I've been wanting to discuss this for a while, and tonight seems as good a time as ever.
In short, the thread question: Do the die-hard coaster/theme park enthusiasts like ourselves have any impact on trends and strategies in the industries of amusement parks and coaster design? Will popular sentiments in the enthusiast circles affect how coasters and parks are made and run? (In some sense, using the word "industry" in the title is a bit of a misnomer; technically we're talking about several intervowen - but different - industries).
I know that the answer to this question, whenever it has been brought up here in the past nine years or so, has been "no, we're a tiny minority of park guests, our age demographics are way too specific, and nobody pays any attention to us anyway". Which is fair, after all, sites like CF only has a few thousand members, which is less than a percent of what numbers most sizeable parks pull in every year. One wouldn't think that we have much sway in the decisions out there. But I feel that over time, this sentiment could be challenged.
First and foremost, the people who work in the industry. I think that a certain degree of enthusiasm is next to mandatory for anybody who designs coasters for a living. You don't get a job in Intamin or Vekoma because you found nothing better to do, and you don't stay there purely out of habit. On some level, you have to like coasters to get a career building them. This has probably been the case since practically forever, but the people who enter the industry now have grown up with the Internet, where there are fan sites and forums for everything. I find it extremely unlikely that fresh engineering graduates who seek jobs building coasters or administering parks have never visited a fan site, never looked up POVs online, or failed to learn the most basic coaster terms before applying. Or played games à la RCT. These are tools and habits that would not be possible for people who took jobs in the industry around 20 years ago or earlier. I'd say the average applicant to jobs out there is far more savvy than they were just a few decades ago.
Then, the social media. To sum up this point as quickly as I can: "There will be enthusiasts in every relevant comments section". We're the people who make a big fuzz out of press releases, concept art, news stories, or even poorly substantiated rumours. Who spread the word to all our friends whenever something interesting happens. A park can hardly have a social media presence without attracting comments from knowledgeable people who pay attention. There will be discussions about airtime, about the choice of manufacturer, comparisons to other coasters/parks, and general comments about quality whenever something interesting is posted. Non-enthusiasts can't visit the comments sections without seeing our vocal feedback. And at least for smaller parks, a lot of traffic can be generated when big enthusiast groups share the news. Likewise, a bad coaster will get bad reputation quite quickly. It's hard to look up a park or a coaster without hearing what enthusiasts think about it.
Also... the enthusiasts themselves. The people who did grow up as part of enthusiasts groups, and decided to make a career in the field. I know at least three CF-ers who "graduated" to take jobs in the industry, and there could be many more I never heard about. We're a bunch of people who dream about building coasters, it only makes sense that some decided to make their dreams come true.
As for what specific things the entusiast community actually affect in the industry... well, I doubt it's anything truly revolutionary. Perhaps the next generation of coaster designers are a little more knowledgeable about what qualities people look for in a coaster. Those who make strategic decisions for parks have a little broader knowledge of what other parks have done through the ages, and how it affected them. Perhaps marketing people use a few more technical terms. But it's also my hope and belief that the desire to make something great is slightly more prevalent out there, that the people who work with parks like to visit other parks, to discuss their qualities and flaws with other people, and who have a little more experience as a park guest than similar managers had in the era before the Internet. All in all, that the world of amusement parks and coasters is a little bit better because of groups like CF.
What do you think? Do we make a difference?
In short, the thread question: Do the die-hard coaster/theme park enthusiasts like ourselves have any impact on trends and strategies in the industries of amusement parks and coaster design? Will popular sentiments in the enthusiast circles affect how coasters and parks are made and run? (In some sense, using the word "industry" in the title is a bit of a misnomer; technically we're talking about several intervowen - but different - industries).
I know that the answer to this question, whenever it has been brought up here in the past nine years or so, has been "no, we're a tiny minority of park guests, our age demographics are way too specific, and nobody pays any attention to us anyway". Which is fair, after all, sites like CF only has a few thousand members, which is less than a percent of what numbers most sizeable parks pull in every year. One wouldn't think that we have much sway in the decisions out there. But I feel that over time, this sentiment could be challenged.
First and foremost, the people who work in the industry. I think that a certain degree of enthusiasm is next to mandatory for anybody who designs coasters for a living. You don't get a job in Intamin or Vekoma because you found nothing better to do, and you don't stay there purely out of habit. On some level, you have to like coasters to get a career building them. This has probably been the case since practically forever, but the people who enter the industry now have grown up with the Internet, where there are fan sites and forums for everything. I find it extremely unlikely that fresh engineering graduates who seek jobs building coasters or administering parks have never visited a fan site, never looked up POVs online, or failed to learn the most basic coaster terms before applying. Or played games à la RCT. These are tools and habits that would not be possible for people who took jobs in the industry around 20 years ago or earlier. I'd say the average applicant to jobs out there is far more savvy than they were just a few decades ago.
Then, the social media. To sum up this point as quickly as I can: "There will be enthusiasts in every relevant comments section". We're the people who make a big fuzz out of press releases, concept art, news stories, or even poorly substantiated rumours. Who spread the word to all our friends whenever something interesting happens. A park can hardly have a social media presence without attracting comments from knowledgeable people who pay attention. There will be discussions about airtime, about the choice of manufacturer, comparisons to other coasters/parks, and general comments about quality whenever something interesting is posted. Non-enthusiasts can't visit the comments sections without seeing our vocal feedback. And at least for smaller parks, a lot of traffic can be generated when big enthusiast groups share the news. Likewise, a bad coaster will get bad reputation quite quickly. It's hard to look up a park or a coaster without hearing what enthusiasts think about it.
Also... the enthusiasts themselves. The people who did grow up as part of enthusiasts groups, and decided to make a career in the field. I know at least three CF-ers who "graduated" to take jobs in the industry, and there could be many more I never heard about. We're a bunch of people who dream about building coasters, it only makes sense that some decided to make their dreams come true.
As for what specific things the entusiast community actually affect in the industry... well, I doubt it's anything truly revolutionary. Perhaps the next generation of coaster designers are a little more knowledgeable about what qualities people look for in a coaster. Those who make strategic decisions for parks have a little broader knowledge of what other parks have done through the ages, and how it affected them. Perhaps marketing people use a few more technical terms. But it's also my hope and belief that the desire to make something great is slightly more prevalent out there, that the people who work with parks like to visit other parks, to discuss their qualities and flaws with other people, and who have a little more experience as a park guest than similar managers had in the era before the Internet. All in all, that the world of amusement parks and coasters is a little bit better because of groups like CF.
What do you think? Do we make a difference?
