Why Doesn't Disney...

[Peter Pirate]

Go head to head with US on their most profitable and successful venue - That being of course the scary Halloween Party. Disney is already tremendously (hugely) successful with the tame version at MK so why don't they add to this and take US head on with a scary, older kid version at say MGM...ToT would be the perfect backdrop for such an event? Would this not be very profitable and message sending to US at the same time? OR would it be a disaster trying to compete with IOA's thrills?

 

[tater bug]

What would the families that have younger and older kids do? Split up?

 

[EUROPA]

I see a few issues.

1. Is there really enough business for 3 Halloween events. Both Disney and Universal have nights where they don't sell out.

2. For better or worse Disney has locked themselves into the Family thing.

3. This would cost them some major money to start up and we know what the current business model is for Disney.

 

[KNWVIKING]

...is there enough to do in MGM to keep the teen crowd entertained? Once you get past ToT and RnRR the rest of the park is pretty tame. What would be cool, but I doubt it's do-able, is have it over at AK after Everest opens, and convert KS into a haunted trail ride.

 

[Bob O]

DIsney wont go after that market because they know they would lose and dont want the public embarrasment this would cause.
MGM while a excellant park has mostly shows/rides that dont have mass appeal to teenagers and they show no willingness to invest their own money to fix this parks problems as well as their other parks. Everything i have heard is that US puts on the best halloween event and THERE is no reason to belive that disney could makes their's as good.
Disney wouldnt invest the money to put on the scary shows and scar-actors to make the event something teens would want to do.

 

[mickeyminnie]

it could certainly be done and I think that MGM would be a great spot. Imagine that they close for the special event.

RnR and ToT would have to stay open but they could basically shut down the rest and lock the place down (teens you know).

Then on the big stages, they could have a variety of bands. Maybe not quite a battle of the bands scenario but similar and a dance in the street, scary villians, scary stuff, perhaps the giant hat could be a haunted house, something on that order. Perhaps offer a costume contest, get a few hip young celebrities to make an appearance and invite MTV, how much scarier can you get ? LOL

This kind of thing would probably not stretch over the entire month but it would be a cool party for the older set.

 

[Peter Pirate]

mickeyminnie, thats along the lines I was thinking. They could have bands playing continuuosly at B&tB stage & maybe even Indy. They could leave open GMR with maybe a halloween type skit for the 'tour guides'... As you said, add a real 'haunted house' somewhere and I think you'd have the makings of real teenager mayhem...
Additionally, I don't buy that Disney couldn't do it 'right' if they so had a mind to. I take Europa's comment to heart that they have not showed inclinations to take risks lately but still it seems like a money making 'gimmee' to me.

 

[Bob O]

I dont think the bands would have any effect at all. When people go to a Halloween event they want to go on rides and go thru haunted houses that scare the sh*it out of them!!!!
And disney would have to create scary attractions that would accomplish this, ala have scaractors chase people with chainsaws etc!!! This would cost money which disney has shown no willingness to spend.
Dssney also doesnt have a caste of scary characters to use as Universal has ready made for this event.
Before competing against US they should try to go after Knotts which also is supposed to have a great Halloween event.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

...I don't see any reason for Disney to do this. They have the NOT So Scarey Halloween Party and at the same time they have the Food & Wine Festival for the adults. Why keep MGM open longer than it has to be when you can shepherd the park goers over to MK or Epcot? Any teen who wants the Scarey Halloween party could go on over to USF/IOA and enjoy it...but that won't be enough to keep them there night after night all week.

The two Disney events have gotten enough people into the parks and hotels in October to make it regular season. I do think Disney could make the event just a teeny weeny bit more scarey in some sections...for example over by Splash, the Haunted Mansion and the River Boat...but not by much. I (a 43 yr woman) went to this party last year with some friends in their 30's...we had a blast. And then we did the adult thing another night and ate our way around Epcot.

What I think would serve Disney better is to add in a Beer Festival in January...start it the Friday before the Superbowl and run it for the week in EpCot. It would be about everything you can do with Beer and the foods that go well with it or cooked with it. Do a southern bbq in one area, new england clam bake in another...local beers at all the countries & food stands with the beer foods of each country in place.

 

[KNWVIKING]

"What I think would serve Disney better is to add in a Beer Festival in January...start it the Friday before the Superbowl and run it for the week in EpCot. It would be about everything you can do with Beer and the foods that go well with it or cooked with it. Do a southern bbq in one area, new england clam bake in another...local beers at all the countries & food stands with the beer foods of each country in place."


I just know they could figure a way to broadcast the Super Bowl onto the golf ball.

 

[MELSMICE]

Here's my opinion on why Disney wouldn't do this:

Adults spend the money, kids & teens don't. Adults will take their children & go as a family to MK for MNSSHP but they may just send their teens to the Universal party. (that's not to say they wouldn't send a teen alone to MK also) This is not good for 2 reasons: 1. unsupervised teens & 2. no adults to spend money.

I'm not saying all teens would go to the party unsupervised, but it would probably be more likely at a scarier party than at a more family oriented party.

I think Disney puts a lot of thought and does a lot of studies on these things. I think they do the things they do for reasons. Disney is a family resort that appeals to all ages.