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NASA Needs My Help

amnesiac — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:59:36 GMT

I recently created a CAD Systems Help blog where I post tips and tricks I've learned using different CAD software. The other day, someone found my blog by searching for "changing units in pro engineer wildfire 3." Normally, such a search is exactly the kind of search I would expect someone to use to find my site. That is, until I saw where this person was from and who they worked for: Huntsville, Alabama at the National Aeronautics and Space Association. Yep, NASA! Why do I think this is a big deal? Because it deals with unit conversion. You may remember when a $125 million U.S. space probe, The Mars Explorer, was set to orbit the planet Mars and study the chemical properties of the Martian atmosphere when it flew too close to the planet due to an error in the thrust calculations and burnt up. The calculation was wrong because they didn't convert units from Imperial to Metric. So now, with my help, maybe they won't screw up and successfully convert the units.

Create your own track record

amnesiac — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:18:57 GMT

http://excelspreadsheetshelp.blogspo...e-example.html

Universal Orlando Resort Video

amnesiac — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:22:42 GMT

YouTube - Universal Orlando Resort November 2009

Contests Entered this Year

amnesiac — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:08:57 GMT

I've been keeping a log of all contests I have entered this year.

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contests10.22.09.jpg (193.3 KB, 307 views)

The Future in 3D

amnesiac — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:05:52 GMT

One of the coolest features of 3D VIA is the ability to integrate high quality 3D models within Word and PowerPoint documents, which is as easy as dragging and dropping the 3D XML file into the Office document. This also enables users to view interactive, real-time 3D applications in a Web browser or stream them from a website.

What does this mean for the amusement park industry? These tools can be a great resource for ride design and would enable more efficient communication between the manufacturer and the amusement park. Gone are the days of carrying around huge sheets of plain, two-dimensional drawings that take money to print and time to revise. It�s much easier to visualize a new attraction if you can see a model in 3D and even better if the park can zoom in on specific features and view it from any angle. This software enables the park to give instant feedback on what they do or don�t like about their upcoming ride. The biggest advantage of 3D VIA is that it enables all of this to be achieved without the park having to own expensive CAD software.

In fact, another great feature is the complete three-dimensional models can even be viewed on your iPhone! 3D Via�s new mobile app allows you to position and overlay 3DVIA models on your iPhone photos and e-mail or share with friends.

Read the rest of my article over at Coaster101.

Support Coasting for Kids at Cedar Point 2009!

amnesiac — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:45:08 GMT

I will be raising money by trying to ride Gemini at Cedar Point for 10 hours on August 26th! Give Kids The World Village is a non-profit resort for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Your pledge will help provide these special families with a cost-free magical vacation. Each year over 6,500 children from all 50 states and around the world experience the Village. With your support, we can make a difference in the lives of children and their families. Please donate at this site.

Two-for-one Rides

amnesiac — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:39:24 GMT

With the economy in a deep recession amusement parks are going to have to do what they can to save money. This includes not building expensive, mega-attractions. However, major new rides still need to be built in order to keep guests coming back year after year. This is the perfect scenario for more parks to start building what I like to call two-for-one rides: two separate attractions that share the same structure. The two major reasons for doing this is to try and save money as well as space. The attractions don't even have to open in the same year, as long as the design plans for the future, which is great for marketing purposes.

A perfect example a two-for-one ride can be found at Dreamworld park in Australia. The Intamin designed structure is called the Dreamworld Tower and it supports the world's tallest free fall ride in addition to a reverse freefall coaster, currently the fourth fastest roller coaster in the world (rcdb.com). The Tower of Terror coaster opened in 1997 and is similar to the Superman: The Escape ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The top speed is an exhilarating 100 miles per hour. The Giant Drop opened a year later with a colossal 390 foot drop. Not only did the park save money by building a single support structure, they also conserved the real estate needed to build these monster thrill machines. The attractions were opened in different years which enabled Dreamworld to market each ride as a separate, new attraction for that year. There is a great video of the ride posted on YouTube and don't forget to pack your brown undies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zcgG...layer_embedded

I think there are a lot of benefits for building these two-for-one type of rides, all you need is just a little forward thinking and proper planning for the future!

