by Graham Speak, Speak Consulting
Whether a zoo, museum, theme park or any other type of attraction, your guest demographic is likely made up of many different types of visitors, with a range of personal attributes, frequencies and reasons for visiting. Of course, understanding this helps to shape your commercial decision making and optimise your offer and outcomes.
Some of your visitors may be ‘enthusiasts’ – likely your most engaged, frequently-visiting guests, often showing a much greater level of interest (sometimes obsessive!) in some, or all aspects of what you do – from foodies to history buffs to coaster fans.
Social media has changed how enthusiasts engage with experiences
With the growth of online and social media, the scale of enthusiast communities is much more visible than it ever has been. Previously, traditional clubs served these groups (and still do). But now it is more accessible for groups of like-minded individuals to meet and share their fandom. And with these larger, more visible and engageable groups comes both opportunities and challenges for experience curators and operators.
Taylor Bybee started Coaster Studios, a US-based, globally viewed YouTube channel and social media business, which focuses on sharing theme park content from around the world. “There are thousands of enthusiasts spread across the world. We have close to 300k subscribers on YouTube, and over 76k followers on Instagram. We cover everything from new park announcements, attraction reviews, to coverage from trade shows.
“Whilst lots of the content may appeal to a broad audience, some of it is detailed opinion and analysis – showing the scale of interest in the inner workings of the industry. Coaster Studios isn’t the only account. Some of the biggest have close to 2 million subscribers to their YouTube channels.”
Having awareness of, and access to, large enthusiast audiences gives experience providers an option to create bespoke commercial propositions, from retail products to events. It provides opportunities to engage groups to support marketing efforts through endorsement, sharing updates and educating. However, it also comes with challenges, such as managing enthusiast opinions and expectations and balancing the needs of enthusiasts with regular guests.
From an operator’s point of view, the real question is…how big is the commercial opportunity, and is it worth prioritising? We talk with Cedar Point’s Tony Clark, and Sian Wilson from Alton Towers Resort about the role that enthusiasts play for their organisations.
It’s not that small a niche anymore
“Depending on the definition of enthusiasts, the community makes up about 10% of our annual visitors at the Alton Towers Resort”, Wilson says. “Social media has transformed more traditional fan groups into expansive online communities, often deeply invested with interest in every aspect of the park, from ride engineering and park history, to daily operations.
“As a result, more people are exposed to Alton Towers Resort and its experiences. This has inspired many young fans to follow in the footsteps of popular online creators, making the theme park enthusiast community a dynamic, diverse and ever-expanding landscape. It’s also important to recognise that whilst many social channels remain in the micro-influencer arena, reaching a dedicated niche audience, some have managed to reach macro-influencer levels that we cannot ignore.”
Clark says: “Answering the question of how big the enthusiast community is would have been a lot easier 15 years ago when enthusiasts were easily defined by the various clubs they belonged to. With new clubs, Facebook groups and online fan content popping up every day, it’s not so much a niche anymore.
“One of the best things about the enthusiast community is that there are varying levels of enthusiasm. Some don’t engage with clubs or online communities and just visit the park casually. Some are Season Passholders who are trying to beat their riding record, and some are extreme, having painted rooms in their house to match ride colours or getting a tattoo of our skyline! That’s true passion for the park and we love them all.
“Their passion makes our team feel good about what we do – making people happy.”
Feedback and public support can be priceless
“Whilst there are varying degrees of enthusiasm, many are now hyper-tuned in with everything a park does – ultimately seeking the perfect amusement park experience,” says Clark. “They’re our biggest fans and our harshest critics. We learn so much from their feedback that can be applied to our operation, from specific aspects like park merchandise – but also extending to park improvements, attractions and more”.
Alongside providing detailed feedback, enthusiasts often support attractions when it comes to marketing and brand objectives. This potentially saves significant costs and drives positive commercial outcomes.
“I’ve seen enthusiasts play a tremendous role in protecting the brand’s image, especially during times of public criticism or controversy. Their loyalty shines as they actively defend the park online, balancing conversations with their positive perspectives. It’s a fantastic asset that can be particularly valuable commercially,” Wilson says.
“They also support us as early adopters and organic promotors for the brand. That said, it does come with some challenges. Unlike traditional media channels, enthusiast discussions often flourish in an open, creative space, which adds a new challenge for communication teams in how to correct or address information without amplifying rumours!
“We’ve also had some challenges with enthusiasts seeking out and sharing insider information. This has interfered with carefully planned marketing roll outs – leading to costly impacts.”
Extra experiences can delight coaster enthusiasts and appeal to more casual guests too
“We recognise that enthusiast audiences often seek something outside of our day-to-day operations,” says Wilson. “Due to their frequent visits, they often look for unique variations and exclusives at a far greater level than general guests. This can be a great way to keep innovation moving forwards and spark creativity.”
“This year, we have offered VIP track walks on some of our most popular roller coasters, Oblivion and Wickerman, along with House & Garden Tours around the grounds. We’re really trying to go above and beyond for some of our most loyal guests – providing it makes make financial sense.
“As an audience of early adopters of new experiences it’s provided valuable insights and serves as a reliable litmus test for any new concepts. Whilst initial demand for these products often comes from the enthusiast community, it’s essential that some new experiences are designed to appeal to casual visitors as well to ensure their longer-term sustainability.
