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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

There are some golden comments on that picture:

"2018 will see Candy Crush Saga Land."

"Ring Ring.....Ring Ring.... Hello this is 2010 calling. We want our latest craze back..."

and my personal favourite:

"Is this some sort of sick joke or are they actually gonna do this?! :S"



But yeah, doesn't seem to be going down well.

Another problem they have is the initial marketing on the Angry Birds holding page... They are trying to focus the Thorpe brand towards the family market yet the first wording on the page is "the Nation's Thrill Capital". It still implies the park is for the teens and not for the family. Maybe "Thorpe Park - The Ultimate Family Getaway" may work better as it balances family friendly with a hint of thrill.

A 4D film and dodgems are not the answer to family attractions. They need something more. However I will be interested in seeing how they execute this 'land'.
 
Rob said:
I don't think it does get that many repeat visits. Towers was dead before The Smiler was open. The park would have been a lot busier between March and the end of May had The Smiler been open. I'm sure plenty of people just saved their trips. Sure some people will have gone twice but chances are these people might have done so regardless.

I also think this is very last minute.

:)
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Towers was about on-par with a small year before May which if you consider the weather wasn't bad. Can't say on Thorpe but for CBeebies nothing has really delayed construction so i can only assume May opening was a conscious decision.

Also there must be a reason US parks open new rides later.
 
I'd hazard a guess that CBeebies Land has been penned in for May so that true soft openings can take place in order to tweak the various shows and experiences so that they are a hit with the areas target audience before the official opening date. If they didn't do this then the official opening could be a disaster.

As for Angry Birds Land, it just seems like a last minute plan. Obviously if the rides are ready before then they will probably open - but there isn't the same need for tweaking.
 
Thorpe Park is not a resort. You can do it in a day.

Not keen on this at all. Oh Thorpe. *facepalm*
 
It could work for Thorpe but I don't think it will because it's not overly good as a theme
 
Lottie. said:
Thorpe Park is not a resort. You can do it in a day.

Not keen on this at all. Oh Thorpe. *facepalm*
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To be fair you can do all the uk Merlin "resort" parks in a day :p

Alton the closest to a resort and thats only at a stretch IMO
 
simps100 said:
Lottie. said:
Thorpe Park is not a resort. You can do it in a day.

Not keen on this at all. Oh Thorpe. *facepalm*
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To be fair you can do all the uk Merlin "resort" parks in a day :p

Alton the closest to a resort and thats only at a stretch IMO
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Alton is by no means a stretch to call a resort. It has a huge theme park which on a busy day is hard to do in 1 day, it has two hotels, a Waterpark, a spa and mini golf. To fully experience the place you need a 2 day visit.

THORPE PARK Resort though? That *is* a joke...
 
Did make me chuckle seeing the topic title now changed to 'THORPE PARK RESORT'. They really must be getting desperate now.

In addition and on another subject, what is the threat of the park flooding like? I ask only because my boss lives in Chertsey and I think he's getting a bit worried!

AND also, Angry Birds? Does this mean in 2015 we're going to have the World's First Gangnam Style Coaster?
 
PR guff said:
Jason Wills, THORPE PARK Resort Marketing Director, commented, “We are hugely excited about bringing Angry Birds to THORPE PARK Resort. It has fast established itself as a modern day icon of our times
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Yes, Angry Birds really is up their with Barack Obama and Mother Theresa as a modern day ICON of our times.
 
My thoughts are briefly listed below.

Angry Birds area= Outdated game, soon to become extinct, area been done twice in the UK already

Thorpe Park Resort= Sheer stupidity, a small park and some tin boxes isn't a resort

Modern Day icon of our times= Have they been smoking something?

Angry Birds 4D experience= The one bit of promise which does sound mildly interesting. Still a poor IP choice though.
 
This addition is completely ridiculous. Amity Cove will feel even more fragmented than it already is.

What on earth are Thorpe Park thinking?
 
I had a feeling Thorpe Park was run by morons, and now I know it is (see "Angry Birds is modern day icon" for proof).

I hope there is a backlash from the target audience who have come to expect a new rollercoaster every two years or so - each time bigger, faster (and more costly) than the last one. They really did shoot themselves in the foot with the "thrill capital" nonsense.

And where on earth in the area will they put dodgems?
 