Soft Drinks and Season Passes

amnesiac — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:23:51 GMT

Soft drinks play an important role in amusement park economics. Soft drink sales are the backbone of many amusement parks� bottom lines. They are almost pure profit. The soda itself comes down to a few pennies per cup, the cups are usually a few cents above that, and the amount of labor to pour a soda is still pretty cheap. I've heard it said one time that soft drinks are usually the profit margin for all of Disney. They pay all their expenses out of everything else and soft drinks are the extra. Expenses go up? Raise soft drink prices.

While several small parks including Holiday World, Lake Compounce, and Magic Springs are already including soft drinks in the price of admission, it appears that some of the bigger park chains are at least toying with different ways to do the unlimited drinks for one fee deals. I have recently read that at Kings Island this past fall, while soft drinks were still $4 for the large size and the souvenir cups were $6.99 with $1.99 refills, the park was advertising a special pass-holder drink wristband that gave unlimited refills for $8.99.

I like the idea of incorporating the price of soft drinks into the price of a season pass and then swiping your pass at the concession stands. This strategy would sell more season passes and in turn get the park a pre-guaranteed amount of drink revenue in the process, which is especially important at a time when people are supposed to be afraid to spend money.

What would the right price would be for bumping up the pass price? One thing to be afraid of is that the sticker shock could set in pretty quickly as the price of an already expensive pass would be even higher. Most parks� season passes are the price of three or four regular admissions. If a park like Kings Island is doing unlimited drinks for $9, then the cost would probably be $30 to $40 for the season. I don't think $130 would be too much to ask for a season pass that offers unlimited drinks. Compare this to Holiday World�s pricing and their season passes are pretty much in this range. The beauty for a chain like Cedar Fair is that they could still offer a platinum pass with chain-wide admission and parking, plus add soft drinks to that list and still offer it for under $200. The big chains have already started including parking with season passes and now they're offering drink deals so it can't be much longer before a park makes unlimited drinks an included perk. Due to the economic recession, I'd say this offseason is the perfect time to implement any sweeping pricing change that may become permanent. The timing for a big park to try it just seems right.

One could speculate about how many drinks people buy at a park per visit, however, Kings Island is now telling us that it takes $9 to make unlimited drinks work for that particular park. They have the numbers as they know what the drink per cap is (take drink revenue and divide it by the number of visitors and get a number that represents the average amount spent by a guest on drinks). Then all you have to do is round up a buck and everybody wins. The park increases revenue and the guest feels like they're getting a deal. It offers incentives to buy passes for people who otherwise might not (increased revenue) and gets a certain amount of money for drinks up front (guaranteed revenue) and very little in the park has to change, just the system for verifying pass-holders.

Next, multiply that by the average number of visits a season pass �holder makes - and if we assume the price of a pass compared to the gate tells us that number then we're at about 4 visits on average. Nine dollars times four visits is $36. Tack that onto the season pass price and you now get free unlimited drinks.

Here is an example: If Jim Beasley pays five dollars per visit on drinks and visits six times a year, that is $30 total spent. Pam Halpert pays $5 per visit on drinks and visits three times a year, which brings her amount to $15. The total revenue for the park at the end of the season from Jim and Pam is $45. Next season, Jim and Pam both buy season passes with an extra $25 tacked on. The total revenue for the park is $50. Just like that the park made $5 more. It is possible that Jim and Pam will drink more because drinks are free, but the cost of making drinks is miniscule, therefore that is a moot point. Also, by the third or fourth visit Jim and Pam have forgotten that they paid $25 extra dollars and see the park as that much more of a value. In turn they may spend more money on food, souvenirs and games.

I really like the idea of bumping up season passes and including drinks as a perk. Change is scary to people. The flipside is that people adapt and forget very easily. But people seem to go happy-stupid when you say unlimited or free (the most important word in advertising) and, as I've mentioned, I think the timing is right with the economic problems for someone to take a stab at it on a bigger scale. I think this would work especially well at a park like Cedar Point where the cost of individual soft drinks is exceptionally high.

Talking Toilet Seat Scale

amnesiac — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:23:23 GMT

The purpose of this project was to develop a scale that would provide an accurate means of measuring the weight of a disabled individual in the seated position while also being easy to use. Currently, scales do exist that can weigh a seated person, but they are extremely costly and require many difficult extra steps for the users to obtain their weight. The team�s solution incorporated a scale into a toilet seat that allows the user to easily weigh themselves without any extra effort from typical daily routines. This device used strain gauge load cells to convert the mechanical force from the person�s weight into a change in electric resistance that is converted again into a digital weight reading. A footrest was added to account for the weight of the user�s feet so that the scale measures the total weight of the seated user, including the legs. This toilet seat scale, which was installed at the Ability Center of Greater Toledo, provided the means for users to track their daily weight in order to live a healthy lifestyle.

