Starting an amusement park

Ok first of all what is an FEC? (if i don't know that I probably don't know anything but whatever).

Also couldn't an idea be to first make some money designing roller coasters and then maybe try starting a park? Thats something we've been considering.

About the sale of Joyland, one of the possible reasons for the low cost sale, or, if you read the ebay listing, about the financial problems with the owners was the fact that early last year a 13yo fell off the Ferris Wheel....This could be one reason for a cheap fast sale. The liability insurance would be brutal after an accident.

This report was from www.rideaccidents.com

(Friday, April 17, 2004) - At Joyland amusement park in Wichita, Kansas, a 13-year-old girl was seriously injured in a 25-foot fall from a Ferris wheel. The girl was riding with two of her friends. Witnesses say that the three were rocking their seat. The victim fell out, struck another seat, and fell to the ground. She sustained injuries to her right arm and leg, head and face. She has been hospitalized in fair condition.

One of the other pitfalls of owning/operating a park. The never ending threat of incidents, and the incredibly looooong line of people who will sue your A** off when it happens!!

Ken

FEC = Family Entertainment Center.

FEC's are smaller places such as joints that offer an arcade, minigolf, and/or go-karting... sometimes other attractions as well like wall-climbing and laser-tron.

I've written out a business plan myself for a FEC, but I need a little funding... they have all these things out there like Government Grants, State Grants, County Grants... but who really knows how true they are and how much they'd lend money to a white caucasian male vs a minority or women (they have special plans for them which makes it easier for them to open businesses).

They also have venture capitalists... which are kinda like vultures. They will invest in your idea, provided you can come up with collateral and you've got your own start-up funds... but they also basically own a percentage of your stakes.

I have had a perfect idea for 3yrs now for a local FEC to draw in the crowd/tourism from Niagara Falls... but well... it's fizzled a little because the 'Falls on the American side is just as crappy as it was 3yrs ago with the exception of the Casino!

It takes a brave person to compete with the BIG GUYS and it is possible, just so many complications come into effect, but hell Joyland could be an opportunity for only 1.6 million *smallprint: not including staff, repair, operation, food funds, cleanup, aid, guest services, and much more! *

Unless you're going to build the first hovering amusement park, you're going to have to first buy land. If you can get land cheap, it means it's in the middle of nowhere, and you'll have to pay to install all the utilities and maybe even roads, etc. If the land already has that stuff, it's in a desirable area with decent or high traffic and you'll have to pay and arm and a leg, and several quarts of blood for it.

Before you buy the land, make sure it's zoned for what you want to do. Because once your neighbors hear about your plans, they'll write to every politician whose name they can think of about how your plans will ruin their property values, the environment, their peace and quiet, and attract too much traffic and a bad element to their wonderful neighborhood.

If you get that far and get investors to foot your bills (more about this later), you'll start dealing with every state, local and federal agency you can imagine. Your state environmental dept (sewage, water, stormwater runoff to name a few things), dept of transportation (new roads, improvements to existing roads, traffic studies), dept of agriculture (you are selling food there right?) , plus you'll be submitting plans to your local county or town planning agency for them to pick apart and make every stupid conceivable comment or demand. A few will be so brazen as to suggest that in order to approve your plans, you'll have to buy the fire company a new truck, or something like that.

Many investors/venture capitalists I've encountered are mostly lowlifes-- rich but still lowlifes. They will think the idea that they have money gives them the right to bully you, belittle you, and basically hijack your project to their ideas, even though they don't necessarily know a thing about the industry in which they're investing. Some of them think they should be making a profit immediately, and will show little patience for the actual planning process and all the expected pitfalls mentioned above. Especially the ones they will cause themselves with their superior attitudes by basically pissing off the very people you need to be on good terms with to get your project approved.

Hmmm, sounds like I've been down this road before--- yeah, not with an amusement park per se, but a recreation type facility. Good luck to you. But I'd suggest maybe you enjoy the parks that are already out there and leave the headaches to someone else.

As has been mentioned, there are times of opportunity and then they're gone. The window of opportunity for starting an amusement park has come and gone. Sad but true.

However, look at some niches within the field.

l. There is still not a great general interest amusement park monthly magazine out there. There are a few, to which I subscribe, but they're modest. They could be beat. And there's a huge potential readership out there to tap into.

2. Select one of the larger parks and build a very accurate, fully lighted and operational, scale model (probably HO). Build one part of it, then take it to the park management and propose they display it in the park, with you in charge. it will take you several years to complete, and then every time they make a change, you'll have to update it. You will then have your own park, your own creation, earning you public recognition, while contributing to the real park.

3. Write the great novel about the amusement park industry.

4. Produce the great movie about the amusement park industry.

5. Create the next great ride. Coasters are moving beyond the individual, but you could create the next great flat or dark ride.

