ISSUE 41 : SPOTLIGHT

HAuNTcon Picks Up Steam!

By Leonard Pickel

Nearly 1,000 Haunters from all across the country descended upon the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Dallas last April for the second annual Haunted Attraction Tradeshow and Convention™ , better known as HAuNTcon™ . Sponsors for the event were Anatomical Chart Company , Bloody Mary , Dallas Trocars Funeral Car Club , Haunted Memories , Midwest Haunters Convention , Monster Energy Drink , ScreamPass Powered by Ticket Web and TheGhoulishGallery.com .

HAuNTcon is held each year to provide Haunted Attraction owners/operators (and wanna-be owners/operators) the chance to learn more about their craft. It is also the place to share new and interesting ways to save money and to bring in additional revenue. The entire convention - from the pre-show bus trip, tours and socials at area Haunted Attractions to the unbelievable Costume Ball - is a fabulous networking opportunity. Everyone you meet (in the restaurants, in the elevator, on the show floor, etc.) are all Haunters.

Spooky Kids Program

Haunting is a family affair and Haunters come in all ages. Therefore, HAuNTcon has no age restrictions on attendance at any of its functions. There is, in fact, a special children’s program for the very young. Speaking of families, some attendees even turn HAuNTcon into a family vacation. They arrive a few days early, or stay a few days after the show, to do some siteseeing. Some write off the whole trip as a business expense.

Pre-show Haunted Road Trip

Since it is difficult for Haunters to see other attractions in October, HauNTcon, which takes place in a different city every year, offers them the perfect chance to see attractions around the country. An overnight bus trip in 2005 was the starting point for a tour of 8 Haunted elements. These included Reindeer Manor , now in its thirty first season, in Red Oak; Ripley’s Haunted Adventure and Nightmare on Grayson , both in the Alamo city of San Antonio; Phantasms Halloween Scream Park in Alvarado, Texas; and a final destination of "Big D" for a Haunt Tour and Social at the Dallas ScareGrounds .

Thrillvania Haunt Tour and Social

In December of 2002, our industry lost one of its greatest talents, Lance Pope . Lance’s multi-element "screampark" Thrillvania , in Terrell, Texas, is now operated by Lance’s parents, Sue and Ralph Pope , with the help of manger Mike Malac . On Friday night, HAuNTcon attendees were invited to Thrillvania for a Bar-B-Q and tour. Almost 400 people attended this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a behind the scenes, up close look at the fantastic work of the late Lance Pope.

Haunt Ed™ Program

An impressive education program is another key component of HAuNTcon. The program started early on Friday morning, and continued almost non-stop through Sunday afternoon. Seminars and workshops, totaling over 60 hours, were available to attendees in 3 tiers, all for the price of admission. No other gathering of Haunters comes even close to providing this level of industry education.

One tier of the education program is devoted to actor training. Ghoul School™ was sponsored again this year by Scream Syndicate , the association for Haunted Attraction Actors. This tier, created for the actor or actor coordinator of an event, shares techniques and tips on how to train, maintain and increase the quality of Haunt actors.

In addition to the seminars, product demonsrations and hands-on workshops were held. These took place on a large stage, which was set up in the show’s lobby area. Industry professionals shared their secrets for scenic painting techniques, make-up applications and prop building. This was a delight for HAuNTcon attendees.

NOTE: For the first time, most of the HAuNTcon seminars, demos, workshops and actor training classes were videotaped for DVD distribution. See the ad in this issue, go to www.hauntedattraction.com or Call 972-951-5100 for more details.

The Tradeshow

No convention is complete without a Tradeshow element, and HAuNTcon is no exception. This year 47 exhibitors filled the 70 booth show floor, which was constantly busy with haunters searching for those must-have items and services for their 2005 season. Since the tradeshow is very laid back, it allows more time to get to know the vendors and build relationships with people with whom you do business.

HAuNTcon qualifies its attendees by charging an admission fee to the convention. Originally a way to keep booth prices low, the admission price ensures that most every person walking the floor is a Haunter and serious about buying since they were willing to pay the price of admission. This effect is evident by the number of exhibitors who sold out of product at the show!

Horror Celebrities

Many Haunted Attractions would like to use horror celebrity appearances to attract attendance to their events, but this can be very intimidating. HAuNTcon features celebrities at the convention. Attendees are able to get autographs from the celebrities, and by meeting these horror icons face to face, ask questions about costs and availability in a neutral setting. Celebrities at HAuNTcon 2005 were: Lisa Loring , Wednesday in the Addams Family TV series; George Lutz , the man who moved his family into the most Haunted House in the country and became the basis for the Amityville Horror book; Bill Mosely , Choptop from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Otis from House of 1000 Corpses ; Kane Hodder , Jason Voorhees in Jason X ; Michael Berryman from T he Hills Have Eyes and The Devil's Rejects ; Ed Neal , the hitchhiker from the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre ; Reggie Banister from Phantasm I, II, III and IV, Bubba Ho-Tep ; and special effects and make-up artist for Phantasm IV , Gigi "Fast Elk" Porter .