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Engineers Without Borders - UT

amnesiac — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:54:29 GMT

I am writing to ask for your support for an Engineers Without Borders � University of Toledo (EWB-UT) project in an arid and remote village in the Central American country of Honduras. The clean water needs of this impoverished community were first recognized by Peace Corps volunteer, Jenny Mayo, and brought to the attention of EWB-UT. This is a great opportunity for your family, company, or yourself to establish a relationship with Engineers Without Borders at the University of Toledo and to contribute to alleviating poverty worldwide.

In May 2008, a team of four students and a professional traveled to the village of Los Sanchez to assess the community. Women and their daughters currently have to walk more than a mile to a polluted river for drinking water. The river is also used for bathing and cleaning as well as the source of water for domestic animals. The existing water of Los Sanchez is not acceptable even for Honduran standards. In the following months after our trip, EWB-UT has finalized a design and budget for accessing a clean alternative source from a nearby mountain spring. The future will include potable water that will be used for everything from drinking to irrigating crops thus empowering the whole community of Los Sanchez.

Read more about the Clean Water Project in Los Sanchez. (*Projects)

Engineers Without Borders is a non-profit international humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for developing communities worldwide. The mission of EWB is the implementation of sustainable engineering projects while involving and training internationally responsible professional engineers and engineering students. Since the inception of EWB in 2000, it has grown to over 200 chapters in just the United States working on over 170 projects in 41 different countries. The chapter at the University of Toledo is passionately dedicated to the design and construction of a clean water supply system to Los Sanchez, and respectfully requests you and your company to consider a monetary and/or in-kind contribution.

Your donation of $25 or more will help us reach goal!

DONATE NOW!

The National Academy of Engineering identifies the access to clean water as one of the world's Grand Engineering Challenges of the Twenty-First Century. As members of EWB and life-long students of engineering, we have accepted this challenge and consider it our responsibility as future engineers. Most builders spend their time designing for the wealthiest 10 percent of the population consisting of the majority of global consumers while inevitably overlooking some of the most difficult problems afflicting solely the poor. For underdeveloped communities, everything from waste water management to the generation of energy to heat kitchen ovens requires a unique and creative solution rarely used in the developed world.

If you are interested in giving an in-kind donation rather than monetary for this project, please phone (614) 264-6291, or e-mail Mark Skopin at mskopin@eng.utoledo.edu. We especially hope to provide the children of Los Sanchez with your donated clothes. Thank you for taking time to read this email, and if you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

DONATE TODAY! (https://utssl.utoledo.edu/utfoundation/gift_engewb.asp)

Thank you very much,

Nick Weisenberger

Engineers Without Borders � University of Toledo

A Bus Load of Nuns

amnesiac — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:16:52 GMT

I saw this video on YouTube the other day about the situation at Six Flags over Georgia (from over the summer) where a kid was killed when he jumped two fences and entered a low zone of the Batman: The Ride inverted coaster. The dude in the video is exactly right and makes some really good points, my favorite being the "bus load of nuns" comment toward the end. A reporter finally says something intelligent and coaster dork-ish that makes me smile: the chick says "B&M roar."

YouTube - 17 Year Old at Six Flags Georgia

The Future of Transportation in America

amnesiac — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:01:16 GMT

Ford builds a car that gets 65mpg but won't sell it in the U.S. for "marketing" reasons. Ford will sell the car in Europe where gas prices may now be the equivalent of fifteen United States dollars per gallon. That's almost five times more than the average here in America, even though the U.S. uses much more barrels of oil per day. Europe uses much less fuel in cars because they have an amazing public transportation system and many people don't even own a car. Buses, subways, trams, trolleys, and high speed railroads are all in use in Europe, and have been around many years.

