Really? Imagine the mirror headline, "Alton towers to get ride that encourages crashing".
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The 'flat ride' future
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
Rojo
TS Member
I just wished Merlin would realize that not every ride needs to unique or a worlds first to be popular. Top spins, marauders, rapids, etc.. may not be the sole reason people come to the park but they are part of experience that stops people leaving at 13:00 because they've hit Nemesis, Rita, Oblivion, etc... (I know preaching to choir on here)
I'd happily take a Zamperla Air ride in the X-sector. Even copy the theme from Walygator Parc's Air Ride to fit it in.
They have no USP, and that is all merlin care about. You said yourself then that they don't get people visiting; people don't go to towers just to ride enterprise. Id love more flats, but I doubt it would happen. There are only two ways to make people visit for flats: 1)make it a gimmicky flat (adding vr or something
) 2) do what Thorpe did and add several at once (like how this year we have "two brand new attractions", despite one being a restaurant and the other a retheme)
jon81uk
TS Member
Both Blackpool and Drayon Manor both have Air Race already so I don't expect Alton to get one.
James
TS Founding Member
Maybe this point isn't as effective these days. Although 'Alton Towers' and 'new ride' works by itself for marketing. I think they forget where they work, a park that has been known as the biggest and best park in the UK since the 1990s. They can install smaller attractions without a gimmick or world's first and it will draw in guests, because it's Alton Towers and they have something new.
I think the best strategy should have been alongside the big developments (Th13teen, The Smiler), install a small ride/attraction in the park to compliment it. It expands the offerings and they have a guarantee of visitors. It doesn't have to be limited to flat rides, but can be something that breaks up the crowds from the bigger rides.
I think the best strategy should have been alongside the big developments (Th13teen, The Smiler), install a small ride/attraction in the park to compliment it. It expands the offerings and they have a guarantee of visitors. It doesn't have to be limited to flat rides, but can be something that breaks up the crowds from the bigger rides.
Rojo
TS Member
They have no USP, and that is all merlin care about. You said yourself then that they don't get people visiting; people don't go to towers just to ride enterprise. Id love more flats, but I doubt it would happen. There are only two ways to make people visit for flats: 1)make it a gimmicky flat (adding vr or something
Leah I couldn't agree more. It was a little rant that it's a shame that Merlin doesn't seem to agree
I just plucked a Zamperla out that would fit in size and theme in a response to Benzin's comment. Unfortunately Jon I don't expect we'll get any flats in the next 2 years although I hope I'm wrong.
Cheese
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Helix, Liseberg
Agreed. I'm no marketing executive and I'm sure it's a tougher job in many ways than I realise. Even so, I don't understand why when it comes to Towers at least, Merlin like complicating their marketing as much as possible for a park that nearly sells itself even its current state. Maybe at some of their parks the requirement for all new attraction proposals to be a 'compelling proposition' and have a 'killer image', unique selling point and whatever other tosh they ask for does have some merit for marketing reasons (though I remain cynical), but at Towers? Surely not. It could easily sell itself if they'd keep in mind that all new stuff, unique or not must first and foremost be really, really good.
They could then go, "We've built this. Come and look." People would, and they'd like the end result very much. Over successive years an expectation of quality in new additions would be achieved, making it even easier to get people to come back and look. A flat here and there would fit nicely into such a strategy.
Stuntman707
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
It's a sad trend. All the "day filler" rides being removed but not replaced. I really liked Boneshaker. Even up to last season, I would always stop and watch Ripsaw amongst the small crowd that was always there. I will miss that.
TheMan
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- NemiLerVion
They have become obsessed with Gimmicks, their marketing dept gets right on my [...]'s.
Take the Haunted House. Was that the "World's First" ghost train?
Er. no.
Was Nemesis the "World's First" inverted coaster?
No.
Did anyone give a crap? NO.
You only need really good marketing to oversell something that doesn't stand up on its own merits, otherwise you can simply use the "compelling" aspects of the ride to sell itself, along with as others have said, the unique location.
It is infuriating how much control they appear to have.
What their marketing LACKS, and what Alton ALWAYS HAD (note, past tense) in abundance, was soul.
I'd love to get my hands on it and give it a good damn shake up!
Take the Haunted House. Was that the "World's First" ghost train?
Er. no.
Was Nemesis the "World's First" inverted coaster?
No.
Did anyone give a crap? NO.
You only need really good marketing to oversell something that doesn't stand up on its own merits, otherwise you can simply use the "compelling" aspects of the ride to sell itself, along with as others have said, the unique location.
It is infuriating how much control they appear to have.
What their marketing LACKS, and what Alton ALWAYS HAD (note, past tense) in abundance, was soul.
I'd love to get my hands on it and give it a good damn shake up!
Going back to the comment about opening a flat or filler ride alongside a major ride, Alton Towers used to do this in the past.
When Nemesis opened Toyland Tours opened along side it. This meant that two target markets were catered for the same year. Marketing had the big investment to drawl over in Nemesis and had a back up attraction to beef up the marketing for the same year.