Monster Make-up Wars

The fact that the show floor closed did not mean the learning or the fun was over! Evening socials, night time events and networking activities continued into the wee hours. As a joint promotion, the Midwest Haunter’s Convention (MHC) sponsored their signature Monster Make-up Wars . Cross-promoting HAuNTcon with other Haunt conventions and gatherings may surprise some, but HAuNTcon believes this is the best thing for the industry. It will help all of the tradeshows, gathering and conventions to grow.

Haunted Costume Ball

The crowning highlight of HAuNTcon each year is the Haunted Costume Ball , sponsored by Haunted Attraction Magazine . Saturday night the Adams Mark Hotel was filled with gross ghouls and gorgeous gals, as the Haunting Industry dressed up for one heck of a party. The social event of the season, this year’s costume ball was the largest ever. Most of the 300 attendees were in full, unbelievable costume.

Music, dancing, and "Scary-oke" was provided by DJ Brian Bayliss of Halloweffects.com , who had the party still going strong at midnight. Pickel convinced the hotel staff to let the event run overtime, even though the room had to be turned into seminar-arrangement by 8:00 AM the next morning. An annual T-shirt toss was organized by Cody Minor of UCP Fright Factory . Michael Chaille of Ghost Ride Productions raffled off their large static Wolf Prop. Photo ops, heavy hors d'oeuvres, party favors, door prizes and lots of spooky fun made this a night that HAuNTcon attendees will never forget.

Hearse Rally

Sunday at HAuNTcon began the same way the two previous days had, with early education, demonstrations, and the tradeshow floor. At noon, attendees had their first chance to get outside and into the Dallas daylight for the second annual Hearse and Parade Car Rally. This year the Dallas Trocars Funeral Car Club sponsored the hearse show. Over 20 owners from across the country showed off their incredible "Last Rides" at this one of a kind event.

Haunted Garage Sale

The last official event of the convention was the Haunted Garage Sale. When it became time for this to begin, attendees packed the back corner of the exhibit space and waited for the wall to open and let them in. This "Grand Opening" for the garage sale was foiled when the hotel technicians had trouble opening the 20’ high partition. The crowd was getting anxious, so in a much less grandiose entrance, Pickel ushered attendees through a service corridor and into the meeting. The room that was filled with table after table of used Haunting equipment. Soon the wall did, in fact, slide out of the way, once most of the attendees were already swarming over the Haunted Garage Sale bargains.

HAuNTcon 2006

Denver Here We Come!

Each piece of HAuNTcon creates a synergy of exactly what the Haunting Industry is starving for! Moving HAuNTcon from city to city exposes Haunting to a larger community, thereby growing the industry. Charging a fee to attendees qualifies buyers and helps keep the price of booth space low. New and emerging companies can then afford to exhibit and established companies can experiment with new products. New seminar speakers offer fresh and exciting ideas to attendees while getting speaking experience. Massive education provides attendees with the information they need to be more effective and profitable, so they can buy more product from the vendors. Haunt tours give attendees the opportunity to see Haunts they have only heard about, which is the only way to know how their attraction compares to others. Even the Costume Ball and Hearse Rally are designed to get attendees back in touch with the reason that they started Haunting in the first place. Because it is fun!

Finding a hotel big enough to hold HAuNTcon has become a task in itself, as very few ballrooms are large enough to hold the growing tradeshow floor. “We do not want to make the jump to a convention center until we have to,” explains Pickel, “We like having all of the events under one roof.” HAuNTcon 2006 will be held, at the Marriot Tech Center in Denver, Colorado. Make plans now to join Haunters from all over the country at the only national tradeshow and convention designed by Haunters, for Haunters!

For further information on attending or exhibiting at HAuNTcon 2006, log onto www.hauntcon.com, or call 972-951-5100. The Marriot Tech Center is at 4900 South Syracuse, Denver, Colorado 80237. Call 888-238-1491 for hotel reservations.

"Jeanne and I would like to thank all of the incredible people who pitched in to help pull off this HAuNTcon 2005! You know who you are, and we know we could not have done this without you! We are touched by your support and will never be able to thank you enough!" A special thanks to Kirstin Wright, Bad Boys Scenic Design, Allan Erush, Bill Rodriguez, Fred and Elizabeth Cowart, Mike and Kathy Marcrum, Kris and Ryan Fischer, Cody Minor, Brian Bayliss, Bill Livingston, David and LaNora Pickel, Suzanne Williamson, Sean Majka, Rich Majka, Scott Broad, David Love and all of the attendees and exhibitors of HAuNTcon 2005. Without your help and support, this event could never have happened!

Thank you for your continuing support!

Leonard Pickel

HAuNTcon 2005 Exhibitors

HAuNTcon was honored to have these quality companies exhibit in 2005. We ask our readers to support these fine vendors!