Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Queue Entertainment

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Queue Entertainment

    Hi, All

    Just curious (as I am but a yard-haunter), have any of y'all tried "appease the masses" by providing entertainment while they're waiting?

    I've seen mentioned that some of you play audio loops. Anything more "hands-on"?

    Sarah
    Sarah Meier
    Haunting Copy Copywriting Services
    "Words they remember you by"

  • #2
    That sounds like SOP for all Haunts, que line entertainment is a must have. Movies, commercials, rules, being played on various monitors, top notch queline actors interacting with the line, strategedly place scares near the line, Interactive games at varios stations of the line......more more more
    Buried deep beneath Darksyde acres Haunted house In Michigan I'm the Best at what I do, What I do Isn't very NICE!

    Comment


    • #3
      What got me thinking about this was another thread that discussed entertainment *after* going through the haunt.

      It got me wondering why it wasn't also done *prior* to going through the haunt.

      While they're waiting, and somewhat captive, they might be more inclined to spend their money on side attractions, as opposed to having the freedom to run helter skelter out of the haunt and go home - or to the competition.

      Maybe the queue could be arranged in a different way. For example, have the customers pay *first thing* as they arrive, ushered into a fenced-in area, and then have their groups into the haunt, restaurant-style.

      Am I beating a dead horse here? It just seems like the potential for greater revenues would be far better this way.
      Sarah Meier
      Haunting Copy Copywriting Services
      "Words they remember you by"

      Comment


      • #4
        It sounds like a good idea to me. You would just have to come up with some side attractions that they could leave immediately when it's their turn to go inside the haunt, kind of like when you're waiting at a bar in a restaurant and your "buzzer" goes off to let you know your table is ready. You can take your drink with you into the restaurant, but you couldn't do that in a haunt, so you would have to come up with things they could leave at a moment's notice without missing anything.
        Chris Riehl
        Sales@spookyfinder.com
        (586)209-6935
        www.spookyfinder.com

        Comment


        • #5
          OK, so I've been thinking about this some more and I also looked at the Side Attractions thread. I think it's very boring to wait in long lines and think Sarah has a great idea here. I think the fortune telling thing could work here if you have a fortune teller who somehow gets a signal when it's the group's turn to go through the haunt and can "foretell" that to them.

          I also think paintballs hurt and that nerfball fights could be a fun way to make long lines seem less boring, and you could charge for the nerfballs. I think there would be less liability/injury problems that way as well.

          I doubt there would be time before the haunt to do the laser maze, but they could get started and come back to it. It may be good to get them interested in something, have to leave it to go through the haunt, and then want to come back and complete it or do it again.

          If you have a gift shop, give the customers those buzzers they give out in restaurants and let them go shop until their buzzer goes off. If you don't have a gift shop, you could have them create their own T-shirts on a computer, or something like that, and they could pick them up at the end of the haunt.

          There are also lots of ways to make money with photos taken while waiting to go through: charge for photos taken with the group or with haunt creatures, take pictures with customers' heads in those silly standup cutouts of halloween costumes or creatures, take pictures in dungeon-type setups around the queues, like in gallows or other haunt-type settings, etc. The list could go on and on. And they could either get their pictures immediately or at the end of the haunt.

          These are just off the top of my head, but I will keep thinking.
          Chris Riehl
          Sales@spookyfinder.com
          (586)209-6935
          www.spookyfinder.com

          Comment


          • #6
            FearSeeker: Yeah, I thought about that. Some kind of "early warning" system would have to be put in place. Like have the hostess call out, "Party 1234, you have ten final minutes to live before entering the Dungeons of Death. Please say your good-byes and proceed to the Gates to Hell."
            Sarah Meier
            Haunting Copy Copywriting Services
            "Words they remember you by"

            Comment


            • #7
              There could be all sorts of things. I hadn't
              thought of the tee-shirts and gift shop!

              You could also use the opportunity to
              collect info from customers who might
              be willing to take a survey later on.
              Let's say you get their e-mail addresses
              and place them on a newsletter, with
              their permission, of course.

              Another idea would be a raffle for
              prizes/souvenirs.

              How about advertise that you invite
              guests to dress up, and then offer a
              prize for the best costume every two
              hours or so.
              Sarah Meier
              Haunting Copy Copywriting Services
              "Words they remember you by"

              Comment


              • #8
                I think all of those ideas are great. And if you do get any info about them ahead of time, you can always use that in the haunt.

