From the desk of Frank Zaitshik 2013 Fall Report

Transcription

1 From the desk of Frank Zaitshik 2013 Fall Report End of 2014 Newsletter In this issue: 2014 Fair & Festival route update Advance Sales & Dollar day at NY State Fair a huge success Wade Shows signs agreement with Florida State Fair to coordinate midway Over 10 new rides purchased for 2015 Wade Shows 2014 End of Year Newsletter Oh what a year it has been!... Record ride revenue at many fairs, big, new events on the schedule, multi-year contract extensions, refurbishment projects and new ride purchases made 2014 a very exciting year. I apologize for not getting a regular newsletter out but like a roller coaster, once we got to the top there was no stopping as we made our way at a breakneck pace through Speaking of roller coasters, we debuted our largest coaster ever this year, the Comet II, and it led our list of new rides for This coaster is now the largest fully portable coaster in the US, taking the title from our own RC-48, which we still continue to move. The Comet II will play several select events throughout the year and is really a park-like attraction that makes a tremendous addition to our largest events. In addition to the Comet II, we purchased a spinning coaster, our fourth roller coaster, the Mighty Mouse, a Rock Star spectacular ride, and a Charlie Chopper a spectacular family ride that simulates helicopter flight. My daughter Marina also jumped into the business with both feet by purchasing a Happy Swing kiddie ride to add to our lineup. Finally, we refurbished one of our signature rides, the Rainbow, a one of a kind ride for North America.

2 The 2014 season started with a successful Florida run. The South Florida Fair, our first major event of the season, had a slight dip in attendance but per capita spending was strong and actually increased this year. Rick Vymlatil and his team once again did an outstanding job. Read more about the South Florida Fair here (or scan the qr code to the right with your smart phone): From South Florida, we took many rides into the Florida State Fair where we were the largest ride provider and revenue generator once again in 2014 on the fair s independent midway. The fair adopted the FunCard system for rides and, because they used the same system we use, we were able to assist with the program s implementation. Read more about the Florida State Fair here (or scan the qr code to the right): Meanwhile, in Texas, we played one of North America s largest events, the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo. The event had a slow start with weather but finished strong with an attendance increase, besting the 1.7 million-person mark. Debbie Dreyfus-Schronk, the event s COO, was also the IAFE Chairman this year and she led the organization with her leadership and expertise while also working with the thousands of volunteers who help make SALE so successful each year. Read more about the SALE here (or scan the qr code to the right): From the SALE, we go to one of America s greatest festivals, Fiesta San Antonio, which is just an amazing production with dozens of events going on throughout the festival s duration. John Melleky, the festival s CEO has a tremendous staff and an amazing amount of volunteers to put together this top-notch event. Huss Rainbow making its return debut at the South FL Fair At the end of Fiesta, we were very honored to receive a new long-term contract with the event and we look forward to bringing the event to new heights together.

3 Back in Florida, we played the Central Florida Fair where Shawn Krauel has brought new energy and ideas to put the fair on a renewed growth track. The fair has some unique challenges, being situated in the amusement park capital of the world but Shawn has the event on the move and I m excited about the future there. Read more about the CFF here (or scan the qr code to the right): Before Orlando we play the Pasco County Fair, which had a great year, and we added a new county fair this year, the Sumter County Fair in Bushnell where we had a very nice run. See the article here (or scan the qr code to the left): Central Florida Fair midway Just about that time in March, we received some very exciting news that we were awarded the contract to provide the midway for the New York State Fair! The same company has played this event for over 70 years so it was a tremendous achievement for us. We added one of the premier fairs in the US in one of the largest media markets. Our happiness was tempered however by the challenge at hand. We were awarded the contract for the 2014 fair, leaving just a few short months to stage a huge new midway under incredible scrutiny. Things were further complicated when the former midway provider protested the decision of the committee, delaying our ability to start fully planning our promotions and pricing. You can read a few articles about the process here (or scan the qr codes to the right): New Mighty Mouse Coaster at the NY State Fair - photo by Chris Cox and here:

4 Following the controversy in Syracuse, we were ready to start the season with our first major event of the summer, the Delaware State Fair. The fair had good weather, a great entertainment lineup and a re-imagined plaza area for guests. Along with strong marketing and promotions, it produced a record or near record year on the midway. Read more about the DSF here (or scan the qr code to the right): From Delaware, the unit jumped to the Wayne County Fair in Honesdale, PA. Even thought it is a medium-sized fair, their board does such an incredible job, drawing about 100,000 people to the event. The fair has a pay one price structure where rides are included with admission and the concessions have a great run there. Giant Wheel at the Delaware State Fair From PA it was on to the years biggest adventure; the New York State Fair. After months of planning and promotion we were ready to go. We implemented our FunCard electronic ticketing system there and after a few first day hiccups, things went very smoothly. A big part of our strategy was to offer unlimited ride wristbands every day to customers and offer an advance sale savings for their purchase. The strategy paid off and we were rewarded with a record advance sale and a record ride gross. Dollar Day crowds from on top of the Drag Strip Slide In addition, we devised a Dollar Day Labor Day promotion where rides were all $1.00 on the last day and the fair also jumped on board, offering a bold $1.00 admission. We had broken the single day attendance record just two days before but we bested it again on Labor Day, turning a mediocre day into one of the best days of the fair. What a way to cap off a great experience, working in concert with fair management to pull off a great success. In the end, we were up a whopping 30% +! Thanks to Troy Waffner, Geneanne Smith, Dave Bullard, Jason Ryan and the whole team at the NYSF and congratulations to John Kitchen on being named the new chief of staff. Read more about the NYSF here (or scan the qr code to the right):

5 Our first unit jumps into Missouri in the heart of summer after starting in Michigan. We then play several great events; the Ozark Empire Fair, the Missouri State Fair, Santa Cali-Gon Days and the Jefferson County Fair. The weather once again cooperated this summer and we had a fantastic run through the Show Me State. Aaron Owen at the Ozark Empire fair led us to a record run this year and Mark Wolfe and his team at the MSF have been growing their event each year. Our third unit, after a successful spring in Michigan, capped off by the Berrien County Youth Fair, traveled to Grand Island, Nebraska for a return engagement with the Nebraska State Fair. This fair is just a joy to work with and despite some extreme weather challenges, onsite sales equaled 2013 s. If we ever get a perfect run with the weather there, we will shatter every record in the book. Read more about the NSF here (or scan the qr code): Front gate landscaping at the Nebraska State Fair From Syracuse Jimmy Danton s unit had a tight move into the Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville. Scott Suchomski and his team ably manage this terrific event and his father Larry, who preceded him in the job, is always around to lend a hand or give advice. The 95th edition of the event went off without a hitch and the fair drew close to 150,000 people. The other two units combined to play two back-to-back Top 50 fairs; the Oklahoma State Fair and the Tulsa State Fair. I am incredibly honored to be playing both of these great events. In Oklahoma City, we had a few weather issues but managed to break an all-time record including the best ever Friday at the fair. Revenue increased a total of 17%, the advance sale program through Walgreens was up 35% and our premium Gold Access Program has tripled since its implementation. Scott Munz did a great job getting the word out and President and General Manager Tim O Toole has a great vision for the growth of the event. Thanks for another fantastic year guys! Read more about the OSF here: Oklahoma State Fair Midway

