Haunted House Co-operation?

[Haunt man]

Hi everyone,
I am approaching various (SMALL) haunts in my area on this topis. The benefit of the haunt I team up with would be cross attendace and a percentage of my profits. I would do my own advertising , sell my own tickets and so forth but I would share the land. This would allow a small haunt to grow not only by the extra money made, but they will be able to draw a larger crowd by offering two attractions at one loction.
I have all of my business plan and buget together, I felt this would be a good approach to my first year of opperation.
I wanted to know if anyone has any oppinions, experience and or advice on this topic?
Thank you!

Haunt Man

[Spookyfinder]

Sounds like a good idea

[Frightener]

There's a lot of haunts out there that'll butt heads. If they would only see the benefit of cross-promotion, they'd be very happy they done it! We have a nice big attraction about an hour and a half away. EVERY time we go down there, they're PACKED to the gills! However, whenever we're around this area, not a soul has heard about them? Which is strange because they also have a Pumpkin Patch trip that the schools go to!

If we could just see that most folks don't just go to one haunt, they'll understand. There's no real reason to butt heads and NOT cooperate. The thing is, making sure you don't pair up with a crappy house. I hate to say it but it's the truth. if you x-promote with say John Doe down the street, if his haunt stinks or is overpriced or w/e, when they see your sign they'll be like "Well that one's gotta suck too, you imagine?" That's what I think will happen to probably half of the patrons when they talk to each other 5 yards from the exit.

Other than "I think it's a good idea but be careful who you team with" that's all I got. Good luck with your venture.

Dewayne

[Jim Warfield]

People Have no trouble .

Getting the first part of that idea "down", you know, the "Cross" part. "Ratza- grumble, mealy. son of a grump!!"
I can see that successfull cross-promoting could involve other business too , like Motels and Hotels if there were enough haunts that required enough time to enjoy, some customers would be looking for a room for the night? Maybe such other businesses could be or could get involved?
A local state tourism office does this involving numerous October events with Motels advertising there too. They try to get people out here from Chicago 120 miles from me, to find so much to do that a motel stay becomes a reality BECAUSE the tourism office gets it's funding from the State via a percentage from the area's Hotel-Motel tax (Bed& Breakfast's also)
This kind of thing might bare some looking into for you in your state?
This tourism office offers reasonable advertising, prints 1,000s of brochures and has a web sight and attends Boating & Camping trade shows in the late Winter to meet & Greet with all the advertising besides answering a phone and providing a mailing service for anyone requesting brochures or information.
It's like a free to low-cost advertising agency.

[Skeered]

Anything to draw a larger crowd would be a bonus. As Frightner stated be careful who you team up with. Do your research on the individuals involved to start. Also does this person have any bad elements of his crew that like to do a little too much drinking or too 420 friendly? Are they out back around their cars on a slow night with the wind blowing towards your customers?? Can happen. No matter how well you might know them when business and money becomes involved they can become a totally different person unless their on the up and up. Make sure at minimum you have a LLC instead of sole proprietor to protect your assets. Have them sign a lease to provide legal separation between you and them in case they f--- something up. Require them to list you as a rider on their insurance policy since you are now landlord. If something goes bad a small outfit is liable to make themselves disappear quick and be hard to find. If something happens and I cannot find them, I am definitely gonna find the landlord and drag him in on it and make a mess of things. Personally I don't trust anybody so I am not gonna share space or land to get extra traffic.

[freak 'n' stein]

Same plan I had for the current haunt I'm with. They're just one show and I thought about offering to come in as a second attraction to their benefit.

[Darkmaster]

Cross promoting

Hi there,

I tried cross promoting with haunts in my area. My idea was to advertise each others haunt at the other place. Nothing is involved except handing out flyers or hanging posters. I sent emails out and got no responses back.

I thought it was a good idea to try. Maybe I need to work harder at it or the idea is just not what they like.

[Jim Warfield]

Problems happen..

Trying to be "nice" and allow another haunt 25 miles away place their posters on my house made for too much confusion.
In the first place their posters were HUGE! Second thing, their claims (on the Poster) were dripping from the Bul- chitt they soaked them in. Erroneous claims , lies, you know, bul-chitt that maybe a 15 yr. old might believe but do I want to promote such misconceptions in anyone's mind? No. I have never said or printed such exagerations because I believe in Truth, so as to NOt upset the customers when lies fall sour on their laps.(and stain clothing) The things in print about my house all happen to have actually happened, I know this is a hard act to follow for them but come on ? Telling those Big Ones doesn't make them true, it just makes whoever had them printed a liar. "Voted Number One, Best haunt for 8 of the last 10 years!?" Voted by WHO? I never had a ballot. I never heard of any such contest over these many years on such a local level. Being in the haunt business for 25 years I think I would know about such a thing.

Then some of my customers while waiting to get in here would read their poster concerning admission and hours and assume it was my house!? Well, it should be since it is on your house and in such big print on such a big poster!?"
OFF came the poster= no more problems. "THEY are only open 6 hours a year! We are OPEN EVERY NIGHT OF THE YEAR! YES!"
Their admission is $7 not ours!
"GGGRRR!"

ending rant...Watch out young-uns.

[NateTheGreat]

Hm, personally I believe that you could attract the same amount of people with your own haunt alone with very effective advertising. I doubt that having another small haunt on your property will attract more people in the short run.

[Jim Warfield]

But then..

If an additional small haunt attracts small people , and small people do run, design a treadmil under them and generate free electricity!
I really think having multiple haunts in one location is appealing to the lowest common intelligence customers unless those haunts are each well worth the admission either alone or grouped together as a deal-ticket.
Sort of like the classmate of mine who would keep breaking a big piece of blackboard chaulk into smaller and smaller pieces as he would throw them at people across the room, stopping to show the Teacher he wasn't throwing chaulk ... because he still had "the chaulk" in his hand.
After about a year of this nonsense the teacher Finally figured out what he was doing!