Throughput and Efficiency or Queue Tips
by Rob MacRea
Part I: Throughput Logic
Before we begin, keep in mind that this information is based largely on observing the methods of established theme park attractions. Each of your Haunted Attractions is unique, and the techniques presented here may take some effort to adapt to an existing haunt. Theme parks have much more data about, and control over, the behavior of their crowds, not to mention a massive pile of money and manpower upon which to draw. However, they got to that point by using design principles that make the most of their space and resources, many of which we'll discuss here.
That said; let's have a look at your haunt. Cool! Great job on the effects; it's obvious that you've pulled out all the stops! Top-notch marketing, fine actors, great theme… guaranteed to soil some underwear. So, there you are on opening night, everyone is set and everything is up and running, and you fling your doors open to behold the only nightmare that could be worse than nobody in line… everybody in line! Like Frankenstein's Mob, the guests swarm your queue, demanding service lest they take their business elsewhere! You start shoving people through as fast as you can, but your attraction starts to behave like clogged plumbing, choking on the sudden rush, and a massive traffic jam ensues. What? You weren't prepared for so many, so soon? Oh, bad news. The disenchanted crowd starts turning away, dwindling to a trickle before your very eyes. Okay, wake up. Take a deep breath, and wring-out your pillow. This nightmare can be avoided (or at least repaired). Let's figure out how…
Back in 1909, mathematician A. K. Erlang of the Copenhagen Telephone Co. wondered how many lines were required for his townsfolk to talk to the "outside world" without overloading the systems. In his quest for solutions, the mathematical field of Queuing Theory was born. This branch of statistics and probability has since become widely applied to telephony, computer applications, assembly lines, customer service, and virtually any other activity where people or items are "lined-up" to wait for a service or process. Queuing Theory is now an advanced, level-300 collegiate subject covering countless different scenarios, but since you and I don't have several semesters to blow, let's skip to how it applies to you.
The measure of your ability to send guests through your attraction, also known as your utilization, can be expressed as a simple mathematical equation: U=A/S, or Utilization equals Arrival Rate divided by Service Rate. Each component of this equation represents a critical aspect of your business:
- A (Arrival Rate) = the rate at which quests arrive at your attraction over a specified period of time.
- S (Service Rate) = the number of guests you can process in that same time period.
- U (Utilization) = a measure of your ability to provide service to your customers.
By breaking down the elements (rooms, scenes, hallways, etc.) of your attraction into individual components and viewing the attraction as one big daisy-chain of events, we can make a better assessment: First, your queue lines people up to be admitted at a set rate. Then, your attraction lines people up to experience the next service mechanism, a show scene or ride, again at a set rate. This cycle repeats itself "n" times until the exit point. See it yet? That's right… in essence, you've just assembled a bunch of back-to-back queues! Picture your haunt layout stretched out from entry to exit like a string of pearls, with each bead representing a room, narrative, pop-up goblin, or anything that the patrons have to stop or slow down to encounter. These are your “service mechanisms,” the tangible "hot-spots" that you can time, adjust and control according to your needs.
Why look at everything in the attraction in such a cold, mechanical light? Well, because the "big boys" figured out a long time ago that when you strip away all the spooky sounds and bloody corpses and smoke and mirrors and “oohs” and “aahs,” that's exactly what you're left with: a redundant and adjustable people-processing machine. And to see your attraction as such is to take advantage of everything it can do!
Alright, so there's our Utilization Formula. To avoid backups and bottlenecks, your Service Rate should be equal to or less than your Arrival Rate, because a Utilization Rate >1 = unavoidable buildup. Pretty straightforward, but how exactly do we accomplish that? I'm glad you asked! Watch this…
Let's start with your attraction and work our way back to the queue (now that we have an idea about Utilization, the pieces will fall into place as we go… trust me). We've envisioned the attraction as a "string of pearls," with each bead on the string representing a show element, or service mechanism. Each of these elements takes a certain amount of time to navigate, and in the case of a Sequential or Ride system, these times can be tightly controlled by their operators.
