SDC's 2009/10 Project

[History Buff]

Stinky!

Of course they hadn't officially announced anything like Dollywood.  Here's the explanation from the Adventure Mountain site for DW:



Any chance the balloons/carousel could be our 2009 project now?  Man, that construction area is just going to be a constant reminder of the problem now.

[sdcforever]

That is depressing news.  They've already updated DW's site with a "coming in 2010!" heading.  Of course, SDC's site is a little trickier since they hadn't announced anything yet.  The only change is Tom Sawyer's Landing section in "Rides and Attractions" has been completely removed!  They didn't just change it to say something new was coming in 2010 instead of next year, they took it down completely!  They have not updated the online park map however; it still has that big yellow bubble that says "New Ride Coming in '09!" as of this morning.

They'll announce something new for next year.  It may be the balloons/carousel, or it may be like DW's announcement, "festivals and entertainment".  It'll be interesting to see how both parks handle the construction.  It'll be easier for DW, since Adventure Mountain is on the edge of the park.   

[Zephon]

I copied down what the interoffice memo we received says--

--------------------------------
Herschend Family Entertainment
Joel Manby-  President and CEO


October 10, 2008

To:   All HFE Employees

As we all know, our country's economic conditions are very challenging right now.  It's a
time when smart businesses must make smart decisions.  In light of this, we have
decided to delay several of our 2009 capital projects until 2010, including Adventure
Mountain at Dollywood and RiverBlast at Silver Dollar City.

Be assured that we are offering many exciting new 2009 product additions.  Across the
company we are planning to introduce new shows and new elements to our special
events and festivals, while continuing to deliver the quality our guests, and our
employees, have come to expect.

By delaying these capital projects we are adjusting to an economy that will take some
time to recover and therefore assures that we continue to be the healthy and profitable
company that we are today.

Thanks for your understanding and I appreciate your continued focus on creating
memories worth repeating for our guests. 


Joel
-----------------------------

I'm sure that an official news release will soon be coming out.

[Swoosh]

I know.  But attendance is down quite a bit this year already.  After the first couple of months it was down about 20%, and after making a bit of a comeback through the summer and so far this fall, attendance is still down 9-10%; quite a chunk of money in ticket sales and other revenue.  Even with the economy in such a depressing situation, we'll be alright in the long run, but nevertheless, adjustments have to be made.  So far, they've decided to delay the opening of the new area rather than lay off a bunch of people.  And I certainly appreciate that.

Attendance sure has not looked "down" when I've been there this year.  Shoot the park was PACKED today.  They aren't even into their biggest money maker season yet.  That to me is extremely silly to postpone an attraction that you are already this far along on in the construction process.    Now Dollywood's I can understand as I never really understood why they would add that in the first place.

I also find it so weird that SDC took such a hit this year while WOF is up a lot and they too did not add anything this year except new festivals.  SDC sure isn't giving the people from KC a reason to make the drive down this coming year and it will made even harder with the fact WOF is adding a new coaster and Schlitterbahn is opening over in Village West.  The shows in Branson sure are not the draw anymore. 

[Swoosh]

So my question is, does Joel's annual "bonus" get cut as well since you know the economy is in such a flux 

I call BS on the reason for DW.  Their parking lot restructuring is costing more than they thought it would and that is where the money is going there.

Like I said before, they are this far along on the RiverBlast project already they might as well go ahead and get most of the infrastructure done and then if they need to bump it back to 2010 they can add the other things to it then.

The entire Landing was supposed to be "re-imagineered" -- why not continue to do that without the ride itself (still finish the water area just don't add the ride yet).

[Zephon]

Attendance sure has not looked "down" when I've been there this year.  Shoot the park was PACKED today.  They aren't even into their biggest money maker season yet.  That to me is extremely silly to postpone an attraction that you are already this far along on in the construction process.    Now Dollywood's I can understand as I never really understood why they would add that in the first place.

I also find it so weird that SDC took such a hit this year while WOF is up a lot and they too did not add anything this year except new festivals.  SDC sure isn't giving the people from KC a reason to make the drive down this coming year and it will made even harder with the fact WOF is adding a new coaster and Schlitterbahn is opening over in Village West.  The shows in Branson sure are not the draw anymore. 

Perhaps the park did look "PACKED" on whatever days you've been there, however, that does not reflect the reality of the way it's been.  I've been there everyday, and I can tell you there have been a lot of days when the park looked EMPTY.  I don't doubt that WOF numbers are up, maybe 6 Flags also.  With gas prices near the $4/gal mark all year, many people in the major markets of KC and St.L, and others, obviously decided to stay closer to home this year.  However, an extremely wet spring hurt our numbers also.  But you're right, Old Time Christmas is a big draw and hopefully that will put a big dent in the current deficit in attendance.

I have no doubt that attendance numbers are only a small part of the decision, with the larger part being the current banking and credit crisis.  You must think that the City (HFE) has millions of dollars just lying around waiting to be used.  But the fact is that the company goes into major debt for every new attraction it builds for it's guests, and it takes years to recoup that.  They rely heavily on the system that is in such disarray right now.  Postponing a major capital expenditure until this current crisis passes just makes good business sense.  And actually, the project is not that far along, still being merely a hole in the ground. 

