Just signed my lease, any tips for a first year pro haunt?

[Badger]

Make sure your actors are hired well in advance and properly trained. they are the backbone of your haunt. All the permits, props, animatronics, and scenes won't matter if your actors are terrible or unmotivated...

[Dark Scares]

Get those plans into the city! Ours came back 3 times the first year with them wanting or needing different things. Haunts are not something they encounter everyday and it is a learning process for all. Be prepared for anything they might throw at you.

Best of luck to you!! It is the hardest, but definitely one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

[Laughing Jack]

What part of Florida??
I'm down in the southwest and I'm planning a maze about the same size +/-4000 SF.

I have partnered with a costume shop so I don't have to deal with biz license and the only only thing the
Local Gov. says I need is, well really nothing as long as I have under 500 people at a time there are no inspections required.

It sounds to good to be true but I can't find anyone to contridict this info.
THere is a permit required and proof of insurance and a seperate permit if I put up a tent over 10' sq.

LJ

[Bradenton Haunted Trail]

Hey guys it is my second year and I am just outside of Sarasota Florida if you guys want any help just Private Message me and I will help both of you as much as I can. I am also a General Contractor so if you have any building questions I usualy can help with those as well. We did just under 8K in attendance our first year.

Good Luck
Shawn
http://www.twistedwoods.com

[Scenic Art Productions]

Hello,

I just wanted to congratulate you on your new haunt. I had spoken with you last fall and you really seemed to enjoy building your home haunt. I am happy to hear you made the leap towards building a pro haunt. I look forward to seeing it.

Good Luck,
Robert Travis
Scenic Art Productions
ScenicArtProductions@Yahoo.COM
http://www.facebook.com/scenicartproductions

[fearforyourlife]

Congrats on your contract.

I know you mentioned "talking" to the fire marshal but you really need them to come out and "physically see" the place. Walk thru the building with them and express your ideas of what your plans are. What looks good on paper can sometimes be a total surprise in person (this goes for any inspectors). Get aquainted with them and show you're there for them. You inviting them out before even getting started will show them you are serious AND concerned of doing it right and to their specs. Then after the build, reinvite them to come visit. Believe me, it will make a difference. Inspectors are the best friends to have

I owned a dark ride and had the "amusement inspectors" (Dept of Labor). If you do choose something in the amusement industry, keep all parties (inspectors) informed. For me, the amusement inspectors were easy to work with, if you get with them early, not just after you did something.

For the most part, if you keep the inspectors/marshalls involved with everything "from the start", you will be surprised how much easier life can be.

Good luck with your haunt.

Thanks bud. It's definitely good advise to keep them in the loop.

Claustrophobia doesn't count as an amusement, or at least not here, and we have some pretty strict rules in CT.

But dont just do the squeeze walls, take the onadira way out and use half a claustrophobia wall and mount it on the top of your wall panels, your customers are more likely to react to that way of doing it because EVERYONE knows about the regular way...

So you're saying a three way inflatable wall? As in both sides and ceiling? hmmmmm.....that sounds pretty cool. I'm going to have to talk to the guy that makes it to see if he'll sell me a third side. I bet he will. Seemed like a really nice guy when I talked to him last. I saw his stuff on ebay (think his name was maser).

Make sure your actors are hired well in advance and properly trained. they are the backbone of your haunt. All the permits, props, animatronics, and scenes won't matter if your actors are terrible or unmotivated...

Many of the actors worked at the local pro haunts last year so they definitely have experience (pro haunts as in Universal Studios / Busch Gardens).

Get those plans into the city! Ours came back 3 times the first year with them wanting or needing different things. Haunts are not something they encounter everyday and it is a learning process for all. Be prepared for anything they might throw at you.

Best of luck to you!! It is the hardest, but definitely one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

You're talking about the drawings that are supposed to be to spec right? If so I'll get working on them sooner rather than later then. I need to get some equipment as I've never drawn a to spec sheet. I wonder if they have computer programs that are easy to use that I could use?

[fearforyourlife]

What part of Florida??
I'm down in the southwest and I'm planning a maze about the same size +/-4000 SF.

