Halloween Horror Nights 25 Discussion

[RevFreako]

Weeell... I can only approve if you are nostalgic and thinking 1940-1980. The only reason they make those today is for tacky furniture or old ones for theme park decor.

Most traps today appear as:

BTW, I just learned some troubling news about this years event. Eye opening budget cuts. I have yet to hear the reason, but I am wondering if the 9th house proved a bit much for their overall allotment.

I always preferred the old ones.

 

[grizzlybarely]

I always preferred the old ones.

So did the lobsters

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

Troubling news indeed. Any word on what the cuts might affect? Is it wishful thinking to hope that they cut RHPS and spread those dollars to the houses and zones?

Basically everyone is saying RHPS was cut for a Jack show.

 

[ThNdIzNiR]

God forbid they go over budget. I'm sure they won't make any money at all when the park is at borderline full capacity on the weekends in October.

 

[theuoleaker]

Received some clarity. Example: It is much like a new E attraction, in that the designers went nuts... designed 80 animatronics and finding out they can only afford 42. No animatronics here... but you get the idea. The "nuts" were cut.

Sorry for the alarm!

I mean they always could cut Xstudios and go back making the website in house

 

[Clive]

I mean they always could cut Xstudios and go back making the website in house

But that would probably require allowing A&D to have some creative input................. what a shame that would be!

 

[ThNdIzNiR]

Talk about making cuts... how much do you think Mike's tour of the UK and Ireland is costing Universal? I don't know if he stayed at the hotel where the press conference was held, but if so, that was probably several thousand dollars right there. I could be wrong, but I think he just wanted an expense paid vacation over there. These things happen all the time in various fields of business. Seriously... Why bother marketing over there, when there are plenty of people in the US who still haven't heard of HHN?

 

[Brian G.]

Talk about making cuts... how much do you think Mike's tour of the UK and Ireland is costing Universal? I don't know if he stayed at the hotel where the press conference was held, but if so, that was probably several thousand dollars right there. I could be wrong, but I think he just wanted an expense paid vacation over there. These things happen all the time in various fields of business.

Right, and they all have to follow budgets. What Mike is doing is part of the budget, as it qualifies as a "Travel Expense".

I don't get the argument you're trying to make?

 

[s8film40]

Talk about making cuts... how much do you think Mike's tour of the UK and Ireland is costing Universal? I don't know if he stayed at the hotel where the press conference was held, but if so, that was probably several thousand dollars right there. I could be wrong, but I think he just wanted an expense paid vacation over there. These things happen all the time in various fields of business.

I would imagine that probably comes out of a marketing budget and does not affect the budget for putting on the event.

 

[ThNdIzNiR]

Cut marketing to add content to the event... or at least use the marketing budget in a way that it isn't wasted. They could have held a press conference anywhere. Why do it at a hotel that charges $800 a night for a room? If they charge $800 a night for a room, how much do you think they charge to hold a room where the conference was held?

If they went all out (not making cuts to the event itself), the product would sell itself. Word of mouth is by far the best marketing there is.

 

[s8film40]

Cut marketing to add content to the event... or at least use the marketing budget in a way that it isn't wasted. They could have held a press conference anywhere. Why do it at a hotel that charges $800 a night for a room? If they charge $800 a night for a room, how much do you think they charge to hold a room where the conference was held?

If they went all out, the product would sell itself. Word of mouth is by far the best marketing there is.

Honestly the trip makes a lot of sense to me. They do way more than enough marketing locally. My guess is they found that the European market isn't being capitalized to it's full potential. It's a lot more powerful to physically be there do a press conference and in turn get the local media attention. Probably much less expensive than running an equivalent amount of airtime of ads. I also think you are way underestimating the costs of putting on HHN, this trip was probably a very tiny drop in the bucket compared to the cost of the event.

 

[ThNdIzNiR]

Honestly the trip makes a lot of sense to me. They do way more than enough marketing locally. My guess is they found that the European market isn't being capitalized to it's full potential. It's a lot more powerful to physically be there do a press conference and in turn get the local media attention. Probably much less expensive than running an equivalent amount of airtime of ads. I also think you are way underestimating the costs of putting on HHN, this trip was probably a very tiny drop in the bucket compared to the cost of the event.

