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I'm probably not the best person to review the show since I was hardly there and didn't really walk around the show floor but here it goes...
I would say if it wasn't for the escape room side of the show it would have been a real downer. What I heard over and over again is there is nothing really new to buy. I actually agree!
Here is why... even when a vendor makes a new dead body its still a dead body. When a vendor makes a new walk around costumes its still basically the same thing. When a vendor makes a new animation its still just an animation. All vendors did for the most part was make more of what they already make. The positive is they are getting better at making what they make so the quality is risen by 10 fold... but its still the same thing.
How many different ways can you make something that lunges out of a wall or pops up from behind something? Tough!
I think its time for vendors to move away from what they feel comfortable making and try something different mix it up! Look at the booth we did the Christmas stuff... OMG that went like totally viral. There was like 10 million people lined up to take pictures because it was totally different than anything they had ever seen. I think haunters are ready to get more outside the box and with more haunts opening for things like Valentines Day to Easter to whatever... couldn't vendors have made something related strictly to holidays? You still have your army of pop out the window animations or dead bodies or whatever to fall back on.
I think the Christmas booth PROVED that vendors need to totally take risks and move away from ZOMBIES, MONSTERS, and the like and do something totally different. We don't need more dead bodies, skulls, zombies, we need stuff that is going to help us open year around, or something to mix up the haunt drastically.
I still have NO CLUE why some vendor isn't at the show selling kids and rigs to send your actors flying across your haunt, or large fx where 20 people experience something at the same exact time. Haunts want to be overwhelmed they are always looking for the I HAVE TO BUY ONE MOMENT... and I just didn't see that this year.
Then you move over to the escape rooms almost every single vendor basically sold the same exact thing... a phone, a box, a hand print, a fuse box there was no originality there either.
Not everyone wants to be the exact same!!!!!!!!!!
The industry as a whole needs to start realizing yeah I have 100 different variations of a dead body, animation, or costume and make something different!
Sometimes people come to the show and say ... hey XYZ vendor I saw your whatever last year I want that. Many people buy last years stuff because they wanted then but already bought something for that year... so last years dead bodies could still be this years hot item. So be thinking on how you can expand your line and venture out into new directions. Heck I would have loved to see a haunt vendor make an entire line of HAPPY CHEERFUL Christmas characters and animations. WHY? Because if people knew they could buy them they would know where to get them...
Let me make a point ... look at Poison Props as an example what if he came to the show with animated elves, snowman, etc etc and it was all happy stuff. He still has 2 billion things that are jump out stuff he has more than anyone. So widening up that product line would be great. Once someone says the hell with it and does it they will realize I didn't understand the demand was there ... there are TONS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE wondering where can I buy elves, reindeer, santa, easter bunny, to everything between. Haunters are the perfect market for these products not to mention online.
The move is on to widen the base of the haunters business, from escape rooms, zombie laser tag, to yes CHRISTMAS!
Every single Six Flags for example is opening Christmas holiday shows to go along with the tons that are already open. So again just picking on Poison Props for a second we know you have 4 billion animated pop outs, why not Christmas. Same goes for EVERYONE from Ghost Ride, Gore Galore, to EVERYONE!
Just because its a HAUNT SHOW doesn't mean your new line has to be SCARY! Most of your sales DO NOT COME from the haunt show they come from past clients, internet so your line or horror props will always be there.
Its time to BRANCH OUT because that is exactly what is happening on every single level.
I don't need the 200 and 13th different version of a zombie I need vendors who can provide ANY type of thing I want to do... just a thought!
Otherwise yes you ALL did a fantastic job at drastically improving your products everything looked amazing... simply amazing.
But its still more of the same exact thing. Time to look in other directions and broaden the shows appeal and your companies appeal.
Larry
I would say if it wasn't for the escape room side of the show it would have been a real downer. What I heard over and over again is there is nothing really new to buy. I actually agree!
Here is why... even when a vendor makes a new dead body its still a dead body. When a vendor makes a new walk around costumes its still basically the same thing. When a vendor makes a new animation its still just an animation. All vendors did for the most part was make more of what they already make. The positive is they are getting better at making what they make so the quality is risen by 10 fold... but its still the same thing.
How many different ways can you make something that lunges out of a wall or pops up from behind something? Tough!
I think its time for vendors to move away from what they feel comfortable making and try something different mix it up! Look at the booth we did the Christmas stuff... OMG that went like totally viral. There was like 10 million people lined up to take pictures because it was totally different than anything they had ever seen. I think haunters are ready to get more outside the box and with more haunts opening for things like Valentines Day to Easter to whatever... couldn't vendors have made something related strictly to holidays? You still have your army of pop out the window animations or dead bodies or whatever to fall back on.
I think the Christmas booth PROVED that vendors need to totally take risks and move away from ZOMBIES, MONSTERS, and the like and do something totally different. We don't need more dead bodies, skulls, zombies, we need stuff that is going to help us open year around, or something to mix up the haunt drastically.
I still have NO CLUE why some vendor isn't at the show selling kids and rigs to send your actors flying across your haunt, or large fx where 20 people experience something at the same exact time. Haunts want to be overwhelmed they are always looking for the I HAVE TO BUY ONE MOMENT... and I just didn't see that this year.
Then you move over to the escape rooms almost every single vendor basically sold the same exact thing... a phone, a box, a hand print, a fuse box there was no originality there either.
Not everyone wants to be the exact same!!!!!!!!!!
The industry as a whole needs to start realizing yeah I have 100 different variations of a dead body, animation, or costume and make something different!
Sometimes people come to the show and say ... hey XYZ vendor I saw your whatever last year I want that. Many people buy last years stuff because they wanted then but already bought something for that year... so last years dead bodies could still be this years hot item. So be thinking on how you can expand your line and venture out into new directions. Heck I would have loved to see a haunt vendor make an entire line of HAPPY CHEERFUL Christmas characters and animations. WHY? Because if people knew they could buy them they would know where to get them...
Let me make a point ... look at Poison Props as an example what if he came to the show with animated elves, snowman, etc etc and it was all happy stuff. He still has 2 billion things that are jump out stuff he has more than anyone. So widening up that product line would be great. Once someone says the hell with it and does it they will realize I didn't understand the demand was there ... there are TONS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE wondering where can I buy elves, reindeer, santa, easter bunny, to everything between. Haunters are the perfect market for these products not to mention online.
The move is on to widen the base of the haunters business, from escape rooms, zombie laser tag, to yes CHRISTMAS!
Every single Six Flags for example is opening Christmas holiday shows to go along with the tons that are already open. So again just picking on Poison Props for a second we know you have 4 billion animated pop outs, why not Christmas. Same goes for EVERYONE from Ghost Ride, Gore Galore, to EVERYONE!
Just because its a HAUNT SHOW doesn't mean your new line has to be SCARY! Most of your sales DO NOT COME from the haunt show they come from past clients, internet so your line or horror props will always be there.
Its time to BRANCH OUT because that is exactly what is happening on every single level.
I don't need the 200 and 13th different version of a zombie I need vendors who can provide ANY type of thing I want to do... just a thought!
Otherwise yes you ALL did a fantastic job at drastically improving your products everything looked amazing... simply amazing.
But its still more of the same exact thing. Time to look in other directions and broaden the shows appeal and your companies appeal.
Larry
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