Hi! Thanks for the interesting question!
The following companies are the main players in the theme park
industry:
Disney has
http://disney.go.com/vacations/travel/index.html
Paramount
http://directory.google.com/Top/Recreation/Theme_Parks/Paramount/
Lego Land
http://www.lego.com/legoland/default.asp?bhref%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fdirectory%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2FTop%2FRecreation%2FTheme%5FParks%2FLegoland%2F%26
Six Flags
http://www.sixflags.com/home.asp
Palace Entertainment
http://www.boomersparks.com/corporate/index.htm
Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks
http://www.4adventure.com/
In case I missed some theme parks and its players the following
directory should be a good supplement:
US
http://www.themeparkcity.com/USA_index.htm
Canada
http://www.themeparkcity.com/CAN_index.htm
Europe
http://www.themeparkcity.com/EURO_index.htm
Asia
http://themeparks.about.com/cs/asianparks/index.htm
South America
http://themeparks.about.com/cs/parksinmexico/index.htm
Other related industries and players:
Water Parks
http://directory.google.com/Top/Recreation/Theme_Parks/Water_Parks/
Theme Park Equipment
http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Industries/Arts_and_Entertainment/Amusement/Equipment/
The next link brings us to the theme park industry sales figures and
the top ten theme parks in terms of attendance for 2001.
Top 10 U.S. Amusement Parks 2001
http://www.saferparks.org/attendance.htm
-------------------
Success in the theme park industry could be surmised by reading on the
lessons learned from mistakes in the past. The next article about
European theme parks provides a great insider’s look on the necessary
business aspects in order to have a successful theme park. To save you
time I have provided snippets of the article.
“1. Investment and Design
In many of the new French parks, project capital investment was either
overspent, or inefficiently spent. Between $100 and S200 per attendee
was spent in developing these new facilities. In the U.S. this ratio
typically falls between $S0 and $100 (see Table). Overspending on a
per attendee basis, of course, was largely a function of less than
expected attendance. However, for several of the parks, including
Zygofolis and Big Bang Smurf, actual investment exceeded projected
investment by a significant margin; in the case of Zygofolis by over
50 percent.
Although over-budget projects are not new to the theme park industry,
these projects also suffered from poorly spent or inefficiently spent
investment funds. Theme park development projects typically consist
of: “hard” costs applied toward construction of facilities,
fabrication and installation of rides and shows; and “soft” costs for
financing, design, legal and other fees, pre-opening expenses, and
other miscellaneous costs. In the U. S. theme park industry “hard”
costs usually represent about 70 percent of the total project
development cost and “soft” costs about 30 percent. This ratio helps
ensure that at a given budget level the theme park product being built
will have the entertainment and market impact necessary to meet
attendance projections.”
“2. Management
Experienced management is the engine of the theme park industry.
Particularly in the U.S. where mature and competitive markets have
squeezed profit margins, strong management is essential. Key
executives of the five major U.S. theme park operating companies have
a minimum of 14 and up to 34 years experience in the business. At the
new French parks a lack of experienced management and, worse, quick
management turnover have led to problems both in the planning and
operational phases of these attractions.
All of the parks recently developed in France began with management
teams inexperienced in the theme park business. To gain industry
experience, some of the attractions supplemented management with
experienced U.S. consultants during the early phases of development.
However, these consultants were not retained to any significant degree
once park operations commenced. “
“3. Market Assessment
Market assessment is a key step in the planning, design, and ongoing
operations of theme parks. With some of the new parks the market was
not fully understood. Consultants, planners, and operators, have been
responsible.
In some cases, the cultural habits of the market were not fully
accounted for in market evaluations of France’s newest theme parks.
The peaking of attendance on Sundays is a prime example. Even though
annual attendance was much lower than that projected at Asterix,
design day attendance (or the daily level of attendance for which a
facility should be planned) was significantly higher than projected.
This caused the park to have to close several times due to excessive
crowding on Sundays. Depending on the operating season, a rule of
thumb for a seasonal U.S. park is that the design day equals about 1
to 1.2 percent of annual attendance. At Asterix, design days equaled
15 percent of annual attendance, indicating a weekend day preference
not experienced in U.S. parks. “
“4. Educating the Public
An important factor in understanding the underperformance of the
recently built parks in France is that market’s lack of education
relative to the theme park product. Older, more modest parks have
operated elsewhere in Europe for a number of years. Tivoli Gardens
opened in Copenhagen in 1843; De Efteling in Holland began operations
in 1951; and Phantasialand in Germany opened in 1965. France, on the
other hand, has not had these long-term installations to educate its
market.