Why doesn�t this type of public transportation exist in America? The biggest cost in constructing a high speed railway system in America is the infrastructure. The civil engineering. Buying all of the land for the tracks to run on. Most people will be surprised to hear that this crucial step has already been completed. So where is all this land the railway tracks will go? Easy. Four-lane divided highways are the perfect solution. Take half of that divided highway and convert it to two tracks for bullet trains going opposite directions. Take the other half of the highway and paint a double yellow line down the center of it for whatever remaining cars there are and for service vehicles to use. Now Americans can pay their yearly travel pass of $2500 to $3000 and travel anywhere in America. At first $2500 to $3000 is a pretty steep upfront fee. But think about it and how much money would actually be saved by doing it this way: no car insurance, no gas, no car repairs. You could take several trips from coast to coast if you wanted. The possibilities are endless.

What keeps this from happening right now? Money. Not the cost to build the system, but the money that people have invested in the oil and automobile industries. The rich will do anything to stay that way and keep other people from becoming rich. The businessmen who have tons of money invested into oil pay lawmakers to keep these railroads and such from happening because it would make them bankrupt.

However, the day will come when a change will be forced upon America. Extremely high gas prices ($15/gallon) or lack of oil/gas altogether, whichever comes first, will force American's to quite driving and invest in public transportation methods. This will happen in our lifetimes.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Toledo Episode

amnesiac — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:00:55 GMT

This past Saturday was a long day. I woke up at 6:45 to do Clean Your Streams at 7:30. Clean YOur Streams is where a bunch of organizations get together and clean up the Ottawa River that runs through campus. The entire time we were outside it poured down rain and we got soaked. It was for a good cause though plus we got a free lunch, breakfast, and t-shirts and Sarah won a $25 gift card for gas!

Saturday night from midnight to 6am I got to help out with the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house! It was a lot of fun. I helped move furniture inside and set things up. It'll be cool when they finally air the show and can say "You see that plant on that end table? Yea, I put that there." And if you don't like the way the great room is set up you can blame it on me as it was my suggestion. We saw all three designers on set the day before (Paul DiMeo, Rib, and Didi), but when I was inside Didi was the only one there and actually doing stuff.

The show on TV is kind of deceiving. They make it look like Ty and the designers are really important, but from what I saw they don't really do anything. Ty was only around for maybe 4 days, basically to get the shots they needed of him at the beginning and end and the rest of the time he was gone. Like I said, Didi was the only designer I saw actually doing something. All the contractors and volunteers do the majority of the work. Amazing accomplishment to get it all together in a few days. I am proud and happy I got to be part of it.

And no I am not going to be on TV, there were no camera crews out when I was working at house, but I'm pretty sure Sarah and I were on the Toledo news.

Pictures here:
Nick Weisenberger's Photos - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Toledo | Facebook

Profit-maximizing an Amusement Park: Gate versus Food Price

amnesiac — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:37:46 GMT

A trip to an amusement park can be an exciting way to spend a summer day. With rising gas prices an amusement park �day-cation� is now a more popular option than ever. That�s not to say a trip to the local park is cheap. Most parks charge an admission fee for entrance, parking pass fee, deposit for rentable locker, and charge tokens to play games. The typical amusement park prohibits guests from bringing their own food into the park. Different people have different demands for food. Some people are willing to pay more for food, while others prefer to eat before going and not buy food after they enter the gates. The park sells food at concession stands, but usually charge prices twice as much as restaurants outside the park. How can the park charge outrageously high prices and not lose business? Would the amusement park gain by charging a higher or a lower price for food? The key to profit-maximizing an amusement park is to find the right balance between the price of food and admission.

Amusement parks can charge what they do for food and admission for a number of reasons. They have to pay for maintenance of the park and upkeep of the rides, employees, food, water, electricity, new rides, etc. If visiting guests want a safe, clean, open park that can add some fun rides and additions to the park every season or two, they�re the ones who are going to have to pay for it. If an amusement park lowered the price of food then people would have to wait longer between new rides which usually lead guests to start to complain about if it gets too long. Food pricing at amusement parks also need to fit in the supply and demand realm. If a park gets overcrowded then new high capacity rides need to be built in order to service all of those people. To a certain degree, the pricing helps keep the attendance on a controlled growth path while financing expansion. This will not be the same for every park. Including one or two perks like free sunscreen or parking rolled into admission works for some parks. Others make guests feel in that one visit the park is trying to squeeze every penny out of them. It�s not good for business when visitors walk out the door feeling like they've been taken advantage of as they will be less likely to return. The most successful amusement parks are the ones that find the equilibrium point between gate and food pricing.

