New American Heartland Theme Park in Oklahoma

[drizgirl]

Those people have money to spend and like to travel.

Plenty of cool things to do in "flyover country", as well as excellent BBQ, and some great breweries.

OK. Glad you understand the Midwest. We have barbecue and beer. You need to get out more. Plenty of people in flyover country with money to spend who would like something closer to home.

 

[DisneyLeo18]

My post was deleted because it was likely determined to be political.

Rephrased, just would say that I don’t like the name and would have gone with something a little more broad like “America the beautiful” if it’s going to feature different regions of the US outside the Midwest and agriculture

How about "A Salute to All Nations, but Mostly America"?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Regional parks try to attract people from ..... their region. Are the people in fly over country not supposed to have anything?

This is aiming to be a destination park, not a regional park. 5 million guests per year would make it the most visited non-Disney or Universal park in the US with several million more visitors per year than parks in more populated regions.

 

[Drdcm]

How about "A Salute to All Nations, but Mostly America"?

I’m not sure if you’re making fun of me or not, but a lot of people from the US like to travel around to different parts of the US.

Most of our vacations are within the country (usually due to cost). They seem to be going for themes of the Pacific Northwest, New England, etc. None of those are part of the heartland.

We have amazing national parks and unique histories in the different regions.

Reiterating my statement, I don’t like the name and would have picked something else if the focus was going to be on the US.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

I will admit at first reading this my thoughts were something along the lines of spending billions on something that one of your selling points is proximity to RV parking....good luck.

But from reading this thread, it got me thinking can a park like this, even if not this particular one, be successful.

For the most part, I have seen successful theme parks run on basically 2 different models. You have your Six Flags/Hershey Park/Sesame Place type parks. Single or Two day type parks, they serve as local, or regionally based attractions. Generally more ride (and coaster at that) focused, not as many dark water rides or show based entertainment. Many, especially those in the North East are not open year round, and operate on a lower prices/lower cost basis.

Then you have your destination type theme parks, Disney/Universal/Ect. Larger operations drawing from a nation/international pool of guests. Full year operations, appealing to larger cross section of riders, offering shows/dark rides/coasters. Unlike regional parks drawing on cross marketing with IP related content.

This suggested Midwest type park seems to be somewhere in the middle. A large single park (large as MK I believe they said) which likely has it bigger than most regional offerings, but not on the scale of Universal or WDW complexes as a whole. They didn't mention anything about operations but while not North East winters, its not the temperate environments of FL or CA, so i don't know how full year operations will look. While i agree the fly over area of the US has more people and money than the coasters may realize, and that the drivability to this part may induce alot of travel from the heartland to this park, maybe even in lieu of heading to the east or west cost for cost/political reasons i won't get into, I find it hard to believe that your going to get alot of east/west coast people, let along European and/or South American visitors to say, instead of FL or CA lets fly to Oklahoma this year.

So is there a market for a middle ground style theme park offering. Larger than a local park but smaller than a national/international draw? Can you support a higher overhead/operation cost and full or close to full year operations, on less volume of attendance and at reduced pricing? From an industry standpoint is there a market for this type of park, or do you end up with something that is either too big or too small to succeed?

 

[Ayla]

This is aiming to be a destination park, not a regional park. 5 million guests per year would make it the most visited non-Disney or Universal park in the US with several million more visitors per year than parks in more populated regions.

Five million guests a year is a pipe dream, born out of arrogance and hubris.

 

[DisneyLeo18]

I’m not sure if you’re making fun of me or not, but a lot of people from the US like to travel around to different parts of the US.

Most of our vacations are within the country (usually due to cost). They seem to be going for themes of the Pacific Northwest, New England, etc. None of those are part of the heartland.

We have amazing national parks and unique histories in the different regions.

Reiterating my statement, I don’t like the name and would have picked something else if the focus was going to be on the US.

I'm not, it's a line from Muppets at DHS

 

[el_super]

Idk I think a park based on different regions of the USA could be cool. We have a lot of distinct geographical environments and cultures that could easily fill out an amusement park cohesively.

