A Night of Fright - HHN 24

It’s that time of year again where ghouls, monsters, zombies, and fiends fill the streets of Florida’s theme parks once again. I just recently spent a night of screams at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Night 2014, and I must say, I had a scary time. So what’s new this year at Halloween Horror Night? Well before I get to that, I have to tell you about something that you absolutely need: an Express Pass.

When I went to HHN last year, I didn’t use it. I had a pass, so I could go to multiple nights for free. My friends and I usually hit one or two houses each night. I didn’t have that luxury this year. So for the first time, we decided to get the express pass. You’re probably wondering, Steven, why are you going to spend practically another park ticket for an express pass? The wait time for the haunted houses is at best an hour. The popular houses, such as AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, is 2-3 hours depending on the night. With the express pass, I was in the house within fifteen minutes of getting in line. In just one night, I managed to see each and every single house using the express pass. You really do get your money’s worth, especially if you’re planning on just going one night.

HHN haunted houses are best described as “movie-set quality” recreations of fantastic and fearsome locations. Upon stepping inside, you feel like you’re in a maze, each haunted house being indoors and set up in unused areas of Universal Studios. Their purpose is to make you scream and wet your pants. From every nook and crevice, expect fearsome creatures, blood-curdling sound effects, loud music, bursts of air, special effects, and of course gruesome props.

So what’s new this year? “AMC’s The Walking Dead” is back, however it’s bigger than ever. It is by far the most elaborate haunted house and it has been redesigned to reflect on the previous season. If you’re a fan of the show and you want to feel how Rick Grimes feels when he’s being chased down by a zombie, this is a must see.

“Dracula Untold” is a brand new house in which you’re caught right in the middle of a struggle between bloodthirsty vampires or the attacking turks. You’ll experience first hand how the one-time hero who fought for his family plunged his soul into darkness and became Dracula. That’s not the only house based off an iconic movie. Everyone remembers their friendly neighborhood psycho killer? Michael Myers dons his iconic mask once more as you go through the story of “Halloween”. Finally, “From Dusk Till Dawn” will completely drain you of your energy as you will scream and squeal through every turn. This labyrinth of death is based on the hit series in which you discover a remote biker bar concealing bloodthirsty creatures that are just hungry for you.

Three original houses include Dollhouse of the Damned, Giggles & Gore, Inc, and Roanoke – Cannibal Colony. My absolute favorite is Giggles & Gore, especially if you have a fear of clowns. Psychotic clowns aim to kidnap the audience and turn them into clowns; just don’t get caught yourself.

Finally, you will come across scare zones. Scare zones are basically outdoor sets in open areas that are meant to make you scream your head off. One of the zones that I particularly enjoyed came at the front of the park. As the gates open, so too does the annual Purge begin. “The Purge: Anarchy” is a new thriller released by Universal Pictures in which the scare zone is based off of. If you’ve watched the film, you’ll see the auction being recreated right in front of you as dozens of people are just waiting to use you in order to cleanse their souls.

Needless to say, Universal Studios always delivers when it comes to Halloween. I highly recommend hitting the new houses. If you’re going there for one night, make your night worth it by purchasing an express pass. For more information, go to www.halloweenhorrornights.com.

Thompson, A. (n.d) Halloween Horror Nights Reveal: Walking Dead Returns!. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/experience/america/theme-parks/universal-orlando-halloween-horror-nights-walking-dead/10087447/

Business Plans and Why You Need Them

People tend to wonder why are business plans so important? If I know the concept of the business in my mind, why do I need to spend time trying to analyze the industry, determine my competitive advantage, research the competition, and develop marketing strategies? In an article as to why business plans are important, Alan Gleeson quotes Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland:

"Would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don't much care where--" said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

Tim Berry and Stefan Topfer both have similar views on why business plans provide direction. Tim Berry is an American entrepreneur and published business author. He is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and is often known as the "Obi-Wan Kenobi of Business Plans." He is currently the official business planning coach at Entrepreneur.com. Stefan Topfer founded WinWb International Ltd. in 1994 and also serves as its CEO. He has extended the boundaries of the Internet by simplifying the life of small businesses. 

Both experts state that the primary purpose of a business plan is to define what the business is or what it intends to be over time.  By understanding what the business is and where you want to go with the business, you're able to recognize what you need to do to continue to move forward. It doesn't matter if you're the sole business owner or starting a corporation, business plans can provide a reference point for you to return to. It shows whether or not the business is capable of making a profit. This is important when attracting investors.