In order to understand how an amusement park can charge high prices and still be successful another question needs to be answered: Why do so many people visit amusement parks every year? In 2006, over 335 million people visited America�s theme parks (saferparks.org). Generally, people visit parks for the rides. The rides are what the parks are selling to the customer. The ride lineup is probably the single biggest factor in the guest experience for most people through the gate. Most major cities usually only has one large amusement park within a convenient range, the issue is basically one of monopoly too. Still, the rides are the product and everything else is just details.

One of the largest regional amusement-resort operators in the world, Cedar Fair, owns and operates eleven amusement parks in North America including Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Consistently voted �Best Amusement Park in the World� in Amusement Today polls, Cedar Point is known as the roller coaster capital of the world with a grand total of seventeen coasters, more than any other park. A one day ticket for ages 3-61, 48" and taller during the 2008 season is $42.95 (cedarpoint.com). Parking is $10 and admission to Soak City Water Park is NOT included.

Holiday World & Splashin� Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, is a small family-owned and operated park with just four roller coasters. The park has been voted the �World's Friendliest Park� and the �World's Cleanest Park� for five years in a row by the readers of Amusement Today magazine. A general admission one day ticket in 2008 costs $39.95, almost as much as Cedar Point (holidayworld.com). While Cedar Point has thirteen more roller coasters, Holiday World�s admission is only three dollars less. However, Holiday World�s admission includes several perks including admission to Splashin� Safari Water Park for no additional charge, free sunscreen, free parking, and the biggie: free unlimited soft drinks. Which park is the better value for the guest and how does the profit-maximizing strategy of each park differ?

Known for some of the best amusement park rides in the world, Cedar Point is also home to some of the highest food prices in the industry. The majority of the food venues are very fast-food oriented, with limited menus, and prices geared for a semi-captive market of visitors unwilling to endure the time-consuming hassle of driving the causeway back to the city just to get a cheaper meal. At Cedar Point during the 2008 season it's $3.29 for a 16oz, $3.79 for a 22oz and $3.93 for a 32oz soda. A 20 oz bottle of coke at any Disney park is $2.00 even, a medium fountain drink is $2.19 and a large is $2.69 (allearsnet.com). A six inch Subway sub sandwich is $7 plus tax at the Point. Outside the park a foot-long Subway sub is only $5. A bottle of soda or water that can be found for a dollar in most vending machines is $3.50 at Cedar Point. Two entrees at Panda Express are $8.99 compared to the local mall price of $6.99. Refills on the $8.95 souvenir cup are $1.99 which means most guests might as well just buy the $4 drink because the break even point is four drinks, not to mention the hassle of carrying the huge cup around all day with the possibility of it being lost or stolen.

Not only is the cost of food at Cedar Point high, but the quality is just as poor. Based on a recent visit, the service at various counter locations can be described as �glacial, not friendly and pathetic.� Here�s the deal with the food: A good $2 hamburger is a good $2 hamburger. Part of the problem is that a good $2 hamburger is a LOUSY $8 hamburger. And when the park tries to sell that $2 hamburger for $10, it is going to seem even worse. And yet, if a consumer were to pay $2 for it, they would probably think it pretty darned good. That's what value is all about. The prices at Cedar Point are too high when judged in comparison to the quality of the food (with park-specific locations) and when judged against the equivalent choice outside the park (Subway example).

The good news is that even if guests are stuck in the park all day, most of the food items are optional. However, convenience is a big one. The majority of guests hate leaving a park and to go get something to eat as its time lost that could be spent riding the rides, the reason they came to the park in the first place. The whole process is bothersome: finding the way out of the park, getting the hand stamp, walking to the car, driving out of the lot, finding a place to eat, eating, driving back to the park, finding a parking space again, and walking back through the gate. In the end the majority of park guests are actually willing to accept a little more than a reasonable markup to just avoid the whole time and hassle of leaving the park for food.
How high can the prices of food go? Until the per-caps (spending per person in the park) actually drops or attendance significantly drops, there's not going to be a change. Would it be better to see the revenue made at the gate? If the park made the $43 admission ticket $50 then they could lower the price of food items inside the park by a dollar or two. The only catch is that people might just complain about the price to get in and not come in the first place.

