Transworld Best of the Best Awards 2019 - Transworld Review

[drfrightner]

I figured I would announce my own best of the best awards as an effort to push vendors in the RIGHT DIRECTION and show appreciation for those who're killing it. I didn't walk the show like most everyone else I didn't see everything so please forgive me if you don't agree with my own person winners. But after seeing the show and last years show and the one before that I really feel the show is just like IAAPA. Basically more or less the same every year nothing really new, its more like same stuff last year just painted different. Like Poison Props, I love those guys and like buying from them, but everything seemed almost identical as the year before. But you know does it matter?

Someone said to me about the big monster we brought, which was made by Unit 70... they said isn't the whole kicking person props getting old? I said well if he keeps selling then keep making it right?

I guess really there is no reason to reinvent the wheel, and with this many vendors out there, maybe there just isn't any new ways to skin a cat? Tons of clowns EVERYWHERE but how many different ways can you make a scary clown? How many different ways can you make an animation jump out of a wall?

Probably and almost certainly its all be done. There just isn't anything new at this point. Costumes are costumes, masks are masks even if you make a new monster... HOLY COW if Immortal Masks did 20 new sculpts next year I couldn't pick them out. They have so many masks I don't think they will ever need to do a new sculpt like ever!!!

This is just an example. How many different ways can you do something with a grim reaper rope and distress an army outfit?

The point being is the show is FINE the show is AWESOME but the show I don't think is always going to be about the next big thing. I think the next big thing is haunted house owners opening new business like escape rooms, axe throwing, competitive social attractions NOT spending endless amounts on new props that don't make money.

I talked to one haunt who said to me after me asking him 'what did you buy'. This person responded to me and said 'you know i saw a lot of cool stuff but i'm only looking for stuff that will make me more money'.

The show needs to grow in a new direction... the show needs more food vendors, and needs to expand into a amusement attraction show. Haunts are looking to EXPAND into other things, heck Ben Armstrong told me he's opening laser tag. Laser Tag who would have ever thought that 10 years ago.

Yes haunt owners will always need costumes, masks, some new props or animations but I think the next FIVE YEARS you're going to find more and more haunts saying... WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT WILL MAKE ME MONEY?????????????????

An arcade game you install put in money, allows customers to fire off animations, or even put in an SD card to keep the file, or even one of those companies where you put in a penny and it prints your logo on it.

Whatever just the next theme for ANY VENDOR who wants to be VERY SUCCESSFUL... I got something for you here that MAKES YOU MONEY!

I think Transworld focus needs to SHIFT to the straight up AMUSEMENT industry. There is no more room for masks companies, or costume makers, its time to grow the show to help haunts use their money to open new attractions that make MONEY!!!!!



Larry

PS: To be clear I have NO DOUBT that people SOLD A TON OF EVERYTHING, I'm saying we don't need to be looking for the next animation company, or costume company we need to find more amusement and money making vendors going forward. We need vendors who can sell you something that makes the business owner MORE MONEY!

[drfrightner]

Now my next post is going to be the awards from Hauntworld for the very best products in 2019.

Stay Tuned!

[robert]

THIS is why I attend every other year now.

[drfrightner]

image_21508.jpg This is the award I'm going to announce all the best new products that I personally saw.

[Halloween Haunt]

I'll share some thoughts with you. Froggy Fog has the best booth, there was so much to choose from. I wonder why they call themselves Froggy Fog, they're so much more now. There was so many costume and mask companies this year, all did fantastic. I thought Distortions had one of their best booths ever.

[drfrightner]

I'm going to work on this over the weekend and announce our best of vendors 2019.

Larry

[Demon House]

Is this going to be announced?

[Tater]

Larry Wake up and post the award winners would you!

[Jaurhead]

Larry Wake up and post the award winners would you!

You already know Froggy's is getting an award or two...

[drfrightner]

Sorry I've been super busy, we're working on Creepyworld and building an escape room, laser tag and mini golf for clients. I'm 110% going to do this!!! Trust me!

[drfrightner]

I am out of town a lot right now with my baseball team but I'm announcing my favorite products right now...

