Haunted Attraction Network

Hear Scott's thoughts and observations about The Special Event Tradeshow 2019 in San Diego California.

The Epic Home Haunts Documentary is a movie that shares the lives of four Home Haunter families and how they get ready for Halloween each year. Setting up realistic Haunted Attraction events in their yards, garages, & properties..all for free for their communities. We get the Haunters on this podcast and talk about: How to start a Home Haunted Attraction at your house The real meaning of being a H...

Since Haunters never really stop haunting, this episode discusses what to keep an eye out for all year long so that when the season arrives, you will have everything you need to tell a terrifying story.

What's inside this podcast episode? Liz Irving joins us from HAuNTcon: Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow & Convention to let us in on what's going on this January 25-27th in New Orleans. Brian and Darryl discuss their Haunt Season..some highlights and some lessons learned at The Dead Factory in Missouri and Deadmonton House in Canada. HAuNTcon 2019 Updates: Interview with Liz Irving NEW vendor...

While making a transfer in the Huston airport, Scott shares some of his experience installing his most recent haunt project, "Dark" at Fort Edmonton Park in Edmonton Alberta Canada. He also discusses a couple of other great Haunts this season...be patient while listening.

NEWS/Quick-Takes: The Halloween season is starting much earlier than usual and the Theme Park Halloween landscape is shifting to keep pace. See Festival del Terror at 6 Flags Mexico, the early Cedar Point opening of HalloWeekends, and Knott’s. Follow news from the Haunted Attraction Network for more Halloween updates. Six Flags Great America located just outside of Chicago is hoping to increase jo...

Scott discusses the importance of treating other haunters and other attractions with respect, especially in the world of social media. He talks about finding the right forum to share suggestions and the importance of professionalism.

Scott chats about the 4 key demographics that haunted attractions target; Kids, Tweens, Teens Plus and Mature Guests. Having worked on haunted attractions from each of these categories, he is able to share insight into all of them.

NEWS/Quick-Takes: Amazon has YouTube envy: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-15/amazon-wants-twitch-to-be-a-youtube-competitor?mod=djemCMOToday Theme Park Announcements: Canada’s Wonderland Six Flags Magic Mountain Carowinds Scary Farm Skullcandy creates live concert series as part of content marketing push “Consumers today, young consumers are very savvy, and they’re very savvy abou...

NEWS/Quick-Takes: This 18+ Horror-Themed Campground Is The Most Disturbing Place To Go Camping: https://www.narcity.com/ca/on/toronto/travel/this-18-horror-themed-campground-near-toronto-is-the-most-disturbing-place-youll-ever-go-camping Six Flags launches loyalty program: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/six-flags-launches-preeminent-new-loyalty-program-2018-08-15 Main Topic: Groupon/Gol...

NEWS/Quick-Takes: Empty Malls - https://digiday.com/marketing/online-retailers-using-empty-mall-spaces-test-products/ The Science of Storytelling - https://marketingland.com/the-science-of-storytelling-245561 The Expanding Market: “DXB Entertainments saw the number of visitors to Dubai Parks and Resorts rise 48% during the second quarter and 46% during the first half of 2018. International guests...

Join a sleep deprived Scott as he shares random moments from Midsummer Scream and The Leadership Symposium for Seasonal Attractions.

The hosts walk through best practices for working with marketing, creative, and media buying agencies for your attraction. NEWS/Quick-Takes: Physical products are more valuable than digital products - https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-can-marketers-deal-with-an-oversaturated-digital-space-turn-back-to-physical-products/ Expansion of Dollywood: “The "new land," a $37 million investment, wa...

NEWS/Quick-Takes: Alien: Descent vs. The Void Midsummer Scream: A great convention chuck full of marketing examples for attractions. All the attractions in the Southern California area participate and each is a great example of attractions connection with guests at conventions. Track the hashtag online to see some of the examples. Six Flags brought a scare zone, scare actors, and hosted a main sta...

NEWS/Quick-Takes: Theme Park WiFi - http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-theme-park-wifi-20180720-story.html Reviews of Comic-Con Activations including escape rooms: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jack-ryan-walking-dead-san-diego-comic-con-activation-hits-misses-1128727 TEA Masters: http://www.inparkmagazine.com/tea-masters-call-for-nominees/ Nine Ways To Build Brand Relationships Wi...

Scott recently attended this "non-haunt" convention to co-present a seminar on monetizing theatre's ghost stories. This episode includes a great interview with co-presenter, Jill Witecki, Marketing Director and official "Ghost Host" for Tampa Theatre. Learn the unexpected similarities between these 2 industries.

Picking Partners: How To Evaluate Sponsorship Opportunities NEWS/Quick-Takes: Elevating Moments Into Lasting Memories article: http://bradjashinsky.com/memorable-moments-themepark-attraction/ Live stream from a roller coaster: http://bradjashinsky.com/live-stream-roller-coaster/ Changing The Game: Socialize Founder Akanksha Goel On The Evolution Of Her Digital Media Agency: https://www.entrepreneu...

Hear Scott's take on the new Southeast Halloween Enthusiast Convention in Ocala FL. Scott also interviews great folks from Universal Studios and Legoland. PLUS a surprise visit with Alex Crow!

Ask More: A Simple Guide to Asking More Effective Guest Survey Questions NEWS Blooloop’s Top 50 Theme Park Influencer List An interesting read to see the diversity of the industry. https://blooloop.com/blooloop-50-theme-park-influencer-list/#top50 How Cedar Fair Scaled An Immersive Mobile Experience Jim Denny VP of eCommerce: https://www.bloomreach.com/en/blog/2018/06/how-cedar-fair-scaled-an-imme...

How do you set Prices for your attraction? Pricing is expensive or cheap depending on who you are targeting, therefore, framing & testing is critical. NEWS/Quick-Takes: California Data Privacy Law Passes “The bill -- AB 375, or the California Consumer Privacy Act -- turns the tech world's business model on its head by letting regular internet users ask for the data a company has collected on them...

In this PODCAST EPISODE, we chat with the organizers of SEHEC (Southeast Halloween Enthusiast Convention) and the Seasonal Attraction Leadership Symposium. Philip Hernandez: Director of Marketing & Sales for Gantom Lighting and Controls, a reputable company in the attraction space known for their quality lighting and controls. William Ramsay: Also known as Dr. Terror Eyes, has taught his Haunting...

As requested on the "A Scott in the Dark" Facebook group, Scott chats about the role of a director for haunted attractions.

There is no easy answer to which platform you should choose, but here’s a guide to follow! NEWS/Quick-Takes: Instagram TV is pulling us ever closer to a future full of tall videos https://www.popsci.com/instagram-tv-is-pulling-us-ever-closer-to-future-full-tall-videos “Everyone spends time on Instagram,” he said. “Every single person is always on Instagram. When you go to YouTube, you’re actively...

Just imagine the look on your team’s face when you receive that extra media coverage! How would you feel if your next media event makes a difference? Combining some recent experience from Great America’s new roller coaster with pointers from “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters” by Priya Parker ( https://amzn.to/2ymtJ0E) , we offer up a checklist for more meaningful media mentions...

The hosts discuss tracking versus email list retargeting and the best examples for using each at your attraction. “Retargeting ads are a form of online targeting advertising and are served to people who have already visited your website or are a contact in your database.” NEWS/Quick-Takes When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing Book by Daniel H. Pink Brad’s take: The book is a quick read th...