Do you live in Florida? I'm from Massachusetts. I would have never even heard of the event if I didn't have family that lives down there. Their nationwide marketing is not very impressive in my opinion.

I think you may be underestimating the costs of a spare no expense tour around London and now Dublin. Have you stayed out there?

I just believe they should go all out with production versus running a press conference tour at costly hotels during the summer (months in advance). At least if there was a real reason to target that area (Dr. Who or maybe even a Jack the Ripper announcement, neither of which will happen) why bother? Maybe they could have launched some sort of interactive website while there to get/keep the people interested in the event over the next couple months. What exactly do you think is being accomplished by doing these conferences this far out. There isn't even a house list to get new people hooked. Who is going to be convinced to go to an event that when don't even know what's they're going to see?

 

[s8film40]

Do you live in Florida? I'm from Massachusetts. I would have never even heard of the event if I didn't have family that lives down there. Their nationwide marketing is not very impressive in my opinion.

I think you may be underestimating the costs of a spare no expense tour around London and now Dublin. Have you stayed out there?

Well perhaps they should send Mike Aiello on a US tour too. I am not aware of hotel costs in that area, but I doubt they are that much more than here. Are you aware of the airtime ad costs in Europe? It would be important to compare that as well since a press conference creates a large amount of free airtime advertising. Of course not to mention how much more meaningful it is when a representative is there personally as opposed to just seeing an ad for an overseas event. Any marketing expense being put into this is an investment into the event and is a good thing.

 

[Clive]

Do you live in Florida? I'm from Massachusetts. I would have never even heard of the event if I didn't have family that lives down there. Their nationwide marketing is not very impressive in my opinion.

I think you may be underestimating the costs of a spare no expense tour around London and now Dublin. Have you stayed out there?

I just believe they should go all out with production versus running a press conference tour at costly hotels during the summer (months in advance). At least if there was a real reason to target that area (Dr. Who or maybe even a Jack the Ripper announcement, neither of which will happen) why bother? Maybe they could have launched some sort of interactive website while there to get/keep the people interested in the event over the next couple months. What exactly do you think is being accomplished by doing these conferences this far out. There isn't even a house list to get new people hooked.

First, you're going to need to accept that departments have completely different budgets, and they aren't going to generally cross pollinate. This isn't negotiable. Marketing almost certainly sets aside x amount of money each year for travel expenses - this isn't the first time Aiello and others have been sent around the world to promote HHN or do research. Can it be excessive? Sure! Is it always necessary? Maybe not! Every company has bloat in their budgets, but that money isn't being taken from the event's production.

Second, UK tourism is HUGE for HHN and Universal at large. Brits take very long vacations, 10-14 days, usually, and consequently spend big. Of course they're going to show those folks some love. As others have pointed out, the costs for that trip are drops in the bucket for a company the size of Universal. Aiello, at this point, is a prized creative executive - they aren't going to put him up in a 2 star hotel.

Third, while Teebin's update is helpful and appreciated, it's worth pointing out that these budget cuts happen *every year.* I don't like it - no one likes it - but it's easier for A&D to shoot for the moon and be told to cut things down (on the off chance that their wild ideas are all accepted) than do a "cost-conscious" initial version and be told to cut THAT down. From what I understand, HHN as a whole has still gotten its overall first budget increase since HHNXX.

This still means budget cuts could be bad news. Budget cuts in 2013 resulted in the laughable travesty that was Afterlife. But it's just too soon to start freaking out.

 

[ThNdIzNiR]

I agree that any marketing is a good thing. Once again, this is just my opinion, but I think that if they just went all out on the production side of things, that would help sell more tickets. I think HHN is one of the greatest venues I've attended. However, there are areas that could be improved. Some of the house quality isn't as good as some of the other haunts I've attended over the years. While a portion of that is because of the never ending conga lines and security waving people through, it's also because there could be more attention to small details as well as improvements in the creativity department. Obviously if they are using ip's they are limited when it comes to creativity, but I think you might get what I'm saying if you've been to enough haunts. But I believe the bottom line is that you need to build it before you can sell it.

