Yes HauntWorld Magazine is coming and coming soon...

[drfrightner]

Not sure if we'll do another magazine or not before Transworld but this magazine is coming along right now... we'll have it done by the end of this week hopefully.

Make sure you SUPPORT THE VENDORS who SUPPORT THE MAGAZINE... I know I will. From now on I'm only going to buy from the vendors in the magazine and I hope you support these guys as well. We are going to start doing more than ever to support these vendors and only these vendors.

More on that to come...but trust me it will be big.

But in the meantime, feast your eyes on the cover and at the very least one page already layed out. I will shoot a few new pages to everyone within the next couple of days. But the whole magazine should be complete by next week and at the printers. You should see the magazine sometime this month.

The main feature is Netherworld but like you've never seen it done before... learn how they do their make up department, learn how they entertain people in line, whole articles on just those subjects then I put the screws to them with 13 TOUGH and IMPORTANT questions.

We haven't finalized all the details for the rest of the magazine but there is an article from Haunted Overload, a feature story on Robert Short and some other goodies!

Tell me what you think!

Larry

[damon carson]

Looks good. Glad to hear your going to go ahead and send it out. If you get anotherone out by Transworld that would be awesome! But if you dont then its more than understandable. With everything else you are trying to get finished. I sometimes sit and wonder how you get it all done with the Haunt, the website, the magazine, HHA, Halloween Productions, Conventions, ect. Tell me if I missed anything. LOL! Do you get much sleep???
Damon

[elowther]

Looks good Larry. Brainstorm does a fantastic job with the layouts and the cover looks insane. I can't wait to read about the Netherworld. The Haunted Overload Article looks cool too. I always wondered how they created those huge props, LOL!

I'll be checking my mailbox when you post that it has been shipped.

Keep up the good work.

Eric

[drfrightner]

Thanks Eric.

This is going to be ONE POWERFUL magazine!

We are also going to be mailing this out to all amusement parks, fec's, renfairs blah, blah for FREE!

So its a very valuable magazine. Larry

[Tater]

I own a ummm amusementfecrenfair...yeah thats it...a mix of everything...does that mean i get three copies...or maybe one. You going to have at Transworld Larry for sale?

[Haunting Copy]

Looks great!

Can't wait to get it!

Sarah

[drfrightner]

What do you think of this page in the new magazine???

Larry

[Spookyfinder]

Nice! -Tyler

[nOrTHeRn TouCh]

great I want to subscribe I have been meaning to can't wait to read this great mag..

[toothtwister]

Make sure you SUPPORT THE VENDORS who SUPPORT THE MAGAZINE... I know I will. From now on I'm only going to buy from the vendors in the magazine and I hope you support these guys as well. We are going to start doing more than ever to support these vendors and only these vendors.

...Tell me what you think!

You want to know what I think?

Before I respond, let me ask you a question- what is your attitude towards those vendors who are not currently advertising in the magazine? (I'm sure you know who they are...)

Thad
Dental Distortions

[drfrightner]

Thad,

I don't know what you mean, but let me say this, we publish the magazine, and we go way over the top to find qualified buyers for our advertisers. There is NO OTHER magazine as well supported by professionals. I advertise in all sorts of magazines for my mini golf business, and other industry magazines charge twice what we charge sometimes three times and are NOT as effective as our magazine.

This industry has it good with a cheap tradeshow, good solid magazine to market through...when they choose to ignore that for whatever reason they are making a very poor business choice. But its those business's choice to make even if it is a bad one. What can I do but shake my head.

Whenever you can find a way to market directly to QUALIFIED buyers, be it a magazine a website, google ads, or whatever you take it and run especially when its very affordable.

I myself as a buyer will no longer buy from vendors who are not supporting the magazine. It takes more than one person to help the industry, it takes many people and vendors should do what they can to support the haunt owners which includes keeping magazines like Hauntworld going.

Haunted house owners need valuable information to grow their business, when they do grow their business, they spend more on vendors...everything rolls downhill in this industry.

