Houston Halloween Expo Review

[xxxdirk]

NO inside info from me Angel, just my wishful thinking and what I would do if I was TW. Don't take me wrong, I am actually looking forward to going to St Louis and seeing the haunts in March and most of all looking forward to meeting all of you!!

[drfrightner]

I can honestly tell you that you are 110% dead wrong about IAAPA... have you ever been? If not you don't know what you are talking about. Talk to someone who ows an attraction who has been to IAAPA.

Yes you are correct that no haunted house is going to buy a 1 million dollor ride or some 30 million dollar roller coaster but 90% of all the vendors there are 4 booths or less. Yep that is right!

What do they sell? They sell flame machines cheap ones too, they sell foliage for theming, they sell vac form, they sell foam and fiberglass rocks, they offer insurance companies galor, they have ticket booth companies, they have companies who sell pistons, control systems, and yes haunt vendors like Scarefactory, Gore Galor, Creative Visions and so many more.

IAAPA is the PERFECT place for both vendors and haunt owners to locate. For vendors think about bringing all the new stuff to IAAPA and exposing the products to not only haunt owners but amusement parks, and places all over the world. YES IT TRUELY WOULD BE THE PERFECT FIT NOT SOME HALLOWEEN RETAIL SHOW SELLING BATMAN COSTUMES!

Here is the problem with IAAPA... the problem is that the show is like 3 weeks after all haunts close for the season. That is the problem and why it will NEVER work! Vendors would not have enough time to develope new product, and haunt owners most of which are temporary are taking down attractions, storing them, or just burnt out.

That is why IAAPA won't work not because of the show itself. That is why we need our own show and introduce more buyer and more vendors to selling specifically what they want to haunt attraction. Lastly, let me say not haunter should miss IAAPA, haunt owners should attend this show and many do just not the numbers like they do Transworld.

Larry

[Darkangel]

I have been to IAAPA before, and while many vendors do cross over into haunt the market like some vendors you mentioned, but many there are too expensive for haunters and they do not focus on our smaller budgets. Look at Little Spider for example, they used to be a haunt company they left us in the dust for greener pastures selling to parks and big FEC's etc. Most haunts can't afford the sets and scenery that the IAAPA vendors provide. Don't believe me? Price out comapnies like Pizzazz scenic contractors, Studio Y, LifeFormations and all those companies and ask them what a facade would cost you, or an animation! Yeah, its better but 25k-50k better????

Darkangel

[drfrightner]

You don't have to buy from Lifeformations, although many haunts have invested in talking singing animations to entertain their guests. Lets think about this for just a second here...

Scarefactory sold an attacking T-Rex it was like $14,000.00 all said and done. How many haunts can afford that... so would you say don't go to this show unless you are a big haunt because they have stuff you can't afford? No not at all... same with IAAPA. As I said before 90% of IAAPA's vendors are small business owners with unquie products. If you want to start a concession stand what is better a retail show at Transworld or IAAPA??? You tell me?

If you needed theming supplies, high tech paint supplies, insurance companies, ticketing companies, to animations to pretty much everything between whats better a BATMAN and ROBIN RETAIL SHOW or IAAPA?

If you needed affordable foilage or even say a palm tree, or what about every sound and lighting company, piston maker and everything between SPIDERMAN AND WOLVERINE RETAIL SHOW or IAAPA?

You tell me!

If we can't make IAAPA THE SHOW... we need to create our own SHOW for attraction OWNERS not people who sell Cinderalla costumes.

Larry

[drfrightner]

One last thought on this subject...

Yes if you go to Houston or Vegas you will find some cool stuff like the pig feat you keep talking about or something else. Yeah yeah yeah...

But I'm starting to see something here, that even in our own industry we have several groups of people. There are a group of people trying to make this industry their living, their only jobs, what they do, while others are just part time players happy to make enough money to make it to the next season who have real jobs.

Nothing wrong with that if that is what you want to do... Kurt Warner who will play for another Super Bowl title today said ... when he worked stocking shelves at a grocery store, some peoples goals where to become the night manager, or eventually the store manager. His dream, his goal was going to the NFL... he said he told people 'hey I'm just doing this until the NFL calls again...".

If your goal is to be the night manager of a grocery store while doing a haunt on the side, you have different needs, different goals and a whole different line of thinking than another group.

Your ways of thinking and mine will NEVER jive...EVER. Although I can understand your goals, understand your passion, and appreciate it those are not my goals nor my dreams.

If you want or if you do own a haunt and your goal is to have the biggest in your town, your city, your state, your region, this country or the whole world then what I'm saying is RIGHT! No bones about it!

