parks need something to lure people in and then hopefully convince them to come back with the new management.

Compared to nation-wide competitors such as Cedar Point, Disney parks, and Universal, yes, we need a coaster because the only thing that will happen next year is a drop in attendance unless we get a new flat or some sort of other thing. Having good services and "family-friendly" staff isn't gunna be enough to convince people to spend $55 per person plus expensive food and all the other stuff their kids will bug them to buy.

[Bob O]

Our park is deserving of a coaster, or if not a coaster a large family interactive dark type ride.
If reports are true our park is one of the biggest money makers of the chain, yet if you compare us to SFMM/SFGADV they both have received major infusions of cash which resulted in a whole section of a park in one and a major coaster in another, while our park only received a minor addition in a water park ride.
And what is the last big roller coaster we received(even longer if we count one that runs on a consistent basis).
And while i would perfer a big wooden coaster from the Gravity Group or a rocket coaster, i would also be pleased if we got a large interactive dark ride which could be themed so the whole family could enjoy, and not a low capacity scooby type at SF STL.
But from reading the recent article in Tuesdays USA today it seems unlikely we will get anything big for awhile and will have to enjoy what we have and hope the green lawn ornament and v2 can run without the frequent breakdowns they suffer from.
Or could we at least get Triple Play back??

[RBull4life]

I'm sure one of the first things to do on Shaprios list is to get the company out of the huge financial hole that they are in. You don't accomplish this by running out and buying multi million dollar coasters. Great America is one of the top money makers for the chain, but you have to remember, it is part of a chain, and one parks profits, could be another two parks loss.

I agree with Bob, and what the park needs is a large interactive dark ride, that everybody can enjoy.

Post #300, yea!!

[rct2wizard360]

Alright here's how I'm looking at.

Shapiro isn't better than the last band of people running it.
He's only focusing on one target now.

And that makes him so much better?
Great he's focusing on a large market of people that come to the parks, but now he's going to be losing a market. The teenage thrill seekers that the old Six Flags was focusing on.

I find it really pathedic that when I walk into SFGAm now, all people really look forward to now, is getting on Deja Vu. That what they are praying for.

Now why can't Shapiro do what they did with SFStl, at every other park.

They received Superman: Tower of Power as most of you know. Which kept the Teenage market entertained. But, they ALSO received Bugs Bunny National Park. Keeping the family market entertained.

Now why can't they do that EACH TIME a new thrill ride comes into a park. It balances things out.

Regardless of how much I sound like an ACE'er right now, a lot of parks need new coasters. Not to be selfish right here, but I think we really deserve one. Our last major installment want S:UF in 2003. Ragin Cajun didn't really get to the teenage market all too well.

Just my view on Shapiro's job.

[Galvan]

Shapiro said it best in his confrence call... "I dont care if i lose the teenagers, they come to our parks, dont spend any money, trouble our security and hate my new no smoking policy."

Face it, Teenagers DO NOT spend money In the park, Families do. Six Flags is a business, businesses are in business for one reason, MAKING MONEY!

I dont know why this is so hard for some people to understand.

[rct2wizard360]

I honestly do not know what teenagers you guys are all looking at.

[skaterboarder254]

this might be a little away from what you guys have been talking about, and i admit i dont know a whole lot about the business aspect, but it seems like one major problem with six flags is that they have a huge difference in park sizes. it seems like it would be hard to gain a profit when there are the huge parks in some place such as sfmm and sfgadv and then the smaller ones...idk the lack of balance seems like it would affect profits. idk did that make any sense at all? anyway i think its definetely good six flags is going in a new direction with the family idea but they may be overdoing it a little with the lack of trying to keep the thrill seekers...because in actuallity not all thrill seekers will be teens and if you lose the teens you also lose the other thrill seekers. plus im a teen and i spend money in the park...so yeah...thats all i have to say.

[HoffmanMyster]

Well, most teenagers do go out of the park to eat, and make sure not to buy much in the park because we dont have much money, so what are we supposed to do?

[v2guy13]

Everyone looks for a new coaster. We all love them and other people, enthusiast or not, would love to see a new one come in. I think that we should take a different course. I'm thinking of out with the old, in with the new that frankley, were far behind on.

For example, the five newest coasters in gam are RB, RC, S: UF, VU, and V2. Let's look at Vu. Excellent ride, draws a lot of crowds, and is the best of its kind (tallest, fastest), but has a lot of down time. So, why not either keep it down for a season and work on it, or just replace it. With Vu, everyone likes it, but it pisses people off when it has down time and then we lose people.

V2- As far as i'm concerned, it's WAY behind on the whole LIM technology. Sure its fun, but not a lot of people ride it anymore because its so short and not very thrilling as everyone thought it would be. I was there and and only had to wait 15 min for the front. We could still have a coaster like that, but make it better like Superman: Ultimate Escape or Wicked Twister.

RC- Again, not the most thrilling but a good mid class kiddie coaster. Theres only like 2 or 3 designs for this type of coaster so i'd say keep it. Not much else to say.

