How to Start an Amusement Park (B)

The amusement park industry has shown steady attendance and revenue growth over the past twenty years.But not all parks are a success. While a well-planned amusement park can generate steady revenues and enormous amounts of capital, a poorly planned one can be a money-pit. To make sure your amusement park is a success, both with your guests and your investors, you will need to plan carefully, gather an experienced team to oversee the design and construction, and carefully train your staff to ensure a smooth opening.

Building Your Amusement Park

1, Build your team. You will need architects, landscapers, a construction firm experienced with installing amusement park rides, and experienced project managers to guide the project to completion. There are specialized companies who will oversee all aspects of building, or you can take that role on yourself and pick your contractors.

2, Choose a location. You will need to have vetted two or three potential locations before approaching investors. Now is the time to pick one, based on availability, cost, and the factors unearthed in your feasibility study:

● Ease of access for local residence and tourists.

● Climate.

● Surrounding neighborhood and businesses.

● Potential for expansion.

● Zoning rules for the proposed site and the surrounding area.

3, Finalize the park’s design. The schematic designs used to attract investors must now be fleshed out in detail, including engineering studies for all of the rides and attractions. Clearly document how each aspect of the park will be constructed.

4, Acquire the necessary permits and licenses. You will need a business license to begin construction, as well as local construction permits. In addition, there are a variety of other licenses you will need before the park opens, as well as regulations you will want to adhere to:

● You will likely need state and or local food/alcohol service licenses, public entertainment licenses, amusement park licenses, and more.

● All states except for Alabama, Mississippi, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and South Dakota regulate amusement parks, so you will need to be sure your park conforms to their regulations.

● You will also want to make sure your park conforms to the standards of the ASTM International F-24 Committee on Amusement Ride and Devices.

5, Put the elements of your project out for bidding and create a schedule for completion. You or the company you have hired to oversee construction will want to competitively bid the various aspects of construction in order to reduce costs as much as possible. Once you have chosen your builders, negotiate contracts and a schedule for completion. Plan to open your park at the beginning of summer to maximize initial attendance.

6, Construct your amusement park. Here is where your dream starts to become a reality. The builders you have contracted will construct buildings, ride, and show sites, and then install ride systems and show components. All attractions will be tested to assure they work properly.

Opening Your Amusement Park

1, Purchase insurance. There are a variety of firms that offer specialized property and liability insurance for amusement parks. Bid your park to get the best coverage at the lowest price.

2, Pick a marketing firm to help advertise the park. Even before construction nears completion, you will want to hire a firm to help you begin advertising your new park through billboards and targeted television, radio, newspaper, and online ads. Also consider offering opening day and first-year pass discounts to boost initial attendance and create more word-of-mouth buzz.

3, Hire and train personnel to run the park. After you determine the number of staff, their positions and pay, one of your project managers should be placed in charge of staffing the park. As the park nears completion, you will begin training staff for the rides, concessions, ticket sales, games, etc. Rehearsals will also start for any shows or entertainment features at the park.

4, Start with a soft opening. Invite members of the public to try out the park before it officially opens. This will give your staff a chance to practice with real customers and allow you to work out any operational kinks. You may want to plan a week or more of trial days to help perfect the functioning of your park.

5, Open your amusement park. After all your hard work, your amusement park is finally open! Invite the media, government officials, celebrities, important investors, and friends to the official ribbon cutting. Be sure to schedule special events in the park to commemorate the day. You want your first visitors to be wowed so they promote the park to your friends.