If you want to impress yourself, your family, your friends, your community, amuse yourself, or just explore your passion to the fullest without leaving your real job, putting your nuts on the line, without basically ruining the fun in it all then I would agree that many of the points I've read or better served for you.

AN ATTRACTION HAS NOTHING IN COMMON WITH RETAIL NOTHING... two totally different animals all together. You can have retail at an attraction but it takes another type of skill to operate one, to manage one, and to be successful, which is why 99% of all haunts I've ever seen have no retail at all. We don't see many haunt owners start Halloween retail stores, and we have seen retail stores open haunts and they ALMOST ALL HAVE FAILED HORRIBLY!

WHY?

BECAUSE RETAIL AND ATTRACTIONS ARE DIFFERENT!

We need to create an attraction show and make it better this will better serve your future, your business and your industry. I AM RIGHT 110% because I'm thinking about this from the attractions point of view not the passion player.

I'm not saying all of this to prove a point but help you and the industry.

I hope you see what I'm saying... will those pig shoes help your attraction NO 110% NO FREAKIN WAY! Would you like to have a pair sure for FUN!

See the point?

Larry

[Spookyfinder]

^ That's what I think is the difference between a haunter and a business person. Larry, your a very, VERY good business man... sounds like your goal is to make as much money as possible! But, and no offense, but that doesn't make you a good 'haunter'.

IDK... I hope we can have this show be successful and we can finally have our own attractions show... more like IAAPA! But I can promise you that NO HAUNT will EVER have the budget of a theme parks... that's what makes us unique. We do ATTRACTIONS with BETTER quality than MOST theme parks on a fraction of the cost! Wow... -Tyler

[RJ Productions]

Another possible solution is a marriage between the Haunt Show and Fun Expo. FE just relocated to the first part of March. It had been in the fall and like IAAPA a problem for haunters to attend. As has been explained before FE is almost like a mini-IAAPA. It focuses on the Fun Event Centers which is more in line with Haunt shows. You do not have the large ride vendors like IAAPA, but you do have vendors and suppliers that are appropriate.

Like IAAPA, they have a very intense educational program, again a lot that can be usable to the haunters.

I have made arrangements with FE and will be writing an in-depth article about the show for Hauntworld! I will try and cover every aspect of the show from a haunter's perspective. Even if it doesn't become the main show, I do think it can become a very important addition for us.

[Spookyfinder]

That would be awesome... I can't wait to read that article! -Tyler

[MidnightEvil]

I'm going to check out the Fun Expo

[drfrightner]

Tyler,

No you are wrong my friend... before I was ever a good business man I was a good 'haunter' and still am. See if you know my life story or should I say in this industry, I started off just like everyone else doing haunts in the basement, building the first professional haunted house with a budget of $1000.00. For the first 10 years of being in this industry I had TWO jobs, just like everyone else.

I think you missed the point all together...

You can be a great haunter and a great business man, and have a successful haunted attraction. But you have to strive to be professional and take things to the next level, and take risks.

When you say I'm not a good haunter or being a good business man doesn't make you a good haunter confuses the hell out of me. If you start a small business no matter what it is you want to make it the best it can be and if you do you'll make money. GOOD BUSINESS people are the best haunters because they understand what it takes to be successful. No successful person becomes successful because they aren't good at what they do...

I think I strive to be successful on all levels not just making money.

If I was concerned with only making money I wouldn't invest so much into our magazine, this website or our attractions. We always invest and it always pays you back because you know what you are doing!

This whole topic is just downright silly...

If your goal isn't to be the best you can be, become successful then go to those fan shows, hang out at retail shows and size yourself up for the new Transformer costumes coming out, get you a pair of those pig shoes and you'll just be happy as a peach!

Me I'll go to shows where I know I can learn something, where I know I can find products and services that can grow or expand my business.

I go to IAAPA, Netherworld goes to IAAPA, Headless goes to IAAPA, and the list goes on and on... if you asked any very successful haunted owner if they pick two shows they'd pick Transworld and IAAPA. If you can combine the haunt side with an amusement show NOT a retail show you'd have the perfect show.

You say we don't have the budgets of Six Flags, but yeah you do, in proportion to the overall income yes you do. You are no different than a six flags... you must manage workers, you must hire staff, manage staff, you must improve the product, you must market your product, you must deal with customer satisfaction, blah, blah.

Same problems face one as the other just YOU are the ONLY person dealing with most of the problems while they have many... they are on a bigger scale but still everything is more or less the same.

Larry