50th Anniversary Celebration

Register or Login to Hide This Ad for Free!
warfelg said:
This was likely booked in 2023 TBH.
Click to expand...

Yes, and the park has known when their 50th anniversary is for a little over 50 years now.

warfelg said:
So 50th celebration without anything for Media and Members?
Click to expand...

No, there obviously should have been separate events for the 50th and Wolf's Revenge on different days with media and members having a role in each— preferably both on days that aren't already packed with school groups/corporate events.

The issue is they tried to do everything in one day and it made the day bad at everything.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Nicole, ciffar, outhikn and 7 others
warfelg said:
What should they have done? Told MitP to kick rocks? Not invite ACE to the 50th? Waited to open BBW2? Skip the media and member event?
Click to expand...
The exact day of the 50th Anniversary, they should have made it an unbooked day, the park didn't just think a few weeks before the day that "Oh yeah, the 50th is on the 16th of May" they have been planning the event out for well in advance. They could have done a much better job planning it out, like having Ace start at Kings Dominion and then come down to BGW the following day, and have Music in The Parks not happen that weekend. I do agree with what you are saying that members deserve something special for the actual 50th Anniversary, but it takes away from them being able to provide that when Ace, MiTP, media day, and BBW2 member ride day are all on the same day.

Things I agree with that the park did:
- They had originally scheduled to start the ride time 30 minutes after the park closed and I believe that was a great idea and it should have stayed as such, it gave security time to clear out everyone and for them to make it a special night for the members. The DJ could have been booked to stay an additional 2 hours until 11:30 to play music for guests in the Oktoberfest area too.
- How they handled ACE was the best they could have done with the major crowds and the need to change parts of their itinerary; I don't believe they handled it in the best way possible, but for everything that happened, the park was obviously stretched way too thin and they did what was imo everything possible. I did hear they changed the Brunch picnic into a hotel-style continental breakfast, which does suck to see it having to change. They scratched giving them meal vouchers and gave them Food & Wine tasting cards, which, depending on who you asked, were good or not.

Its a bit of a mess for a response but I hope it helps provide how I saw the day and event
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nicole and Coasternerd
PeaceByFruitTrees said:
The exact day of the 50th Anniversary, they should have made it an unbooked day, the park didn't just think a few weeks before the day that "Oh yeah, the 50th is on the 16th of May" they have been planning the event out for well in advance. They could have done a much better job planning it out, like having Ace start at Kings Dominion and then come down to BGW the following day, and have Music in The Parks not happen that weekend. I do agree with what you are saying that members deserve something special for the actual 50th Anniversary, but it takes away from them being able to provide that when Ace, MiTP, media day, and BBW2 member ride day are all on the same day.

Things I agree with that the park did:
- They had originally scheduled to start the ride time 30 minutes after the park closed and I believe that was a great idea and it should have stayed as such, it gave security time to clear out everyone and for them to make it a special night for the members. The DJ could have been booked to stay an additional 2 hours until 11:30 to play music for guests in the Oktoberfest area too.
- How they handled ACE was the best they could have done with the major crowds and the need to change parts of their itinerary; I don't believe they handled it in the best way possible, but for everything that happened, the park was obviously stretched way too thin and they did what was imo everything possible. I did hear they changed the Brunch picnic into a hotel-style continental breakfast, which does suck to see it having to change. They scratched giving them meal vouchers and gave them Food & Wine tasting cards, which, depending on who you asked, were good or not.

Its a bit of a mess for a response but I hope it helps provide how I saw the day and event
Click to expand...
It makes sense, but just to give a few counterpoint thoughts:
  • I just know this from my mom being part of the planning committee for MitP when I did it in 2001, 2003, and college in 2005 - Schools getting into the program is really tough. I know my school was on a waitlist to be part of it. And I know it tends to make parks a lot of money. While I feel it’s reasonable to say that the park should just say no to something like that, it can be easier said than done.
  • While the park knew the 16th was the 50th anniversary, when the park likely booked MtiP, they likely booked 2025 in 2023 or 2022 and BGW didn’t know the extent of what they wanted to do. And by the time they defined, the contracts were in place and done leading it to be too late to change it.
  • ACE started at BGW in June 1978 with their first Coaster Con, so I can understand the shared history and desire to celebrate the milestone together.
  • Media day, I guess it’s important to know was this just a media in general or was media invited because of the 50th and BBW2 opening. Because those are both things I think you would invite the media for anyways.
  • And I’ve covered the part that I feel like Member Preview of the resurrection of an iconic ride and the effort put into it is the perfect “gift” to members to celebrate the 50th.
At this point all I can give is my personal take on how I would have planned this:
  • MitP should not overlap with W&F IMO to start with
  • I would have booked an outside catering company to help with ACE and used CoS as their dining space, especially with FH being used for MitP
  • Member Town Hall in RPT
  • I can’t take credit for this, as it’s what Hershey did for us with Skyrush first rides in 2012: We had a gathering spot to be taken to an out of the way spot while the park cleared out. Doing something in the England lot or RPT to clear out the MitP kids before going to BBW2 would have helped.
  • I would have done a ‘virtual queue’ for anyone that came up at a certain time and given out wrist bands to return in certain windows.
Basically it takes me back to the thought of a business operating as a business is to be expected. Cancelling all of that revenue to solely do 50th thing is a hard thing to do because of all the members coming and the impacts to revenue that could happen. I agree that the park should do better in handling all of this. But I’ve been into parks that have taken on multiple things in one day, like Hershey did two different hospital employee days, a HS marching band competition in the park, and Backstreet Boys concert (Hershey does discounted park tickets the day of a concert), and this was the year Lightning Racer opened.