Now is a good time to stress rehearsals and dry-runs. Naturally, you're going to rehearse each show element to get its timing down to a tee, right? Okay, so now you have a good idea of how long each element should take to perform. Now do a day's worth of "dry-runs," where you gather all of your spare actors and crew and second cousins (or if necessary, imaginary people) to pose as guests and run them through like you would if the attraction were open for business. The theme park industry calls this integration through "soft openings;" opportunities to figure out the timing and FX on actual warm bodies, cut out extraneous material, and work out the bugs. This should give you a feel for how many people you can run through comfortably at one time, and how quickly you can do it. Now you need to start charting things out, and I've had success with the "string of beads" template. Example:
[ See Circles Diagram in Issue 39 of Haunted Attraction Magazine ]
Here's where it all starts coming together. Within each circle, plot the time it takes for a group to experience and "clear" each room/show/tight spot/startle. Keep in mind that this total time should include the show itself and the time it takes to reset the scene or let the crew breathe (which doubles as travel time as the patrons journey to the next scene). Invariably, you will find that one cycle or "bead" stands out as the longest process. This cycle will be the key to determining your maximum throughput. If it takes 8 people 1 minute to pass through your longest cycle, your maximum throughput is 8 persons per 1 minute. Guess what? This is the Service Rate of your attraction. Voila! You've just found half of your Utilization Formula.
So what's your Arrival Rate? Here's the cool part. Remember how U=A/S, and your Utilization Rate should stay at or below 1 to avoid backups? Well, you've just established your longest show cycle as the Service Rate, so now you just turn around and use that to dictate your Arrival Rate, or the rate at which you admit people from the queue. All you have to do is chose an Arrival Rate that's equal to or less than your Service Rate (say, groups of 6 or 7 people per minute versus our maximum Service Rate of 8/1 min.), and magically you have everything under control - you won't "outrun" or bottleneck your show scenes.
You've just completed the Utilization Formula for the attraction, and now you can adjust both your intake and your service speed as needed, while being able to predict how that will effect the process. Plus, a bonus thing happens here: the Arrival (Intake) Rate also serves as the Service Rate of your queue line.
Try to keep your Arrival Rate just under your Service Rate at all times, even if that means temporarily slowing down your service mechanism during slumps. From my own experience, a cozy Utilization Rate is .8, or "operating at 80%." The reasoning here is that a) you can temporarily speed up your admission rate by up to 20% in the event of a sudden rush, b) it evens out the tempo and avoids the "rush - slow - rush - slow" roller coaster, and c) some remnant of a queue line can entice more customers, as long as it doesn't result in an unnecessarily long wait. Strategic Hint: Make all of your adjustments as gradually as possible; for example, don't try to shift gears from a 4/min. intake to 10/min. in one fell swoop. This will result in massive system shock to your cast & crew.
The Utilization Formula applies to Ride Systems in a surprisingly simple way. On the surface, a ride may seem a daunting thing to predict, when in reality, it is not. Figure out how many people your ride-course can accommodate at one time (say, 5 trailers at 20 heads per trailer, with a 10 min. ride each = 100 every 10 minutes, or 10 per minute). This automatically becomes your Service Rate, because you can't process any more or less than that until the service mechanism completes its cycle (i.e. an empty trailer is available for loading). What you're left with is only one part of the Utilization equation: the queue. The ride-course itself is merely the end of the process, a Service Rate that you can adjust. Of course, mastering your timing & loading is a bit more complicated (worthy of its own article), but this gives you an idea of what you can handle ahead of time.
So there it is. To admit more people into your attraction, crank up your Service Rate (by cutting performance times, adding a vehicle, or making design adjustments), which then logically allows you to increase your Arrival, or Intake, Rate by admitting patrons more often. Each depends on the other to keep your attraction flowing at a smooth, even pace, and tempo is every bit as important as speed! If you remember nothing else, remember this: your Service Rate is a reflection of your longest show element, and your Arrival Rate should be just under your Service Rate, lest you create the inevitable logjam.
Part II: Go With the Flow
Alright, now that we've got the basic mechanics down, let's ease up on the techno-babble and get to some real meat. The Utilization Formula governs your speed of intake and output, but all is for naught if the path itself is not clear, and there are still measures to be taken to ensure a steady flow of traffic. Note: if you are only interested in ride operations, please read on; more of this may apply to you than you think!
