Getting Started in the Haunted House Industry
Starting a Haunted Attraction may may seem daunting, or financially out of reach. There are hundreds of questions to be answered, such as: How much will rent be? Will the Fire Marshall make life too difficult? How will I get financing to get me to opening night? Can I possibly be profitable enough to make it worth my time? How much competition is really out there? Why not consider a Haunted Forest? No doubt you have heard of farmers turning their land into mini amusement parks geared to families. Corn Mazes, and other not-so-scary activities have become big business in the fall/winter. Even in the biggest cities, it is not a terribly long drive to a piece of land where this is possible, like Markoffs Haunted Forest, outside Washington D.C, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every October. Here's why a Haunted Forest may be easier as a start up business than a traditional Haunted House 1) Dealing with the Fire Marshall just got a whole lot easier. 2) Lower start up costs. No need for multi-thousand dollar animatronics and elaborate sets. A walk through dark woods can be scary to begin with. You can keep your costs down by using natural elements to scare the bejezus out of people 3) Land is easier to find than rentable (and safe) buildings. The Haunted Attraction Industry has grown immensely in the last decade. It seems everywhere you turn there is a new or better haunt going up. There were over 10 million Gooogle searches in 2010 alone for "haunted house", not to mention the millions of other searches that included those words. GETTING STARTED 1) Identify suitable parcels that are big enough (over 25 acres), have at least 5 acres of open space (parking) and 3 to 5 acres of wooded space. The fewer neighbors the better (ideally land owners with large parcels who would not be disturbed by chainsaws and screaming.) 2) Contact the local municipality to find out permitting requirements. Sometimes you can get a temporary permit to operate 15 days or less without a lot of red tape and public disclosures. If not, the process could take as long as 4-6 months. They'll want a detailed site plan, projections, and the opportunity to inform neighbors and allow them to bring up objections. 3) Contact land owners. Ideally you want someone who owns a piece that is not being farmed, or is being rented to another farmer. Its even better if nobody lives there. Tell them you would like to explore a non-agricultural use for their land that could net them multiple thousands of dollars in just a few months a year. If they want to talk further, set up a meeting to find out what they think the land might be worth for your activities. Let them lead with a number, but be prepared to discuss what you will pay, perhaps a "per head" lease of $1 or $2. If you do the industry average in attendance of 7,500 patrons the land owner will get $7,500-$15,000. Now that you are over the first two hurdles of site selection, permitting, and partnering with a land owner you are ready for the real work to begin. In future articles we will discuss insurance, security, staffing, pricing, promotion, marketing, & maximizing revenue. Our [http://www.raleighhauntedhouse.com]Haunted Forest opens just outside of Raleigh, NC on September 30th, 2011. Come check us out. We'd be happy to share the experience (highs and lows) with you. Brian Garff is a real estate broker in Raleigh, NC, and midnights as a [http://www.raleighhauntedhouse.com]Haunted Forest owner. Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Getting-Started-in-the-Haunted-House-Industry&id=57...] Getting Started in the Haunted House IndustryComments [0]
