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Park Operations
www.parkworld-online.com
introduced in the specified year. The results obtained from this method of Approximately 95% of all of our mental and emotional responses occur on
calculation varied from a relatively small positive long-term effect of 4% to a subconscious level. Most research projects, however, only focus on the
a significantly larger positive long-term effect of around 12%. These results conscious 5% of responses. These studies might lead to interesting insights,
enable the park’s management team to evaluate an attraction’s but we often miss out on crucial information by limiting ourselves to
performance and determine whether or not the ROI of the attraction is to conscious responses.
be considered satisfactory. I acknowledge that it is difficult to find a proper research methodology to
Now I am able to accurately determine a past attraction’s ROI, I can set measure subconscious responses and processes. However, the answer may lie
challenging new goals for the future. What we have accomplished so far in the patented “ZMET” (Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique) method in
greatly benefits the industry, but the real question on everyone’s mind is of combination with implicit cognition and association tests.
course “What will the ROI of this particular new attraction be?” I am now Preliminary ZMET interviews carried out at Adventureland have resulted in
developing a method for accurately forecasting this. interesting and exciting insights. These results are now being used to develop
further research experiments to gain an ever greater and deeper insight into
Attraction Psychology the determinants of a new attraction’s impact on theme park performance.
Within the amusement industry, many different methods for determining There is still a long way to go before any predictions can be made regarding
guest satisfaction are used. Looking at the methodology of these studies, a new attraction’s impact on theme park performance, but we are moving
however, you will find that they are quite alike; they all exclusively take ever closer to our goal.
visitors’ conscious responses into account. This stimulates the industry’s If you want to know what the ROI of your park’s new attraction is, if you
interest in research, and I believe this is very important, but I must highlight want to know why your guests visit your facility and not your competitor’s, or if
the importance also of subconscious responses. you’ve struggled with some or all of the questions posed within this article,
then do get in touch (see website details below). Hopefully this research project
CHART 2
can contribute to the knowledge and further professionalism of the industry.
Effect of Adventureland Attraction on Attendance
Pieter Cornelis is a senior lecturer in theme park management
at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, and is currently
Model A (with new attraction) = 10%
performing a PhD research project on the impact of new
Model B (without new attraction) = 2%
attractions on the performance of European theme parks. He
is currently looking to work with other parks, and assures
Average Effect = 8%
operators that any collaboration will be anonymous. Visit his
website for more information: www.pietercornelis.com
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MARCH 2009 35
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