Walk-through haunts are unique in that their throughput depends solely on the pace of the customer. It's up to us to influence that pace in whatever way we can to keep our counts up and avoid clogs. Some of these methods are obvious, but most require some thought and experience. It's not easy to keep all of these ideas in mind during the design and building phases, so let's study a nifty acronym that covers the most crucial points. Just go with the F.L.O.W.
(F)OOLPROOFING:
Design for the dumb. That doesn't sound "nice," but it's based on harsh reality. I once saw a cartoon that summed up much of my theme park experience: as people entered the ticket gates of Disneyland, they were happily flipping open their heads and dropping their brains in the trash cans. If you haven't heard attraction guests bitterly referred to as "cattle" by some designers and owners, one day you will. You'll have to spoon-feed your customers once in a while, and here are some ways to do that.
In any given circumstance, limit patrons to one, and only one, course of travel. I'm not a big fan of the popular maze room feature because it creates huge bottlenecks that outweigh the level of fun. If you must include one, design it with a closed, one-way path. Do not get anyone lost. I've also encountered many variations of the "room of doors," where one must actively search for the exit, and while I must say that it's entertaining as hell on a slow night, it's a throughput nightmare on a busy one. Disorientation is a great sensation to use, but try to evoke it through sensory, rather than structural, chaos.
Unless an effect is based on darkness or misdirection, it should be fairly obvious to the patron where their next steps should be. Room exits should be apparent, walkways should be at least faintly visible by ambient light. Code often requires that stairs and ramps be either lighted or marked with glow tape. It's a good idea even if it's not local law. Avoid any obstacles or fixtures that unnecessarily interrupt movement.
Lead your guests on with visual and audible "cues." The eerie green light beyond a doorway suggests another show scene beyond, or the sounds of an unknown creature lumbering behind the guests can help coax them down the hallway. We will revisit this topic when we discuss the queue in more detail.
Speaking of motivation, use directional tactics. As an actor/monster, who doesn't love to single out the doe-eyed cheerleader and surround her until she's balled up like a grub worm and can't scream anymore? It's a great feeling, but resist the temptation unless you have time to spare. Don't belabor the shock. Herd your customers along by scaring them from the sides, the rear, or above (or even below if you’re that good) without forcing them to scatter, freeze, or reverse direction. Leonard Pickel calls this "scaring forward;" frightening your patrons in the direction you want them to go.
(L)ENGTH:
This term refers to both physical and chronological measure. Be honest: have you ever overlooked the overall length of your haunt to discover that guests were actually getting tired by the end? I have. If we're not careful, we can end up with too much good stuff, resulting in the physical and mental fatigue our customers.
Statistically, most professional venues run between 10 and 20 minutes for a walk-through experience. This is just a good target example, because every attraction is unique. On paper, the length of the experience shouldn't have a direct bearing on your counts; your intake rate is your intake rate, no matter how long the show is behind it. But a trip that is unbearably long or difficult to traverse will result in slower traffic near the end, less repeat business, and the concealed factor of slower evacuation during down time, emergency, or closing. Conversely, an experience that only lasts five minutes had better be good, or that hour-long queue will fetch some loud boos.
I'm going to cover Tempo here because it doesn't fit into the acronym (what's a "FLTOW"?). I stated at the end of Part One that tempo is every bit as important as speed. This is true because of two reasons. First, a steady pace keeps your guests from having to repeatedly recompose themselves, resulting in jerky, sputtering progress. Your show scenes should not vary randomly from one minute long, to two and a half, then back to 45 seconds, and so on. It's hard on traffic, and harder to perform. Keep your changes gradual or follow a manageable pattern ("long, short, short, long, short, short...").
Secondly, finding a steady tempo allows your attraction to function as one unit. If one stage of the process is fast and the next is slow, pace breaks down and delays appear. When one aspect is adjusted or changed, everything else should change with it to avoid chaos. You'll have a better understanding of what's happening in any given area just by watching the whole. This is the perfect segue into...
(O)RGANIZATION:
We've all heard it - "Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance." Your level of organization behind the scenes is the most vital part of the formula. A haunt can theoretically survive season after season with sub-par performance, but order cannot be faked, and instability in the ranks is fatal. For the purpose of this article, organization is the key to precision in your haunt.
