The Ballad of a First Time Haunt...

[pickle]

You got that! I have a big problem of slowing down & taking pics when I'm on a roll...but I am gonna do my best. Hopefully starting next week!


P.

[turkeycreaux]

You got that! I have a big problem of slowing down & taking pics when I'm on a roll...but I am gonna do my best. Hopefully starting next week!


P.

"We'll be watching your build with great interest." </palpatine>


So I get an email back from my contact at the mall today, "Hey we've got two other spaces you could use that 'APPEAR' to be in better shape, could you use one of those?" This was followed up quickly by one of the Mall's corporate guys (who was CCed in on the email to me) to our Sales Dept Manager basically stating you must choose one of those two places to do your Haunt or come up with another event per the license agreement (which, if he meant the contract for the haunt space, we STILL hadn't received).

Fortunately, the Sales Manager and my bosses have my back (in fact, the SM is as cheesed off as I am...yes, I did say "cheesed off", that's what we get in WI instead of "pissed off") and we're going to throw together a trick or treat event, probably toss out some easy plywood house standees and place them through out the mall for the kiddies to visit and get treats from, instead of going through with the haunt at this point.

I can see why stores are leaving that mall in droves.



TC

[Frightener]

Man, that sounds FUN! To do a ToTing thing like that. You could build little rooms, haunt the rooms, drape over the entrance and exits, deco' the crap out of it and give candy out in the rooms!
You could do miniature sewer rooms with pvc piping all rusted out with green lights and a zombie giving candy for example... that'd be soooo awesome :P ... far from a haunt but hey.

Dewayne

[Haunter]

Just a side note, I usually start working on the next season's haunt no later than February to ensure things are completed and run smoothely. So maybe something to consider for next season.

Ryan

[BrotherMysterio]

We're going to throw together a trick or treat event, probably toss out some easy plywood house standees and place them through out the mall for the kiddies to visit and get treats from, instead of going through with the haunt at this point.

Man, that sounds FUN! To do a ToTing thing like that. You could build little rooms, haunt the rooms, drape over the entrance and exits, deco' the crap out of it and give candy out in the rooms!

You could do miniature sewer rooms with pvc piping all rusted out with green lights and a zombie giving candy for example... that'd be soooo awesome :P ... far from a haunt but hey.

That was pretty much the idea I had. Use whatever space they eventually throw your way to do some sort of Halloweeny promotion, with a Masquerade Ball or Zombie Stomp being good choices. If the FM has a problem with kids trick-or-treating in a mall space, he can take it up with mall management.

Let this event be the foundation of another promotion next year, with a possible Zombie Walk somewhere mid-season (August or September, perhaps) as way of promoting the Halloween event, and then gradually the haunt can grow out of that. You could also do a Zombie Walk if another zombie move comes out in the Summer, like another 28 Days Later type thing.

Also, either this year or next year (preferably next), do a 20' x 40' mini-haunt for the kids (or perhaps 10' x 20' - you get the idea). Allen has two excellent floor-plans on his Haunt Design DVD in the square vs. triangular section, which should give you an idea. Fill it with all sorts of cutesy, kiddie haunt stuff, with everything being battery-operated, and self-contained (like using these for lighting). You don't even need any actors or anything; just spooky settings like a home haunt.

That will give you plenty of real world experience with building wall panels, setting up scenes, decorating, and so on. You get to stretch your haunt designing muscles a bit, you get real world experience doing this stuff, you get to test some basic ideas out, your higher-ups get to see what you had in mind (in infant, beta-test form), the kids and parents love it, you keep your Hauntelligencia haunt-happy, you set a precedent and track record for success, and everything serves as a template for successive years.

Just something to consider.

I can see why stores are leaving that mall in droves.

Indeed. An all too common occurrence these days.

C.