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New marketing idea - anyone do a Haunt Crawl?

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  • New marketing idea - anyone do a Haunt Crawl?

    I just thought of this as I was thinking of all the haunts I'd like to visit this season. Does anyone do a Haunt Crawl as a co-promotion with other local haunts? Like offer a reduced overall price and get tickets to several haunts, maybe even guaranteed entry times and a bus for transportation. I'm sure in some areas this might not be so feasible, but in other major metropolitan areas there might be several haunts within fairly close proximity. What do you all think?
    -Rob

    Audio Guru
    Lighting Designer

  • #2
    Cool concept!! Wouldn't work in Columbia because all of our haunts are LITERALLY spread to different corners of the city...but I'll definitely bring the idea up at our next meeting to see what others think. I feel something like this would have to be worked out through a citywide haunt organization or chapter to keep all things equitable between the attractions.
    O'Shawn McClendon
    Creative Chair -- Operator: Cayce-West Columbia Hall of Horrors

    One mans junk is another mans kick-ass new prop...

    http://www.hallofhorrors.com

    http://twitter.com/hallofhorrors

    http://cwchallofhorrors.blogspot.com

    http://www.youtube.com/hallofhorrors

    http://www.myspace.com/cwcjc_hallofhorrors

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    • #3
      We just got a bus to run between us and another haunt. We start it tomorrow and the response we have got on it is real good. Very good idea
      Rich
      EVIL INTENTIONS

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      • #4
        I've actually contemplated this one quite a bit.

        I think proximity is the biggest issue. With a pub crawl, it's usually easy to find bars grouped together. Haunts are typically a lot more spread out.

        I personally have trouble hitting more than 2 haunts in a night, and I go on opening day when it's early in the season with no lines. Even getting to 2 is challenging at times. With the added logistics of getting people organized, it could make it even more difficult.

        I'm actually preparing to send an email out to all of the haunt owners in my area after the season though, and this is one of the items on my list. Related to this is the idea of "I survived the Haunts of the Midsouth" tour shirts with all area haunts listed (or all participating haunts). Basically, they could be offered with a ticket package, or with proof of attendance to all area haunts.
        sigpic

        There are three rules to designing a haunt. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.

        Website: www.HauntedMidsouth.com
        Haunt: www.ScarecrowTheater.com

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        • #5
          Thats a great Idea
          BLOOD, GUTS AND GORE!
          www.horrorfields.com

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          • #6
            One possibility to the logistics issues would be to only hit up a couple of the "major" haunts while also visiting a bunch of smaller ones. In my area almost every town out here has some sort of haunted attraction, but only a few of them are the major players. If you did that you could manage a trip to 3-5 haunts in a single night. Lines won't be an issue if the haunt crawl is actually part of the haunts and these people are allowed VIP access. Of course, I'm not sure if there would be a market for such a thing. I imagine these people would have to be major haunt enthusiasts, and would probably wind up spending over $75 a ticket for the entire thing. So one question would be, are there people who would pay that much for a haunt crawl?

            I love the idea of getting tshirts with the package. I'm sure if someone is that much of a haunt enthusiast then they'd definetly want shirts to show that off.

            Another possible variation on this idea is to sell haunt ticket packs, basically a group of tickets to several haunts at a reduced overall price. You don't need to worry about the logistics of moving all these people around in a single night, and they still get to experience a whole bunch of haunts for a single price. Plus you can have all the haunts involved in the promotion share in the costs of advertising. Anyone done something like this before?
            -Rob

            Audio Guru
            Lighting Designer

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            • #7
              I love robos99's variation of selling packages to the haunts.

              I would think the haunters themselves would be interested. We do an "unofficial" haunt crawl. Sometimes we get to see other local haunts for free because we are haunters and we extend the same to other haunts...or discounted rates.
              O'Shawn McClendon
              Creative Chair -- Operator: Cayce-West Columbia Hall of Horrors

              One mans junk is another mans kick-ass new prop...

              http://www.hallofhorrors.com

              http://twitter.com/hallofhorrors

              http://cwchallofhorrors.blogspot.com

              http://www.youtube.com/hallofhorrors

              http://www.myspace.com/cwcjc_hallofhorrors

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              • #8
                One of the radio stations we are advertising with this year is doing a promotion they are calling a "Creepy Crawl". Listeners call in to win tickets. The winners meet at the station and they are taken in a limo to several of the area haunted houses/trails. Raycliff Manor is one of the stops. They are all given the VIP treatment when they arrive. Last weekend was the first weekend. This weekend and next weekend they'll be arriving with more winners.

