HHA Updates... Here we go!

[SomeThingInTheIce]

I like the new logo, the people that you have do yor stuff have a lot of talent.

HEY EVERYONE ... ANY COMMENTS ON THE NEW LOGO?

Larry

[UnDeRTaKer313]

How is this different from IAHA?

[drfrightner]

Kevin,

You are 110% correct and that is what will happen for sure! You just have to get all this leg work stuff done first.

As for the comments about IAHA... don't even get me started LOL. I will not say the negative, I will stick the the positve of HHA.

HHA will not have home haunters, enthusiasts, horror fans or people who aren't really vendors on the board. The board will be made up stricktly of haunted house owners and operators with no less than FIVE years experience running and operating haunted attractions. The goals of organization will be VERY CLEAR... HELP THE HAUNTED HOUSE INDUSTRY GROW and PROSPER!

Though national PR directed at the HHA website we hope to find new customers for your business, through education we hope to help you grow your existing business and keep you going in the right direction.

These are the clear differences. You need haunt OWNERS to direct the association not enthusiasts, not horror fans or part time vendors. You need people who all have the same pitfalls, problems, goals, and dreams to direct the organization into the future.

One person can do many great things but together we can be an ARMY of ONE!

Larry

[colwood56]

Board members

Dark Angel, I understand what you are saying and agree with that whole heartily. I was not exactly clear on your post prior to that. Thanks for clearing it up.

Larry, The logo looks great !

Question, are the Board members going to have limits on how many year term?
I suppose this will be in the bylaws, correct?

Jim @ colwood

[stonegate]

I appreciate the extension to people trying to start a haunted attraction (like myself), but how will this association benefit us newbie’s?

It’s obvious the industry needs a more formal association, but will it only benefit the current attractions or will there be programs geared towards start-ups to help them succeed?

[MDKing]

Kevin I think had a great idea splitting the membership criteria. I'm all for creating something that will help this industry grow for ourselves and for our perception from the public, everyone really.

Allan

[drfrightner]

We may not all agree on everything but one thing I think we all agree on we need an association for professionals, who make their living and or are trying to make their living producing Halloween attractions.

The plan is to make this association work for those already in the business. To answer the one question posed... the goal of an association shouldn't ever be to help those not in the business get into the business.

That would be working against your membership because every haunt you help get started is one haunt that could be competing with an existing member. The goal of this association should never be to complete with any existing member, or a vendor, or a service or to promote one person over another person.

As for what can HHA do for a newbie, well you can share in the success this association will surely accomplish, you can share the communication and knowledge that will be brought forth.

Larry

[stafford]

Headed in right direction

Looks like things are headed in the right direction.

I agree, anyone can join, but those making the decisions (board) should have the experience necessary to make them. As far as different levels of membership, you can look to IAAPA as an example, they have different membership types - Amusement Facility, Manufacturer-Supplier-Consultant, and Individual, which allows virtually anyone to join, however, I'm sure anyone who has an individual membership, is not running for a board position or making decisions for the organization, but is still gaining a wealth of knowledge from the association.

As far as the logo, it looks great, a little more professional looking than the old one.

Chris

[drfrightner]

Check out this video here where I did an interview COAST TO COAST talking about our industry on behalf of the Haunted House Industry. This was seen by MILLIONS of people. Notice how when they talk about the Darkness I try to steer them back onto the whole industry. I do my best! Bottom line this was funded by America Haunts on behalf of the whole industry. Check it out. Larry

[MDKing]

That was a cool video. It seems they wanted to see more of the props than to talk numbers. Don't you just hate those little ear pieces they give you to feed you the questions? I barely understand half of the questions they ask when I am using a pair of those!!

Good job!

Allan

[JamBam]

Hha

The plan and ideas are on track. It needs to be focused and not try to be one size fits all because there is a difference between enthusiast, hobbyist, and even events.

Market size might be another break out within so that haunts in small towns could network and haunts in big markets would do so as well.

The board needs to be stable so that it doesn't roller coaster in effort. A marketing person who is part time employed for many of the efforts needed.