So basically, because I’ve seen that stuff I think it’s less too many groups and more poor organization of the groups.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RollyCoaster, Mwe BGW and Coasternerd
  • In the past, the park would either hold media day on a slower day or before/after park hours so media wouldn't get in the way of the guests and vice versa. Unless BBW was being delayed for last minute touch ups, I would've held media for BBW on Thursday.
  • Passholder previews for BBW should've been all day Friday to help with the nighttime crowds. The line was fairly short on Sunday vs hour wait it was sitting at right after ERT began and the 4+ hour wait it was at around 930.
  • The 50th stuff should be all season long with the kickoff being on the 16th. The park should hold fireworks all 3 days instead of limiting it to just Friday. Town Hall could still be held Friday. I feel the Festhaus would've handled the crowds a bit better as its a bigger venue than the Globe and the park has held town halls there in the past. The characters should be available all season too.
  • Music in the Parks is inevitable. Even if the park didn't have it this weekend, plenty of school groups would be planning trips to the park regardless. This time of year is huge for school trips to most parks around the country.
I feel the ACE event and the band competition wouldn't be as big of a problem on the park if they just dispersed the passholder stuff and special 50th stuff across the whole weekend instead of just limiting it to just one day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RollyCoaster, ciffar, outhikn and 4 others
netdvn said:
In the past, the park would either hold media day on a slower day or before/after park hours so media wouldn't get in the way of the guests and vice versa. Unless BBW was being delayed for last minute touch ups, I would've held media for BBW on Thursday.
Click to expand...
Seems rom the way people are talking things were going on there the morning of. I could be wrong but that seems to be the case.
 
I guess it is safe to say, "What is done, is done" no going back. Can't change what happened on the 16th. As someone who has visited the park for the entire 50 years (I live here), I have to say my biggest disappointment was the fact there was nothing to actually commemorate the 50th anniversary. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, a free cupcake! Whoopee!! I was rummaging through a drawer where I keep my BG memorabilia, and I found a nice, stamped coin to commemorate the 40th anniversary and I have lanyards from various events when the park celebrated events for members. I just find it sad that of all that went on May 16th; members seemed to be the LAST thought to the planners. For those old enough, as Rodney Dangerfield used to say, "I get no respect". Well, this time IMHO they showed pass members no respect. Shame on BG!
 
  • Like
Reactions: ciffar, 07WCUSAalum, TheCoasterNerd and 2 others
Rothbury said:
I guess it is safe to say, "What is done, is done" no going back. Can't change what happened on the 16th. As someone who has visited the park for the entire 50 years (I live here), I have to say my biggest disappointment was the fact there was nothing to actually commemorate the 50th anniversary. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, a free cupcake! Whoopee!! I was rummaging through a drawer where I keep my BG memorabilia, and I found a nice, stamped coin to commemorate the 40th anniversary and I have lanyards from various events when the park celebrated events for members. I just find it sad that of all that went on May 16th; members seemed to be the LAST thought to the planners. For those old enough, as Rodney Dangerfield used to say, "I get no respect". Well, this time IMHO they showed pass members no respect. Shame on BG!
Click to expand...
Am I correct that the park itself (original contries) did not open on 5/16/75, but rather in '76 and this year was a technicality just to match KD's 50th as well? Could they really be planning something for next year that's a little more planned?
 
AIR said:
The park opened in 1975 with Banbury Cross, Heatherdowns, Hastings, Threadneedle Faire, Aquitaine, New France, and Rhinefeld. Oktoberfest opened in '76
Click to expand...
Thanks, I couldn't remember if it was 75 or not since didn't they have a "visitors center" open a year before the park?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mwe BGW
You must log in or register to reply here.
Consider Donating to Hide This Ad