I have partnered with a costume shop so I don't have to deal with biz license and the only only thing the
Local Gov. says I need is, well really nothing as long as I have under 500 people at a time there are no inspections required.

It sounds to good to be true but I can't find anyone to contridict this info.
THere is a permit required and proof of insurance and a seperate permit if I put up a tent over 10' sq.

LJ

If I told you I'd have to kill you...

Hey guys it is my second year and I am just outside of Sarasota Florida if you guys want any help just Private Message me and I will help both of you as much as I can. I am also a General Contractor so if you have any building questions I usualy can help with those as well. We did just under 8K in attendance our first year.

Good Luck
Shawn
http://www.twistedwoods.com

I saw your groupon last year. I never got to go but wanted to so bad. I'd love to get together with you and maybe do a local deal (I'm about an hour from you) where we can each promote the others business by handing out discount coupons to the others house.

Hello,

I just wanted to congratulate you on your new haunt. I had spoken with you last fall and you really seemed to enjoy building your home haunt. I am happy to hear you made the leap towards building a pro haunt. I look forward to seeing it.

Good Luck,
Robert Travis
Scenic Art Productions
ScenicArtProductions@Yahoo.COM
http://www.facebook.com/scenicartproductions

Thanks bud, I've been scaring people at my house for years. I thought it was time to throw my towel in the ring and see if I have what it takes

[BrotherMysterio]

You're talking about the drawings that are supposed to be to spec right? If so I'll get working on them sooner rather than later then. I need to get some equipment as I've never drawn a to spec sheet. I wonder if they have computer programs that are easy to use that I could use?

My brother-in-law owns one of the top Architectural firms in Boston, doing major commercial projects, and, believe it or not, they use Google Sketch-Up. It's easy, it's free, it's 3-D, and once they have the basic designs on a project, they can easily send it to clients for approval at various stages, without the clients themselves having to have any special, proprietory software.

I wasn't aware there was a national price formula based on the square footage of the haunt.

There isn't, but there is one for time spent. General rule of thumb: $1 for 1 Minute.

I plan on working on making this extremely realistic and gory.

How gory?

I'm focusing on an older crowd.

What age range?

C.

[fearforyourlife]

1. My brother-in-law owns one of the top Architectural firms in Boston, doing major commercial projects, and, believe it or not, they use Google Sketch-Up. It's easy, it's free, it's 3-D, and once they have the basic designs on a project, they can easily send it to clients for approval at various stages, without the clients themselves having to have any special, proprietory software.



2. There isn't, but there is one for time spent. General rule of thumb: $1 for 1 Minute.



3. How gory?



4. What age range?

C.

1. That is awesome to know! I'll definitely try it out, Thank you!

2. Makes sense.

3. I don't know how to define it other than I'm trying to make things as realistic as possible. Lots of blood, lots of mutilation etc.

4. I'm focusing on the 15+ age range. I'm more interested in the 18 and over crowd, but will allow older teenagers in, I will however warn on the website that younger kids should not be in the house without parental consent and if they do come in the parents have no one to blame but themselves if it is too gory. I'm tired of local haunts that tone things down for younger kids. It's about time that they older crowd that actually has money gets a chance to have something catered to them.

[Tom]

I'm focusing on the 15+ age range. I'm more interested in the 18 and over crowd, but will allow older teenagers in, I will however warn on the website that younger kids should not be in the house without parental consent and if they do come in the parents have no one to blame but themselves if it is too gory. I'm tired of local haunts that tone things down for younger kids. It's about time that they older crowd that actually has money gets a chance to have something catered to them.

Your already discriminating against age?

You need to have a mind set that every age has money. If it's kids or young teenagers, their parents will pay. Just post a sign at the ticket booth of the younger kids warning stuff and be done with it. Don't judge the age, just take their money. And as for toning it down for younger kids, I did that for 8 years and worked out great!!! But to each their own on that one.

You might want to expand your horizon being a beginner pro haunter. You're going to need every dollar you make for it to be a successful first year.