Rumor: Busch Gardens Parks to Be Sold Off?
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
Hey did you see that that Inbev plans to sell the Busch Parks(SWPE)???? Gasp
http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080716/news_1b16sea.html
Not sure if this has been confirmed yet, but I thought I'd post it here...Sorry for the dated article.
http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080716/news_1b16sea.html
Not sure if this has been confirmed yet, but I thought I'd post it here...Sorry for the dated article.
ivybrit said:
That was a good one! I didn't even catch that at first. :blush: Maybe I need to get better sleep!
It will be interesting to see if they dont sell the park by the end of HOS whether they will hold membership appreciation day as they did last year, if you remember they introduced Christmas Town and the higher ups answered questions concerning 2013. I think we should make it difficult on em:
1) "In all honesty, mr vp, why did Europe in the Air close on July 1st when it only takes a few weeks to prepare for HOS? Is there a replacement ride planned for Europe in the Air" (NOT!)
2) "Rumor has it that the park is in deep financial trouble due to miss management by Blackstone, if true will the park be operating in 2014 and 2015, and dont lie BE HONEST"!
3) "Speaking on behalf of all pass members, Kilarney Kommotion was the most atrocious and stupid show to have ever graced BGW with its presence, did any one get fired for planning such a debacle"?
4)"IF BGW is not in financial trouble as you state, what gives with the lighting bugs for Illuminights, and more importantly whats up with the French Snail?? Is he going to cook to himself?" Lol (escargo reference)
5) "Finally, what gives with the tacky doors just installed on that building in France?"
6) P.S. "If the park does get bought, can we fire everyone in park management and start over PRETTY PLEASE, ESPECIALLY THE ENTERTAINMENT VP????"
1) "In all honesty, mr vp, why did Europe in the Air close on July 1st when it only takes a few weeks to prepare for HOS? Is there a replacement ride planned for Europe in the Air" (NOT!)
2) "Rumor has it that the park is in deep financial trouble due to miss management by Blackstone, if true will the park be operating in 2014 and 2015, and dont lie BE HONEST"!
3) "Speaking on behalf of all pass members, Kilarney Kommotion was the most atrocious and stupid show to have ever graced BGW with its presence, did any one get fired for planning such a debacle"?
4)"IF BGW is not in financial trouble as you state, what gives with the lighting bugs for Illuminights, and more importantly whats up with the French Snail?? Is he going to cook to himself?" Lol (escargo reference)
5) "Finally, what gives with the tacky doors just installed on that building in France?"
6) P.S. "If the park does get bought, can we fire everyone in park management and start over PRETTY PLEASE, ESPECIALLY THE ENTERTAINMENT VP????"
Last year, someone asked him if the haunted train ride would be returning, and he said: "Good question!" Then he just walked to the other side of the stage without saying anything further. He probably read it on BGWFans where someone was going to ask that.
cmoresps said:
Can't please everyone, but I love everything they've done in France.
Cmoresps, instead of straight out asking the questions, you have to change the wording and make it sound not straight forward. They will become confused (most likely, if you ask the questions right.) and answer the question in the way that you wanted. It a lot of practice, but it's possible.
The way I might ask questions would be like this (in BOLD):
It's all in how you present your concerns/Q&A. Praise what they think they did right or promised. Look to the crowd for reaction. Watch as they start sweating.
cmoresps said:1) "In all honesty, mr vp, why did Europe in the Air close on July 1st when it only takes a few weeks to prepare for HOS? Is there a replacement ride planned for Europe in the Air" (NOT!)
1) I think closing down EITA just as the summer was starting was a GREAT move. My family and I loved that thing. We NEVER had to wait in line to ride it, and it helped me lose some weight every time the ride was over. Now we just zoom right through Ireland to to the next hamlet. But we were thrilled to see the sign indicating that it was being prepped for HOS. With so much time spent on getting it ready, I'll bet "13" will be even more awesome then last year!
2) "Rumor has it that the park is in deep financial trouble due to miss management by Blackstone, if true will the park be operating in 2014 and 2015, and dont lie BE HONEST"!