[stonegate]

Larry, maybe I misunderstood your post so I may be off target here, but my question wasn't would the association help those not in the business get into the business, but help the start-ups succeed and learn from the experienced; and by start-ups I mean 1st/2nd year haunts.

Since this association is being touted as the end-all for the haunt industry, I guess I'm expecting something along the lines of the ASQ (American Society of Quality). You can look it up if you really want to know what/who they are, but basically they provide a great wealth of resources for those already well established in AND those new to quality management. It offers those resources (for cost of course) to those in the quality sector regardless of experience. I think an association structure like ASQ's should be this association's goal, but that's my opinion.

[drfrightner]

I thought I answered your question but I guess I didn't so I'll take another shot here...

The goal of the association is to work for ways to improve the awareness of haunts nationwide, keep them safe, and find ways to help your business. The goals will always assume you already own an attraction. You being a newbie well you will benefit from our accomplishments as a member, and you will have access to all sorts of information we collect, or things we accomplish.

If you are NOT a member you will not have access to anything we accomplish. If you do not own a haunt you join you are helping the cause and you will get things like industry directory phone book lets say, or vendor discounts, blah, blah but all of the things the association spends its money on will be towards helping those with attractions.

Members who join that do not own attractions will pay less money, in fact a lot less, and you will still have the access to the information, and access to vendor discounts, industry directory and all of that. So it will be worth it to you no matter if you have a haunt or not. We also want to set up national health care for the members, so you can purchase low cost insurance for yourself, your family and workers.

Larry

[JamBam]

Patience

I have helped other organizations start up. You have to have some patience.

At this time, Larry is one of the driving forces, but there are many others well respected in this industry that are coming on board.

Any organization in the development stages needs help and this one has some of the big hurdles out of the way with Larry fronting many things: website, some artwork, time, and effort to start this thing. Larry is saying he will not be on the board. He has gathered many people together with the same vision to take HHA in an owners direction. It shouldn't try to be everything to everybody.

The more I find out, the more I like what I hear. I am hoping this will be another way in which to network and learn to help with my goals.

TW in March will be here quickly and the rest of the HHA details will be on the table.

[RJ Productions]

I agree Brett, patience may be a virtue, but in this case it is an absolute necessary!! I too have been involved in several local and national organizations, from established to start-up. You go no where without a clearly defined purpose. No organization succeeds if it tries to be a "one size fits all". That unfortunately was the case for the IAHA. I too am not here to slam the IAHA, heck I was one of it's strongest proponents, but when it refused to focus and tried to please everyone it started it's downward spiral!

Back in 1999, I for one was almost insulted that the IAHA was allowing me to join even though I didn't own a haunt yet. I assumed I could only be an associate member and here they were not only allowing me to join, but seeing if I was interested in a board position! Granted I had prior experience on several other boards, but there should have been more criteria in place. My hope is the HHA learns from the mistakes, avoids making them and provides a true service for the industry.

We all claim to be part of this industry, then we refuse to treat it like an actual industry and it stays a mere shadow of what it truly could be. Why should banks, vendors, real estate brokers, sponsors or other business professional take us seriously when WE refuse to? Until we move from an artisan focus to a business focus we are doomed to spin our wheels. By this I mean a vast majority of those who own haunts did so because they LOVE Halloween. These are the creative people who build the props, design the scares. They are the life blood of the industry. But without a clear business aspect to your business it becomes nothing more than a glorified “hobby”.

I have said it time and time again. It bothers me that any seminar at TW that has the word “scare” in it is always packed. Any seminar that has a business focus is empty!!! Yet without being a successful business, you will never GET to scare anyone!!!

If correctly implemented, nurtured and supported the HHA CAN be what this industry so desperately needs, a REAL VOICE. We need leaders who will follow this mantra, not people who only want a board position to be more popular or to use it as a promotional tool to promote their own haunt locally. If we focus on presenting our industry in the correct light, we will ALL reap the benefits.

Act and treat ourselves like an actual functioning industry and someday others may do the same.