MARCH 2010

Six Flags Over Texas entry lake as seen on Feb. 12.
AT PHOTO/GARY SLADE

A record setting snow

It was a sight that North Texans had never seen before. On February 11 an all-day snow descended upon the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and when it did quit snowing, 24 hours later, 12-1/2 inches had fallen, shattering the old record of six inches.

While this record amount of snow is no big news to those industry professionals who live in the north around the Great Lakes or on the eastern seaboard, it was a big deal for North Texas.

If there was one advantage to the massive snowstorm, it was beauty. It was a beautiful sight to see the Arlington landscape draped in so much snow. That includes the views of the sports stadiums as well as Six Flags Over Texas. One look across the park’s entry lake with snow piled up on the ground, in the trees, on the park’s wooden roller coaster, one almost forgets for just a moment that this is still Texas.

There is no doubt this has been an unusual winter, and certainly the calendar says that spring is just around the corner. Many in our industry on the east coast can’t wait for the spring warmup to begin. Let’s hope that winter is getting all this crazy weather out of its system, so that everyone in our industry will have an outstanding summer with perfect weather. As one former park executive told AT, we’re all overdue. Amen. —Gary Slade

EDITORIAL

Discounts: friend or foe? - Andrew Mellor

Hard economic times bring problems for us all in many different ways, none more so that when you are trying to sell something. No matter what the product, selling it at the best of times can be hard work but when finances are tight, it’s a good deal worse.

In the publishing game for example, we often see advertising prices slashed in an effort to bolster space sold, particularly when times are tough financially, and it can be the same scenario in other businesses too. But does discounting really achieve the desired end result? Perhaps unit sales will be maintained or even increase, but will bottom line figures hold up or increase? That’s a debatable question.

And then there’s the position further down the line when times come good again. Once you’ve lowered your prices can you get them back up? Maybe, but over the longer term.

So what’s going to happen in our industry where parks and resorts have been offering discounts to keep visitors coming through the gates during these troubled economic times? By no means has everyone had to do it, of course, but some have and it remains to be seen what the guest reaction will be when they try to get prices back up to pre-recession levels.

Speaking at a conference recently, Disney chief executive Bob Iger noted that the company will be reducing the level of discounting that has been offered at its theme parks over the past year due to the recession. The strength of the Disney brand will no doubt ensure this doesn’t cause any problems, as has been the case in the past, but for others in the theme park industry who have discounted heavily of late or who have had some very special offers going on, it may be a different ball game.

The Disney product is one that is in demand, so people will pay for it one way or another, but for those not offering a good, quality value for money product with excellent customer service, it may prove a much steeper hill to climb. —Andrew Mellor