A good business plan establishes goals and benchmarks as the business grows. This allows for management to provide specific objectives, tracking, and then follow up. Business owners should want to share their business plan with everyone, including investors, employees, and even friends and professionals. Your business doesn't sound appealing if you're explaining the intricacies from your head. It's easier to understand and share your business when you have everything written down on paper.  

The most important and critical aspect of a business plan is how much research is put into them. Researching the competition, the industry, and how much money you stand to make from your business shows that you are an expert in your related field. As an entrepreneur, I plan to use the research studies and industry statistics to determine what my business goals are and how to beat out my competition.

Berry, T. (March 6, 2013) Entrepeneur. 15 reasons you need a business plan Retrieved From http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/83818

Gleeson, A. (n.d). BPlans. Five reasons you need a business plan Retrieved From http://articles.bplans.co.uk/starting-a-business/five-reasons-you-need-a-business-plan-2/364

Topfer, S. (February 25, 2011). Nasdaq. The importance of business planning Retrieved From http://www.nasdaq.com/article/the-importance-of-business-planning-cm59436

Universal Studios Fights Back...With a Winner!

In my last few blogs, I've talked a lot about what WDW has been doing. From bringing a far away galaxy closer to you or building snowmen with Olaf, Disney has done an amazing job bringing in people to the parks this summer. However, there's one other powerhouse that I've failed to mention. I had decided to wait before the initial hype was over and done with before I checked things out myself but I couldn't wait any longer. This summer, Universal Studios finally opened its doors to Diagon Alley in The Wizarding World of Harry Porter.

Universal did the extraordinary by expanding on the worldwide phenomenon. So what does Universal have to offer with this new expansion? Remember when Harry Potter first stepped into Diagon Alley to buy his book supplies? There were restaurants, like the Leaky Cauldron, or stores like Quality Quidittch Supplies. When I stepped unto Diagon Alley for the first time, I was in awe. I was half-expecting Hagrid the half-giant to run past me chasing after Harry. Disney has always been known for getting down even the most minute of details, Universal made sure to do the same.

The newest attraction added to Diagon Alley is the new thrill ride Escape from Gringotts. After riding the attraction, it felt as if the indoor thrill coaster experience was combined with dark ride elements and the addition of 3D technology. The 2 and half-hour wait was surprisingly worth the ride. Below is a video of riding their theme park in a rider's point of view.

But of course you don’t have time to wait 2 to 3 hours during your vacation just to go on one attraction. In fact, had I not had my annual pass, I would not have enjoyed myself at Diagon Alley at all.

Although I really enjoyed the new area, it was crowded and I really wished I were as big as Hagrid just so that I could push through the massive crowds. The problem with going to Universal Studios now is that it’s packed. It’s the busy season for theme parks with both Disney and Universal Studios packed with visitors from all over the world. Do not fret. The Orlando Informer recently published an article that gives an insight on how to make the best out of your time visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Click Here for the article. 

I'll be exploring the rest of Diagon Alley later this week, so expect an update soon.

MyThemeParkPOV. (2014, July 14). Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts Full Ride POV. Retrieved August 11, 2014.

Orlando Informer. (n.d.). FREE Universal Orlando 12-month crowd calendar with park hours and special events. Retrieved August 11, 2014.

Orlando Informer. (n.d.). How to ensure your trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a success! Retrieved August 11, 2014.

How WDW Decides to Bring Frozen to the Parks

Frozen...the movie phenomena that took the nation by storm. Kids and parents alike have been watching the movie over and over again to the point that parents need to buy new DVD's just because they burned out the old one. Disney never once thought that Frozen would make $400 million dollars in the U.S, the highest grossing film for Disney. They never thought that Frozen merchandise would be in such high demand. That's why for a few months after the movie's release, Frozen merchandise couldn't be kept on the shelves. So how can the Walt Disney World Resort bring Frozen to the parks while still being able to ride on the Frozen craze? 

For the first time in forever, Frozen is bringing a summer snowstorm to Disney's Hollywood Studios. From now until September 1st, families can come to the Walt Disney World Resort to see Anna, Elsa, and Olaf for some Frozen fun. 

Upon entering Disney's Hollywood Studios, guests are greeted with dozens of banners featuring their favorite Frozen characters. Replacing the Countdown to Fun Parade is a brand new Frozen theme parade with Anna and Elsa being drawn by a horse and carriage. Of course, Kristoff and his friends the ice cutters walk through the streets showing their amazing ice picking skills.