2) My family and I just signed up for brand new, two-park, two-year Platinum passes. We look forward to utilizing them here at BGW to their fullest potential.
3) "Speaking on behalf of all pass members, Kilarney Kommotion was the most atrocious and stupid show to have ever graced BGW with its presence, did any one get fired for planning such a debacle"?
3) Killarney Komotion was an absolute wonder to behold. I enjoyed seeing the stunned looks on people's faces in the crowd. The live Irish music was outstanding! We look forward to seeing it for years to come during IllumiNights.
4)"IF BGW is not in financial trouble as you state, what gives with the lighting bugs for Illuminights, and more importantly whats up with the French Snail?? Is he going to cook to himself?" Lol (escargo reference)
4) The giant GLOW critters were adorable. I think we should have even more of them next year during IllumiNights. Keep that theme going.
5) "Finally, what gives with the tacky doors just installed on that building in France?"
5) I absolutely LOVE the angel wing doors in France. Everything about that hamlet is amazing this year! Purple Thing...wow!!
6) P.S. "If the park does get bought, can we fire everyone in park management and start over PRETTY PLEASE, ESPECIALLY THE ENTERTAINMENT VP????"
6) I really think it is a shame that BGW is hogging all of the talent for those responsible for the direction the park has taken the last few years. The shows and special events in particular are wonderful! It would be nice to see BGT have the benefit of this expertise. (Sorry Bill
It's all in how you present your concerns/Q&A. Praise what they think they did right or promised. Look to the crowd for reaction. Watch as they start sweating.
ChickenKing we don't want to give Scott any more reason to drive ent off a cliff.
I made a thread dedicated to the Pass Holder Appreciation Weekend for this year, it is probably best to move convo from here to there especially since the announcement has nothing to do with a sale.
I was speaking with an old friend mine about the BGW sale, he knows someone in Disney and he is being told a sale is indeed imminent. Obviously I cant reveal the source but that's what I am being told. Will post more if/when I hear anything
Honestly, I would pleasantly surprised if Disney bought BGW. I look at it like this, maybe the brand will finally get the recognition and love it deserves, plus if Disney bought both BGW and BGT, with their respective water parks, they would have even more parks in Florida, a good way to keep customers in the area, and create new packages.
I would not mind if Disney bought, as long as they keep the coasters going and make it like a thrill Disney park. It would be amazing for the economy. But will the park handle all the Disney visitors?
Thing is Disney doesn't buy parks period. All their parks are built from the ground up. The chances of Disney picking up any of the Busch parks at this point are about the same as Disney picking up the Six Flags/Cedar Fair parks of the world. They may have an eye on the Central Florida parks, but its not likely they'd purchase them.
I would be thrilled if Disney bought it too (as opposed to Six Flags). I don't think it's out of the range of possibilities...Remember Disney wanted to build that America-themed park outside of DC a while back and got shot down. Maybe this would be their way of getting back in that general area. I think they would make a fortune in BGW....All those New Yorkers would be flocking there in droves!
Although Busch Gardens is a well-themed park, the level that Disney expects out of its properties is in a whole other league. Read any Imagineering or Disney design book and you'll see what I mean. There are sections in those books where they spend 4-5 pages talking about how to dye the concrete in the sidewalks reddish such that the grass looks greener when you see it. How to paint clone attractions in Anaheim differently than those in Orlando, so that when they contrast against the different hues of the sky in Cali vs. Florida, they'll appear to be the same color.
That level of meticulous attention to detail is hard to retrofit into an existing park, and I doubt they'd put their brand on anything that didn't hold up to that standard.
A retheme of BGW to suit Disney's exacting standards would be very tough. I don't doubt Disney wants into the Mid-Atlantic market, but I have a hard time seeing how purchasing the existing BGW fits their standard operating procedure.
That level of meticulous attention to detail is hard to retrofit into an existing park, and I doubt they'd put their brand on anything that didn't hold up to that standard.
A retheme of BGW to suit Disney's exacting standards would be very tough. I don't doubt Disney wants into the Mid-Atlantic market, but I have a hard time seeing how purchasing the existing BGW fits their standard operating procedure.