Combined ticket pricing yes or no

[N2SPOOKINU]

We are having a delima at Fearfest this season. We have 4 haunted attractions, 2 haunts and a haunted hayride/cornmaze. In the past we have kept the haunts seperate and offered the haunts for one price and the hayride and corn maze for another. Or you could buy a combo ticket to all 4. We are thinking of eliminating the option of going to 2 and putting all 4 on one ticket as a full deal. Whats your opinion of this? We have heard pros and cons on both sides so we are asking other haunters what their opinion is. I look forward to hearing from you guys.
Greg
Fearfest
Columbia, Mo.

[twohlgemuth]

Hi Greg,

I experimented with having mulitple haunted attractions with different prices. I was talked into this by Leonard Pickle back in the mid 90's. My one year of trying this resulted in 90% of the customer buying both. From that year forward every attraction is on one ticket.

Pros: No more wondering what attraction the guest at the end of the night have yet to tour. This solved the problem of the energy of the actors going dead waiting on groups to get through the other attractions. The logistics of the haunt are streamlined and payroll is reduced since it takes an hour to go through everything we can clock out the staff as the last group is going through the show. Saved me an hour payroll x 130 actors.

Cons: Some people may not be able to aford your show with the ticket price set higher. However, you will work smarter not harder and I found that I was more profitable with one show.

So my vote is to go with one ticket, if you can figure out the logistics.

Our show is $25.00 for the 15 Minute Reservation or General Admission. It takes over an hour to go through all of our events.

[Haunts of Richmond]

Greg,

The rest of the haunts around our area split their haunts into 2 or 3 separate attractions (total prices being around $20-$23), so when we started Blood Lake's first season last year, we set our indoor attraction at one price ($15).

This year we're dividing our indoor attraction into two separate ones (two different themes)... giving people the option to purchase one or both ($8 for one or $14 for both). We're also adding an additional attraction, an outdoor trail. We'll have a "Terror Trio" pass for all 3 attractions at one price ($20).

We now feel we can compete with the other local haunts by showing similar pricing (by splitting our attractions up)... and we also have the best bottom line price after we introduce a $2 off online coupon. After the coupon, this means Blood Lake now has 3 attractions for $18... so not only do we consider ourselves the best show in the area, we now have the best value. In a down economy... and without having a traditionally established haunt in the area, we'll take that strategy and go with it.


- Ryan

[damon carson]

Greg you can do what you want to do but to real Halloween enthusiasts they want the package deal. They dont want to figure out what attraction costs what for x amount of dollars. And these other attractions cost x amount of dollars if you bring a soda can from Papa Johns with your logo on it ect. Let them do all the attractions for one fair price. Charging $20.00 in this area isnt realistic. Lets face it were not in St. Louis or Kansas City. This is Mid Missouri. Its Halloween cut them a bargain. Times are hard people still want to go to haunted houses but do they really want to pay $100.00 for two adults and 3 of there kids. No! So there you have my two cents.
Damon

[Allen H]

I recommend one price for all as well, many benefits.
Allen H

[ThECRaZyLadY]

Damen ,
Maybe you misunderstood, we weren't asking what our prices should be. We want to know what other haunt owners do or think about combining them.
You are right that we arent in St. Louis or KC but we arent in Mexico either.
Our prices didn't seem to be a problem for our customers last year, and we
are in an area with 3 colleges within 7 miles and 4 more colleges within a 30 mile radius. I digress sorry not here to debate ticket prices.

Thanks for all the great input
Christina Allen
Co Owner
FEARFEST

[drfrightner]

As you know at Creepyworld we have FOUR massive haunted houses we charge only ONE price for everything. I think people like paying one price for everything over nickle and diming people. It will also speed up your ticket window 10 fold because there is nothing to explain its just $20.00 for example.

Larry

[hsmag]

I agree with what the majority is saying about charging one price for all events. If your price isn't too high you can make people think they're actually getting a deal going through 4 haunted houses for only $____.

Not just that but Tony makes an excellent point that near the end of the night if you have multiple attraction tickets you'll need to figure out which haunts people haven't been through and make, Making them all in one package and have people go through them one then another, etc makes it easier to figure out when you're completely done for the night plus, as a haunt actor myself, there's nothing I hate more than at the end of the night having "dead time". If your actors are having to wait towards the end of the night for guests to go through different attractions then their adrenaline is going to wear off during that down time and when that happens it's harder to get all that energy back to give a great scare.

Just my opinion

[twohlgemuth]

Greg,

If your concerned about pricing yourself out of the market, you can offer reduced tickets during Sun-Thursday nights. My tickets are $8.00 less on those nights. I have seen this as the easy answer if someone says they can't afford our tickets. Sure they can, just visit on our "Discount Nights".

[damon carson]

Cristina,

I said do what you want to do in the starting of my post. I was a mear suggestion. Im not telling you what to do. Dont get upset. If your doing well at your price good stick with it. But personally & many others wont pay that price for a haunt thats not in a major city. 1 million plus population.
Thanks
Damon

[N2SPOOKINU]

Tony, you bring up very good points and we are doing that very thing with our ticket prices. Thursday and Sunday are discount priced and also coming early in the season gets you discounts also.

Damon, I think you are underestimating Columbia and the surrounding cities. I dont think you have to have a million person population to be a sucessfull haunt. Look at Graystone for instance, they are in a small city and average 30,000 customers from what I have been told.
I look at it this way, dont limit yourself by assuming just because your haunt isnt in a major metropolis you cant draw big numbers.
Fearfest does a very good business with many options to entertain our guests. We have grown since your last visit (I believe it was 5 years ago). We have a staff of over 45 paid actors, over 20 volunteers, 10 security guards plus our managers and concession staff. All who do a great job to make Fearfest a sucessfull haunt here in Mid-Missouri.
I assume from what you said you are going to open a haunt this year and I wish you all the best in Mexico Mo. You can charge what ever you feel works for you and we will do the same.
There are MANY customers around our area that want to go to haunts so lets both give them what they want. Again I say good luck with your haunt Damon and I hope you have a great season.

Larry, You make a good point about cutting down the wait time at the ticket window. Thats one place you dont want your customers waiting lol.


Ok, I think we are going with the one price for all attractions. Anyone else have an opinion???
Thanks,
Greg
Fearfest

[damon carson]

No actually I came 2 seasons ago. You gave me a free pass. Which was cool! Were not trying to compete with anyone. You all know there are enough people to go around and visit all the haunts if they want to. Or if they can afford to. Were basically in this to scare people. And give our customers a good thrill at Halloween. Any money we make on top of it is icing on the cake. Good luck to you too Greg!
Damon