What you should do to Open Your haunts in 2020 - Thread

[MDKing]

This is all great info. It’s better to be informed and think positively then reading all the negativity you see on Facebook, usually by people who don’t even own a haunt.

[Brighton Asylum]

Filling out the application. All my actors are 1099 independent contractors. I am the only employee. I assume my answer is "1 employee" under how many employees and I can't claim my independent contractors? Then under "monthly payroll" is this my own salary or payroll for independent contracts that I didnt claim? Very confusing

[drfrightner]

Turns out you can't use 1099 towards bank loans thru PPP

Just payroll w-2 employees

[drfrightner]

Great information about PPP LOANS on this website... https://www.paychex.com/business-loans/sba-lenders

[drfrightner]

You can also sign up thru SQUARE

https://squareup.com/us/en/l/immediate-support-response

[drfrightner]

Can you file a claim against your insurance company read below...

Crane Agency FAQ Series
Coronavirus COVID-19 (UPDATED 3/24/2020)
Crane Agency
Insurance & Risk Management Solutions
St. Louis Chesterfield Springfield Kansas City
This FAQ covers the general topic of COVID-19 virus to explain how various insurance policies could respond to
claim scenarios related to the COVID-19 virus. If your business experiences a loss, we recommend you submit a
claim to your insurer. They will give their position about coverage under your policy. No one can say for certain
what might happen in the future, but we always recommend insureds should submit a claim.
Recently, there has been a lot of concern over the spread of the COVID-19 (aka “Coronavirus”).
What do my commercial insurance policies cover?
The answer to this question depends on the specific facts of your situation and which policy is involved. Different
coverage forms contain exclusions and limitations, which can restrict or eliminate coverage.
Will my property insurance provide coverage?
Many property insurers specifically exclude loss by virus, while others are silent on the issue. It is important to
know that all property forms have two things in common. In order to trigger coverage, 1) there must be physical
damage to property; and 2) the damage must be caused by a covered cause of loss. Most insurers believe their
property coverage forms require “physical damage” which necessitates replacement or repair before the
property can be made useful again. This requirement, as it relates to the coronavirus is being challenged in
courts. Regardless of the insurer’s position on coverage, we recommend that all property including loss of
business income should be submitted to the insurer. Property coverage can include:
• Property insurance (direct damage) Including Decontamination
• Business Interruption (indirect damage) – provides for lost income when the insured cannot make or sell
their product or provide services following a loss.
• Civil Authority (business income) – when a covered cause of loss damages property nearby and a
governmental authority restricts access to the area, this coverage will extend Business Interruption to
include the loss of income.
• Dependent Properties (business income) – coverage can be expanded to include the inability of a
manufacturer, supplier, service provider, etc. to deliver goods or services.
What about general liability and umbrella or excess liability?
General liability coverage responds when third parties are injured or suffer property damage that is caused by
your negligence. The presence of COVID-19 in the community or workplace doesn’t constitute negligence by itself.
However, there are exceptions. It could be alleged that a business failed to provide a safe environment or take
appropriate steps to protect their clients or other visitors. In this situation, a liability claim could be made. Many
general liability policies include coverage for viruses as it relates to third parties. However, we must emphasize
that coverage can be different from one policy to the next.
If you have an umbrella or excess liability policy, the same observations apply, subject to policy wording. These policies
could provide broader coverage as they may have less restrictive exclusions, limitations or definitions.
Crane Agency FAQ Series
Coronavirus COVID-19 (UPDATED 3/24/2020)
Crane Agency
Insurance & Risk Management Solutions
St. Louis Chesterfield Springfield Kansas City
What about my pollution/environmental policy?
If you have purchased a separate pollution/environmental liability policy, we recommend a review for possible
coverage. There is no standardization in these policies and terms can be significantly different from one policy to
the next. Some pollution/environmental policies include coverage for remediation of a pollutant at your
scheduled premises. This coverage should be reviewed for potential decontamination coverage.
What about my workers compensation policy?
Workers compensation coverage requires that an injury or illness must be specific to the exposures of an industry.
Employees who become ill due to the common cold or flu, even though they caught it from a fellow employee,
does not fall within the scope of workers compensation. However, there are some industries where employees
are exposed to coronavirus while performing their duties. For example, hospital healthcare staff exposed while
caring for infected patients could fall within the scope of workers compensation coverage. Whether an injury or
illness is a covered workers compensation claim is determined by state law, and laws vary by state.
What about other policies that might respond?
Depending on the nature of the allegations, management liability policies covering directors and officers might
respond. This could be the result of complaints where it is alleged the directors or officers didn’t respond
appropriately to the Covid-19 threat, thus resulting in damage to the company, customers or employees. Under
most D&O policies, the trigger is usually a claim of financial loss created by the company’s inadequate response
to the situation. Consider what you can do to minimize the damage COVID-19 could cause to your business
operations.
If you have an international policy and the illness manifested itself while abroad, there could be coverage under
the voluntary workers compensation and/or travel accident and sickness sections of the policy. Again, such policies
are not standardized, you will need to carefully review your own policy with respect to the situation at hand.
Are there any other things I should do or consider?
There are non-insurance issues to consider. For example, OSHA and other regulations require employers to
provide a safe workplace that is free of hazards that are likely to cause harm. This includes providing appropriate
safety and protective equipment for your employees. This requirement may vary with the type of operation you
have. For example, a medical facility has an obviously greater exposure for communicable disease situations than
an office or construction risk. All businesses should make available items such as cleaning wipes and hand
sanitizers to employees.
Consider what you can do to minimize the COVID-19 risks. Remind your employees that you, as their employer,
are concerned about their overall wellbeing. Remind them of basic sanitation and health practices through
employee education. Finally, remember that your COVID-19 and other employee policies should be neutral when
dealing with employees.
As always, don’t hesitate to contact your Crane broker with your questions.