I'm sorry that you consider SDC to be such a dull place that your only incentive to come down is a new ride.  Hopefully, you are in the minority in that regard.  Hopefully, many people will still enjoy the many festivals, crafts, shows, food, and shopping that we offer on a regular basis.

[shavethewhales]

It's probably good to keep in mind that we're definitely not on they way out of the market mess yet, and there's not even an clear end in sight. Who knows how long this will last and how deep it will go into the average person's pockets. By next summer, SDC may be so far down in attendance that even a new beemer would just look silly. At this rate, this will only be the first of the cut backs. If things don't lighten up quicker than what's being forecast then SDC may be one of many parks across the globe that finds themselves cutting their hours and season short. We'll just have to hang tight and see how things go, but this path is definitely the most secure for them in any case.

WOF is simply in a much better geographical position right now. Branson is in the middle of a large area with a good populace, but WOF is right next to a good-sized populace, so as people start cutting their trips shorter and shorter, they're getting the advantage. Of course, it's also true that as the older generations ebb away, WOF is winning the competition to bring in younger crowds, so I hope SDC can get back on the ball ASAP and bring in that new G-Fighter (or GCI, or both  )

[Swoosh]

I'm sorry that you consider SDC to be such a dull place that your only incentive to come down is a new ride. 

Since you obviously missed my introduction let me re-introduce myself again so you can refrain from making such silly remarks in the future.  I run MidwestInfoGuide and I am one of the media contacts for Silver Dollar City.  I am on first name basis with everyone in the public relations department as well as Brad himself.  I do not NEED another reason to come to the park but let me make it very clear to you that the General Public does especially in a competitive market area. 

Considering that Worlds of Fun is adding a new coaster to their park and Schlitterbahn is opening in KC, a major metro area that SDC heavily relies on for attendance I think that my point stands.  Let's see, drive 3 hours for the same-ole-sam-ole or drive 30 minutes to experience a new roller coaster or a brand new waterpark with state of the art attractions.  You can see the dilema that marketing is going to have next year in the KC market area.

Finally there are a few things that people will not stop spending money on.  The first is gas and the second is entertainment.  This is America and people are going to spend money on those two items no matter what.

[sdcforever]

Calm down guys!  Geez!

We're all disappointed that it's being postponed, but I think we shouldn't pretend that we know better than the powers-that-be just how much they can afford to add next year.  We don't have access to the books, and I'm sure they weighed all the pros and cons and this was the "best" solution for the longterm solubility of the parks.  I'm sure they're disappointed as well.  I don't pretend that I know what's best for the park better than HFE's management, and I don't think anyone else should either.  What's done is done.  Time to move on.

That being said, what will be their marketing point for 2009?  Any ideas?  I think they're going to pump some new stuff into the festivals in the way of new entertainment and shows.

[shavethewhales]

I'm kind of wondering what happened to the Balloon Chase. I assume it's still sitting out there, but do they know where they want to put it? It could make a *new* ride.

I'd really be happy to see them add effects to PK and Wildfire though. This could be a chance for them to fix PK's splash down.

[sdcforever]

I'd like to see effects for Wildfire and PK, too.  PK's splashdown would be great if they got that going.  I wonder if the SkyChase Balloons and Carousel will be "new" rides?  I'd also like to see some effects added to AP.  All of this combined with some new entertainment would make me pretty happy!

[History Buff]

^
^^
Actually, these things would make me happier than a new coaster.

I'm just afraid that new additions to festivals may include out-of-theme shows and events at this point.

[sdcforever]

^Next year would be a great time to revive some of the old shows with cast reunions, in anticipation of the park's 50th anniversary.  Actually, I think doing a two year celebration of the 50th anniversary of SDC seems warranted.  It's a big deal!

Just because there's no new ride for next year doesn't mean that big things can't happen for their 2009 project.

[shavethewhales]

So today Europe pledged a bailout plan almost 3 times the size of America's, and President Bush has been announcing extra measures to shore up the financial crisis. All this has apparently thrown off the oncoming depression, as the markets are all back in business with record point jumps.

So if in two months, the market is still roaring strongly, the election is over, and the major fears have ebbed away, is it possible SDC will call their project back online? I mean, they never really announced it in the first place, so it would be a lot easier for them. The question is how set they are on their current course. I'm sure it's not easy to switch plans back and forth.

I hope they get the ball rolling again, but we probably shouldn't get our hopes up. It will take time for them to evaluate what the market will really do and what they need to do to secure themselves. It's a lot more complicated than just watching the stock market. Besides, like Swoosh mentioned, they may be diverting funds to the parking lot project, and they may have already made other plans that can't just be rearranged at the drop of a hat. Plus, MACK and the contractors may not be able to come back so soon. We'll have to see what happens.

[Swoosh]

Silver Dollar City's 50th Anniversary
"What Will You Remember?"