I'm doing the magazine to help the industry grow...everytime we do a magazine it basically shuts down my business for a month. Its not easy doing one I can tell you that much.

So from today on vendors who support the magazine can promote their products on our site, they can ask us to publish blogs for them, and they will be included in mass email newsletters, or banners on the site, or something new we are going to do which is put their names on a reception letter anytime new haunts sign up for our directory. We will do anything and everything we can to support those who support us, including myself buying product from those who support the magazine.

Any magazine Thad that publishs no matter what industry wants support for their advertisers over all other vendors and if they don't they won't stay in business long. Period. We want the same for those who support us and if you think any different you don't understand marketing. This is how all radio stations, television stations, and everyone in between feel!

I'm sure there are tons of great vendors for all industries that don't support every website, magazine, or whatever, and are still good vendors but that doesn't mean I have to lift a finger to help them, or buy from them...that is my choice. The biggest problem with this industry and I mean especially vendors is to them everything cost to much from tradeshows, to magazine ads... and all I can say is thank GOD you are in ANY other industry because you'd have a heart attack first day out! LOL

This has to be the industry where price wins out over qualifty 99 times out of 100, where people are swindled more than any other industry, mainly because the vendor or the owner needs more business training, education or whatever. That is what is great about these message boards because we can all sit here and listen and learn and communicate and talk to people who have made these same mistakes before. I wish I had these available to me when I started nearly 20 years ago...I'd be rich right now!!! LOL

I've made so many stupid mistakes because I didn't have anyone to learn from and today well totally different world! People should appreciate that more than they do sometimes! Anyway...

The next magazine will be awesome and I hope everyone learns something and enjoys the hard work we put into this.

Larry

[toothtwister]

Larry- thanks for your response.

First of all, let me say that your magazine is nicely put together. The folks at Brainstorm really know their stuff.

That all being said, I think your idea to ONLY buy from vendors who advertise in your magazine is not what this industry needs right now and can hurt this industry.

Let me explain why.

First of all, you are excluding any and all upstarting companies who may not have an advertising budget yet that can carry them through the year with print advertising (which, by the way is the most expensive forms of advertising).

You also have to consider the fact that this industry has gone from ONE trade show in 2008 to THREE trade shows in 2009 (HPE, TW Las Vegas and the St. Louis Hauntshow)- many or most vendors cannot afford to do three big shows per year, not to mention figuring out which show will be best for them.

Now I know you'll say that St. Louis is the place to be, and I agree with you. But look at how slowly the vendor list and floor space is filling up.

Many vendors are responding to the situation by taking a 'wait and see' position. That's how this whole scenario has effected our company.

What this industry needs is to pull together in these dark economic times. The haunts did very well in '08 and '09 should be even better (Halloween falls on a Saturday this year). If they continue to patronize those companies who provide a good reliable product at an affordable price and deliver it on time with a smile on there face, then THAT is who they should be buying from, irregardless of whether or where they advertise.

As the Haunt industry comes into it's own this year (apart from the Halloween/Party crowd) and the economy rebounds, more and more vendors will advertise in the most-read industry magazine around, Hauntworld- they'd be foolish not to.

Don't promote penalizing vendors who aren't advertising with you.

Thad Whitley
Dental Distortions

[drfrightner]

Thad,

No the industry didn't go from one tradeshow to three... this tradeshow in Houston has been happening for about 3 years now it was only this coming up show that Rubies got like way way behind the show. Rubies displayed at that show this whole time but again only this year did they decide to ONLY display at the Houston show and NOT the Transworld Show.

That is the first thing. Secondly, for the haunted house industry we didn't go from 1 to 3 because haunts don't buy retail, for the haunt industry we buy stuff that Rubies and others don't sell. I understand for you and especially if you sell mostly to retailers things are different yes I agree. Most haunt vendors are not doing Vegas, Houston, and St. Louis... if you are yes you have some extra costs out there if you CHOOSE to do all three shows. Me myself, if I was in your shoes would NOT be doing all three shows I would only do two one retail and one haunt.

