Coney Island

Coney Island
An Industry Look
At
Coney Island Redevelopment
Coney Island
• Dan Aylward
– 38 years in the industry
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Coney Island of the West
Kings Island
Riverside
Boblo Island
Old Tucson Studios
Silverwood
Six Flags
– Marine World
– European Division
• Magic Springs / Themeparks LLC / PARC Management LLC
Coney Island
• Tough Business
– Turn Around projects
• Yahoo Finance Story 2/9/09
– Listed Six Flags as one of 15 companies poised
to fail
Coney Island
• Many parks have closed
– Libertyland in Memphis
– Six Flags Astroworld
– Six Flags New Orleans
• New parks often fail
– West World in Wichita
– Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach
Coney Island
• Regional Parks differ from destination parks
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Less theme
More thrills
Draw from 200 mile radius
Hire from 30 mile radius
Less reliant on tourists (over night visitors)
• 80/20 split
• More reliant on residential market
Coney Island
• All parks are different
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Urban versus suburban
Destination vs. regional
Regional vs. local
Local vs. waterparks
Waterparks vs. FEC
Coney Island
• Different appeals in different parks
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Tivoli – aesthetics
Blackpool – beach
Six Flags Great Adventure – Intense thrills
Silverwood – airport
Old Tucson Studios – movie studio
Alton Towers – historical
Carowinds -- cultural
Coney Island
• Unique appeals of Coney Island
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Beach
History
Traditional building Styles
“Quirkiness”
• Different feel
• Different look
Coney Island
• Realities of Redevelopment
– High cost of entry
• Land
• Facilities
• Infrastructure
– Limited physical plant
• City buying land
• Limited land available
Coney Island
• What we are going to cover
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Market
Attractions
Design issues
Support
What steps should be taken
Coney Island
• New York is one of the most competitive
entertainment markets in the world
• Numerous parks compete in the market
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Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags New England
Playland
Splish Splash
Numerous smaller operations
Coney Island
• Theme park competition is intense
– Biggest roller coasters
– Fastest rides
– Intense experiences
Kingda Ka
Six Flags Great Adventure
Superman
Six Flags New England
Coney Island
• Coney Island strengths
– Heritage
– Unique style
– High current attendance levels
• Coney Island weaknesses
– Old fashioned
– Uncertainty
Coney Island
• Iconic Attractions are a must for any
entertainment venue
– Pepsi Max – Blackpool Pleasure Beach
• Volume of rides must be competitive
– Tivoli Gardens – 26 rides
– Blackpool Pleasure Beach – 37 rides
• Types of rides must play to demographics
– Mix of adult and children’s rides
Pepsi Max Big One
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Coney Island
• Creation of critical mass must:
– meet the competition
– accommodate the market demographics
– fulfill the history of the facility
Coney Island
• Attractions
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Thrill Rides
Family Rides
Children’s Rides
Indoor Attractions
Coney Island
• Parks typically feature:
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Four or five iconic attractions
Seven or eight other adult rides
10 or 11 children’s rides
Seven to 10 family rides
Selection depends on capacity requirements
Seven experiences in a day is normal
Coney Island
• Lay Out of Facilty
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More important today than ever before
Business approach to design
Aesthetics equally important
Design adds to escape quality of the experience
Mom drives the business
Kings Island
Cincinnati, Ohio
Tivoli Gardens
Copenhagen, Denmark
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool, England
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz, California
Pacific Park
Santa Monica, California
Coney Island
• Size
– No set size parameters for a facility
– Measure visitation level at peak
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How long do guests stay?
What waiting times are acceptable?
What facilities will be available?
What ride capacity is desirable?
Coney Island
• Land use varies by style of park
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Suburban sprawling facilities
Piers
Beach front parks
Urban parks
Coney Island
Suburban Park
Piers
Coney Island
Beachfront
Park
Urban Park
Coney Island
• Some basic design considerations
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Facility must contain iconic attractions
Layout must be controlled
Comfortable passage between attractions
Coordinated design and attraction placement
Convey safe and secure environment
Coney Island
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Support facilities are important
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Hotels
Food , Merchandise and Games
Restaurants – on-site and off-site
Rest Rooms
Utility Support structures
Warehouse space
Maintenance building
Offices
Shared operator facilities
Beach support functions
Stages
Dressing Rooms
Coney Island
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How to approach the facility
– Aggressive Management is critical in any entertainment scenario
– Regular introductions of new attractions keep the park fresh for the
audience
– Single minded facility management is needed to move the business
forward
– A cohesive business plan will be needed to serve all the stakeholders
– Experienced park management will always win out over inexperience in
this business
– Many derivatives in structure but not all structures improve the results
• Government owned / leased to private
• Government owned / contracted management
• Government owned / government operated
Coney Island
• Recipe for success
Coney Island
• Most parks target families
– Women 18-34
Coney Island
– Operational Philosophy
• Everyone leaves Coney Island happy
Coney Island
– Build Community Involvement
• Expand Relationships with area tourist
attractions
• Grow Governmental Relationships
• Support local groups and organizations
Coney Island
– Marketing
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Aggressive advertising and PR effort
Reach outside the immediate markets
Creative ticketing and promotions
Coordinated activity and support from all attractions
Coney Island
• Operating Philosophy
– One Priority
• Safety
Coney Island
• Integrate attractions into one entertainment
venue
– Amphitheater
– Keyspan Park
– Aquarium
Coney Island
• Select attractions carefully
– Consistency in operation
– Quality of experience
Coney Island
• Consider integrating water park elements
into design
– Take advantage of the beach traffic
– Indoor or outdoor waterpark attractions
• Combined with hotel property?
Coney Island
– Operating Goals
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Quality Service
Superior Operations
Strong Supervision throughout facility
High and consistent standards between operations
Higher overall satisfaction levels
– Excellent Secret Shopper scores
Coney Island
• What benefits will the area enjoy?
– Quality of life
• Additional entertainment in the neighborhood
• Family memories
– Jobs
• Full time and part time
– Multiplier effect of spending
• Economists vary
– Additional development
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• On-site and off-site
Coney Island
• Photo Credits
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Wikipedia – Six Flags Great Adventure
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Widipedia – Six Flags New England
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www.belmontpark.com – Belmont Park
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www.santacruz.com – Santa Cruz Boardwalk
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www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com – Blackpool Pleasure Beach
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www.tivoli.dk – Tivoli Gardens
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Google Earth – Aerial views
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All other photos property of Dan Aylward