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2026: General Discussion

Steve74 said:
Start as you mean to go on... hopefully we'll see him on opening day next month, complete with the litter picker!

From: https://x.com/TowersTimes/status/2022618725443424712?s=20
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The pattern on that jacket is hideous and yet if it was a hoodie or t shirt I’d snap it up without even thinking about it

Bet there’s something similar on Temu I could get to embarrass the kids with..

Not too sure why he’s wearing welding gloves though
 
Exactly what I thought with Bianca - it became a popularity parade and she was proclaimed as the "saviour".

It's nice to see them interacting with the public of course, but that's a balance between spreadsheets, keeping morale up and entertaining. Hopefully the lines won't be blurred too much again.
 
To be fair, I don’t think we necessarily have any evidence that Howard Ebison wants to make himself a “celebrity” or “face of the park” in the same way that Bianca did.

I do think making yourself a public face in that type of role is a double-edged sword, though. Bianca being publicly visible did generate some initial goodwill within enthusiast circles, but it also meant that she came under much more personal criticism when things went south, and that some of the things she did created a bit of a rod for her own back. For instance, does anyone remember the “best season ever” video that was inexplicably used as a stick to beat her with whenever anything went wrong in 2024?

Personally, I have no expectation that a park’s divisional director will be anything other than positive and upbeat in a marketing video (it’s not in their or the business’ interest to be contrite or negative), but lots of people continually used that “best season ever” video as a way to criticise Bianca. I didn’t think this was necessarily fair, as like I say, I don’t think her role would ever have allowed her to say anything else, but when this happens, I can almost see why some divisional directors batten down the hatches and remain relatively invisible.

It’s a role that will require the role holder to make tough and unpopular choices at times to comply with budgets and wider corporate priorities, so I can see why some might avoid a public presence that would attract personal criticism for some of these tough choices.

Although then again, the majority of Alton Towers visitors aren’t enthusiasts and probably don’t care that much about who the director is and the decisions they make, so who knows, really?
 
Mick said:
Yeah, I mean it’d be similar to getting a selfie with the store manager of your favourite supermarket, not for me (but nice to see from a customer service perspective).
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Brings to mind for me cruise ships. There are hardcore cruisers who choose which ones to go on specifically so their “favourite” cruise director (or even bartender/wait staff sometimes) is there. They also take photos with them at mealtimes and stuff as well.

Maybe I’m just crusty about social media etc nowadays but it all seems weirdly parasocial. I do think there should be some kind of occasional visible presence (a bit like an owner turning up to the shop floor etc) however it should be exception than norm. So maybe today is fine as it’s the first day of ther season but every day would be a bit extra.
 
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