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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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Burbs said:
“POP” is often the only way one can enjoy a day at BPB... at least you’d think that if you saw us on a meet. :p
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So you guys all got wristbands as well? I've never used tickets at BPB, personally.
 
Plastic Person said:
I feel like BPB would benefit from hiring some sort of brand consultant. Hot Ice is always presented well, but the parade of psychics, Greatest Showman cash-ins and sub-X-Factor dirge that fills the Paradise Rooms or The Horseshoe these days looks excruciating in 2020. Similarly, while some of the merchandise is well presented, and at least gives the impression that the park care about their heritage, sometimes their actual branding and marketing materials are forgettable and repetitive.
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One of the best descriptions I ever heard of Blackpool's entertainment offering was "rejected parody names for acts on Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge"

I completely agree they shouldnt gentrify the appeal and become like everywhere else but some of the selections are just very naff and play into the sniffy impression some have about Blackpool as a place to visit.
 
Plastic Person said:
I feel like BPB would benefit from hiring some sort of brand consultant. Hot Ice is always presented well, but the parade of psychics, Greatest Showman cash-ins and sub-X-Factor dirge that fills the Paradise Rooms or The Horseshoe these days looks excruciating in 2020. Similarly, while some of the merchandise is well presented, and at least gives the impression that the park care about their heritage, sometimes their actual branding and marketing materials are forgettable and repetitive. To be blunt, I don't think Amanda's taste is in line with that of the general public these days.

One thing that hurts me a little as somebody who vividly remembers the park's nineties glory days, was its ability to exist in different capacities for different audiences. Long before anyone stuck the word 'Resort' onto the end of a name, it felt like the park marketed for the Big One crowd, the Beaver Creek families, people who wanted to see shows and visit the Casino complex, and then, before the downturn, The Big Blue Hotel. Of course, this was because Blackpool was a destination, and BPB was unmissable as part of that destination. Now it feels like a mess.

Dreamland has been up and down in terms of operations and profitability, but I feel like they more successfully connected the idea of an old-fashioned, working class seaside amusement park with a contemporary day out, and they don't have the benefit of the enviable ride hardware at BPB. They do, however, have the benefit of being an hour from London, perhaps closer to a crowd with more disposable income and more flexible tastes. Before this post, I was idly browsing the Facebook page of the park, and saw a nice chap asking if the park were going to introduce more vegetarian and vegan options in the future. The public responses from fellow BPB fans were largely along the lines of, "Why don't you eat just the bun and lettuce from a burger, you picky sod?" It made me chuckle, but food has actually gotten worse at BPB over the past decade or two.

I should clarify, I don't think the park should become some bouji middle class concern, and the park looks better than ever, even if it's lacking kinetic energy in parts. Yet, sometimes, it feels stuck in 1992 in all the wrong ways.
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Out of interest, where are the Paradise Rooms and the Horseshoe?

On the topic of BPB's brand, I don't think they're doing a bad job with the brand right now; it's quite clean and modern, and it promotes the park quite nicely, in my opinion. Maybe they would make the park more popular by extending their marketing nationwide?
 
Matt N said:
So you guys all got wristbands as well? I've never used tickets at BPB, personally.
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Oh to be young and innocent again! Pop also means alcohol :)

Matt N said:
Out of interest, where are the Paradise Rooms and the Horseshoe?

On the topic of BPB's brand, I don't think they're doing a bad job with the brand right now; it's quite clean and modern, and it promotes the park quite nicely, in my opinion. Maybe they would make the park more popular by extending their marketing nationwide?
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They're both in the casino building I believe.

I don't think Blackpool could handle the crowds nowadays if they went for a proper nationwide campaign!
 
Yep, sounds like Storm Denis the menace is on the way

Matt N said:
People also plan trips far further in advance these days, which POP allows for far more than PPR does.
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Rubbish, the pleasure beach is at a seaside resort. Not only will you have your holidays makers, but also your day trippers. A lot on what people do on the day will purely be down to the weather. Good weather will bring people out, while bad weather will meant that people will either stay at home/holiday park or do an indoor attraction like the Sealife, Tower, Waxworks, Sandcastle etc...

Seasides are not great places to visit when the weather is bad

With the exception of special events, I still plan my days out around what the weather (and school term time) are doing.

Roy :)

ps..what does POP stand for? :confused: I'm presuming pay on entry?
 
D4n said:
@RoyJess POP = Pay one price
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Cheers! :)

For a seaside resort, I personally think that both POP and PPR should be available. They have the setup to do it as you already have to scan your wristbands to enter the rides.

As mentioned already above, Great Yarmouth still offer both and it is still surprising how many people I still see purchasing ride tokens.
 
I suppose at Bottons PB in Skegness they still do both and have a fair few tokens bought. I do think they should clone what they do with after 5pm entry being cheaper and open until 10
 
Dar said:
Oh to be young and innocent again! Pop also means alcohol :)



They're both in the casino building I believe.

I don't think Blackpool could handle the crowds nowadays if they went for a proper nationwide campaign!
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Ah right; thanks for the clarification on both of those points @Dar!
 
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I think the ideal situation for Pleasure Beach would be to remove the turnstiles, (you can still have security checks) and then have ride tickets and wristbands. That way you can still pay one price for all the rides, tickets if you don't want to ride and it's safer than before because you still have body scanners and bag checks.
 
It’s going to be no fun if you make it no fun. Almost everyone now is expecting the park to have multiple closures from the weather, it would be unrealistic to expect everything to be open at this point. Just enjoy what is open and make the most out of a bad situation.
 
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