Structure a specific chain of command. Everyone should have one specific job or responsibility that no one else does unless they're absent. Read theatrical director's and stage manager's references for solid ideas on operational models. For that matter, consider filling a Stage Manager position with someone who can call the shots. Paid or volunteer, everyone should have a perfect understanding of their own duties.
Plan out your actor and operator positions carefully. Never leave your crew in place for extended periods; break as often as possible. Position rotations are the best way to handle this. Every half hour, for example, have your actors replace or "bump" each other out of position: actor A comes off break and bumps B, B bumps C, C bumps D who goes on break. In another half hour, D bumps A, and the pattern continues.
An alternative to rotation is a designated "breaker," who replaces each person for "x" minutes, then goes on break himself. This is a good method for actors with elaborate characters or specialized operators who can't easily jump from one job to another.
Communicate! I cannot stress this enough. Everyone involved with your attraction must have some reliable way to speak to or signal everyone else. The easier it is to talk to one another, the smoother your machine will run and the faster you can deal with problems. Invest in walkie-talkies for all high-activity crew. Install intercoms in the backstage areas (even baby monitors work nicely). Structure your communications protocol like you would your chain of command; each level talks "up" to the next. Have a way to signal an emergency from every crew position, even if it's a rope and bell!
(W)ORKMANSHIP:
Think back for a moment and try to remember the clumsiest or meanest person you've ever met, and then design your attraction around him! A brazen statement, perhaps, but accurate. You must build your attraction with the certainty that someone, sometime is going to try to shove, yank, twist, punch, kick, tackle, poke, soak, burn or steal something, somewhere in your attraction. Most of these actions won't even be intentional, nevertheless wear and tear in a walk-through dark attraction is immense compared to any other venue.
In addition to safety code precautions, make sure everything is solid and built to last. The walls are obvious check points, but don't forget rails, stairs, windows, furniture and any other fixtures within the path or reach of the guests. On that note, make sure that all props within reach are secured so they won't "follow anyone out." And as always, be on the lookout for hidden safety hazards.
I like to put on a full set of football gear and go flailing around blindly inside attractions. It's fun - I enjoy a good mosh pit - and I always find (i.e. break or topple) things to fix that I wouldn't have noticed before. If I can get through the haunt without opening my eyes or knocking something down, then I'm happy!
SAFETY NOTE:
We should always harbor a sense of care for our guests' safety and welfare. This is reflected by the way we equip our attractions to handle emergencies, from following safety code to offering first aid assistance. That said, I am going to risk sounding coldhearted and insensitive and take it a step further: strictly from a throughput perspective, an unsafe venue is a slow moving venue. Accidents and emergencies are inefficient!
Should we do everything we can to avoid hazards and care for our sick or injured patrons? Unquestionably, but there is a secondary reason: to get them out of the way. Provide medical personnel with quick access to all backstage areas and utility corridors. Designate areas where stable patients can be relocated, away from both the public and the operations areas. Do what you can to help paramedics do their job as quickly and discreetly as possible, without hampering their work, so that you can get on with the show.
Part III: Queue Tips
Now that we have a handle on maintaining the FLOW of your attraction's plumbing, let's take a look at your queue area. All too often, I've seen attractions treat their queue lines as a dentist would treat his waiting room; as a cold (in our case, literally), impersonal corral in which to simply arrange customers into a manageable load. So many venues turn a blind eye to the queue, seeing it as uncontrollable, or worse, unimportant. Nothing could be further from the truth! Your queue is indeed a method by which you arrange your guests to be "processed into the people machine," but there is so much more under the surface.
Your queue is a mood-enhancing prologue to your story, a streamlining mechanism, an information booth, a control group for marketing research and behavioral studies, and even a mini-attraction unto itself. From the moment your patrons enter the maze of ropes and rails, they are yours to examine, control, and frighten!
We've seen that the queue is a linear system ending at the Point of Entry of your attraction. The Service Rate, or rate at which you admit patrons in from the line, has already been established as the Arrival Rate of the attraction itself. Easy enough. But, rather than having a controlled Arrival Rate at its entrance like your attraction, the queue will see highly unpredictable numbers of arrivals. Even the most careful marketing strategies cannot forecast the crowds with pinpoint accuracy. While you're open, the only thing preventing your queue line from accepting people is their own unwillingness to wait.
