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Feburary Half Term

Croftybaby

Croftybaby

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Nemesis
Alton Towers said:
With so much to pack into a stay, the Alton Towers Resort is the ultimate escape this February Half Term.
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I'm sorry, am i missing something?

I've just seen an advert for BPB 'WOW Weekends' and wondered what towers were putting on over half term. The offering just seems embarrassing. From what I can make out is a number of 'Shows' throughout the day based in the hotels (the ones that are open) a round of golf, swimming and a visit to the fish tank.

Whats going on? Around the country the family owned parks are stepping up and really benefiting from half term opening. Blackpool and Paultons park seem to be running a near to normal opening while Drayton Manor have a good selection of family rides open.

How embarrassing.
 
I really think Alton should open the park up for FHT again if they have enough money to. The event seemed popular when it was on, and seeing updates from inside the park was a good way to break up the closed season.
 
They cancelled theme park opening in 2016 during the first round of post Smiler cost cutting.

Mr Varney said at the time that whilst Feb half term park opening bought in revenue it didn’t turn much of a profit.

The problem is the weather is very unpredictable. You can have a mild half term and see the park busy and the tills ringing, or see cold weather and snow and not only do people not turn up but any advance bookings want refunds. The parks relative remote location makes things worse.

So they decided to go down the hotel route which is far less costly to put on with less risk. It usually sells out so people clearly want to visit without the park being open.
 
The issues are of their own making.

Years of under investment in attractions that can be open year round and the reluctance to build the relief road.

Things were looking very promising way back in 2007/8 and with the introduction of Sealife and the rejuvenation of the theatre along with Hex and Charlie.

I really think this failure to invest is going to bite them hard as the competition continues to gain ground.I'm guessing the main cost is staffing but then again it's an ideal time to be training new staff before the main season.

Inviting guest in during half term is also an ideal time to sell season passes and make those return trip bookings.

Massive missed opportunities and I can't see how they can come back from this one which is just going to harm them even more down the line.
 
We had two half terms in a row of snow that either closed the park or stopped rollercoasters opening. Yes the park should invest in more indoor attractions (Charlie and Wobble World being closed doesn’t help) but it’s far easier for them to manage a small high profit hotel opening than getting the whole park open and mainly MAP holders turn up and the park doesn’t make any extra money. When most of your guests have already paid for a MAP an extra half term opening won’t make you any extra money.
 
No Feb half term, 4pm closures, shuttered rides, phased ride openings, the consideration of the orginial cut's last month, Wicker man being the size of a Hot wheels set - all pretty much showing how much the parent company are disinterested in this park.
 
I think it's very hard to make money at February half term, so many things are up against you. Sure, you might make £x but you could lose £x doubled.

matthewgcole said:
No Feb half term, 4pm closures, shuttered rides, phased ride openings, the consideration of the orginial cut's last month, Wicker man being the size of a Hot wheels set - all pretty much showing how much the parent company are disinterested in this park.
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I don't think it's about disinterest, it's about making the park work in the same way we discussed in the Letters thread.
 
Rick said:
I don't think it's about disinterest, it's about making the park work in the same way we discussed in the Letters thread.
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I used disinterested for lack of being able to think of a better word.

In terms of what would work, if AT stays under Merlin's ownership (I don't think they want it to and could live happily without) then the best solution would be to see the park as separate from the others. AT is a very different park from the others, it requires a different strategy and a different operating model.

This Feb half term thing highlights this. Much smaller parks are doing this so there must be something in it for them. In a black and white board meeting it could easily be argued that there's no point in opening Feb half term as it barely breaks even.

But should people expect some sort of proper event from the biggest and Theme Park in the country? Is there a market for it, it just needs the right kind of event?
 
I always found the event to be a bit pointless anyway.

A handful of rides were open anyway, it was cold, often snowed, meaning only the likes of Duel were open inside the entire park. It wasn't worth the effort just for 1 week. Not to mention the number of complaints from people who turned up expecting the entire park to be open.

:)
 
matthewgcole said:
This Feb half term thing highlights this. Much smaller parks are doing this so there must be something in it for them.
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Often the smaller parks only have a specific area open, for example Drayton Manor has Thomas Land, the zoo and maybe some other non-thrill rides. They aren't opening the whole park, but most of their guests are there for Thomas anyway so aren't expecting it.
Alton Towers gets hit hard when they try to part-open for half term as most MAP-holders want/expect more of the park to be open. The park doesn't attract the same customer base as Thomas Land does, which is a good thing in the main season but for a limited opening it doesn't make any sense.
Different parks are aimed at different things.
 
matthewgcole said:
In terms of what would work, if AT stays under Merlin's ownership (I don't think they want it to and could live happily without) then the best solution would be to see the park as separate from the others. AT is a very different park from the others, it requires a different strategy and a different operating model.
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I think Alton is unquestionably important to Merlin, if it needs a different operating model, then I think Merlin can respond to that.