[drfrightner]

You can apply thru Pay Pal https://www.loanbuilder.com/ppp-loan-support

You can also submit thru your payroll company, your bank and even groupon believe it or not

[drfrightner]

YOU MUST APPLY NOW

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4...relief-package

[drfrightner]

Here is another article you should read. https://carnivalwarehouse.com/newsse...a2mBA.facebook

[Kevin Baird]

Brighton Asylum, that is very true but this is also a matter of public perception. If Disney and Universal start testing people's temperatures to get into the park, than it's going to make the news and everyone is going to hear about it. If haunts announce they're following suite than people may feel safer.... as stupid as it is.

I agree, the waiver is a must for everyone. For smaller haunts like mine, I think timed ticketing might actually work. I have a giant indoor field that isn't being used where people can comfortably wait and stay completely separated. It would also heavily cut down on wait time and I'd still be able to get my entire audience through.

The question is, how much are people going to care about social distancing come October? Obviously having actors scream from 6 feet away isn't going to cut it, so even if you can separate customers on line, once everyone gets inside it won't matter. I was literally thinking about reworking our theme so that every actor is wearing a mask just to make people feel better. BUT I have a feeling that the safety measures haunts put into place this year aren't going to matter to the majority of people. Like someone said in an earlier thread, It doesn't matter how well we advertise them because it's going to come down to what they're hearing on the news.

[Brighton Asylum]

Thanks for the great info. Some of the recommendations being considered will honestly do nothing. Take temperature testing. Most people spread the virus when they are asymptomatic. So sure, they are turning away some people with the virus but allowing loads more to pass through and spread it in the park. Temperature tests are just another bad idea in a long list of bad ideas that will do nothing to stop the virus and in fact, will encourage the spread. Same with testing. Someone tests negative on a Tuesday and catches the virus on a Wed. Just dumb.

[drfrightner]

ALL Haunted Houses and VENDORS should be applying for PPP Loans
https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus...loan-resources

You can use your payroll from the 4th quarter (when you had all those actors) you need to apply TODAY!

I applied and I got approved.

HOW do you do it?

You can apply thru your bank, groupon, paypal, and the list goes on. You should meet with your accountant get the docs you need, and apply thru your bank asap! Ask for as much money as you can get.

Use that money to pay your staff to get your haunted house ready to open NOW! So you're thinking of not spending money on new stuff... DUMB! C'mon guys spend money on things that will make you money.

USE THAT PPP money to put your crew to work building 5 Minute Escape Rooms, Gift Stores, Photo Ops, Zombie Paint Ball, a Midway build anything that is an upcharge. Get going!

BTW this isn't a plug BUY MY NEW VIDEO NOW 'How to Get Rich' its the best video I've ever done, and I've already talked to people who bought it. They said it changed their thinking totally. Get it before you start planning for 2020. www.hauntedhousesupplies.com

Now for Vendors get the PPP loan and start making inventory, just make your top 10 things, biggest sellers with the biggest profit margins. Haunts will call but it might be in August but they will call.

APPLY FOR THESE LOANS NOW!

[drfrightner]

SHOULD YOU SEEK PR this year?

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Personally I wouldn't speak to the media no matter what if you can avoid it. The media in times like these aren't your friend. You don't need the added spotlight, having some media outlet run your safety precautions over the coals.

DO NOT SEEK MEDIA INTERVIEWS and I would ignore any requests for interviews.

Just do what you need to do to make your haunts as safe as possible for your staff and guests, and keep a LOW PROFILE!

Remember no one cares about your business but your customers, you have no real friends, we're not Apple, Walmart, we don't have millions to fight lawsuits. Just keep your head down and plow thru the best you can!

[drfrightner]

What can haunted houses actually do to keep customers safe? NOT A LOT HONESTLY! Why? Well lets be honest here for a second... no matter what you do you'll still have lines of people, and people will get bunched up in your haunt. There is almost nothing you can do to stop that short of cutting your attendance to a level that would prevent you from even being hopen. C'mon!

But here are some tips anyway...

1) 3D Glasses might consider giving them to customers or not using them.
2) Warning signs need to be posted everywhere including on your website
3) Ticket systems need to have waivers in place to protect you from liability
4) Setting up hand washing stations
5) Posting messages that you'd prefer guests wear face masks, maybe you could give them to every customer
6) Could you really take people's temps? I don't know.
7) Timed ticketing wouldn't help ... you could do it sure but would it really defeat the overall issue? NOPE! You'd still have lines of people, and people bunched up in the haunt.

Bottom line is I'm planning for now anyway to open like I always do, I'm not going to jump the gun. Let me see what is happening on August 1st and go from there. Honestly there is NO REASON to panic now, or jump the gun.

WAIT until August the 1st and come up with a plan then. DIsney has to figure out a plan NOW because they want to OPEN NOW, but you don't have to do that. Many things can happen between now and October.

Don't panic just wait and see what happens but come up with a plan and options between now and that but don't act until you have more information.

Plan on opening your haunted house for now then wait and see what happens over the next few months. See what bowling centers do, FEC, Six Flags, Disney and then wait until our turn comes up!

Be ready to act based on the situation in August not April.

Larry

[drfrightner]

Fear Ticket will add a waiver feature allowing you to upload a legal waiver before they can buy a ticket. We will create a waiver and you're free to use ours or you can create your own.

I strongly suggest all haunted houses add a waiver to buying tickets online prior to opening for the 2020 haunted house season. We're also creating a waiver for our staff members. No one will work for us this fall unless they sign the waiver.

I will post all those waivers to this thread soon!