Aggressive Business Practices With Creative Flair

Transcription

1 IAAPA Attractions Expo 2008 Aggressive Business Practices With Creative Flair Cincinnati, Ohio

2 Background 1867 Known as Parker s Grove 1886 Renamed Ohio Grove, Coney Island of the West

3 Park grew into a regional attraction 1.3 million in attendance Known for beautiful landscape, cleanliness, quality customer service Offered a wide a variety of attractions and promotional events

4 Rebirth Coney Island donated land to the Cincinnati Symphony Riverbend Music Center opened Rebuilding of Coney Island began

5 Challenges 1. Name: Old Coney 2. Facility Numerous derelict buildings Old ride queues and walkways Infrastructure issues Very small attractions package

6 Opportunities 6 original buildings to rehab or convert Sunlite Pool and Zoom Flume continued to operate Mini Golf, Pedal Boats, Picnic Grove, Pavilion and 4 Kiddie Rides

7 100 acres located 10 miles from Cincinnati on an interstate highway Market was still emotionally attached to the park Crazy staff was willing to try anything

8 Issues Limited product Slim capital budget Inadequate marketing budget

9 Coney Island s Mission Statement to be the premier choice for family entertainment, by delivering exceptional customer service and outstanding product and memorable experiences.

10 Facility Improvements Removed all unusable elements Renovated key buildings Softened grounds with landscaping and meandering walkways Paint, paint, paint

11 First Steps Focused on families with young children Provided exceptional customer service Offered economical pricing Created a clean and wholesome environment

12 Marketing Efforts Changed name back to Coney Island Positioned as Cincinnati s Summer Place Re-introduced to the market

13 Focus on Sunlite Pool Family-Friendly Attributes Zoom Flume water slide Silver Bullet water slide 7 diving boards Over an acre of shallow water

14 Concentration on Memberships

15 Membership Sales Direct marketing Retail sales partnerships Families with young children 10 mile radius Priced and positioned as a membership

16 Promotional Events We tried every event / stunt possible to jump start the process. World s Largest Cheese Coney which was 400 long Cannonball contests in Sunlite Pool Worlds largest kazoo band High wire acts at the pool

17 Typical radio promotions evolved into events that added value to our members and ala carte customers.

18 Family events that parents and kids can enjoy together. Safety Day All Dolled-up Day Kids Nite Out Kids Kamp Harry Potter Day Pirates of the Caribbean

19 Group Sales Concentrated on specific day catered picnics Positioned the Picnic as the product, not a side element

20 Old Fashioned Group Picnics Grilled at your own private shelter All you can eat and drink (soft drinks) menus Team building Games Softball Sand Volleyball Horseshoes

21 Labor Day AFL-CIO The largest union picnic in the Midwest is held at Coney Island. Includes AFL-CIO and 20 affiliated unions.

22 Themed Picnics State Fairs Carnivals Luaus Western Barbecues Fifties

23 Special Events Established parks normally introduce a new marketable product. Coney Island staged special events like Summerfair.

24 Strategy Used park grounds as an event venue Staged established city-wide events at Coney Island

25 Brought event customers to the park Reintroduced to the community at large Launched each operating season with a public event

26 Promoted Coney Island as the best location in the city for major events Specifically targeted pre-season dates

27 Appalachian Fest

28 Senior Expo

29 Cincinnati Flower Show

30 Packaged Various Ways Rent equaled services rendered Traffic management Electrical needs Clean-up service

31 Shared Revenues Split of parking fees Split of food and beverage sales Park held rights to sell all liquids and basic fare Festival limited specialty food vendors

32 Coney Island Events Balloonglow Our first hot air balloon race was held on Memorial Day weekend. It eventually morphed into Balloonglow, which is held on July 3.

33 September - Fall-O-Ween Petting zoo Hay maze Pumpkin painting Hay rides Trick or treat trail Event is timed to keep us ahead of the highly competitive Haunt time period and allows us to do a family friendly event.

34 Adult Events Charity Walks & Runs Minimum of 4 fundraising events annually Corporate meetings Banquets Weddings

35 Dances Weekend Hot Wax Hops and Big Band Dances

36 Coney Island Today Renovated Sunlite Pool and grounds 22 Rides Paddle boats and canoes on Lake Como Outdoor concert halls

37 Two event facilities which are the site of nearly 60 wedding and private events

38 Kid s Town Live shows Arcade/games of skill Numerous food and beverage outlets Picnic grove hosts 350 corporate picnics

39 Gross Revenue Performance Breakdown (as a percent of gross revenues) (Mean) Coney 2002 IAPPA 2007 IAAPA Island Abstract Abstract Rides/Admissions/ Parking 48.0% 62.2% 58.6% F&B 39.8% 17.8% 26.3% Merchandise 2.1% 5.9% 2.3% Games 2.0% 3.6% 6.4% Other 3.4% 4.5% 6.4%

40 Gross Revenue Performance Ratio (as a percent of gross revenues) TOTALS AVERAGE Cost of Sales 12.6% Concession Expense 10.7% Total Expenses 61.7% EBITDA 15.0%

41 TOTAL EXPENSES AS A PERCENTAGE OF GROSS REVENUES Full-time Staff 14.4% Seasonal Staff 16.3% Total Fringes 5.1% Marketing 4.4% Utilities 3.5% Insurance 4.2% Repair/Maintenance/Other 13.8% Average Capital Expenditures for Plant Integrity $375,000

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