Results of the Underworld

The proof is always in the pudding.   We can do our best to produce a winning product, but success is always in the hands of the consumer.   They have the final say, which is why their satisfaction is vital.   Advertising and promotions for the Underworld got underway about 60 days prior to opening night.   A Halloween event at Ocean Park was a first-time offering.  It had never been done before.   Halloween was actually not celebrated in Asia except for the occasional bar hopping on October 31.  

The advertising and promotions, together with media publicity, generated good interest in the local marketplace.   There was a sense of urgency and anxiety, a certain “buzz’ in the city.   Not knowing what to expect, the experience would certainly be a surprise for us and for the guest.  

On opening night, the front entrance of the park was a bustling sea of excitement.  Visitors held tight to their admission tickets and eagerly approached the turnstiles with smiles, grins, and some frightening facial expressions.   No one knew what to expect, all of which added to the anxiety and anticipation.   As they approached the “Underworld,” you could see the tension and grimaces on their faces.  Some were laughing, some showed signs of hysterics, and some showed fright before even entering the haunted house.  It was great because it was all the emotional reactions we planned and hoped for.

In the waiting lines, you could hear many different comments from "what we can expect" to "how frightening it will be" to "how we can handle it".   As the guests began to enter the “Underworld,” eerie screams of fright emerged.  The screams were loud and clear. How wonderful, just what we wanted.   As they came out of the haunted house, the reactions were very positive, frightening, but positive.

On that opening night, as I was watching the crowd, I spotted a young teenage girl with a group of her friends.   She was sitting on the curb, frightened, shaking, and almost in tears.   Her friends were laughing and having a good time, but this young girl was visibly frightened.    I felt bad and approached her to introduce myself, almost apologizing for scaring her so much.  As she learned who I was, she began to berate me, scold me, scream at me about her frightened state after going through the house.   At one point, I even asked her if she knew the meaning of the words coming out of her mouth.   At her young age, her vocabulary should not include those words.  She continued her onslaught as her friends looked on, seemingly amused by this altercation.   I finally told her that in her state, she should go home.   I would pay the taxi fare for her and her friends to go home.  It was the right thing for me to do.   

She fought back and argued that she would not go home, and did not want to go home, adamant to stay.   I replied, You are so frightened. If you do not want to go home, what are you going to do?    Her response was perfect.  We could not have scripted it any better if we tried.   She grinned and, with a sharp stare, said, “I am going back in line to go through the house again.”

I knew then and there that Halloween and the haunted house were a hit and would be a great success.   I laughed, helped her up off the curb, and led her back to the line with her friends.

From there, we knew what to do in answering every point on the situation analysis.   Her reaction was what we hoped for, and it was the encouragement to make special events, beginning with Halloween, the road to revitalizing the park and the path to a brighter future.