The thing is, they could have had a lot of more IPs to choose from. Stuff like Moshi Monsters and Skylanders is not only popular, but AFAIK, themed areas/rides of those IPs don't even exist.

And of course Angry Birds already exists at LWV.
 
Re: Thorpe Park 'Resort'

For a while I thought Thorpe's management were stupid for marketing towards teenagers… but judging by these latest announcements you would think it was said teenagers running the place.

The entire 2014 line up appears to have played out like a bad game of Roller Coaster Tycoon. Need more guests? Hastily put together a marketing campaign based on a flash in the pan smartphone game, who cares if it hit its peak more than three years ago and is only going to keep fading further towards obscurity! Need guests to stay longer so they can spend more money? Just 'build' an unthemed shipping container motel and market it as a resort. Customers are so brain dead and stupid that they'll stay there anyway.

The hastiness at which these 2014 projects have been announced suggest that something has struck fear into the management, prompting what is essentially panic buying on a grand scale. Either that or they've realised the marketing team isn't competent enough to for one year promote a park with *GASP* no new attractions.

Its not like Merlins top brass need to worry about competition… they own 4/5 most popular parks in the country and Blackpool are hardly the most forward thinking park in the world. I guess you could argue that they're panicking at seeing the impending fruition of two *very* large projects over in Orlando that will certainly draw UK visitors. From a marketers perspective though the decision making process UK customers use when planning a trip to Florida is very different to a trip to a domestic park. Any overseas theme park trip requires years of planning and saving, so whilst new investments may set the ball in motion for UK visitors, its effect won't be instantaneous. Most people in the UK however live less than a few hours drive from a decent sized park, so the decision to visit is much more spontaneous.

Its unfortunately this spontaneity that allows UK park managers to get away with such lazy investments - if it brings in people quickly, who cares about quality? Once this trend dies, we'll just move on to the next thing and implement the same half arsed strategy again. The problem is though it just ensures the same people come back year on year. No growth, no improvement, pure stagnation. It requires something truly sensational with a great deal of thought behind it to really maximise your fortunes.

Best example - in 2009 Islands of Adventure had 4.6 million visitors. By 2011, the first full year after Wizarding World opened they welcomed nearly 7.7 million visitors. In less than two years they saw attendance rise by more people than Thorpe receives in a whole year, and despite no new investments since 2010 their visitor figures continue to rise. You don't need to be a business genius to spot that this strategy is a bit better than plastering some Angry Birds on a Dodgem track.
 
Dave said:
I'm just confused as to why they are using an IP 2 other UK parks have when merlin always want unique... LWV social media will have a field day with this.
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Given that, according to Wardley, Varney said to him,
"Who has the most inversions on a coaster and what is it? Let's beat that!"
And Wardley had to reply,
"Err, we do, at Thorpe."

...Given that he doesn't even know what's in his own parks, I highly doubt Varney and his minions have ever even heard of Lightwater Valley or Sundown, much less have any idea that the Grumpy Sparrow theme has already been done.
 
Sam said:
PR guff said:
Jason Wills, THORPE PARK Resort Marketing Director, commented, “We are hugely excited about bringing Angry Birds to THORPE PARK Resort. It has fast established itself as a modern day icon of our times
Click to expand...

Yes, Angry Birds really is up their with Barack Obama and Mother Theresa as a modern day ICON of our times.
Click to expand...

I hear the park are currently retheming X:/ No Way Out as the Andy Warhol Experience.

... Actually, I quite like that idea.
 
So, when is THORPE PARK Resort gonna become Thorpe Park Resort?

The obsession with the capitals does my bloody head in. Definitely screams family destination.
 
If they wanted to turn a coaster into an Angry Birds affair, they should have done 'X'. It's indoors, so they have complete control of the theming, and (going forwards) it's a family ride. It could have been mostly in the dark, but with characters popping out at you (i.e. with clever lighting 'reveals') seemingly from nowhere. Missed opportunity in my opinion.

But actually, making the place overtly family friendly might actaully be a positive step. Angry Birds Land is neutral to most of us enthusiasts (we don't care for it, but I haven't heard anyone say they'll stop visiting because of it), but hopefully it'll deter less savoury characters from visiting - and for those that it doesn't, it'll up the pressure on Thorpe Park to deal with them. A family friendly park (however appallingly themed...) is a good thing for most people.
 
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