Attendance This Year

[Jordan24]

I know there has been a lot of talk about how events will do this year with the economy heading down hill and all. So I figured I'd throw in a poll.

1) Attendance is up from this time last year.
2) Attendance is about the same from this time last year.
3) Attendance is down from this time last year.

Hope everyone has a good season.
Happy Haunting,

[hauntedhousenut]

UP

Attendance is way up!

[Jordan24]

Now that the season's over or a day away from it, how did everyone do?

Hope everyone had a profitable season.

[drfrightner]

Everyone I talk to their attendance is up, and has been for the past three years, and when you look at things like BigSource which has shown attendance to haunts have climbed over the past few years from 12 something % to now in the 18% its clear to me what is going on here...

1) Haunts have stepped up their game, getting better and better.

2) Products from our vendors have really given our attractions that Hollywood appeal which has really helped making us look good on the press coverage

3) Haunters are learning more and trying new things pushed by folks here on these boards, or by seminars, videos and more.

4) The web is really helping grow our industry and more and more haunters are creating cool sites, and making really cool videos which helps show Americans what we are all about.

LASTLY... is it really any mystery that over the last THREE YEARS myself and a group of very established haunted house owners took on a major effort to PROMOTE our industry spending already over $200,000.00 to make our industry shine? As I have said ALL ALONG if we can promote the best haunts no matter where they are located it will filter over spill over to all haunted houses nationwide.

Since we have embarked on this crusade haunts have ended up on Today Show, Good Mourning America, Travel Channel, National Geographic Channel, History Channel, feature stories in USA Today, AP, to New Yorks Wall Street Journal and everything between.

It really goes to show that working together as a TEAM instead of against each other can produce unreal benefits! No matter where you turn you see stories about HHA Haunted House Association and you see my mug promoting our industry, selling all of our attractions, trying to drive dollars into your business. You see Ben Armstrong doing one interview after another, doing live TV for CNN to everything between.

HHA website is now listed in the top ten under almost every major KEYWORD on Google and YAHOO, and well now is the time to make this thing official.

Later this month myself and several other haunters are getting together to write up the bylaws and make this thing legal and official. We now have over 300 paid members, and now the real push will begin to make this thing legit... WE WILL BE ASKING ALL HAUNTERS to meet with us on FRIDAY during the Haunted House show for a major meeting of the minds.

We will lay out for you what we will do, what you will do, what we will ALL do together to go from 18% will attend a haunted house to 25% and beyond. We will work together with each other on issues that help all of us. This is happening and whether you want to admit it or not we have helped your business this year, last year and well into the future!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

It is time for this national PR effort to be taken over by the industry that benefits from it and well should invest in it as well...

I have outlined many reasons why our industry is UP UP UP...but almost all of those things where sparked by our national PR effort, which really did nothing more than HIGHLIGHT what you were already doing, the great job we've all been doing for years!

Now it is time to go another level...

Larry

[Lord Barnabus]

I helped a local volunteer fire dept put on their first year haunt. Their town is very small, located about ten miles from a city of around 33 thousand people, plus an air base. In the four days they were open for business, they pulled in a number of people that I did not achieve until my third year as a professional haunt.

Than again, I got tons of phone calls asking about my haunt that has been running for the past five years, and I told them the hours and change of location.

[Todd Shumansky]

Last night we surpassed our attendance number from 2006 which was our best year ever. We also set single night attendance records twice this month. It was a great year for us.

Tonight we are trying a food drive for local charities. Customers can get discounted or free admission if they bring canned food items. We'll see how it goes tonight. I hope everyone has had a great season!

[Uptown Haunts]

Turnout

Be careful what you post here. Osama Obama might try to cash in if he wins Tuesday. If that happens, I'll just keep my haunt small and limit my sponsorships so I never cross that $250,000 income threshold while he's in the oral office (Thanks, Monica and Bill). Unfortunately, that means less "wealth" to spread around in the form of not being able to expand the business and hire more employees, not having money to donate to charities, less disposable income to buy other products and/or services, lower tax revenue based on a lower income, etc. Everybody loses.

Obama
One Nation
Flag draped Casket

For those who can't figure this out; "One Nation under Obama. USA in a casket"

[Jim Warfield]

Get "Creative"

Just open up numerous haunts . How many do you need each making $249,000 a year?
Then you might actually become an invested person in the Republicons camp since they basically provide their governmental services and vote for the richest 3% of the people in this country.
It will only get real nasty as the those richest 3% all go after each other trying to slim down their numbers , taking away from one another.
"The meek shall inherit the earth?"

[drfrightner]

I think this poll really proves that the haunt industry was up this year, and there should be no fear what so ever on our industry in relation to other industries experencing downturns.

Larry