S: UF- These types of coasters are fairly new to the market. It creates a fun experience, but really only a one timer. And, SUF is really short. I tink that this goes the other way around, out with the new, in with the old, BRING BACK SHOCKWAVE!!! It was a thousand times better that SUF. It was just rought because, well, it was an arrow.

And last is RB- On SFGAm Zone, it was voted the best coaster in gam. Vu, was 2nd. Even though it is the best coaster in gam and vu comes close, its far behind what we could have. As goes with ALL of the coasters. Dont get me wrong, we could absoulutly keep the bull and always be satisfied. Its just as soon as it was up, top thrill dragster was under construction (i think) and thats like 3 steps ahead on tech.

Does everyone remember about 1 or two seasons ago? You should because thats when WHIZZER was going to be taken down. There was such a protest about keeping it up that we kept. Bad move in my opinion.
There are so many other things in the park to keep toddlers satisfied. At least give us the thrill seeking teens, something to enjoy and test our limits on. Whizzer sits on a huge area, would not be a bad place for a coaster. I'd say, pput in the custom floorless we've wanted since then.

there is a big plot of land across Washington street that is up for lease and possibly sale. That would be plenty of room for a coaster and 3 or four flats. All we would need is a theme and a bridge or tunnel.

The last thing I'll say about out with the old in with the new is that we could always sell two or three coaters, in exchange for one huge on. I was thinking replace IW and AE with a brand new, never before seen coaster. I know AE's a classic, but its bound to colapse sooner or later. Its old, chipping away, half eaten by termites, and wood is never good in the winter, especially one of its height and length.

you can agree with me or not, but this one post that i'm being serious on.

[shocker]

And last is RB- On SFGAm Zone, it was voted the best coaster in gam. Vu, was 2nd. Even though it is the best coaster in gam and vu comes close, its far behind what we could have. As goes with ALL of the coasters. Dont get me wrong, we could absoulutly keep the bull and always be satisfied. Its just as soon as it was up, top thrill dragster was under construction (i think) and thats like 3 steps ahead on tech.

TTD was years after. More like Millenium Force

[v2guy13]

Yeah, i knew it was one of the two, thats why i said "i tink"

[Ilovthevu']

Everyone looks for a new coaster. We all love them and other people, enthusiast or not, would love to see a new one come in. I think that we should take a different course. I'm thinking of out with the old, in with the new that frankley, were far behind on.

For example, the five newest coasters in gam are RB, RC, S: UF, VU, and V2. Let's look at Vu. Excellent ride, draws a lot of crowds, and is the best of its kind (tallest, fastest), but has a lot of down time. So, why not either keep it down for a season and work on it, or just replace it. With Vu, everyone likes it, but it pisses people off when it has down time and then we lose people.

V2- As far as i'm concerned, it's WAY behind on the whole LIM technology. Sure its fun, but not a lot of people ride it anymore because its so short and not very thrilling as everyone thought it would be. I was there and and only had to wait 15 min for the front. We could still have a coaster like that, but make it better like Superman: Ultimate Escape or Wicked Twister.

RC- Again, not the most thrilling but a good mid class kiddie coaster. Theres only like 2 or 3 designs for this type of coaster so i'd say keep it. Not much else to say.

S: UF- These types of coasters are fairly new to the market. It creates a fun experience, but really only a one timer. And, SUF is really short. I tink that this goes the other way around, out with the new, in with the old, BRING BACK SHOCKWAVE!!! It was a thousand times better that SUF. It was just rought because, well, it was an arrow.

And last is RB- On SFGAm Zone, it was voted the best coaster in gam. Vu, was 2nd. Even though it is the best coaster in gam and vu comes close, its far behind what we could have. As goes with ALL of the coasters. Dont get me wrong, we could absoulutly keep the bull and always be satisfied. Its just as soon as it was up, top thrill dragster was under construction (i think) and thats like 3 steps ahead on tech.

Does everyone remember about 1 or two seasons ago? You should because thats when WHIZZER was going to be taken down. There was such a protest about keeping it up that we kept. Bad move in my opinion.
There are so many other things in the park to keep toddlers satisfied. At least give us the thrill seeking teens, something to enjoy and test our limits on. Whizzer sits on a huge area, would not be a bad place for a coaster. I'd say, pput in the custom floorless we've wanted since then.

there is a big plot of land across Washington street that is up for lease and possibly sale. That would be plenty of room for a coaster and 3 or four flats. All we would need is a theme and a bridge or tunnel.

The last thing I'll say about out with the old in with the new is that we could always sell two or three coaters, in exchange for one huge on. I was thinking replace IW and AE with a brand new, never before seen coaster. I know AE's a classic, but its bound to colapse sooner or later. Its old, chipping away, half eaten by termites, and wood is never good in the winter, especially one of its height and length.

you can agree with me or not, but this one post that i'm being serious on.

As with D Vu', you would have to crazy to take it down. The ride closed, and right when it opened again, can you believe how many people were in line for it? It was like they were giving something free. Yes, it breaks down, but when people flock to that ride like they are giving free hot dogs out, how can you not just fix it, and let it run again??

