Hauntworld Magazine Issue 22

[graystone]

Guess its my turn.

I have said this 1 million times and I will say it once more. JUST because I don't always agree with whether it be Larry, Joe Blow, the Mayor, or the President don't mean I hate them. We all have different views! Yup I was totally aginst St. Louis and I ended up having more fun than I have had in the years I been going. However I still would like to see the two show back together and feel at some point in some way it will. BUT that topic is another day and another thread.

Now as far as HauntWorld. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE THAN ONE HAUNT FEATURED! I think I have mentioned this to Larry and I know I have told Ben. I think its great that they will feature 2 haunts and I don't know it it will be a trend or not but I know I would love to see 2 haunts per issue! Heck thats 2 haunts that I can read about at once! Shane and its Larry don't forget the back yard BBQ Saturday! LOL its a joke folks! Shane this time.

[drfrightner]

Few things...

1) I don't agree with ANYONE all the time... I think ALL of you know that! LOL So I'm right with Shane on that one.

2) St Louis Transworld show... I said over and over again it was best for everyone involved. The city was perfect, not because I live here but because of the location, what it offers, what it brings to the table for an industry that simply wants things to be as affordable as possible. Breaking the show off the falling apart retail shows was the right move... I was blasted endlessly for doing this, over and over by nearly everyone. When people got to the show and experienced it they felt the opposite, after they saw what happened in Houston and Vegas they jumped for joy, vendors prior to the show had panic attacks, wanted to bail out, I begged them not to, and reasurred them.

I don't think many believed me... why does this have anything to do with the comments about me whatever with Shane... lots! I took a lot of lumps over this show but I showed once again I don't care, I will stick with what I know is right, what I think is best for our industry, and will keep on going. Still no one has said sorry for blasting me endlessly, calling me nearly every name in the book. Whatever... so when you consider all the slander I took over and over again you know that me featuring Shane's haunt has NOTHING to do with backing down to anyone.

Let me say I'm not opposed to featuring ANY attraction run by ANY single person if I think it has something to offer our industry! Period!

I think Shane and Paul's haunts have something to offer, and I want to know more and I hope you do as well!

3) I am working on some cool articles for the next magazine... some cool ones in mind, however I hope that EVERYONE keeps up making suggestions. The magazine isn't done for my health its for YOU, you are paying for it... so speak up!


Larry

[Darkangel]

I went to Transworld and I still think the Halloween and Haunt shows should be combined, that thought didn't change only grew stronger. In fact everyone I spoke with thought the same thing. The haunt industry just isn't big enough to have a show on its own when compared to combining it with Halloween, certainly not worthy of 4 days it took 10 minutes to walk through, one day to make decisions on buying....I dont think it reflects poorly on the haunt industry to be with Halloween, sounds like an ego trip.


Darkangel

[UndeadProd]

I actually wish there was more time to see everything on the floor at Transworld. This year in particular, I feel like I had to run through all the booths and I know that I missed seeing a lot of great stuff.

I think the show was a great success, and it can only grow from here.

[Darkangel]

Scott,

With all due respect, maybe you were busy with other things rather than shopping? The show was small, easily combed over in a full day. Parhaps you had a full plate and did not have much time to focus on the vendors and buying itself? It was like 8 or so rows only....

Why is it so bad to be associated with Halloween? We exist because of Halloween not the other way around...If that wasn't the case, we'd all be open right now and not having to wait until the Fall. Kick Rubies out and bring the rest in, that should solve a lot of problems a lot of haunts buy a lot rom the Halloween vendors, many of yo have giftshops as well selling novelties...

Darkangel

[drfrightner]

DarkAngel,

And this is one of the problems around here... WHAT IS YOUR REAL NAME, DO YOU OWN A HAUNTED HOUSE... tell us who you are. People should sign their real names so we know who we are talking to. Your opinion counts, but based on what you do, who are you are, and what roll you play could have a huge impact on your opinion. People shoud know from what background someones opinion is coming from.

