I can't imagine WCUSA and BGW being split. Their management and operations are way too closely linked for that to happen.
Rumor Restructuring? Sale? Interest from Merlin Entertainments
- Thread starter Shane
- Start date
I would assume the same for BGT and adventure Isle.
warfelg said:
I would argue that BGW has already moved way to far to the left on the Family to Thrill scale. The last adult oriented thrill ride was Griffon. After that it has been either family rides or over the top expensive shows. Frankly a bit more focus on high end thrill rides would put balance back into the force.
All in all I see this as a good thing. If you have ever been to Legoland FL you know how beautiful a park it is. I would argue that the gardens there are superior to BGWs. Clearly, based on their work in Europe and here they know how to run a clean and attractive park. Further, expanding on the Children's Workshop IP, if that were to stay with SEAS, then there is a natural, and perhaps superior IP to be had in the children's areas of BGT and BGW in the form of Lego.
(If I were a kid, I would prefer Lego men... Heck as an adult I prefer Lego me.)
Further... I could completely see new uses for Globe Theater... Going back to its film days showing Lego shorts, or some kind of interactive Green Screen with random audience members being pingpong ball suited to Lego people.
Merlin doesn't seem to use the LEGO IP outside of their LEGOLand parks in Europe. The children's areas consist of things like Thomas the Tank Engine (which SixFlags held the US licence for 2-3 years) and a couple of other BBC children's IPs. I don't think they would use LEGO IP in the Busch Parks unless they decided to convert the parks into LEGOLand Properties. Which is a whole other thought...
Since SixFlags has canceled it's licence for Thomas the Tank Engine, it is possible that IP might actually work really well at BGW. Especially given the fictional European setting of the Island of Sodor and the Park's existing historic Rail Road. One caveat is that I don't think the Forest of Fun area is large enough to be converted into a "Thomas Town."
I am actually kind of hoping that Merlin would be interested in buying Sesame Place and the Sesame Workshop IP so that they could expand those parks in the US, but I have a feeling that Merlin might think Sesame would compete with their existing LEGOLand IP. They theoretically could build Sesame parks adjacent to their LEGOLand parks to appeal to a broader demographic of families. I'm thinking more along the lines that if they did buy Sesame Place, it would probably be more beneficial to Merlin to convert the park to a LEGOLand since they don't have a presence in the North East.
On the WCUSA side of things, I fully expect the adjacent water parks to be included in a theoretical sale of Busch parks.
Since SixFlags has canceled it's licence for Thomas the Tank Engine, it is possible that IP might actually work really well at BGW. Especially given the fictional European setting of the Island of Sodor and the Park's existing historic Rail Road. One caveat is that I don't think the Forest of Fun area is large enough to be converted into a "Thomas Town."
I am actually kind of hoping that Merlin would be interested in buying Sesame Place and the Sesame Workshop IP so that they could expand those parks in the US, but I have a feeling that Merlin might think Sesame would compete with their existing LEGOLand IP. They theoretically could build Sesame parks adjacent to their LEGOLand parks to appeal to a broader demographic of families. I'm thinking more along the lines that if they did buy Sesame Place, it would probably be more beneficial to Merlin to convert the park to a LEGOLand since they don't have a presence in the North East.
On the WCUSA side of things, I fully expect the adjacent water parks to be included in a theoretical sale of Busch parks.
Isn't BGW one of SEAS's most financially successful parks? Why on earth would they want to sell it?
I don't think anyone said they were selling it. Pretty sure this is all speculation at this point.
Mushroom said:
Sometimes that is exactly why you sell something off. (I know counter intuitive)
The investors may be looking to make a buck, and if part of the product is drowning you can sell off the part that isn't before it gets negative halo.
Sometimes it is just a size control issue. The board decides there is too much to manage well and they want to focus on the part with the most potential, as a result they sell off what they can. In this case BGW.
To be honest I am not sure how well BGW is actually doing.
The chain has never published statistics on a park-by-park basis. And up until the IPO BEC/SEAS never published attendance numbers or any sort. The TEA/AECPOM Attendance rankings have always been based on estimates and SEAS has always disputed these numbers, but never provided their actual figures. AB kept that information internal and considered it proprietary.
