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Industry General Discussion

Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2018 10:33 pm
by AltonOperator
Industry Talk is the place to discuss opinions and news on trends and technology in the ever developing amusement industry.

I'll start us off.
Blooloop posted an article about a patent filed by Disney:
Disney has filed a patent for a system that would allow ride vehicles on gravity-based attractions to change their position during the course of the track.
The system would allow fast moving roller-coaster vehicles to face left or right during the ride. This technology is rarely found on fast moving rides due to charging issues, making the development a new innovation.
The patent application is titled “Roller Coaster with Passenger Compartment Motion Powered Through Stored Onboard Energy.”
The patent explains that the technology can be integrated into existing rides: “a ride can be updated and modified by providing new show or visual features along the track that are visible not only as the vehicles travel in the DOT [direction of travel] but also on one or both sides of the track.”
Image
I think the most interesting part of this is the fact that it can be added to existing rides. Which rides might suit this?

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2018 7:21 am
by Sozzy40
Spaceship Earth. The ride is getting a massive refurbishment.

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:41 pm
by abigsmurf
Almost certainly for Guardians of the Galaxy based on what's rumoured about the ride. Will allow the coaster to go a lot faster than Gringotts can whilst in a controlled spin.

Not a massive fan of broad patents like these, would have thought charging a powered coaster ride via induction chargers was a fairly obvious application of existing technology, just not implemented much because of the costs involved.

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 8:18 pm
by AltonOperator
Blooloop posted the article Paying the price for your theme park (and parking) experience today. I urge you to give it a read as it is interesting.
It gives an in-depth look at recent trends regarding pricing strategies.
If the merlin parks were open every day of the season I think they would benefit from a peak/off-peak tiered ticketing scheme to help spread the crowds.
The new Bobbejaanland Pay-as-you-go is also praised in the article. I think that'd be a brilliant idea for more parks.
It also discusses parking fees and at what price they become unviable.

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 8:53 pm
by Bert
The only way I could see Merlin doing this is having a higher than normal price on peak days and then a regular price structure on regular days.

The reason I could see them doing a ‘value’ style pricing is if Alton Towers chooses to become a 365 day park where what currently is offseason there is a reduced FHT style lineup albeit a cheaper entry price. It would appeal to people who want to ride one certain ride and won’t mind missing out on another ride because they are paying less.

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 6:03 pm
by abigsmurf
More patents, this time from universal
http://universal.wdwinfo.com/multiple-n ... sal-parks/

The LED system for harnesses seems like a good idea in theory but in practice I don't think it would save any time. I think you're still going to need a manual check, the risk of a sensor being faulty and a rider leaving the station with  a harness that could spring open is way too high.

That flying motion simulator system looks interesting, especially with the version that looks suspiciously like a Broomstick but... Can Universal get away with another screen attraction?

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 6:54 pm
by Swarm Chris
I didn't much understand the LED patent, other than to get a patent. Most rides have some sort of on the ground notification system. A couple use LEDs too.

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2018 2:00 am
by nicky.borrill
Don’t Gerstlauer have the triple LEDs on the back of each seat? Aren’t they providing another visual confirmation of a locked harness? I always assumed they were, never actually looked it up though. 

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 8:17 pm
by abigsmurf
New ride type from Dynamic:
A more advanced version of the Test Track ride system. I would love for this to come to the UK but can't see Merlin Splashing out on a large scale dark ride any time soon.

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 3:30 pm
by Sozzy40
Whilst this isn't the most on-topic of things, it's  certainly interesting:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46728115

Re: Industry Talk

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:34 am
by Chris
Sozzy40 wrote:Whilst this isn't the most on-topic of things, it's  certainly interesting:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46728115
Hideous! Now that's one evac I would not like to experience..

Re: Industry General Discussion

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 6:27 pm
by Wagstaff04
Just a quick question for an essay I have to do: does anyone know how many accidents a year (not routine, so evacs don’t count) are the fault of the the ride itself, such as a computer failure, mechanical fault etc.

Re: Industry General Discussion

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 10:34 pm
by Swarm Chris
Wagstaff04 wrote:Just a quick question for an essay I have to do: does anyone know how many accidents a year (not routine, so evacs don’t count) are the fault of the the ride itself, such as a computer failure, mechanical fault etc.
Have no concrete numbers, but I would say the average per year will be somewhere near zero. Typically ride systems when operating to manufacture specification, cannot fail in such a way where an accident can occur. They're designed to fail-safe, for example with brakes that are always on unless the control system powers them off, or with triple redundancy on sensors where there are three sensors checking the same thing that will stop everything if they disagree.

Re: Industry General Discussion

Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 9:38 am
by Muppet738
Anyone who is looking for a new job
https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/06/this-com ... 09020/amp/

Re: Industry General Discussion

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 4:20 pm
by Muppet738
With the outbreak of the coronavirus what sort of impact does everyone think it will have on the industry?

Re: Industry General Discussion

Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2020 11:55 am
by Swarm Chris
Muppet738 wrote:With the outbreak of the coronavirus what sort of impact does everyone think it will have on the industry?
Sadly as has been seen this past week, the entire industry has had to essentially close down. Quite why Merlin are trying to string it out with their UK operations I'm not sure. Thankfully for those working at established operators like Disney, they will mostly receive continued employment, at least for the short term.

It's quite possible we may lose some parks, especially those already struggling, unless government subsidies can be found. Those with additional ongoing costs, like wildlife, may struggle more, but I would hope appropriate insurances would have been taken out by those parks.

Re: Industry General Discussion

Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2020 9:46 pm
by abigsmurf
I'm involved in the travel industry and things are grim here. Cutting back costs, asking staff to volunteer for unpaid holiday. We're a viable business with significant cash reserves but it's still scary.

Margins in the theme park industry, even for titans like Disney, are razor thin. A lot of theme parks will be hunkering down and hoping that normalacy will return before the summer peak. The Easter Holiday is certain to be a write off but at the moment, there's still a good chance that the coronoa virus will be in massive decline by June. Disney's share price has tanked 40% in a month and it's going to sink even more. They are at serious risk of a hostile takeover, with Tencent being a realistic prospect (I'd imagine the US government would fight that tooth and nail) . An Apple buyout is also another prospect, one that'll face less resistance.

A lot of these companies are viable businesses and bring in lots of tourism, as well as regional employment so they would get a lot of help from the government.

Re: Industry General Discussion

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 2:37 pm
by Dan
As reported on TowersTimes social media; Picsolve, the company behind photography services at many theme parks across the world, has today entered administration placing over 600 jobs at risk.

The Company has come under pressure following the temporary closure of almost all the attractions it operates at. Matt Cowlishaw, restructuring partner at Deloitte who have been appointed administrators, said: “We are actively seeking a buyer for all or parts of the business to allow it to continue and eventually reopen as theme parks and leisure attractions come back online.”

Re: Industry General Discussion

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 5:59 pm
by Dan
Since the latest Government announcement concerning the relaxation of Coronavirus restrictions, it is expected that theme parks across the country will begin to open their gates for the 2021 season from Monday 12th April.

Hopefully this roadmap works and we can all get back to a semblance of normality soon!

Re: Industry General Discussion

Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2021 1:14 pm
by Dan
As reported on Attraction Source social media; In line with the latest Government guidance, Merlin Entertainments have confirmed that their Resort Theme Parks and Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park will open from 12th April 2021.

All other Midway attractions and Resort Hotels will remain closed for the time being, however self-contained accommodation such as the Enchanted Village at Alton Towers is able to re-open. Indoor rides & attractions will also remain closed.

Where will you be visiting first in 2021?