Advice after learning about CF's silly platinum pass policies

To get more people in the park and make more money.

We lose money on every guest, but we make it up in volume!

You know, you just need to chill with the whole "I'm a PHd and I'm smarter than you" bit. Lost money isn't as important as volume. Duh.

;)

What I am trying to get across is the by giving away the last two months this year they will get a customer all next year.It doesn't cost them anything to let a few that buy the pass early into the park this year (slow since school back in) and it pushes people to buy the pass that otherwise would not have.

I will contnue to use my own buying patterns to explain a few years back (7 or 8) Universal (vevendi owned)offered buy one year get 2nd year free APs I bought them during the next two year I stayed onsite (with AP discount)4 times and spent 4 or 5 grand in the parks without that offer I would not have started going to Universal .

My point is that without an added incentive some customers will go elsewhere or will wait until next year to purchase and during that time parks(chains) that offer a trip this year and all next year may grab that customer away from them.

It is not a loss of revenue to the park if the customer will not go this year without this added incentive.

kevin38 said:
What I am trying to get across is the by giving away the last two months this year they will get a customer all next year.

But by charging them for a one day this year, and then for a season pass next year, they get more money.

It doesn't cost them anything to let a few that buy the pass early into the park this year (slow since school back in) and it pushes people to buy the pass that otherwise would not have.

I'm just curious as to how you know what it does or doesn't cost them? Besides, most people who go late this year aren't thinking that if they buy one now, they'll get to use it now and next year. Most people will go to the park this late in the year and think "Hey, I could get a season pass for next year while I'm here". So they're probably not going to use it for this year anyway.

I will contnue to use my own buying patterns to explain a few years back (7 or 8) Universal (vevendi owned)offered buy one year get 2nd year free APs I bought them during the next two year I stayed onsite (with AP discount)4 times and spent 4 or 5 grand in the parks without that offer I would not have started going to Universal .

Your buying pattern (Someone who doesn't even care for CF, by your own words) and what Universal does has absolutely nothing to do with what Cedar Fair does. Universal isn't in any way Cedar Fair and isn't ran in the same way.

My point is that without an added incentive some customers will go elsewhere or will wait until next year to purchase and during that time parks(chains) that offer a trip this year and all next year may grab that customer away from them.

Except that you're thinking like an enthusiast. It's late in the year. If a non-enthusiast family wants to take a trip to the park on a weekend, they're not going to be swayed by what the Six Flags park a few hours away does with their season passes. They're either going to go locally or not go at all.

Someone in Ohio isn't going to be swayed away by the nearest Six Flags' season pass offer...

It is not a loss of revenue to the park if the customer will not go this year without this added incentive.

Huh?

If they give away the gate for the fall with a 2011 pass, they're almost certainly leaving money on the table for the people who were going to visit this fall.

Is the gate money they get this fall enough to make up for the lost pass sales? The guys with business degrees and all the numbers seem to think so.

Not sure it's been brought up, but if you buy a 2011 Platinum Pass at Great America, you get the rest of 2010 at Great America free.

http://www.cagreatamerica.com/shop/shopping_season_pass.cfm

ApolloAndy said:
If they give away the gate for the fall with a 2011 pass, they're almost certainly leaving money on the table for the people who were going to visit this fall.

Wasn't it only last year that they did offer a one-day ticket with Platinum Pass purchase. And most of those purchases were by people who already had a current pass. And so they were selling the free tickets outside the park.

Sounds to me like offering a free ticket WAS costing them because the free tickets were all going to people who were coming anyway and the admission cost was going into someone else's pocket.

(slow since school back in)

I'm sure it's different at each park. But, some of Cedar Point's busiest days each year are Halloweekend Saturdays.

SFoGswim said:
Not sure it's been brought up, but if you buy a 2011 Platinum Pass at Great America, you get the rest of 2010 at Great America free.

http://www.cagreatamerica.com/shop/shopping_season_pass.cfm

Different markets...the park in NorCal is beaten to death by the competition (SFDK, SCBB, Gilroy Gardens, are all as good or better amusmenet options). Then add in ALL there is to do in the San Fran/Oakland area, and it's easy to understand why they have to provide incentives to show up. The improvement on the last visit a couple years back was noticeable.....but wow does that park have a LONG way to go. Realistically, none of the other CF parks face that level of competition...

To put things in perspective, my wife and I bought Kennywood season passes this year. They were $89.99, and don't even get us into the park for Phantom Fright Nights, not even at a discounted rate.

GoBucks89 said:
Reducing prices will mean you sell more (to a point). But it doesn't necessarily mean that you will make more profit (which is the name of the game for the parks).

Been trying to explain this concept around here for years. Good luck with that. It's a basic business truth that's surprisingly foreign to the coaster enthusiast set.

rollergator said:
Realistically, none of the other CF parks face that level of competition...

Really? You dont think that Kings Dominion faces similar level of competition? Hershey, SFA, BGW, Trimper's, everything in DC, hell even things to do in Richmond....

Perhaps KD has done a better job standing up to the competition, but there is certainly a lot of competition around.

^I'll give you SFA and BGW as being "proximate", but Hershey and esp. Trimper's are a pretty serious hike. I don't think we drove more than an hour on any leg of the NorCal Con...and ALL of the parks in NorCal are superior to PGA, while PKD can at least "hold its own" against SFA. Besides, SFA doesn't really offer the *experience* that SFDK does....much better rides though, LOL.

Not entirely sure what there is to do in Richmond, not being a Nascar fan and all... ;)

And now, some good news for our thread-starter: CP just posted to their FB:

Purchase a NEW 2011 Cedar Point Season Pass or Cedar Point Junior/Senior Season Pass at the park and receive a free admission ticket valid on the date of purchase. Free ticket offer not valid on Platinum Passes or Renewal Passes. Free ticket offer available at the park only. Free ticket offer does not apply to online purchases. Limit one free ticket per Cedar Point pass purchased.

That's for the Cedar Point pass, not the Platinum,

^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A ;)

Well played.

Covered boobs on Viking Fury are pretty much why I don't visit anymore.

I can try to hid the real reason, Can't I? :)

I didn't think CP ever even had flyers.... ;)

OMG get out of my head!!!

kevin38 said:
What I am trying to get across is the by giving away the last two months this year they will get a customer all next year.It doesn't cost them anything to let a few that buy the pass early into the park this year (slow since school back in) and it pushes people to buy the pass that otherwise would not have.

So if a customer already has a season pass for 2010, and buys one for 2011, would you then give them a larger discount than renewals currently get because they won't be needing that perk?

Just asking...