We have been encouraged by those customers who have continued to come to the resort and by the many others who have written to us expressing their support
Spokesperson for Merlin Merlin Entertainments
The accident in June was a devastating event for Alton Towers and for Merlin, for which we accepted responsibility and are deeply sorry.
In the immediate aftermath, our priority was those who were injured and their families. Since then we have been humbled by their grace and fortitude, and we will continue to do whatever we can to support them.
The decision was taken to close the park immediately. We firmly believe that this was the right course of action, reflecting the seriousness of the incident and the impact on our staff, and to allow the team to focus both on those affected and on the development and implementation of new safety protocols where necessary. Equally important was to establish exactly what happened, through our own and the Health and Safety Executive investigations, in order to ensure that such an event
cannot occur again. These investigations are ongoing. In addition, we felt it appropriate to significantly reduce our marketing activity in light of what happened. We reopened Alton Towers
six days after the incident, and the park is now fully operational. However, the number of people visiting has understandably been adversely impacted as a result. Alton Towers has a proud track record as the number one theme park in the UK, a position endorsed by our
consistently high customer satisfaction scores and the recent recognition as Trip Advisor’s best UK theme park. We have been encouraged by those customers who have continued to come to the resort and by the many others who have written to us expressing their support. We are confident that we will rebuild our position as the UK’s favourite theme park. We are proud of our fantastic team and thank them for their dedication and commitment through this period.
The first priority always must be public safety. The
response must emphasise concern for the victims and efforts to prevent a repeat of the crisis situation
W. Timothy Coombs
Texas A&M University, author and crisis communication researcher
Some crises go largely unnoticed, while others can draw a crowd. When media and other stakeholders are drawn to the crisis, it can create tremendous pressure on an organisation. We can call these public interest crises. An accident at an theme park would be a public interest crisis. These accidents have victims, a sense of drama and make potential customers wonder if that could happen to them. Organisations need to manage these various pressures when providing their response: a response that stakeholders will examine closely. The first priority always must be public safety. The
©CYBERTREK 2015 AM 3 2015
response must emphasise concern for the victims and efforts to prevent a repeat of the crisis situation. An organisation must explain what it’s doing to help the victims and how it will protect public safety now and in the future.
The now means closing the attraction that was involved in the accident and investigating the cause. Once known, the organisation can discuss how it will seek to prevent a repeat of the accident in the future. This involves explaining new safety procedures if they are required. Sometimes an accident can be a result of the actions of the victim. In those cases, management needs to explain how the guest caused the accident. The key is to be descriptive but not to overtly place blame on the victim. A clear explanation of events will allow others to realise who was really at fault. The narrative can include, for example, if a guest might have violated stated safety rules or that the incident resulted from an unknown medical condition. Even when self-inflicted, the crisis communication needs to reflect sympathy for the victim.
The second priority is
returning to normal operations. Potential customers will want to know when they can enjoy that attraction again. This concern needs to be placed in the background of the crisis messaging. Many people will want this information but featuring the return to normal operations too prominently can create a backlash effect. Some stakeholders might feel the organisation is only concerned about its profits and lacks empathy for the victim or victims. Any discussion of operations should be short and at the end of the crisis message. When public safety is a concern, crisis communication must feature the victim and how the organisation is working to ensure a safe future for customers.
wtcoombs@hotmail.com attractionsmanagement.com 33
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