Factor in the reality that we cannot predict the crowd's demographics, behavior, or special needs, and you can see we have to get very creative in how we accommodate vastly varied numbers and types of guests. We need a framework, like our F.L.O.W. model that can help us deal with countless circumstances within the chaotic beast that is the queue line. So, think F.A.S.T.!
(F)LEXIBILITY:
The construction of your queue is crucial to theme and comfort, but it's also your secret weapon in terms of efficiency. Since you can't really control your arrival rate, a queue that can be adapted to fit 500 people as easily as 20 without wrapping around the block is one of the best design elements you can add. To accomplish this, let's take some big hints from our favorite amusement parks.
Utilize all available space. Look for areas you haven't already considered in your layout: do you have a porch or driveway to work with? Can you wrap the line around your building? Instead of shooting the guests straight up the front walkway, how about surrounding your "graveyard" with the queue first? Play with the shapes, look for unused areas, and squeeze out as much linear space as you can.
Create "morphing" layouts. Imagine your queue as a funnel with a hose attached to it... If the funnel begins to overflow, you can simply add more hose to accommodate more water, right? So, figure out the shortest possible path for your queue, and then add sections of 20 to 40 people that can be cordoned off when not in use. This can be done easily with temporary weighted stanchions and rope or, permanent "hard-railed" sections that can be chained off or gated until needed. If you're allowed to put holes in the ground or blacktop, you can even sink pipe sections to hold stanchion pole "grids" (next time you're in a theme park, look closely and you'll see little rubber stoppers in the pavement covering such temporary post-holes).
A word about the popular fold-over design: If you have open blocks of space, such as a deck or parking lot, you can fold the line back upon itself numerous times.
Pros:
- This will allow you to easily open or close sections as the queue grows and shrinks.
- It makes for very efficient use of space.
- It disguises much of the line's actual length while still showing progress to onlookers.
Cons:
- Boring! This design is more suitable for highly visible, open-air stuff such as coasters, where the attraction itself is a pre-show.
- You must allow for additional emergency egress for such tightly-packed crowds if your queue is permanently enclosed or "hard-railed."
Use landmarks. Choose or build reference points to help estimate, at a glance, how many folks are in your queue, and how fast it's growing. How many patrons fit between the front door and that pine tree? How many between the black stanchion and the orange one? Get a basic idea of the capacity of your whole line as well each section of it so you can adjust your queue patterns and service rate accordingly.
A quick note on estimating for area: The closest thing available to an "industry standard" for guessing how much space people take up is 1 patron per square yard (3 ft. x 3 ft.), based on standard conventions of "personal space" and fire code. This is a very broad generalization, and you can expect a variance of +/- 25% at any given time or place. The weirdo that argues with himself and reeks of stale beer will take up more than his 1 yd. allowance, whereas the teenage lovebirds surgically attached at the lips will occupy the space of one person or less. Also keep in mind that across most of the U.S., fire code requires a path clearance of at least 3 feet. in width.
(A)CTIVITY:
Unless you're broken down, you must keep your line active and moving, period. Theming, music, and crowd interaction are wonderful, but progress, or at least the illusion of it, is paramount. As an attractions trainer, I was infamous for preaching one key point: nothing we can possibly give our guests is worth two hours of standing still!
The best way to accomplish an even flow is the consistency of your attraction's intake and tempo, as discussed earlier. Invariably, though, there will be times you'll have reached your peak rates and opened all available waiting space, and here comes the post-movie rush. This is where the perception of progress can be your best friend. There are plenty of tricks out there to help disguise the size of the line or distract the attention of your guests, but there is no real substitute for movement. That's why I love one brilliant theme park dynamic...
Grouping and Diffusion: No doubt you've noticed park ride operators constantly asking, "How many in your group?" and frantically pointing people to seemingly arbitrary locations. This creature is called the Grouper, and there is a method to his madness. Grouping, or diffusion, is more than a way to just load people in their seats, it's a way to break little "pieces" off of the queue line at regular intervals so that it is constantly creeping forward, either into the attraction itself or into waiting areas. This breaks up the monotony of "wait, enter, wait, enter," but more importantly it keeps gaps from opening in the queue each time larger groups are admitted (which results in the accordion effect as guests cover 20 or so feet in a sprint, then must stop and wait for an eternity, then sprint again), and allows for the most efficient filling of available space.