What I don't get is that the big knobs in charge don't look back on this strategy and think this has worked before. Marketing junior says: "How about we spend less money on a worlds first gimmick and build two rides and beef up our ride line up. It would make our guests feel like they are getting value for money for their £50 to get in" Head of marketing says: "ah bless you! You don't get it we spend all our budget on crap gimmicks while reducing ride quality. Our gimmicks are so expensive and good we don't need any other attractions. In fact our guests love queuing and seeing blank spaces where rides used to be, all because of our expensive gimmicks. You'll get one day lad. In fact your fired"
I can just see it, it drives me mad.
When Nemesis opened Toyland Tours opened along side it. This meant that two target markets were catered for the same year. Marketing had the big investment to drawl over in Nemesis and had a back up attraction to beef up the marketing for the same year.
What I don't get is that the big knobs in charge don't look back on this strategy and think this has worked before. Marketing junior says: "How about we spend less money on a worlds first gimmick and build two rides and beef up our ride line up. It would make our guests feel like they are getting value for money for their £50 to get in" Head of marketing says: "ah bless you! You don't get it we spend all our budget on crap gimmicks while reducing ride quality. Our gimmicks are so expensive and good we don't need any other attractions. In fact our guests love queuing and seeing blank spaces where rides used to be, all because of our expensive gimmicks. You'll get one day lad. In fact your fired"
I can just see it, it drives me mad.
phildenholm
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Oblivion
Or they just build another hotel!
Why not have a guest ride/attractions area, and bring in on a temporary basis some of the best travelling rides and attractions?
They could even have a few themed months - Victorian, space age and so on, and maybe even a few of the bigger non flat rides getting something big such as Olympia looping in the park even for a short period would be a major coup
They could even have a few themed months - Victorian, space age and so on, and maybe even a few of the bigger non flat rides getting something big such as Olympia looping in the park even for a short period would be a major coup
Rojo
TS Member
I guess the main reason is H&S, no way would AT/Merlin risk the negative press if something bad was to happen. Shame as it would be a great stop gap to get Paul Hart to bring his top spin for those who miss ripsaw.
Cheese
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Helix, Liseberg
I don't think health and safety would come into the decision at all. It's difficult to argue that travelling rides are less safe than those in theme parks. A travelling ride's owner could be seen as less reputable than a park, most of the time unfairly, though many stereotypes originate from at least a small amount of fact. On the other hand if the ride gets taken apart on a regular basis any issues should get picked up easily. Ultimately if a ride passes its ADIPS test it should be fit to operate.
No, I don't think Towers would consider it for a second, but more because travelling rides in parks look temporary and cheap, even if they're actually high quality pieces of kit with price tags to match. Parks and fairs are totally different environments for rides, and while things like throughput and reliability are important considerations for both, realistically a ride that usually arrives in town on a truck or two, gets put up in a few days with all its clanking sheet metal platforms and lights up at night like a Christmas tree doesn't look too good at parks like Lightwater Valley even. For a park of Towers' calibre with themed (well, sort of) environments it's virtually a non-starter; I think it was when they were questioned over the Enterprise brought in for last year's fireworks displays that Towers' Twitter said "we're no travelling funfair!"
Where travelling rides can be useful to parks of course is when limited ride offerings need to be boosted quickly, such as during Winter opening when the permanent rides can be closed for maintenance. Carter's Steam Fair was set up at the bottom of Towers Street for Christmas one year, and for the past few years the Belle Vue travelling observation wheel has been at Europa Park for their Winter season.
No, I don't think Towers would consider it for a second, but more because travelling rides in parks look temporary and cheap, even if they're actually high quality pieces of kit with price tags to match. Parks and fairs are totally different environments for rides, and while things like throughput and reliability are important considerations for both, realistically a ride that usually arrives in town on a truck or two, gets put up in a few days with all its clanking sheet metal platforms and lights up at night like a Christmas tree doesn't look too good at parks like Lightwater Valley even. For a park of Towers' calibre with themed (well, sort of) environments it's virtually a non-starter; I think it was when they were questioned over the Enterprise brought in for last year's fireworks displays that Towers' Twitter said "we're no travelling funfair!"
Where travelling rides can be useful to parks of course is when limited ride offerings need to be boosted quickly, such as during Winter opening when the permanent rides can be closed for maintenance. Carter's Steam Fair was set up at the bottom of Towers Street for Christmas one year, and for the past few years the Belle Vue travelling observation wheel has been at Europa Park for their Winter season.
TheMan
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- NemiLerVion
OK, given we've all had a fierce debate about the ins & outs of the Flats, what suggestions would people make for flats in different areas of the park?
Ones that could be bought/converted to not look like "Fairground" and could be themed (YES, YES I KNOW, I KNOW).
Ones that could be bought/converted to not look like "Fairground" and could be themed (YES, YES I KNOW, I KNOW).