It could be cool, but edutainment a history of not working in the theme park space.

 

[el_super]

So is there a market for a middle ground style theme park offering. Larger than a local park but smaller than a national/international draw?

Probably not.

Without any IP or brand tie-in, it's going to be hard to get customers to pay a premium price. That's going to necessitate building a cheaper park (which calls into the question having WDI level Imagineers, potentially with high salaries, designing the thing).

If they want to compete with Disney and Universal, they are going to have to spend a ton of money, probably something that exceeds Disney level today, in order to compensate for not having a known brand. They could go the other route and build it cheap and quick to get it open, throw up some coasters and compete with Six Flags, but even Six Flags have IP tie-ins now.

I think the window for getting this right is far too narrow. Either they will build it too cheap and it won't be worth visiting, or they will spend too much and the place will collapse under the debt.

 

[celluloid]

People travel to the middle of Tennessee to go to Dollywood. Build a high quality location and give value to the guest and people will come. Something that Disney hasn't done for quite a while now.

The Smokey mountains may have something to do with a good anchor.

I don't like poo pooing a new theme park just because but Dollywood(and what it was in a former life) had an anchor there first.

 

[CaptainMickey]

For comparison, the proposed RV park and campground will have 750 RV spaces and 300 Cabins on 320 acres.

Ft Wilderness at WDW, The Gold Standard, has 850 RV/campsites and 350 Cabins (soon to be DVC) on 750 acres. Plus a Chip and Dale sing a long campfire show.

 

[mkt]

OK. Glad you understand the Midwest. We have barbecue and beer. You need to get out more. Plenty of people in flyover country with money to spend who would like something closer to home.

I’m in the midwest at least once a month. Thanks for your concern for my travel habits.

Love the food, love the beer, love the people, hate the winters.

 

[mkt]

Without any IP or brand tie-in, it's going to be hard to get customers to pay a premium price.

Hello licensing agreements?

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

Hello licensing agreements?

What's left to license, from who, and at what cost?

A bit of hyperbole to be sure, but when you take out everything that Disney owns, everything that Universal has locked up, what are the big IP markets that are left? And assuming you have something, why are the IP owners going to license it to you, instead of getting broader national/international appeal from Disney/Universal. And finally assuming you find some, at what cost?

I would assume if your model is going to be Americana, your best bet is to try to leverage Public domain IP. I just don't see how with no anchor IP you can hope to compete on anything outside a regional level. You have no toys to sell, no movies to sell/watch, nothing that screams i need to go to Oklahoma. If the concept is a part that is celebrating the different parts of the US, and that's your marketing pitch, why am i going to Oklahoma to celebrate the American West...instead of just going to the American West, ect.

 

[mkt]

What's left to license, from who, and at what cost?

That's a very fair question.

I'd say maybe Hanna Barbera, given that they appear in parks owned by competing operators (Six Flags and Cedar Fair)

And at likely an expensive cost.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I just don't see how with no anchor IP you can hope to compete on anything outside a regional level.

Dollywood / Silver Dollar City don’t have anchor IP’s. Busch has Sesame Street but that isn’t part of the anchor - it’s just used for the kids areas.

 

[Drdcm]

This is going to be the beginning of Westworld… this is how it starts

 

[GimpYancIent]

This new projected park will be part of Mansion Entertainment Group. I suggest taking a look at what they offer, do and operate.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Conversely, given the hair raising vibes this entire thing gives me, maybe they'll go with generic Americana and biblical IP. "Oh, there's Uncle Sam and Moses!"

Huh? It’s basically a modern day magic kingdom. Sounds like Main Street, New Orleans square, Frontierland, Liberty Square and Tomorrowland to me.

It looks pretty cool if done well!

 

[J4546]

More parks the better imo. Looks like this will be targeted to the RV cross country travelers going through the middle of the country and I know there are a ton of RV travelers out there so Im curious if it can sustain itself but hopeful. If it turns out good, even better that way we can all check it out sometime.