I use the following example regularly. Try it during your next crew meeting. Line up a dozen people (the "queue") behind a designated "grouper." Have this grouper admit 3 people every 15 seconds to the "attraction," (a point well beyond his or her position), until the line is depleted. Watch the forward movement of the line. Now, have everyone get back in line, but this time have the grouper ask one person every five seconds to stand nearby until 3 people are gathered, then let that group pass, and continue the process. What happens? Have you admitted more guests at a time than before? No. Have you increased the speed of their progress? Nope. Only one thing has changed, and that is the nature of the queue's movement. It has shifted from a jerky, stop-and-start behavior to more of a steady, shuffling conga line.
Practical example: If your attraction admits, say, groups of 7 or 8 every two minutes, set aside some waiting space at the door and have your line grouper ask for the numbers in each approaching party as he/she assembles a group. As the number in the group approaches the limit, be more selective, asking singles or couples near the front to come forward. By the time two minutes have passed, a group of exactly 7 or 8 people is ready to enter, the grouper is ready to build a new group, and the crowd has been inching along at a constant rate. Only large tour groups that need to be split up can disrupt this method, and even then, only for a moment.
(S)AFETY:
Obvious, but vital: Once again, beyond the common concern for your guests lies the cold reality that an unsafe queue is a slow queue! There are already infinite resources for safety advice, in addition to your area's established codes (which you will read, yes?), so here are just a few tips to help keep things rolling along without incident.
Think Emergency Egress! Whether you're using permanent hard-rails, ropes, or pink surveyor's tape, provide as many obvious access portals as you can, not just for fire code, but for disabled entry or the escape of the sick or "chickens." Consider designating an easy-to-reach outdoor spot as a paramedic bay.
Watch for terrain and natural obstructions. Avoid using uneven ground or repair it with proper grading and gravel or mulch. Make sure your queue stays well-drained and free of water, mud and debris. Remove or avoid intrusive limbs and brush. Be sure masonry and pavement is even, stable and free of holes.
Line up your patrons as close to parking as possible, but well out of harm's way. If not already required by law, try to provide brightly painted and coned pedestrian walkways around or across parking areas.
Provide as much lighting as you can afford in the line without spoiling the mood; people hesitate to walk where they can't see. The popular low-voltage garden lights will only run you about $20 for ten lights and 500 feet of wire. Install outdoor floodlights on your emergency circuit, especially at your egress gates. If you pipe in creepy music and sound, consider adding an announcement microphone to your system, or keep a bullhorn close at hand.
Cleanliness is often overlooked as a speed factor; have some form of janitorial effects ready. Place trash cans at entries and outside corners. Build a spill & "hazmat" (hazardous material) kit with rubber gloves, mop & bucket, kitty litter and a broom for those "losses of control" (scary line crew) and "protein spills" (too much candy). Smoking can cause disruptions, but my experience has taught me that if you can't enforce a rule, then it's not worth mentioning. If a problem should arise (someone refusing to extinguish in an indoor area, for example), try reminding the culprit that they are on private property with permission. I digress.
As for signage, remember K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid!). There's a well known Murphy's Law among park employees: the more you write, the less they'll remember. Besides the legal disclaimers at your queue and attraction entrances, use signs only where needed, and use symbols rather than words whenever possible. Try to limit all non-verbal communication to arrows, stop signs and one- or two-word shapes. Anything more will either be ignored or will take extra time to read, therefore slowing the queue. Besides, why take attention away from...
(T)HEME:
As stated, the queue is the perfect introduction to your storyline. Besides playing spooky music and scaring the patrons with costumed line crew, here's an opportunity to keep the group focused forward and moving eagerly along with psychological tricks that designers call "weenies." Don't ask me where the term came from (I was never that high on the food chain), but a weenie is a way of using sensory "magnets" to draw the guests toward and through an area. You and I are enticed by these subtle hooks every day; impulse racks in the grocery store, the aroma of a street side bakery, the dynamic architecture of a dance club façade. In the case of your queue, there are numerous ways to use your theme to enhance your throughput.
