Theme Parks and Crowd Strategy

There are many places across the planet that is filled with crowds. Popular cultural sites such as Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower are almost always busy. If you’re heading to a big festival you can be sure there will be many other people in attendance. It is also seasonal based; cozy cafes are more likely to fill up in winter while ice cream shops and parks tend to see increased attendance in summer. For many of these places, there is little that can be done to limit crowds. This can also hold true with other popular locations, such as theme parks. But some theme parks are taking a swing at limiting overcrowding while still maximizing profits.

For example, Disney recently announced the rollout of seasonal prices. This means that a single, day pass will change in price depending on if it is a “peak” “regular” or “value” day. Visitors are able to look at a calendar in advance of a trip to see what type of price they will have to pay to get in. The goal of this is to spread out visitors to the park more equally. This has been met with both praise and criticism. Some welcome the chance to spread out the visitors, while some call the decision price discrimination, stating that it’s just another way for Disney to raise its prices. A few months prior to this, Disneyland announced an increase in their prices and the elimination of some annual passes. This was another attempt to control crowds. By changing the seasonal passes, it allows pass holders to visit less often, or to visit as often as they want at a higher price.

When the crowds are already in the park, theme parks often have strategies to try and manage them. Universal, for example, keeps posted signs up alerting attendees of line wait times. This can encourage guests away from busy zones until the lines become more manageable. Parks may notice certain areas becoming overcrowded. If a line gets too long, costumed characters may be sent over to act as a distraction. If a restaurant is too busy, additional registers may be opened.  For some lines games are set up along the way to distract people as they wait.

Crowd management is all about keeping crowds happy. If the crowds can’t be lowered, theme parks are doing all they can to spread those crowds out and keep their customers happy.  

Managing Crowds with Prices

It is common to control crowds with crowd control barriers, security, and signage, but one method that is often forgotten about is crowd control due to pricing.

It’s a method that is often only implemented by large companies that have already found a loyal audience. This strategy for crowd control is usually only used for one reason, which is that the venue or event is already overcrowded.

Overcrowding causes serious problems for venues and events. First off, it is a safety concern. Too many people can lead to injuries because of jostling, overheating, and more. Secondly, if the crowding is too bad it makes it difficult for emergency responders to get to the people who do need aid. Overcrowding also makes the event or venue unpleasant for customers. It leads to long wait times and difficulty navigating from place to place.

This is why some companies and events attempt to control the crowds with prices, and in some cases it can be very effective. Take a look at Disney as an example. Disneyland recently announced that there will be price increases at their park, along with the elimination of some annual passes with the addition of new ones. The most expensive pass available is the Signature Plus pass, which will cost individuals $1,049 and is valid every day of the year. This is $270 more than the Premium pass cost, which had the same perks before it was eliminated.  Annual passes are often a big contribution to overcrowding. Disney has been forced to take action due to a large overcrowding problem that leads to them closing the gates to new visitors on days when the park reaches capacity, leaving customers unhappy and Disney losing money.

A strategy such as this is not limited only to very large companies such as Disney. This is implemented by all sorts of organizations and events. For example, Anime Central, an anime convention in North America, has started to raise prices as the crowds grow every year. This three day convention is the third largest anime convention in North America, with a reported attendance of over 29,000 in 2014. Years ago, when attendance was between 10,000 and 18,000, badges to the event could be obtained for under $40 if attendees bought early. For the 2016 event the cheapest option is $48, increasing up to $70 the closer to the convention you get. In addition, hotel prices have gone up for the next year as well. It is widely speculated that this is an attempt to keep attendance level instead of increasing further. Anime Central sells out an average of four or more hotels in the area, and with that many people in one place crowds get difficult to manage. For the 2016 convention when the room block for two of the hotels was opened they both sold out in under 12 hours, with one hotel selling out in less than one hour. Unless the convention wishes to put a cap on attendance like Comic Con, the only thing they can do is raise prices to try and keep crowds down.

However, using price increases as a form of crowd control is a delicate balance. There will always be people who are willing to pay the price for a popular event or attraction, but if you raise prices too much at one time you may turn away a lot of other people. If you plan to employ this type of crowd control do so with caution.   

Kids and Crowds

We are early into the month of July, which is prime vacation season. Maybe you are going on a big trip to a tourist destination such as Disney World. Maybe you have big events you plan on attending, such as big fairs and festivals. Or perhaps it’s something as simple as a company picnic. No matter what the event, keeping track of children in a crowd can be a huge challenge.

You can make this much less stressful on yourself with a bit of planning and preparation. For the most part, keeping track of kids in crowds uses the same basic strategies no matter the venue you may be in. The strategy does change however, based on the age of the kids. There is a big difference between watching a child who is 4, and one who is 14.

No matter what the ages are though, the most important thing to do is be sure your family has some type of action plan. This includes many things. First, you should have a meeting place picked out in case of emergency. This place should be a safe distance from the crowded festival grounds, but not too far away. Similarly, there should be a dedicated spot within the event venue to meet if separated.

Another good idea for all members of the family is to take a family photo before you go. That way if something happens, you have a recent picture available and you won’t be faced trying to explain what your child looks like or what they are wearing.

For younger kids, it’s a good idea to make them stand out so they are easy to spot. Maybe dress them in bright colors you can easily see, or in something they wear often so you’ll know to look for it. If they have a favorite hat they wear on a near daily basis that is something your eyes will naturally drift to.   

You should also put your phone number somewhere on your child, whether it is on paper in their pocket, or written on their arm. This will make it easy to get in contact with you if you end up separated, especially for young ones who may have a hard time remembering a phone number.

And of course, teach your children about who to go to for help. While the police is the most obvious choice, that may not always be possible. Advise them to go to information booths. If that fails, they should talk to women who have young children, as they are likely mothers with children who would be willing to help. 

These tips should give you a bit of peace of mind while you are out in crowds with your children. Don’t let the crowds stop you from taking children out, just be prepared! 

Keeping Crowds Happy in Line

June is here, and with it has come vacation and theme park season. Now that school is out for the summer, more and more families are going to be traveling. And of course, many families travel to theme parks.

Theme parks have a lot of fun things to offer. There are rides for kids and adults alike, good food, and great shopping. A day at the theme park makes for a great memory. The one part of a theme park that is not pleasant is the lines.

It’s the one part of theme parks that people try not to think about. Lines are not fun. They’re long, it’s usually hot, and the amount of people in lines means that most people only have time to go on a few rides in their entire visit. Lines can ruin a person’s experience at a theme park and encourage them not to come back.

This is why more and more theme parks are trying to make waiting in line tolerable…and sometimes even fun! Some parks are now sending costumed characters to walk up and down the line. Others are creating interactive games along the lines for children and sometimes adults. Some rides have TV displays that will play videos. The goal is to entertain those people who are in line to lower the perceived wait time and have them leaving happy. 

This form of crowd control is less about keeping crowds calm, and more about keeping them happy. Theme parks are attempting to keep crowds entertained, as well as cool. Universal Studios in Orlando, for example, often have fans and water misters along lines to keep people cool during the hot wait. 

After all, if customers have a miserable experience in line, they may simply skip the crowds next year and find something else to do. It is smart of theme parks to realize this and try to find a solution.