According to the article �Cheaper to eat at the Point, too� Cedar Point actually lowered prices for the 2006 season. �The price of regular one-day admission (in 2006) is $39.95, down $5 from last year's (2005) $44.95� and a �20-ounce Pepsi soft drink was $2.75, now $2.39.� Why did the park lower prices? �Guest comments may have played some role in the decision, but so did the park's lagging attendance the past few years.� Run the math: The gate admission dropped 11%. That means an almost 13% increase in attendance is needed to make the same revenue. On top of that they dropped food prices in the park an average of 20%. Even if they make up the 11% price drop at the gate, if in-park food buying remains constant (in terms of volume, not dollars), they're down between 11% and 12% on food revenue. Still assuming the lower gate will drive attendance and knowing food dropped an average of 20% then the guest has to buy 12.5% more food (based on an average) to make up the difference. So with the price drops, just to keep the numbers the same, they need a 13% increase in attendance and on top of that need their guest to buy 12% more food. And that doesn't take into effect the increased costs of putting more people through the gate and selling more volume.
What was the result of lowering prices? Cedar Fair doesn�t release per park attendance figures but since the 2006 season the food and ticket prices have gone back up (though the admission ticket price remains below the 2005 level.) The lowered prices did not pull in enough customers to make up the difference. The park is operating on fewer visitors at a higher margin. Cedar Point would�ve been better off lowering the price of food or gate but not both. Cedar Point might as well charge high prices for food because lower food prices didn�t increase attendance to make up the difference. In Cedar Point�s case the high food prices are not hurting their business because of the demand for their rides.

Holiday World has an interesting point of view on the food pricing issue. The park made a bold and risky move when president Will Koch decided to give away �free� unlimited soft drinks, included with the price of admission. Holiday World began their free unlimited soft drinks program in 2000, the same year they opened The Legend, a new three million dollar wooden rollercoaster. That year, they raised the ticket prices by $4.00 from the previous year�s prices: $1.00 for the new ride, and $3.00 for the new unlimited soft drinks. The park built several �Pepsi Oasis� buildings with self-serve soft drink fountains. Were there guest complaints about the increase in the gate price? No. Were guests thankful for the free soft drinks? Yes.

The article �Liquid Assets for Holiday World & Splashin' Safari� contains some interesting inside information. In 1999, the year before they changed to free soft drinks, Holiday World�s annual attendance was 564,373. In 2006 the park surpassed the one million mark for the first time in their history when 1,004,788 guests passed through the turnstiles, a 78% increase in attendance in just seven years. During that period, each year set a new attendance record (with the exception of 2005). But attendance isn�t everything, attendance can�t be spent, it doesn�t exactly translate to more revenue.

The most amazing fact is on average guests have been spending more money inside the park as total per-capita spending has risen over the seven year period by 41%. Guests are spending more money on food. Total per-capita food spending has risen by 20% (according to the park �it took only until 2003 to recover the loss in food per-caps within the food service department not allocating any gate per-cap to foods�). Guests don�t feel �cheated� by the food pricing like they would at a park that charges an arm-and-a-leg for it. Also, the self-serve drink locations speed up service at food venues leading to greater capacity and more profits. The park makes money by serving more guests and by not needing the additional employees to serve beverages. The park has also found guests stay longer, as they feel more comfortable, hydrated, and less tired. When visitors stay longer in the park they spend more money and when they leave happy they are much more likely to return.
From the same article, �We intentionally keep our prices lower than most of our competitors. We believe that the irritation we cause guests does not make up for the added revenue we might receive if we charged higher prices for our food. In fact, we try to stay within 20% of the pricing at fast food chains. Thinking about the cost of a meal at Holiday World in comparison with a meal at a fast food location, our total cost may well be lower than it would be outside the park because the food prices are reasonable, and the drinks are free.�

The most important impact that the free soft drinks scheme has had on the park is in the free advertising that it generates for them. What�s the most powerful word in advertising? FREE. President Will Koch had this to say about the unlimited drinks program: �I regard it as one of the best business decisions that our company ever made. It symbolizes a number of other value messages about our park, and gives our target market something extra to talk about after their visit. This word-of-mouth advertising is more effective than TV, radio and outdoor combined. It has been a big contributor to our attendance growth. Implemented well, it could work in other parks as well as it has in ours.�

Is Holiday World�s approach better than Cedar Point�s pricing strategy? According to �Summer Fun!� the park served 380,000 gallons of free soft drinks last year (2007). Holiday World recently broke the 1,000,000 mark in attendance so for the sake of simplicity just round that down to an even one million and run the math. The result is surprising: 380,000 gallons = 48,640,000 ounces. 48,640,000 ounces divided by 1,000,000 guests = between 48 to 49 ounces per guest. That is just one and a half large drinks at a park like Cedar Point that charges almost $4.00 a cup for that large drink (32 oz). Is the average guest really drinking less than two large cups worth of soft drinks? It�s no wonder Holiday World has seen revenue grow since adding free drinks - they're only giving away an average of $6 of soft drink (at the �highway robbery� Cedar Point pricing) to each guest on average. Holiday World has found the perfect niche in terms of how to price their park as can be seen in their attendance growth and guest satisfaction (Shared Memories).

Another small park recently converted to Holiday World�s pricing formula. Magic Springs, in Arkansas, went to free drinks and sunscreen last year. They increased the gate by $7 (now $45.99 + tax in 2008)and parking by $2 (now $9). The park is home to six roller coasters. The free drinks and sunscreen costs a family of four $30 extra (four tickets plus one parking pass). Even if drinks were $3 each - that's ten drinks. How many families of four were buying ten drinks before the change? It doesn't matter because now they're being forced to have ten drinks in order to break even.

Who does this �free� soft drink strategy benefit and who does it hurt? First off, this strategy really benefits the park. The real value that you can�t put a cost on is being able to tell people they get free drinks. This translates to free advertising because it generates a lot of interest by word-of-mouth. In terms of the guests, those who drink a lot of beverages at the parks really benefit from this type of pricing but it also really hurts the guests that don�t stay in the park very long. If an amusement park includes parking in the ticket price what happens to the people that get dropped off or take public transportation to the park? They're paying for an option they won't even use. For some guests this pricing scheme ends up costing them more, but for the park it is the best option.

Here�s an interesting experiment: Gate price of $129 - everything included (parking, drinks, three meals, free lockers, even a game or two on the house). Rolling the entire visit into admission would probably make people balk at the ticket price. To guests who stay an entire day, park their own vehicle, and make use of the lockers, this would be a great option, to others it would end up costing them much more.

There is a sweet spot between the price of food and admission that every amusement park must find in order to maximize profits. The best option for most parks in America to end up with greater profit would be to raise each admission ticket $5-7 and include drinks and sunscreen. Looking at the revenue generated by those items, parks might make a little bit less than selling those individually, but the increased customer happiness would result in more than enough additional profit spread throughout the park to make it worthwhile. Even if parks ended up making a little less per guest per visit, happy customers are much more likely to return, causing profits and attendance to grow. Rather than super sizing the drink and charging an arm and a leg for it, add a few dollars to the entry ticket and include unlimited soft drinks with nice small twelve or sixteen ounce cups. Someone who gets four free drinks in a day still has only taken forty-eight ounces of soda. If the gate price were right, the park could actually end up ahead thanks to the psychology of the cup size. Even though the opposite may be true, this type of pricing strategy makes guests feel they are getting a great value for their money. Happy guests are much more likely to spend money and make frequent return visits in which they will spend more money thus maximizing the park�s profit.

Articles Cited:

�Cheaper to eat at the Point, too.� Pointpagecannotbedisplayed.net. April 27, 2006.
<thispagecannotbedisplayed - Cheaper to eat at the Point, too>

�Liquid Assets for Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.�
Park World Online. 06 February, 2007
<Free Soft Drinks - Park World Online - theme park, amusement park and leisure industry news>

�Summer Fun!� Boomtown Institue.10 June 2008.
<Agurban Archive>

Additional Sites Used:

Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards <Amusement Today>

Cedar Point Official Website <http://www.cedarpoint.com>

Cedar point Food Pricing <http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42...d/DSC03513.jpg> http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42...d/DSC03505.jgp>

Disney Food Pricing <Restaurant Dining Menus from Walt Disney World>

Holiday World Official Website <http://www.HolidayWorld.com>

International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
<Amusement_Park_Attendance_Revenue_History>

Magic Springs Official Website <Magic Springs & Crystal Falls - Hot Springs, AR>

Roller Coaster Data Base <http://www.rcdb.com>

Safer Parks � Park Attendance <Top Amusement Parks by Attendance>

Notes
Author most recently visited Cedar Point on May 17, 2008.