Once the parade is over, guests can join Anna and Elsa at the Premiere Theater behind the Streets of America for a Frozen sing-along celebration. Guests can also join Olaf on summer adventures that involve summer ice-skating as Olaf invites you to also build a snowman with him.

Lastly, what celebration doesn’t have fireworks? Ever since Star Wars Weekends, Hollywood Studios has realized that having a huge firework show in addition to Fantasmic is a real crowd pleaser. The night ends with the Frozen cast coming together at the Sorcerer’s Hat for a grand finale, an inspiring fireworks display set to the music of the movie.

Disney has found an amazing way to quickly distribute their characters without taking the time to building a new attraction or coming up with a brand new show. By using the similar style of hosting Star Wars Weekends, Frozen’s Summer Fun will create memories for families all over the world for years to come.

Brigante, R. (2014, July 5). Frozen Summer Fun event debuts at Walt Disney World as Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf appear in delightful new shows. InsideTheMagic.net. Retrieved July 28, 2014, from http://www.insidethemagic.net/2014/07/frozen-summer-fun-event-debuts-at-walt-disney-world-as-anna-elsa-kristoff-and-olaf

Legal litigations in the theme park industry

In my previous blogs I’ve spoken about events happening in theme parks throughout central Florida. In this entry, I’d like to talk about legal liabilities that theme parks often face. People often have high expectations of theme parks and they don’t think that just like any other business they have laws that they have to abide by. Just like the film industry needs to seek rights to portray other people’s characters in films, theme parks need to follow those same rules. Often times, theme parks get into legal litigations as to who exactly owns the right to certain characters. A perfect example is Marvel superheroes.

So who owns Marvel? Disney bought Marvel Comics in 2009. So why doesn’t Walt Disney World have an Iron Man themed attraction when there’s one in development for Shanghai? Several years before Disney bought Marvel, Marvel sold the theme park rights to its characters to Universal Studios. It’s similar to how Sony has the rights to make movies using Spiderman and 20^th Century Fox has the movie rights to X-Men. At the moment, the only way for Marvel characters to be in Walt Disney World theme parks is if it can convince Universal to give up those rights. Back in 2012 when the Avengers movie came out, WDW wrapped one of its monorails with Avengers graphics featuring the characters from the film. However, because of the agreement with Universal, the monorails were restricted to the resort monorail track and not go into Epcot. Personally, I think that Disney is doing fine with leaving the Marvel characters at Universal for the time being. Although Universal Studios is Disney’s main competition, Universal still helps the tourism business and draws crowds from all over the world. People that visit Universal will also come and spend money at Disney. The more enticing Universal is, the more people visit Orlando and probably will stop at Disney.

Another legal litigation that theme parks often face is personal injury and property damage. According to the Orlando Sentinel, a review of 477 state and federal lawsuits filed against SeaWorld, Universal, and Disney between 2004 and 2008 found that 218 of those cases involved people who slipped, tripped, or fell. The rides or attractions themselves only accounted for 101 of the cases. Accidents happen the theme parks know this. However, people tend to think that nothing can happen to them on vacation. They act carelessly and then blame the theme parks for their own carelessness.

The last legal litigation that I’d like to talk about is unions in theme parks. Walt Disney World has the largest union group in Florida and employs over 65,000 cast members. Because the union and WDW can’t settle on a new contract, negotiations were extended to the end of June. The contract discusses wages, benefits, retirement and pension plans, rules of termination, and a general code of conduct expected to be followed by the company and the cast members. The company moved to raise starting pay from $8.03 to $10 dollars an hour among other things. I can’t even imagine the amount of work and negotiations involved with a contract that affects over 65,000 people. That’s why theme parks require lawyers who are able to read and speak the language written in business contracts.  

Brigante, R. (2012, March 30). Avengers to assemble on Disney monorail, first Marvel ‘attraction’ for Walt Disney World. InsideTheMagic.net. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://www.insidethemagic.net/2012/03/avengers-to-assemble-on-disney-monorail-first-marvel-attraction-for-walt-disney-world/

Garcia, J. (2014, April 20). Disney union leaders positive about initial wage offer. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2014-04-20/news/os-cfb-tourism-column-042114-20140417_1_walt-disney-world-copa-airlines-wage-offer

Niles, R. (2013, July 10). Who really owns the theme park rights to the DC and Marvel comic characters?. Theme Park Insider. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201307/3558/

Powers, S. (2009, March 30). Trips, slips dominate theme-park lawsuits. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-themepark-injury-lawsuits-033009,0,5046537.story