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**Jim Warfield** · 04-04-2009, 01:02 PM

We Considered it

And for us it might be fairly profitable since so many drive quite a distance to get here, they may not come here enough to get into the "red" column for us.
The bad thing is the tour here is 90 minutes in duration...the memory of all the years in my life that I have worked for far less than any minumum wage still are or can be strong.

**damon carson** · 04-04-2009, 01:47 PM

Those luxury loft apartments as you call them used to be the old Darkness. Didnt know if you knew that. But it was the old Welsch Baby Carriage factory before it became the Darkness. And its haunted.
Damon

**Spookyfinder** · 04-04-2009, 01:57 PM

Season passes are really just a big accounting/marketing game. Let's use a theme park for example...

Let's say a general one day pass to a theme park is $30, but a season pass is $120. That's equal to four general one day passes. The park is HOPING that after four days/four visits that you get bored and don't return, if not, they're not making that gate ticket off you!

If you do return more days... then they're PRAYING that you buy LOTS of souviniers/gifts, food, etc. etc... haven't you noticed alot of park food is WAY overpriced? Most parks do this to recoup lost revenue from season pass holders.

So.... for a haunt....

I would suggest making a season pass worth three visits to your haunt. So, if your ticket is $15... then make your season pass $45. If you have a VIP ticket... then have a VIP season pass using the same equation. But here comes the problem...

MOST people will not buy a season pass to an event that only lasts a few weekends. Only a CRAZY haunt loving enthusiast would buy a season pass to a haunt if available... This is where t-shirt sales, concessions, etc. etc... come in REAL handy to a haunt!

But, it's worth a shot! I mean, what could you lose? The price of a few season pass cards? What if the person buys a season pass and only comes... once?

There are some security issues with this too... theme parks will ALWAYS take your pic for reference on season passes. This stops people from letting friends and family use it... as a haunt, we'd have to do the same!

Hope this helps! -Tyler

**RJ Productions** · 04-04-2009, 03:14 PM

Several problems with a "season pass" for a seasonal attraction.

One is time. You are only open for a month so the people would have to come every week to feel they could even justify buying a season pass.

Second would be control. With the short season people would be apt to buy the season pass then pass it around so it would be usd by a different friend each night! So now you have to add the expense of a photo ID?

Third is familiary. What you say?? The problem we all have with people returning to an attraction is that the more they attend, the more familiar they become to the attraction and the less reactive they get. Once they get to know the haunt they are not getting scared anymore which makes them more bored with it, which leads to more damage. Some haunts will give a discount for a second trip though the same night. I have never done this because chances are the second thrip through they are just gonna try and screw arround with your actors or props!

So for a lenghty season, a pass makes sense. It could save the patron money and make a little more for the attraction. For a temporary attraction, a season pass just doesn't make sense.

**bhays** · 04-05-2009, 04:32 PM

I've considered it, but I am pretty sure it would be a net loss for us. The only takers on season passes would be those few kids who you do see every weekend and they don't seem to have a problem with the regular admission price.

**Badger** · 04-05-2009, 06:10 PM

I work at a Halloween attraction (Scarowinds) that is part of a larger theme park (Carowinds) in Charlotte. Last year they offered the bonus of anyone who bought a season pass would get unlimited access to Scarowinds.

They sold 200,000 season passes last spring and every one of those people were entitled to get into the haunt for free, as many times as they wished. I thought it would be a total disaster but they reported record numbers and profits despite the economy and $4.00/gallon gas. Obviously, not everyone went but a fair amount did. We doubled out number of hires and expanded our mazes and scare ones to 11. Add the roller coasters and other rides and I don't think many people got 'bored'.

True there were some problems, but the park has a very good security system plus an in-house security force and local police forces from North and South Carolina work the park. I think our busiest night we had 32,000 people in through the doors. I don't know what percentage of them were season-pass holders. They made their profits with food, souvenirs, and other things. I'm sure there were thousands of those who didn't have passes either.

I did a wrap up interview with people for Rotting Flesh Radio and every one of them were not from Charlotte so I know they were traveling. One couple had come down from West Virginia just for the park.

I know that large theme park haunts are the exception on this board, but I thought I would throw that in as a different point of view...

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