“That said, we have offered some events this year targeted purely at the enthusiast community – like our Nemesis VIP events. Tailored for a smaller audience, they included in-depth overviews of the ride, exclusive photo opportunities, and the chance to meet some of the team behind the attraction.
“They ran on just two exclusive dates. Whilst priced more expensively, they weren’t big commercial opportunities. They were intended instead to offer some of our most loyal fans the chance to have unique experiences,” Wilson adds.
Coastermania and camaraderie
Talking about the highly anticipated annual event at Cedar Point, Clark says:
“Coastermania is our annual event for roller coaster lovers at Cedar Point. It’s fair to say it’s evolved over time as coaster enthusiasts needs and our understanding of them has developed. It began as an educational event after Magnum XL-200 opened and grew to a very enthusiast-specific event.
“Our goal is not commercial success. It’s to provide a top-tier park experience geared for them that includes extra ride time and access to park spaces and staff that regular guests may not have. It allows us to build good will and camaraderie with enthusiasts.”
Clark adds: “As the range of enthusiasts continues to grow, our events and fan products are becoming more widely received. We’ve also loosened restrictions on events over the years. For example, you no longer must be a member of a coaster club to participate. This enabled more park fans who were not ready to make a commitment to a specific coaster club to attend an event or have access to something exclusive.”
“In addition to Coastermania, our popular off-season Winter Chill Out event has always been a charity-driven proposition with ticket proceeds going to regional or local organizations. We’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years, and many of the attendees are casual park enthusiasts.
“Since its inception, we’ve seen the Winter Chill Out demographic change from just coaster enthusiasts to families, teenagers and grandparents.”
Developing a merchandise offer to delight enthusiasts
In order to optimise merchandise and retail, it’s important to understand your different customer segments – and their needs and desires. Not every park visitor wants quirky clothing or old ride parts. So, developing for enthusiasts shouldn’t come at the expense of your core audiences.
That said, considering some unique or limited-edition product, with your biggest fans in mind is a great opportunity not only to make more income – but also provide them the assets to promote and engage with your experience. As big fans, if you offer the right products, they are more likely to spend more, more frequently.
Clark adds: “Coaster enthusiasts have provided us some great feedback on our merchandise offer – and often want to purchase and collect unique products as part of their hobby.”
“We’ve had a few retail products that resonated very well with our Cedar Point-specific enthusiasts. When we announced the closure of our Wicked Twister suspended launch coaster, many of our guests reached out requesting some sort of keepsake or souvenir from the ride itself (not just a typical t-shirt or pin).
“We took that opportunity to salvage a track section from the ride. We sliced it into smaller manageable pieces and offered a limited number of them for sale. This product fits perfectly into the “enthusiast” category, but Wicked Twister super fans also took advantage of owning this product.
“The commemorative track slices were packaged with a certificate of authenticity and were “capped” on either side for easy display. They sold out quickly!”
Merch for coaster enthusiasts
“Most recently, and for real coaster enthusiasts who follow the history of our attractions, we acquired the former “heartline roll” element from our Maverick coaster. Before the ride opened in 2007, this track section had to be replaced with a new section, creating less stress on the ride’s vehicles. Knowing the success of Wicked Twister’s track slice project, we decided to give it another go and provide limited-edition Maverick heartline roll slices for sale.
“Packaged similarly to Wicked Twister, it sold out within two weekends of our fall operation.”
Similarly, with the launch of Nemesis Reborn this year, Alton Towers Resort opened up their Bunker 94 retail outlet. Displaying theming from the original Nemesis attraction – and offering retro ride merchandise using the roller-coaster’s classic 1994 logo, the retail space and range was developed to appeal to both enthusiasts and nostalgia-seekers alike.
Opening day saw multiple hour queues to gain access to the store. Enthusiasts were quickly buying up many items, including bolts from the original Nemesis ride.
So, what do coaster enthusiasts say?
With reference to some of the best examples they’ve seen whilst creating content around the globe, Bybee details a few of his favourites,
“Places like Cedar Point and Kings Island have fantastic merchandise- and a LOT of it. Callbacks to past attractions, thoughtful, creative designs, which they’ve made stylish and creative for fans. ‘Made to Thrill’ are a company that have done some great collabs with parks with enthusiasts in mind.”
“In addition to merchandise, Holiday World, hold a roller coaster enthusiast event, Holiwood Nights. This is so popular that it usually sells out instantaneously once tickets are on sale. It’s got backstage tours, tons of food, and ERT (exclusive ride time) all over the park. There are also insane night rides on The Voyage! An event every enthusiast should attend at some point.
“I also love seeing when parks offer pieces of rides. Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Cedar Point, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and Toverland have all sold pieces of track or wood from some of their coasters as special collector’s items. It’s a really cool piece of memorabilia. I think some parks are missing out by not doing that whenever they shut down an attraction. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!”
Understanding your enthusiasts can deliver real commercial value
Whether a theme park, cultural organisation or IP-based experience – you’ll likely have ‘enthusiasts’ that form a part of your audience base. Understanding how big that segment is, and then considering how you can engage that audience and develop your proposition for them can deliver really tangible commercial value.
This could involve anything from just engaging them more to gain great insights and help you develop your broader offer, working with them to help drive organic promotion and support when you need it most, to developing new experiences or products that delight them and drive incremental revenue for your organisation.