I'm with Scott here I know several people who said the show wasn't long enough they didn't get to talk to the people they needed to talk to because the show was packed. Vendors where swamped and order writting would have been bigger had people had more time to spend at the show.

For you or anyone to say the show wasn't big enough is just whats wrong with this industry... it seems nothing is ever good enough for most I guess. I thought the show was like HUGE for our industry, and it was the first year, so it will get even bigger.

I don't agree with you at all. You said everyone you talked to said ... I don't know who you talked to because everyone I talked to told me the exact OPPOSITE of what you just said...

People told me this was how it should be! I had people tell me that they thought they'd miss the retail stuff but didn't. The fact is and its still a fact that MOST of us do NOT buy that retail junk so its really eye candy and really distraction from our main purpose of attending: LOOKING TO IMPROVE OUR HAUNED HOUSES!

Looking at models in sexy cloths, seeing the latest Batman costumes do NOT help a haunt owner. If I'm a Halloween nut I'll go with you and say yeah have the shows together because I want to see everything in one trip otherwise as a haunt owner you are better off taking care of business seeing the vendors who have something to sell TO YOU, who make produce for YOU the haunt owner.

Lastly, let me say that something you said is something I've heard others repeat in the past and it bothers me big time...you said that our industry isn't big enough for its own show. YOU ARE WRONG and saying stuff like that goes against everything we perception we are trying to change about our industry. We have haunts grossing millions, as an industry we up to 500 million you put all Halloween attractions together we are over a BILLION! How much bigger do we need to get to have our own show you tell me?

Fact is retail and attractions should have never been together to begin with we are making money in the same season yes but we are two totally different types of business' and two totally different types of needs to operate your business successfully!

Larry

[Darkangel]

I go by Darkangel, just as you go by Frightner. It all depends on who is on here posting it could be me (James), or Dawn. Either way, I have been involved in haunts in some capacity for many years, mostly doing charity shows and helping other haunts. I am awaiting word on land to start my own pro show this year but I've been around. Are you saying that depending on my status in the industry that will determine if I should be taken seriously or not? I have been to 11 transworlds so I feel I can speak on my opinions of the show. If someone disagrees with you you launch an assault spewing your opinions you call facts until they agree with you.

The haunt show WAS small, you can twist it any way you want and say it was HUGE, everyone did AMAZING and we don't need Halloween. Not everyone did so amazing. I saw some of the IAAPA type vendors sitting there twittling their thumbs all weekend like the inflatable guy, the train people, etc... The guy who makes the awesome mummy suits just said he didn't do well. There are MANY people who want the shows together, why does that anger you so much? Look, you can do whatever you want and pull all the strings and convince everyone what you want them to do, I'll still go even if its just Haunt, but my opinion is that its better to have them together and you cant change my mind on that.

Darkangel

[Spookyfinder]

How about, some actual how-to's? Like, How-to...

-File for occupancy
-Properly layout an event
-Setting up an emergency back-up system
-Flame retarding an entire attraction
-Painting costumes to look like set pieces
-How to be ADA compliant
-How to properly run your front of house/ticket booth

So on and so forth... That'd be some really cool reads! -Tyler

[drfrightner]

So is your name James or Dawn? I'm not going to refer to you as Dark Angle just as you shouldn't refer to me as Dr. Frightner... I sign every single post as my real name just like Tyler does above me, or Shane does... I just want to know who I am talking to.

Yes your position in this industry has a lot to do with your opinion. If you are a yard haunter, Halloween nut, retailer, haunted house owner, pumpkin patch owner, or whatever your opinion needs to be understood from what and who you represent.

You don't own a haunted house but sounds like you help people with them from time to time... yes I can understand why you would like them together. Hey I love Halloween I like to look at that junk just like everyone else does, trust me I love it. But what does it have to do with my business ZERO!!!!!!!!!!