Not only that, the prospect of someone else operating Alton would be extremely worrying for Merlin because it would fundamentally change the way they operate in the UK due to the integration of the nationwide product via MAP. The value proposition that Merlin put forward with MAP would be very much lacking for anyone north of Birmingham without Alton Towers in the portfolio.

matthewgcole said:
This Feb half term thing highlights this. Much smaller parks are doing this so there must be something in it for them. In a black and white board meeting it could easily be argued that there's no point in opening Feb half term as it barely breaks even.
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It comes down to a few things. If a smaller park has a smaller cost base, it's a far more workable option and the risks are lower. The sheer number of people required to make Alton tick for the day is vast. Another key factor is the number of guests who visit with a Merlin Annual Pass and don't spend anything. Attendance is a pointless metric when trying to measure success, it's all about per cap spending and contribution to the bottom line.

matthewgcole said:
I
But should people expect some sort of proper event from the biggest and Theme Park in the country?
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People can expect what they want, if it hardly makes money in the format that has been used, they can choose not to run one. It also makes staffing, maintenance and pre-season work infinitely more straightforward. The only reason it causes Merlin a problem (if profit is flat/minimal) is if people opt not to purchase a MAP on the back of it, but I honestly don't think that's the case.

matthewgcole said:
I
Is there a market for it, it just needs the right kind of event?
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I'd argue that's what they have done. The event with the park is risky and not particularly profitable. The hotel based event is far less risky and can contribute the same or more to the bottom line.

You have to create a compelling proposition whereby you can get enough people to come out to the park in February (it was minus 6 when I left the house this morning). Those people ideally won't all be MAP holders, will want to stay over in a hotel (so the proposition has to be very compelling) - but not so compelling that they decide they don't need to return later in the season, therefore spreading your attendance over more operating days.
 
I wonder how much money, and goodwill, early events create for places later in the year? Family comes in February, big rollercoasters are closed, so they book to come back later in the year for the older children. So, yes, the event on its own isn't profitable, but it boosts the overall profits for the year.
 
Dar said:
I wonder how much money, and goodwill, early events create for places later in the year? Family comes in February, big rollercoasters are closed, so they book to come back later in the year for the older children. So, yes, the event on its own isn't profitable, but it boosts the overall profits for the year.
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Possibly, but I suspect the volume of such cases would be low. Plus, that could work in the opposite way around and be quite damaging, if you attend and unbeknown to you the ride line is severely reduced from what it would be in the summer, there could be some hostility and concerted effort to not return and instead visit a competitor.

Plus, the prevalence of MAP makes the scenario much trickier to theorise the economics of the thing.
 
I think that if February half term had been a hugely successful event then it would still be here. Although some days could be busy, more often than not it was very cold and the park was dead.

I would rather Alton Towers look at a proper Christmas event than even think about bringing February half term back. A Christmas event has so much more potential.

Alton Towers is always going to suffer with its location when it does come to out of season events though.

:)
 
Thorpe did brainiac live a few years ago during Feb half term, there was about 20 people there when we went, we got on swarm and stealth that afternoon more times than we did the rest of the year combined (excluding summer nights). No surprise they don't open rides on these events, they can't be profitable.
 
Personally as someone who lives 3-4 hours away from the park and only visits once or twice a year, the FHT event was never appealing due to the small ride line-up. Alton Towers isn't appealing when all coasters are closed apart from one or two, and the main appeal of Towers is the coasters. The lack of entertainment and any extra offerings doesn't draw you in either.

When you can pay pretty much the same 1 month later and get a full ride line up, or 8 months later and get a 9pm close, what's the point in visiting for half a ride line up and an early park close in Feb?

I suspect this is one reason why the event was never a raging success.

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When your offering is literally a large park with a few big coasters - no point opening for Half Term. If your offering was family entertainment, a nice place to visit with good food, some actual shows and music and some surprises - it would be a perfect way to spend a day at half term - even with a reduced offering. Heck - only open half the park and reduce the ticket price for a few days.
 
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