Even at that I would think the retail show for you is MOST important and I could even see you skipping the haunt show all together not that I want you to. Secondly as for tradeshows things have DRASTICLY changed in the tradeshow side of business ...

Call a spade a spade, tradeshows are NOT what they use to be, they are not the end all be all that they use to be... in some industries you can skip tradeshows all together. Look at Morris they use to get 30 booths at these Halloween shows and now they have one booth in Houston and one in Vegas. They claim they don't need them anymore and their business is better than ever.

Consulidation within industries like the amusement industry, or lets say the Halloween retail industry has taken the amount of unique buyers down probably 85%. In most cases you have all the potential buyers already in your data base so now people can market directly to the buyers. This has changed tradeshows big time.

I think the Haunt show is unique in that unlike the Halloween retail industry where say Spirits has taken over, with Walmart, Target, Halloween Express as an example or in the amusement industry where 5 companies own 80% percent of amusement parks, and even now the FEC industry big companies keep buying up the small owners, in the haunt industry you will NEVER SEE 5 companies owning the mass majority of attractions. This industry will probably ALWAYS BE owned and operated by independent owners and operators.

So with that being said our industry tradeshow will always be well attended by unique buyers. With that being said even Six Flags parks buy their haunted house stuff for their own park unique from other parks with a budget they are given they however do not or can not do that for rides,thats all home office stuff. SO this industry is good for the support of tradeshows and vendors.

I hope I'm not off track here...

Now getting back to my magazine... I think you read wrong what I said. I NEVER SAID DO NOT BUY from people who don't support the magazine. You read that totally wrong. I NEVER SAID THAT!

What I said was make sure you support the vendors WHO DO ADVERTISE...that is ALL I SAID! Now as for myself I said I would NOT PERSONALLY buy from any vendors who do not support the magazine. And I will not! But buyers will buy from the vendors they choose to buy from each and every single time. I would never tell any buyer not to buy from someone who is not an advertisers ever!

However I will do everything I can to make sure buyers are steered to those who advertise in Hauntworld because that is MY JOB! I AM SUPPOSE TO DO THAT THAD... THINK ABOUT IT!

That is what we are being paid to do...

Me personally I CAN NOT buy from ANY vendor who does not support us in any way not just the magazine. If I support you and you don't support me then we can't do business. I'm only speaking for myself and I think ANY buyer would tell you the same exact thing. I've heard buyers say dozens of times that some vendor has been helping my compeition so I will not buy from them I'm going to buy from so and so instead. This is nothing new. But when new haunts sign up for accounts, or new haunts sign up for my magazine, I will make damn sure these vendors get information to buy from vendors from our magazine.

HOW CAN ANYONE NOT ASSUME THIS IS MY JOB TO DO THAT IF THEY ARE PAYING ME! For those vendors who advertise in another magaizine or a different website or at some tradeshow or whatever it is... that tradeshow organizer better make damn sure they are finding you every single qualified buyer they can, not to leave one stone unturned to help you find new customers and that is exactly what I plan on doing. Whomever is inside the magazne will be promoted to those buyers and whomever isn't won't.

I hope that clears that up, but I will not make any bones about it I'm doing to go way above and beyond to support every single advertiser in Hauntworld from today forward. What you choose to do with your marketing money is your choice I'm not taking it personal not at all.

That is your choice!

Larry

[drfrightner]

Back on track...

Here is another page from the new magazine which is on its way...

Its going to be a really cool magazine. I must admit Netherworld makes it easy to make a cool looking magazine. Their photos are really great. Suggestion to other haunts...get a professional photographer and stage some photos. It will pay off!

[drfrightner]

How about another page...

Its being worked on folks!

With this ISSUE and this ISSUE ONLY Hauntworld Magazine will bonus mail over ONE THOUSAND magaznes to people who are NOT subscribes, I should say not subscribers YET!

We are doing this to promote the show to new buyers, promote the magazine to new buyers and put the vendors in front of new buyers.

Get ready...here we come!

Larry