Best New Addition to the Tradeshow: Christmas Why? The show is going to stagnate if it doesn't move away from Halloween. I have been pushing behind the scenes to dump the whole Haunted House Halloween name in the title of the show. I think if vendors and buyers want to grow the show it needs to be like an amusement show, holiday show attraction show, something along those lines. The show needs to take another step in that direction there is only so many haunt vendors, that is maxed out. There will be no more growth there, Christmas, Competitive social attractions or even FEC attraction show should be added. Transworld next big move should be to grow business to business or food, or amusement. The Christmas show is going to grow but now to move onto something else.

Change Prediction: Get rid of the dark zone, its not needed, and honestly its worthless. I don't want to see peoples products in the dark where a vendor can hide stuff, I want to see it in the light. There is NO REASON what so ever to have a dark zone, we're haunted house people we know what it looks like in the dark. We are there to BUY we want to see it in the LIGHT! REMOVE THE DARK ZONE!

Change prediction 2: Re-draw the entire layout. The show is just way to confusing now. Vendors are mixed in with other vendors, if you're looking for food vendors you have to look everywhere. I'd rather see a change where business to business are located together, food together, animations, props to an entire area of costumes and masks. Lets not have Halloween retail mixed with escape rooms, lets get everything into zones like IAAPA does. If you want this show to grow it needs to be organized for new growth.

Best New Detail Products: Nethercraft they went all out on new vac form panels that can really impact detail in your attractions. They win hands down!

Best Lighting Products: Hands down is Mini Spot light every year they come out with new ways to help your attractions thru lighting and small fx.

Best Costumes: Immortal Masks: They came out with entire costumes that are mind blowing. You write one check and you're walking onto a movie set.

Best Masks: Immortal Masks they must have brought more masks for one booth than the entire show combined.

Best New Exhibitor: Dip in Dots. Why? Because they blew up at the Halloween show and this product will make haunts money this Halloween, easy to sell, easy to make money. This will push more vendors like this to come to the haunt show.

Best Tech Booth: There is no question Froggy Fog went from one booth selling fog to everything tech you could ever want.

Best Gory Props: Ghost Ride wins this in a runaway landslide. They have hands down the best most realistic props at the show once again.

Best Animations: Pass! Nothing new here. Poison Props stuff was okay, but its like the same stuff as before. That isn't a bad thing, their stuff works great, but overall idea's seem to be running out. I think the best overall animation at the show was the one we brought from Unit 70 with the giant guy stabbing a girl with a pipe. Scarefactory brought the worst line up of animations I've ever seen them bring. I think Beastcraft did a nice job but mostly motor driven props. If I have to give it to any company it would be Hallucination Creations they had some cool items priced very reasonable. Mostly unique air cannons. So if I give the away to one company we'll go with Hallucination.

When it comes to animations here is what I'm thinking... no matter how hard a company like Poison Props tries to come up with something new, the best animations are the same ones as before. Something leaping out from behind a drop picture, or something that flies into a customers face, for example. With Hallucination same thing mostly it was air cannons, but they WORK! I think Poison Props has so many animations they don't need new ones, the ones they have work great. What kind of animations I'm looking for are always something what WOWS you like the SPIDERCLOWN from last year, sure its not scary, but its cool as hell. I think companies like Poison Props are doing amazing but I don't really see a need for a new way something pops out, I think we've covered it all. You can never have enough pop out animations and Poison Props has that covered in spades. When you need one they're the go to company, when you want something WOW you go to Unit 70.

Best Overall Booth: Now this is tough because I'm going to have to say our booth because it was the biggest, full of really cool CGI FX, unique animation from Unit 70, plus a totally themed escape room, 3D walk thru and more. The problem with our booth (Blacklight / Halloween Productions) was that in order to appreciate it, it should have been installed in a way you could see it straight on. Either way it was by far the coolest looking display because it was interactive. Now others are going to say Nevermore, and yes that booth was also cool but I thought it was over themed because it was overloaded with props for sale. So yes both companies brought really awesome looking displays, so you'll just have to be the judge yourself.

Lastly, I wanted to mention Fear Ticket is without any doubt the best ticketing program for the haunt industry. We just added another new feature that allows you to understand what area's of your market buy the most tickets. We just keep adding features to help the haunt industry save money while getting a better ticketing product.

[hauntfarm]

Hallucination had the best new animations, we bought several of their multi shot air cannons. Animations should be about scaring. We also bought a lot of stuff from Ghost Ride. Great show this year!