From what I understand, HHN as a whole has still gotten its overall first budget increase since HHNXX.

This still means budget cuts could be bad news. Budget cuts in 2013 resulted in the laughable travesty that was Afterlife. But it's just too soon to start freaking out.

A budget increase... That at least is good news. I wonder how much? I've always wondered roughly what it costs to run the event. I'd even like to know what it costs just to pay for the employees during the events run.

Oh God... not Afterlife. I'm not freaking out, just curious as to why in the same day we're hearing about potential cuts, they're spending excessively on a press conference that gives out minimal information. I also understand that the budgets are separate, but it doesn't mean that I have to like what I'm seeing. I guess I just felt as though if Universal wanted to make the greatest haunt event ever, they could... but they seem to be held back by a budget. If they had been losing money each of the past few years, I'd understand, but we know that's far from the reality of the situation.

 

[Mad Dog]

Marketing costs of this nature & style, will many times over, pay for itself with increased attendance. And yes, it also will generate free advertising that is worth much more than the trip's costs.This is the type of marketing that works. It's much better than the multi million dollar splurges for a Super Bowl ad or something of that type. These costs are, in the grand scheme of things, fairly negligible. We should be applauding these efforts, not condemning them.

 

[theuoleaker]

I know for a fact Xstudios gets at least 20k from HHN for the website. Have the old website designer come back and make interactive websites like 2008 - 2009 keep us busy during this time. The city's website keeps us more busy then HHN one does. Let's admit it they have gone cheap when it comes to the "fans" not the GP. I take it as they don't care about us anymore and they know we will go no matter what. We should one year not go at all and see Universal's face.

Would probably look like this

 

[Clive]

I know for a fact Xstudios gets at least 20k from HHN for the website. Have the old website designer come back and make interactive websites like 2008 - 2009 keep us busy during this time. The city's website keeps us more busy then HHN one does. Let's admit it they have gone cheap when it comes to the "fans" not the GP. I take it as they don't care about us anymore and they know we will go no matter what. We should one year not go at all and see Universal's face.

Would probably look like this

Let's be realistic. If all the fans didn't go for a year, you'd see slightly lower attendance in the earlier weekends... and marginal change everywhere else. We, too, are a drop in the bucket. HHN used to go above and beyond the expectations (stuff like overarching themes and an interactive website) because it was a cool thing to do, something that made it special and truly world class. They don't have to do that anymore - they have their reputation to ride on.

 

[theuoleaker]

Let's be realistic. If all the fans didn't go for a year, you'd see slightly lower attendance in the earlier weekends... and marginal change everywhere else. We, too, are a drop in the bucket. HHN used to go above and beyond the expectations (stuff like overarching themes and an interactive website) because it was a cool thing to do, something that made it special and truly world class. They don't have to do that anymore - they have their reputation to ride on.

If they keep riding on the reputation Howl O Scream will eventually big the next big halloween ticket. I miss the arch videos interactive text messaging. Just the little things, The website not so much I spent more time decompiling the site than enjoying them lol.

 

[Clive]

If they keep riding on the reputation Howl O Scream will eventually big the next big halloween ticket. I miss the arch videos interactive text messaging. Just the little things, The website not so much I spent more time decompiling the site than enjoying them lol.

While I agree with your sentiment, that just isn't true. Howl-O-Scream is too disconnected and doesn't enjoy the same international acclaim. Their budget also continues to get slashed - until the Busch parks are owned by a competent handler/investor, we aren't going to see massive Howl-O-Scream improvements. This from someone who adored his visit for "The 13."

I penned a lengthy open letter a couple years back explaining why I thought HHN, on this path, is destroying itself long-term. I stand by a majority of what I said in that letter based on what I continue to see... but that won't be for a decade or so.