During the last investor call, they did say BGW and BGT attendance was up.
They don't seem to have a problem saying "attendance is up" or "attendance is down" but they won't publish the actual numbers publicly.
Currently SWO still has the highest attendance of the Busch parks because of the location and year round operations. Attendance is still dropping (which is really evident when you actually visit the park) thanks to Blackfish backlash and increasing competition between Disney and Uni.
I'm pretty sure if SWO and BGT switched places Tampa would be ahead of the curve. Especially considering it only got a 2% drop in attendance compared to SWO's 7% drop.
I don't think BGW is in a bad state either. The park didn't really get anything significant last year, but Sea World management still pumps money into the park (even moreso than Tampa and that has higher attendance). I'm certain if the park did full year operations, you'd see much higher attendance for sure.
As for the sale, I'd be ok with Merlin running things. Legoland FL is a beautiful park (despite crappy operations when I was there but I have faith that BGW ops won't slip that much). It would definitely give me incentive to buy a Legoland AP with the sale. Their European division seems to be doing extremely well and those parks are pretty well-renowned so I wouldn't mind seeing them snatch up the Busch parks.
I'm pretty sure if SWO and BGT switched places Tampa would be ahead of the curve. Especially considering it only got a 2% drop in attendance compared to SWO's 7% drop.
I don't think BGW is in a bad state either. The park didn't really get anything significant last year, but Sea World management still pumps money into the park (even moreso than Tampa and that has higher attendance). I'm certain if the park did full year operations, you'd see much higher attendance for sure.
As for the sale, I'd be ok with Merlin running things. Legoland FL is a beautiful park (despite crappy operations when I was there but I have faith that BGW ops won't slip that much). It would definitely give me incentive to buy a Legoland AP with the sale. Their European division seems to be doing extremely well and those parks are pretty well-renowned so I wouldn't mind seeing them snatch up the Busch parks.
I have to disagree. The coaster lineup is already top-heavy, with the highest proportion of thrill to family coasters in the Mid-Atlantic. InvadR is the only family coaster after Grover, and can't handle the family crowd with timid kids in tow alone judging by the hour-plus lines. Verbolten really needs to be toned down - launch speeds reduced some, the big hill lowered - before its intensity is appropriate for a family coaster.Zimmy said:
Of the Merlin parks, BGW reminds me most of Alton Towers, and we need a Spinball before we need a Smiler or Galactica.
I actually agree with SLC Headache.
Despite repeated attempts, the parks seems to have failed to build a real family coaster. While I, personally, am glad that neither Bolt nor InvadR really achieve that goal, because I think they would be less fun, I think both have elements that are probably too much for many young and/or timid riders.
That said, since they are trying to make family coasters, they aren't creating great thrill rides either.
SLC Headache said:
Despite repeated attempts, the parks seems to have failed to build a real family coaster. While I, personally, am glad that neither Bolt nor InvadR really achieve that goal, because I think they would be less fun, I think both have elements that are probably too much for many young and/or timid riders.
That said, since they are trying to make family coasters, they aren't creating great thrill rides either.
I missed this fantastic article at ThemePark University last month. If you don't already follow TPU, please do. They writer, Josh Young, is a wealth of knowledge and his incite and perspective on the industry is bar-none.
That being said, he did an in-depth analysis of SEAS in September and made some observations about the company and what they need to do going forward, if anything at all. Please, take a read, then feel free to discuss below.
Forewarning, it is a little bit lengthy, but completely worth your time.
How Does Sea World Entertainment Turn Around?
By JOSH YOUNG | Published: SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
That being said, he did an in-depth analysis of SEAS in September and made some observations about the company and what they need to do going forward, if anything at all. Please, take a read, then feel free to discuss below.
Forewarning, it is a little bit lengthy, but completely worth your time.
How Does Sea World Entertainment Turn Around?
By JOSH YOUNG | Published: SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
It appears Merlin has made an offer on the company (not just on the Busch parks, I believe)
EDIT: I might be wrong about it being the whole company.
EDIT: I might be wrong about it being the whole company.