Not all the good locations have been taken, just all (or at least 90%) of the good U.S. locations. There is a pretty good area of Mexico that would be a decent location to build a park. Plus, looking at what the other parks offer in terms of roller coasters, there is only a couple that have newer coasters. It looks like most have Pinfari and old Schwarzkopf models. However, location is only a piece of the puzzle. If you are building outside of your comfort zone as in an area that you don't know too much about; many of the issues that are pointed out above are magnified.

Wow this is really helpful. Thanks for all the help. Keep giving ideas though!! ;-0

At least I know that one day if I do create that park, Coasterbuzz will be there to support me! That was really corny ;-0

We were thinking about designing rides first (that would be an easier business to start) and we could use that money to start the park (or stay with the design business if we want to).

Well theres good chances it won't happen, but hey if you got your mind set on it, go for it! I wish you luck even if you fail trying. Very good advice and insights of a park.

Rides or a park, one thing you are lacking (I assume) is knowledge of the business side of things. My suggestion, if you are serious about this being your business, goto work for a park as soon as you can. Talk to the people there to find out what you need to do (ie: study in school) to move up the ranks. That way, you could gain the knowledge and experience that you will need to start your own amusement business.

Its very important to know the business field and how to run one. Its about drawing people in, with something great and that they enjoy and want to come back. There are some parks that will screw up, but if run right, you shouldn't have a problem.

Every day I wish more that I could win the lottery...

...even if I only would get half of the money...

(Thinking like a 10 year old)

Six flags has a bone yard with all the old rides in it. Im sure if they put them all together, added some buildings and landscaping.............whola. A new park is born.

Your best bet would be to buy off some mayor or county planner. It works for Wal-Mart and Home Depot and other big project developers. You could probably even get the locality to float bonds for you.

I wouldn't say that the time for making new parks is necessarily past. Mt. Olympus and Holiday World have both come into their own relatively recently (on the backs of small, punchy woodies) On the opposite side of the spectrum IOA was created from whole cloth not that long ago. So was DCA if you want to be unsuccessful.

The real trick is you'll have to find a niche. What segment isn't being properly served and where? Maybe the niche is luxury amusement parks- for $500 a day per person you get no crowds, a go-kart to drive you around, free drinks, food and entertainment, a personal assistant and no bratty kids. Club Med with coasters. Maybe make an adult themed amusement park - no one under 18 at all. HootersLand. Maybe have the greatest assortment of childrens rides on earth. It all depends on where, how many people are there and how much they're willing to spend.

I don't think that you could necessarily make a go of "ye olde standard Six Flags rip-off" but I'm sure there are niches to be had.

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Comatose said:
Your best bet would be to buy off some mayor or county planner. It works for Wal-Mart and Home Depot and other big project developers. You could probably even get the locality to float bonds for you.

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In my experience, these municipalities and planners are far from naive hayseeds who just got off the train from Hooterville. They have quite a laundry list of items they expect developers to provide... A new engine for the fire company, defibrillators for the local police or EMTs, "recreation fees" in the thousands of dollars, and numerous offsite improvements hundreds or thousands of feet away from the site in question. Not to mention hundreds and hundreds of dollars in review fees to change a few numbers or one sentence on a plan.

Many of these "developers" include dental practices, beauty salons, ice cream stands, and other small fry operations, so it's not just the big boys who are expected to pay to play.

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RatherGoodBear said:

In my experience, these municipalities and planners are far from naive hayseeds who just got off the train from Hooterville.... A new engine for the fire company, defibrillators for the local police or EMTs, "recreation fees" in the thousands of dollars, and numerous offsite improvements hundreds or thousands of feet away from the site in question.

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Oh, I agree 100% Hence "buy off" not "ask nicely." Its expensive to put politicians in your pocket. But once they're there, then they'll be more than happy to trample the rights of ordinary citizens for you. For a price, of course.

Thats an interesting thing to think about. A family park, kids park, adult park, standard park, luxury park (sounds like a really good idea) etc. That's something that I will really think about.

Even if I never end up making a park it still would be cool to have an idea for one and have it mapped out and stuff. Also I could convince someone (or some people) to fund it.

There is nothing wrong with having your dreams, Austin, but having a plan to fall back on, like what others have mentioned, is a great idea.

If you wanted to get an idea of a thin slice of what you will be in for check out:

http://www.entrepreneur.com

Goodluck!

As far as all of the good locations to open a park are all gone, the cencus report that just came out a few weeks ago showed a few spots in Arizona at the top of the fastest growing areas in the country list. How many major parks are in AZ? Surely there are other parts in the US that are rapidly growing and are without a park.

I have a friend in Colorado. He said that there aren't any good amusement parks there so maybe (if I could clear and flatten some land) that would be a good place...

Build one in WV to compete with Camden Park!