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This past Saturday we were visited by members of the Haunt Enthusiast Association. The following is the feedback they provided...
We love to see a great haunt busy, it shows that the community knows about you and that you're doing a lot of things right. As enthusiasts, we definitely want to see the industry we love being supported.
As for the emergency, we actually saw several of those on this trip alone and you guys handled it promptly and with no signs of stress or strain on your operation. Kudos for quickly and efficiently handling the situation. This is a credit to your great security team who seemed to be everywhere at all times.
Your security impressed us for two very positive reasons: They seemed to be EVERYWHERE, and they were by far the most polite security we have ever met. To be honest, most haunts hire police wanna be's, guys that once given a security shirt and flashlight instantly become the most dangerous and rude people at the haunt. It was obvious that your security was well trained and legitimate/off duty professionals that knew why they were there and shared your interest in making the haunt a success.
As for rolling out the red carpet for us, you guys went above and beyond in explaining how your event works and giving us access to it. We so enjoyed meeting and getting to talk with you all.
We LOVE getting to talk to haunters. It's very hard to explain to those not interested in the industry what the allure is, but for those of us who love the haunt industry and love finding that rare, great attraction that hits on all cylinders, it's just a jolt of adrenaline that we can't seem to find anywhere else. You guys were that rare jolt that keeps us travelling.
You asked about actors that stood out. It is of course hard to recommend one over another because their characters are often written to either be introverted or extroverted so we know it's not fair to judge just on interraction.
With that said, two that immediately jump out at us are 2 that of course had the most extroverted roles: The first greeter in the room where the luggage is at and the actor playing your signature character in the room with the desk. They both did something most haunts don't know how to do: They casually entered into conversation. So many haunts think you run at the attendee, scream and run away. That is expected and is at best "startling". You want to really make an attendee uncomfortable? Invade their personal space by opening up a casual dialogue. It's not expected, so it is actually more startling than the scream attack. Those actors did that great.
I think it's great that you recognize your actors and have a recognition program in place. It makes them strive to be the best and just makes the haunt that much better, but it's hard on the subtle characters to make themselves as memorable.
Like the girl looking in the mirror that suddenly spins on you. No interraction, but quite effective! For this reason, I am hesitant to pick out just one character. Both of your houses were so rich with character and set dressing that it is really unfair to point and say "ah, that's what made it great". They were just saturated with greatness. I really mean that, as weird as it may sound. The houses were just immersed in that "it" factor that most houses are lucky to get in just one or two rooms. This place had it throughout.
You are the rare haunt that I see being good enough to bring in attendance year round. It is of course very hard to do and I am not recommending it, but you are the rare haunt that transcends October and could be known as good enough to be open year round. They are rare. One is Ghostly Manor in Sandusky, Ohio. They have a major amusement park up the street that helps feed them. Another is Mysterious Mansion in Gatlinburg, TN. It of course has Gatlinburg feeding it. Both bring in year round attendance because they are good enough that they are cool no matter what time of year it is. If you have anything nearby feeding you similar traffic, year round would be justified. Yes, take it from a guy that just walked through 32 places with haunted tied to their name, you're that good!
Congratulations to all involved, WE LOVED YOUR HAUNT!!!!!!
Jim & Stephanie Patton - The Haunted Enthusiasts
We love to see a great haunt busy, it shows that the community knows about you and that you're doing a lot of things right. As enthusiasts, we definitely want to see the industry we love being supported.
As for the emergency, we actually saw several of those on this trip alone and you guys handled it promptly and with no signs of stress or strain on your operation. Kudos for quickly and efficiently handling the situation. This is a credit to your great security team who seemed to be everywhere at all times.
Your security impressed us for two very positive reasons: They seemed to be EVERYWHERE, and they were by far the most polite security we have ever met. To be honest, most haunts hire police wanna be's, guys that once given a security shirt and flashlight instantly become the most dangerous and rude people at the haunt. It was obvious that your security was well trained and legitimate/off duty professionals that knew why they were there and shared your interest in making the haunt a success.
As for rolling out the red carpet for us, you guys went above and beyond in explaining how your event works and giving us access to it. We so enjoyed meeting and getting to talk with you all.
We LOVE getting to talk to haunters. It's very hard to explain to those not interested in the industry what the allure is, but for those of us who love the haunt industry and love finding that rare, great attraction that hits on all cylinders, it's just a jolt of adrenaline that we can't seem to find anywhere else. You guys were that rare jolt that keeps us travelling.
You asked about actors that stood out. It is of course hard to recommend one over another because their characters are often written to either be introverted or extroverted so we know it's not fair to judge just on interraction.
With that said, two that immediately jump out at us are 2 that of course had the most extroverted roles: The first greeter in the room where the luggage is at and the actor playing your signature character in the room with the desk. They both did something most haunts don't know how to do: They casually entered into conversation. So many haunts think you run at the attendee, scream and run away. That is expected and is at best "startling". You want to really make an attendee uncomfortable? Invade their personal space by opening up a casual dialogue. It's not expected, so it is actually more startling than the scream attack. Those actors did that great.
I think it's great that you recognize your actors and have a recognition program in place. It makes them strive to be the best and just makes the haunt that much better, but it's hard on the subtle characters to make themselves as memorable.
Like the girl looking in the mirror that suddenly spins on you. No interraction, but quite effective! For this reason, I am hesitant to pick out just one character. Both of your houses were so rich with character and set dressing that it is really unfair to point and say "ah, that's what made it great". They were just saturated with greatness. I really mean that, as weird as it may sound. The houses were just immersed in that "it" factor that most houses are lucky to get in just one or two rooms. This place had it throughout.
You are the rare haunt that I see being good enough to bring in attendance year round. It is of course very hard to do and I am not recommending it, but you are the rare haunt that transcends October and could be known as good enough to be open year round. They are rare. One is Ghostly Manor in Sandusky, Ohio. They have a major amusement park up the street that helps feed them. Another is Mysterious Mansion in Gatlinburg, TN. It of course has Gatlinburg feeding it. Both bring in year round attendance because they are good enough that they are cool no matter what time of year it is. If you have anything nearby feeding you similar traffic, year round would be justified. Yes, take it from a guy that just walked through 32 places with haunted tied to their name, you're that good!
Congratulations to all involved, WE LOVED YOUR HAUNT!!!!!!
Jim & Stephanie Patton - The Haunted Enthusiasts
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