6 From Oklahoma City, we made the short jump to Tulsa and opened on time and ready for a great year. Last year, we had some unfortunate weather that kept us from breaking the all-time revenue record. This year, the weather cooperated and we broke all midway records! We appreciate working in partnership with Jerry and Loretta Murphy of Spectacular Attractions as well as the Mark Andrus and Amanda Blair-led team at the fair. We have really gained some traction in Tulsa and the sky is the limit as to what the future holds for this event. During the same time, we played one of our best events; the Alabama National Fair. Proceeds from the fair benefit local charities and Randy Stephenson and his team keep making the fair bigger and better. This year the fair had a pirate show, high wire acts, a dog show and Styx, Kool and the Gang and Joe Nichols on stage. Maybe the highlight was the 240+ pound watermelon shown at the fair. It was the 10th heaviest in the world! US Flag Flying High behind our Giant Wheel in Tulsa While the other two units are in Oklahoma and Alabama, Jimmy Danton s unit plays a solid route of county and regional fairs, the North Alabama State Fair, the Middle Tennessee District Fair and the Coosa Valley Fair in Rome, GA. While our large state fairs get a lot of press these events really are the heart and soul of our fall route. The events are community based, most run by non-profits and they give a lot back to the community. With small, mostly volunteer staffs, they have grown into major events in their respective states. All three events had good years and Coosa Valley fell just short of the record 2013 year it had. We are very proud to be a part of all three fairs. While all this was going on, we were also able to play the Robeson Regional Fair in Lumberton, NC. We used Big Rock as the anchor with help from Dreamland and Rockwell. We had another great year in Lumberton. Jimmy s unit headed to the North Carolina State Fair, which we play with Corky and Debbie Powers Great American Midways under their banner. The fair had a solid year in 2014 and were proud to be a part of a midway with over 100 rides. We had our Comet II coaster,

7 Charlie Chopper and Rock Star at the event for the first time this year. One change for 2014 was the fact that between Powers and us we provided almost 100% of the rides with only one other independent attraction. The fair finished up from 2013 but did not break the all-time attendance record. We concluded the season with the South Mississippi Fair in Laurel, a few local events around Tampa and the Fair Productions-managed Fair at Fenway South in Fort Myers. Carrie Byrd took over as Executive Director in Laurel and I want to congratulate her on a record year. In Fort Myers weather got us on two of three weekends and we ended up slightly down from I m sad to announce that our Miles of Smiles charity event will be taking a one-year hiatus in The Florida State Fair is undergoing some improvements and several new projects including one where we are going to play a major role. More on that below. After much deliberation, we decided to come back bigger and better in I started the newsletter by saying Oh what a year it s been..! and it truly was with New for 2014: Charlie the Chopper seemingly once in a lifetime milestones. What do you do for an encore you may ask? Well quite possibly 2015 may be even better than Another once in a lifetime opportunity happened for us when our hometown fair and Top 50 event the Florida State Fair, awarded Wade Shows the contract to become the sole midway coordinator. We have been a big part of the independent midway there since it s inception and I am as excited as can be to be given the opportunity to take the FSF midway to a new level, working with veteran Director of Operations Fred Brown. We will be introducing new canvas colors and designs, midway themes and some special surprises I hope many of you can see if you visit during the event or at night after a trip to the trade show in Gibtown. I would like to thank Chuck Pesano, his staff and chairman of the board, Doyle Carlton for putting their faith in us to provide the best midway yet will also be a landmark year for us in terms of ride purchases. We have committed to purchasing more rides than any other single year in our history! We have purchased ten new rides for 2015 and leased another. New canvas design for the Florida State Fair

8 New rides for 2015 include: Quasar 2015 Quasar which is a re-manufactured ride from US manufacturer ARM Frenzy - A leased, with option to buy, one of a kind (at this time) ride from ARM Centrifuge from US manufacturer Wisdom. It will take the place of our Gravitron. 90 foot Observation Tower from US manufacturer Larson. A used ride that will be completely refurbished including sand blasting, painting, and LED light package Monster Trucks from Wisdom 2009 Beach Shack from Zamperla 2015 Volkswagen Bus track ride from SBF Four Hampton children's rides from US manufacturer Dalton, including: 2015 Farm Tractors 2015 Wave Runner 2015 Four Wheelers 2015 Combination Cars Farm Tractor Ride We will also have major winterquarters projects going on including the refurbishment of our Super Himalaya. During the South Florida Fair, we are hosting a training seminar for NAARSO certification and we are promoting Aurelio Gonzales to training coordinator for our ESL employees. And best of all, I promise to increase our newsletter output in 2015! I hope to see many of you at the IAFE convention in Las Vegas next week and for those I don t get a chance to see, please accept my wishes for Happy Holidays and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. Frenzy Frank Zaitshik 813/ frank@wadeshows.com Beach Shack family ride Star Dancer Observation Tower