                Kel
                sigpic
                Kelly Allen
                Raycliff Manor Haunted Attraction
                www.RaycliffManor.com
                www.Facebook.com/RaycliffManor
                www.HauntBook.com

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                • #9
                  several ideas

                  One of the radio stations we do ads on has an annual haunt tour on Fridays. They promote is all week long and give tickets away to their listeners. They meet at the station and drive around in their station bus (used to be a tour bus for a big country music singer) to the haunts that are on the tour. We have to get them right in through our VIP/Fastpass line so they can make the four haunts on those Friday nights. The haunts are in a thrty mile radius. We love it. The DJ that goes with them also plugs the haunts on his morning show as well.



                  The second idea is a haunt tour called Danger Run in the Louisville area. They have a website of the same name and it is in the old fashion car rally with clues to find your way. Go the exact route and don't miss turns and you qualify for prizes. I think the prizes are in the thousands of dollars. Then they aslo set up reduced and free haunt tours as well as coupons for Dairy Queen and others. I have wanted to get down there and try it. The Jaycees in the area used to do one from what the old timers down ther tell me.



                  The third idea is one that we did for several years. We got with all the haunts in the northeast Indiana area within about 80 miles. Out of fourteen haunted events (several mutli-event venues) we got 13 to sign on. We offered a pamphlet the first year with the customers getting their sheet stamped. Each haunts had a different stamp. Collect five stamps and get in the sixth event FREE. Get another five and get the twelfth event FREE.

                  In addition we had two drawings for anyone that had at least six stamps (and the optional free chance for mailing in to get one - avoid the law regarding mandatory purchase). We a only a few mail in for the drawing as well. We printed 40 or 50,000 sheets and handed them out at each haunt at the exit.

                  We met a few times early in the year and were worried about the FREE haunt tickets we would give out. The thougth was that one haunt may get more than their share of free passes given out. We agreed with a handshake to consider chipping in to reimburse a haunt in that situation after the season. It never happened. There were very few at any haunt, yet the customers loved the sheets so they could find all the haunts.

                  The busiest event had some ticket window issues because of the stamps. Maybe we should have stamped them at the exits and only dealt with the free tickets at the ticket windows.

                  The next year we met and decided to buy a full page (both sides color) newspaper ad that would be folded over the Sunday editions of the two big papers in Ft Wayne the last weekend of Sept. 175,000 homes hit the same day and the page was folded over the comic section one third two thirds so they had to pull it off in order to read the funnies. We also put in several other area papers away from Ft Wayne with circulation of about 60,000 more homes. The last 25,000 were passed out again to our customers at the end. Each haunt or event could buy ads three ways.

                  The only mandatory ad was the map/center with a set size for everyone. Then the back half the front third was a coupon section all the same size. The front half of the section that the reader would see immediately was done to attract attention to Halloween Event savings section with "$ 50 in coupons" The third part of the ads was what ever amount each event wanted to buy. The little haunts had a small ad available for their budgets and the bigger haunts divied up the rest of the space. All were happy and fit everyones budget.

                  We offered the same FREE ticket after five events and five more for a second FREE ticket. This time we used mardi gras beads ($0.04 each) with each haunt having a different color. Bring us the first five sets of beads and we trade them out for a SUPER SET ($ 0.50) and FREE admission. They loved the guides, the beads, and the FREE ticket offer.

                  About half the events both years were family friendly and half were scary as can be events.

                  We had very few actually get FREE tickets, but they loved the idea of it anyway. We even had kids that would say they had the first five sets in their car but rebuffed our suggestion that they go to get them to get the super set and FREE ticket. They didn't flinch telling us they didn't want to give us our twenty cents in beads for our fifty cent set and the FREE ticket ($9 value) but bought another $ 9 ticket instead. DARN!

                  We did a website that offered a survey as well. Each event got a web page and link back to their own websites as well.

                  Each haunt paid $ 50 per year to be in the group to take care of the website and domains.
                  .
                  .
                  .
                  Brett Molitor (aka ~ JamBam) Member of HAA

                  Haunted Hotel-13th Floor (est by Huntington Jaycees in 1968 8) )
                  Longest running Haunted House in the WORLD!!

                  Hysterium Haunted Asylum (old Haunted Cave), Fort Wayne Indiana

                  Hysterium Escapes - 4 rooms with 3 themes


                  www.HauntedHuntington.com

                  www.facebook.com/hauntedhotel

                  www.Hysterium.com

                  www.facebook.com/HysteriumFtWayne

                  www.hysteriumescapes.com

                  www.facebook.com/hysteriumescapes


                  sigpic

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                  • #10
                    In Denver a local limo company has arranged multiple haunt tours which include VIP tickets. I'm not sure if the haunts are actively involved in this or if its just the limo company arranging everything
                    Mike Bizub

                    Ghouls Gulch www.GHOULSGULCH.com

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                    • #11
                      Busses Inspire...

                      Drunkeness!!
                      So do you Really want a bussload of drunks in your house?
                      If only they would wait to drink on the return ride home it would make all the difference in the world!
                      hauntedravensgrin.com

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