And you can't change my mind on that just like I can't change your mind. Looking at Rubies booth and see all the cool trick or treat costumes has NOTHING, ZERO, GOOSE EGG to do with helping my haunted house get better in the fall!

I'd like to hear an arguement from you to prove to me otherwise. Fact is most of those retails do NOT want to sell to haunts. Lastly, I can't even believe you thought that show was small... get use to it because that is what it is. You haven't been to enough tradeshows because that Hauntshow was bigger than the BOWL EXPO, or FUN EXPO, or well any of these other haunt shows COMBINED!

In fact and maybe I'm wrong but that Hauntshow was almost as big as these retail shows now... imagine that!

Furthermore since when is it size over matter, or quantity over quality? There was over or I should say NEARLY 6,000 people who walked through those doors over three days...that is about 15 times the amount of people who went to the retail show.

Lastly the show is going to grow maybe by as much as 50% next year because all the retailers know where the action is...they'll come to our show, play on our ball field, rather than listen to all their 'we're better than you non-sense for a weekend'.

The show wasn't small it was like 4 times bigger than it had ever been... biggest haunt show ever, even though many people were nervous and cut back...next year look out. That is all I need to say!

Lastly, there was no IAAPA vendors sitting there bored to death, unless you are talking about Sunday. I know those people and I talked to them and they did awesome. There isn't a show ANYWHERE from IAAPA to whatever that doesn't have people who didn't do well... its not the shows fault the buyers were there in FORCE how can you deny that? The place was so packed you couldn't walk down certain lanes, they ran out of Pepsi, hot dogs, almost every single vendor I talked to said record breaking year! I don't know who you talked to but overall the mass majority hit a HOME RUN!
Larry

[ghost37]

I agree with Tyler. I like the idea of some how tos in the magazine.

[scaryguy666]

hey

looking forward to a new hauntworld

[Jonathan]

First Let me quote Larry...

"And this is one of the problems around here... WHAT IS YOUR REAL NAME, DO YOU OWN A HAUNTED HOUSE... tell us who you are. People should sign their real names so we know who we are talking to."

I have been saying that for ages...hence me just as Jonathan everywhere.


Anyhoo, I agree with Tyler. Some how-tos, and also I would personally like to see a Product test review. NOT product review. But Product actually being tested tried and true review.

[Spookyfinder]

Product Test Reviews... Oh but JJ... wouldn't that possibly upset some advertisiers in HW mag? I mean, lets face it... some haunt products... SUCK!!! So, if they were reviewed/tested... yet they're a paying advertiser in the mag... and they got a BAD review!!! Hmmm... I think they wouldn't support the mag and buy ads anymore.

As much as I would LOVE for something like this to be written... it's unlikely it will ever happen! Now, unless a certian text could be added to an advertisers purchasing contract that stated something like "HW mag is not responsible for content/opinions written by it's authors and may or may not express the views of HW mag, HW.com and Halloween Productions...etc. etc".

It's a great idea, but I don't see it ever happening, it's too much of a "Conflict of Interest".. -Tyler

[Jonathan]

Well Tyler, You bring up a good point.

But it could always be done the same way we used to do it at the publishing co. I worked at for years.

They had products submitted to them by the producer of the products themselves. And they also had to sign a submission form stating that the publication was not responsible for the review of the product that it was reviewed by an outsourced writer/reviewer not employed by the magazine.

[drfrightner]

I dont' care if someone owns a haunted house, a home haunt, a pumpkin patch or an old folks home, I just want to know whom I'm talking to! Also understanding their background and interest in a topic helps you understand their point of view.

If they own a haunt or even if they don't you understand their points. The best advice you can get is from people who don't own haunts because they are telling you stuff from the outside looking in... sometimes people who do own haunts don't see the obvious.

Either way I just want to know whom I'm talking to to understand the different points of view.

Larry