Traditionally, French amusement parks have been limited to traveling
carnivals run by “Forains,” tough, streetwise, amusement hawkers. The
French public, being accustomed to this sort of basic carnival
approach, did not understand some of the fundamental principals of the
new theme parks. These principals include: paying one price for
admission and all attractions; not being able to bring picnics into
the park; and the price/value relationship between a relatively high
admission fee and a full day’s activities.”
“5. Marketing
The theme park business is extremely marketing sensitive. A visit to a
theme park is a temporal product which requires intensive marketing to
successfully compete among the many other forms of leisure and
entertainment. In new markets, heavy marketing is required to
establish identity and to build awareness of the product.
In a mature market such as the U.S., there is a strong need to
constantly induce repeat visitation to nullify the effect of natural
attendance erosion. This erosion has traditionally been overcome by
reinvestment in new rides, shows, and other attractions which can be
sold to visitors as a reason for returning to the parks. “
Read the whole article at this link:
A Bumpy Road Building the European Theme Park Industry by John
Robinett and Raymond Braun
http://www.hotel-online.com/Neo/Trends/ERA/ERAEuropeanThemeParks.html
The next links provide us with both the basics, the artistic and
business side to having a successful theme park. It also discusses the
niches, theme and business strategies and developments taken by
different American parks.
Step by step design with Nate Naversen
http://www.themedattraction.com/about_nate.htm
“How is a new themed attraction generated within the theme park
industry?” by Lynsey Brown http://www.themedattraction.com/drama1.htm
Themed Attraction Design, Part One: Themed Attractions: An unusual
medium
http://www.themedattraction.com/sense.htm
The Good and the Bad: What is the Difference Between Attractions
Anyway?
http://www.themedattraction.com/trains.htm
Theme attraction design, part three: The Sixth Sense, the Story, and
the Cliché
http://www.themedattraction.com/sixth.htm
Themed Attraction Design Part Four Explaining a Distaste for "Kiddie"
Rides by Nate Naversen
http://www.themedattraction.com/kiddie_rides.htm
Theming the Thrills
A study into the use of theming and design as a marketing medium to
enhance the visitor experience at theme parks.
RJ Cumberworth BA (Hons) Leisure Management
http://www.themedattraction.com/dissertation.htm#Chapter%20Two
Mickey's 10 Commandments
http://www.themedattraction.com/mickeys10commandments.htm
The New Magic Box by Bob Rogers
http://www.brcweb.com/magic.html
The Waiting Game By Will Wiess
http://www.themedattraction.com/fastpass.htm
--------------------
You could also get good ideas (probably the best ones) from your
potential customers through these reviews of different theme parks and
rides.
Theme Park Critic
http://www.themeparkcritic.com/
The Theme Park Insider
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/
Park reviews
http://www.americanmidway.com/reviews/
Central Florida Ride Reviews
http://orlando.about.com/blrev_ride.htm
Camelot Theme Park Review
http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/product/50680.html
-------------------------
The theme park business has gone a long way and the next articles
provide us with links to what’s in store for the industry in the
future:
The Coming Revolution in Themed Entertainment
http://www.themedattraction.com/future.htm
The Real Trends in European Theme Parks
by Bob Rogers, BRC Imagination Arts
This article appeared in Park World September 1995
http://www.brcweb.com/trends.html
----------------------------------
The next websites could be of great interest to you since it provides
constant information as safety ratings and other industry news and
concerns.
A Consumer's Guide to Safe Thrills at Amusement Parks and Traveling
Carnivals in the United States
http://www.saferparks.org/
History of theme parks
http://www.napha.org/history.html
Great Moments
http://www.napha.org/moments.html
Industry FAQ
http://www.napha.org/faq.html
I hope this is what you were looking for. Before you rate this answer,
please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if you would
need further information. Good luck on your business! Thanks for being
a part of Google Answers.
Regards,
Easterangel-ga |
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