I will never understand how Shockwave was so great. The first time I went on it, it gave me a headache, and then it was just sooo booring after I dared went on it again. Were you one of those people that got all the rerides on it towards it's demise because no one was ever in line anymore?

I went on a Saturday, and guess what rides I used my Flashpass for (it didn't cost me anything because of a coupon). Superman Ultimate Flight was packed all the way from the entrance while Vertical Velocity had almost all the lines going. So, just because you might think they are boooring doesn't mean everyone else does. This was maybe three Saturdays ago.

Now, I think Viper, and Raging Bull are boring but again you would have to be crazy to take out Raging Bull for something new. With Shapiro trying to put cheap coasters in, do you really think they are going to put more in our park? Just because he's from Chicago doesn't me that he's bias towards us, and just like the old SF will only give to the bigger parks now? Okay, maybe he's stupid, and he will give us every new ride that SF has for the chain nowadays. He's Shapiro. What do you expect?

[Bob O]

SFGAM made a GREAT decision in keeping the Whizzer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a ride almost the whole family can enjoy, it is the type of ride the park needs.
As for toodlers, there isnt alot for them to do and the 2 kids area's we have are a big JOKE. They are awful with little to do and the climbing/netted portion hasnt been opebn in full for years.
What SFGAM needs to do is go to PKI and learn how to create excellent children's areas.
While i LOVE roller coasters and want a new one, the park needs more attractions the whole family can enjoy instead of another new attraction that would require a 54 inch height limit.
And with the limited amount of money SF as a company will spend on new attractions i wouldnt look for any new record setting coaster for a long time and the best hope would be a coaster from a park that is sold.

[RBull4life]

^ Wow Bob, you have been right on the money on the last few posts I have read of yours, and I couldn't agree with you more on The Whizzer. My son went on his first coaster ride this year on The Whizzer, and it is a memory that I will always remember.

Shapiro said it best in his confrence call... "I dont care if i lose the teenagers, they come to our parks, dont spend any money, trouble our security and hate my new no smoking policy."

Face it, Teenagers DO NOT spend money In the park, Families do. Six Flags is a business, businesses are in business for one reason, MAKING MONEY!

I dont know why this is so hard for some people to understand.

Galvan, some people will never get it. How long do you think a park with nothing but thrill rides would last for.

[Sedir]

Actually some of us teens do spend money in the park, because we're too lazy to leave the park and sometimes think it's too time consuming. But I guess the majority of us does go out of the park.

[shockwave guy mark]

although they do need a better kids section, most parents won't know if there are changes being made at all, because evryone almost knows six flags is more fun for the teens then anyone else, and it will be that way until they make the complete change, and the word is out.

[CoasterDude12-2]

I don't miss Shockwave the slightest. Keeping Whizzer was a great move, that ride is beautiful at night, and good in the day. Does every rollercoaster need to be intense and tall and fast? Besides, if want Shockwabe expierience, there are clones of it left at SFMM and SFGADV, even though Viper isn't a clone. There aren't any rides like Whizzer left in the world.

[Ilovthevu']

Take out the games across from The Orbit, and add more kids rides just like Kiddieland. These are really cheap compared to a lot other "big" rides. You can put a Berry-Go-Round in there (Apples/Dragons/Bears that spin), a Wisdom Go-Gator or Dragon Wagon (This is a kid's roller coaster), a "carnival" fun house, a Fun Slide (A slide where kids go down), more Hamptons (These are the umbrella rides you see at carnivals), a Moser Spring Ride (This is a mini-Giant Drop.)(that even I could go on), and a Speedway (Cars go around in a circle, and turn fast at the ends.). All of these, you might even be able to get for the price of a Huss Top Spin.

I think prices should be this way, but they won't change. If you are under 42, they might as well go Kiddieland because there's more to do until it closes, maybe.

Kids under 42 inches should get in for $15.
Kids over 42 (can ride Demon), but below 54 should pay $30.
Everyone else should pay $50.

[RBull4life]

Kids over 42 (can ride Demon),

I haved always found this to be interesting. My daughter who is 45" tall, can ride an arrow looper, but yet, she cannot ride Viper, or American Eagle, or Ragun Cajun. I know its for her own safety, but wouldn't you think that Viper, AE, and RC would be alittle less intense than Demon with its loops, and corkscrews?

[Imeanbusiness]

As with D Vu', you would have to crazy to take it down. The ride closed, and right when it opened again, can you believe how many people were in line for it? It was like they were giving something free. Yes, it breaks down, but when people flock to that ride like they are giving free hot dogs out, how can you not just fix it, and let it run again??

Crazy? How about it would be more economical to take the ride down, then to keep that piece of crap open.

[SfgamFreak03]

S: UF- These types of coasters are fairly new to the market. It creates a fun experience, but really only a one timer. And, SUF is really short. I think that this goes the other way around, out with the new, in with the old, BRING BACK SHOCKWAVE!!! It was a thousand times better that SUF. It was just rought because, well, it was an arrow.
.

If I see or hear "BRING BACK SHOCKWAVE" one more time I’m going to blow someone’s brains out!!! The ride was a piece of shit that nobody liked until it was torn down... Its gone forever, forget about it!