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  • Working Together!

    Anyone else have trouble with other area haunts working together? its the 2nd week of haunt season in Terre Haute,IN. and the rumor mills are flying all over!

  • #2
    Working together

    If a haunt owner is any kind of business man/woman at all they would know that working together is the BEST thing you can do to promote your haunted attraction and the industry. Unfortunately a lot of the workers/actors do not understand that all of the time as they go to work or college etc. and say "ours is better" and create a competition. You want your actors to have pride in the show but stress not to talk bad EVER about anyone else's show. Even when the rumors are flying you had rather be the one walking the "high road" than the one throwing mud...customers see this! In my area we partnered with 3 of the haunted attractions and swapped coupons/banners but there was still one that was "too good" for us. You will always run into greed etc. with some but as a haunt owner you would be crazy no matter how big or small not to partner with other haunts to promote the haunt industry and each others haunted houses. While people are out they are going to go to more than one usually, so why not keep it local and let them hit all of the ones in the area.

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    • #3
      Totally agree with SCFearFarm. We try to stop any of our employees form outright badmouthing other haunts in the area. Obviously we believe we are right there at the top. However, slandering other haunts just makes you look petty and jealous.

      We always try to take care of other haunts that come to "our house" and hope that they will do the same in return. After all, we are the biggest fans of this industry aren't we?

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      • #4
        Yep, go the extra mile to get along and be friends with your other operators. Trust me, it's MUCH better and profitable for you both. First off, it gives you someone to talk to about similar local problems, plus the customers are likely to go more if they don't think you are fighting (kinda like you don't want to visit the parents when there are feuding). But the main reason is because it's fun and the other way stinks! Why avoid or dislike someone who loves the same stuff you do? Not to many other people "get it", and that's one of the reasons this forum is successful.

        I got to experience BOTH versions of friendly AND not friendly competition. Two other haunts, one we're friends with, the other decided we were the enemy. After a rough start, I tried to smooth things over with them but they were convinced everything that went wrong was a conspiracy we were behind. I even took a group over to see their show just to offer some support as I promised them I would try to do. (I went after the season so they wouldn't think we were there to steal ideas.) Then I sent some nice compliments their way. Never heard anything back until the grapevine said we were there to discharge their fire extinguishers or something to that effect. It's upsetting to think anyone would be that suspicious of you, but the bottom line is you have to go all out from the start to show you're not the enemy, because otherwise, they will think the worst. And if they hate you, you can be assured they are undermining your efforts with negative word of mouth (at the very least). No body wants bad advertising, it just hurts everyone, so again, it's more profitable to get along for both parties.
        www.TerrorOfTallahassee.com

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        • #5
          Couple years ago I approached the other two haunts in our area and got them together with us. Now we do all of our advertisements together, we offer a triple play pass that allows people to go to all three haunts at a reduced price, we do parades together and in the end we save money because of it! ITS A WIN WIN SITUATION for everyone!

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          • #6
            Alabama

            I have the same problem of no one working together.. I have tried for the past three years working with several haunts in the area and they wont have nothing to do with me... I haven't really tried to work with the bigger haunts around me... didnt think they you work with a smaller business.. not saying I am not trying to become one of the bigger haunts tho

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            • #7
              I have invited some of the other haunts in my area to come check us out (free of charge). I am not in this to compete against any other haunt. I love haunting, it is my passion. I figure we can all make friends and talk haunt together since we are all in the same town. This year we are doing a VIP haunt package with a radio station and another haunt in my town. It is a win for everyone.
              www.nightmareslive.com

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              • #8
                any suggestions other than shareing coupons to co promote with other haunts. what has worked for the rest of you

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                • #9
                  Just depends

                  I enjoy looking at other haunts (not to get ideas or size up the competition etc.) just because I LOVE HAUNTS! haha But the reason I bring this up is a lot of people are real secretive about what they are doing new or what they have inside their haunts but one thing I did this year was visit the other haunts that we partner with a week or two before the season so that they would know we didnt have time to "copy" stuff and just talked about marketing ideas, talked about what worked and what didn't etc. This lets you actually put a face or friend with a name and when somebody asked is the other haunt good ALWAYS say yeah its worth the drive because they will do the same for you. Most people are open the same nights so its hard to get out during the season and visit other haunts so we offer their employees free entry and they do the same but it is rarely ever used because we don't have time. My que line has banners in it from all of the haunts around and we put a banner up in theirs as well. Our ticket booth has coupons from other haunts that we give out, but the banners really do well. I can not tell you how many people have called saying "I'm in line at such and such and saw your banner how do I get there" So I know they work! I would really like to do a billboard split next year with another haunt that says visit us both on 4 or 5 billboards and it would be getting 4 for the price of 2. There are all kinds of strategies as long as everyone plays nice.

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                  • #10
                    My "competiitons" sign is right by mine at end of MY road

                    Yes you read that right. The other haunts sign is in the prime spot at the end of my road as people come off the interstate...where they see it easier than mine. Yes it steals a few of my customers. As the line of cars leave my place several signs lead the way to them 2 miles away as the bats fly. The other haunt has nothing I am worried about people liking more than mine yet. It is a different experience than mine that almost seems to make the two a good match for people to want to hit both. The one co owner said he drove by my place Sat. to check out our crowds and admitted most of his traffic came directly from me. GOOD! With a brewery and two haunts all within 2 miles of a major interstate interchange; we will together become the reason to venture out of the Detroit area.

                    Now LAST year was a totally different story. They had it in their head I was out to keep them from getting established. Long story and no need to bore you. I think they get it now. They came to me this year and asked if I wanted to be on back of thier flyers (it helped them with printing costs). I couldn't say yes fast enough. Maybe next year we will be together in a haunt guide; like I proposed last year.

                    Wicked Farmer

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