Got extra props sitting around? Perhaps there are some ideas you wanted to fit into your attraction, but didn't have the room or the time to pull them off. Well, now you have a "second stage" in your queue area. Static displays and animatronics are a great draw, and perfect spots to spiel if you add audio features. How about a brief pre-show? This could be in the form of an advanced animatronic timed to perform every few minutes, or it could be a live monologue containing background story performed by some of the house's many "ghosts."
Get creative with your line crew. Besides just letting the regular creatures lurk about outside the rails, perhaps further interaction could yield clues in the storyline or entice your patrons to investigate the more hidden details of that ancient stone pillar, just around the next bend.
Many venues use in-queue monitors or wall projectors to entertain the crowd with video treats. This is a good idea if they play vignettes related to your attraction or are limited to short (max. 2 minute) clips that require very little attention. Showing full-length movies or anything that the guests can get "wrapped up in" may result in huge flow problems as people tear themselves away from the show.
If you think you have a great theme going, push it as far out into the "real world" as you can. The buildup of anticipation should begin with creative marketing and never stop until the guests enter that first dark corridor. Your queue area is a three-dimensional interactive billboard. Until they're inside the attraction, strive to make your patrons and passers-by want to stay and see what's in store!
MISC"QUEUE"LANEOUS:
Concerning the Line Crew: Use your outside staff to their potential. Your line crew consists of more than just ticket-takers and pre-scare monsters. There are questions to be answered, disorderlies to monitor, and (if you're really good) messes to clean up. Additional positions can include Greeters (at the queue's entry - a high profile "answer guy"), Groupers (covered above - also useful for safety spiels), Plugs (plain-clothes agents mingling with the guests - can cover everything from secret security to playing monster "attack victims") and floating Liaisons (to assist disabled, security, media, etc) - the management's eyes & ears. You can combine these duties or add them to your existing crew if you're short-handed. Try rotating these positions for better efficiency and lower fatigue.
About recent Reserved/Express System inquiries: I do not recommend such an idea to anyone but theme parks, since the concept is based on very high attendance, requires lots of extra manpower, and draws bitter complaints from the uninformed. If you simply must try such a system, I suggest conducting reservations like a restaurant would, with a separate "call ahead" schedule. Be sure to mention your offer in every shred of advertising, and tell customers that slots cannot be held for tardiness; no-shows must be passed up. One good thing I can say about reservations is that they can provide a rough forecast of how busy certain times may be. If twenty different parties call in for Thursday between 8:00 and 9:00 pm, you'd best prepare for a busy night!
Wait Time Posting: Like reservations, this is suited for big, multi-attraction events. Unless you have something else to offer a captive audience, don't give them an excuse to walk away. Places with multiple activities like Disneyland can post wait times because the customer will end up doing or buying something else in Disneyland. However, since knowing your own queue wait time can be very helpful to you. Here's a chart to help you see where you stand in terms of intake and when to make adjustments:
[ See Chart in Issue 39 of Haunted Attraction Magazine ]
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Formula Key
U=A/S: Utilization = Arrival Rate / Service Rate
Definitions:
Arrival Rate: the rate at which patrons arrive at your event
Service Rate: the rate at which patrons can complete their trip through your attraction
Utilization: a measure of your ability to meet your throughput requirements. This number should optimally be equal to or less than 1.
Example1:
Arrival Rate = 500 patrons per hour
Service Rate = 500 patrons per hour
Utilization = 1 (500/500)
In this example, you are keeping up with the number of patrons who are arriving.
Example2:
Arrival Rate = 500 patrons per hour
Service Rate = 520 patrons per hour
Utilization = 0.96 (500/520)
In this example, you are ahead of keeping up with the number of patrons who are arriving. There should be no patrons waiting in line.
Example3:
Arrival Rate = 500 patrons per hour
Service Rate = 480 patrons per hour
Utilization = 1.04 (500/480)
In this example, Patrons are arriving faster than you can send them through your attraction. Steps must be taken to avoid an excessively lengthy queue.
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