                I was taking my niece through a haunt once, and they had gotten her first name up front. One of the creatures kept following her around calling her by name and kept asking her to be his princess. It nearly scared her to death. I didn't know whether she would make it through the entire haunt because of that.

                We have also discussed getting people's info up front and having them walk into their own funeral. Lots can be done when you get people's info up front. They could see their own info on a headstone in the haunt if it's something temporary that could be changed quickly.
                Chris Riehl
                Sales@spookyfinder.com
                (586)209-6935
                www.spookyfinder.com

                Comment


                • #9
                  The idea of walking into one's own funeral is great.

                  Curious, FearSeeker, how old was your niece at the time?
                  Sarah Meier
                  Haunting Copy Copywriting Services
                  "Words they remember you by"

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    She was about 9, and we were going through with her sister and her sister's friend. They were both about 12, and it turned out to be the friend that we almost had to take out one of the side exits because she was the most terrified. After it was all over, they were so excited about it, they wanted to go through again, but I just couldn't do it one more time because it was all I could do to get the three of them through the entire haunt the first time.
                    Chris Riehl
                    Sales@spookyfinder.com
                    (586)209-6935
                    www.spookyfinder.com

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      LOL.

                      I think if it had been me making the call, I would have
                      passed on using that technique for kids that age.

                      Shoot, my 14-year-old is a big ol' chicken!

                      A few years back, one of the kids in my mother's
                      neighborhood went through a local haunt and
                      she came out crying. I'm not sure that's healthy,
                      but I guess those things can't be avoided.

                      Oh, the child was about 12 at the time.
                      Sarah Meier
                      Haunting Copy Copywriting Services
                      "Words they remember you by"

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        They had been hearing the advertisements on the radio and kept begging to go and their parents let them, so I was brave enough to take them. I just didn't know what I was getting myself in for. LOL
                        Chris Riehl
                        Sales@spookyfinder.com
                        (586)209-6935
                        www.spookyfinder.com

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          They were all clinging onto each other and to me the entire way through. LOL
                          Chris Riehl
                          Sales@spookyfinder.com
                          (586)209-6935
                          www.spookyfinder.com

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Entertainment Before and After the haunt

                            We have a DJ inside our facade above the waiting area as they wait in line with a large 12x16 movie screen playing Elswarro's Que Line DVD. Add our Ivy Man suit blended into the natural ivy on our haunted house and you got some great entertainment before the enter the haunt.

                            Midway Shops Themed in Ghost Town sets include glow products, and an apparel shop with all our custom T's. Next to that the ATM to make buying easy and the Last Ride Simulator shop to have some more haunting fun before the leave after the haunt. A Chilling Magic Show on a separate ticket that can be before or after the show is another great revenue stream.

                            All this is just more entertainment to keep them spending the money at your haunt oppossed to your competitions! The best solution is Timed Ticketing, that way your customers don't have to wait. We are coming out with a complete ticketing solution at St. Louis in 2009 that solves it once and for all from the Box Office to the Web. We have been testing it for several years at Spookywoods and not only does it improve customer service it makes an extra 5K per night.

                            Good Luck and Keep them Screaming!
                            Last edited by twohlgemuth; 08-05-2008, 10:31 PM.
                            Tony Wohlgemuth,
                            Comes up with the fun stuff!
                            Kersey Valley, Inc.
                            www.KerseyValley.com

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              one thing that sells the most (even though it was mentioned earleir) but glow sticks/bracelets/necklaces/novelties are top sellers in haunted house attractions.

                              alot of people feel that with light, that they will be able to see better and know where they are going. this way, they dont break rules of having too bright of a light, but they will feel better on going in, plus you make a side profit. alot of young customers will buy them, and buying glowsticks in bulk is very cheap.



                              lol last year we sold them while waiting in line to get in, and when they reached the door to go in, the one who explained the rules added this line:

                              "oh, i see you have glowsticks! thats good. you can see in the dark now....but that means that the monsters inside will find you faster than ever..... have fun!"

                              it really gets them freaked out, and it does give the actors a little bit of help to see where they are at.

                              you can order bulk from www.extremeglow.com or www.glowproducts.com

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X