Bringing my invention to market….Amusement Park Attraction.

[Boswell]

They may still ask for the purpose before the sales

"Thank you for the information below. Upon receiving your further information regarding the application of the hand pushed trolleys, we must respectfully rescind our previous quotation, and decline any further proposals for this application. The hand pushed trolleys are designed to handle non-human loads only and are not designed for human transportation purposes"

So got the above response from one of 3 companies who carried the trolley I desired....
I guess they worried about liability.

Waiting on 2 more replys from other companies. Maybe it's best I don't disclose the use?

They still may require you to share the purpose of the trolleys prior to sales point.

Just try to get samples of a variety of suppliers to see what it's like, just like it's not wise to put all your eggs in one basket.

 

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[croman]

So, after a few days of talking to a few trolley distributors, it came to light that I will need to get a stainless steel corrosion-free unit for outdoor use.

No idea how I missed this in the first place, but I did.

So the costs will go up, but the good news is that there are some good options out there.

 

[croman]

Latest....

I still need to find some minor parts to dress up the attraction. Need to find manufacturers for harness/trolleys/led's/Devils tails/pitchforks/horns etc...and someone to produce the unit when the time comes...

But I will no longer focus on only this.

The sales will almost all come from the 3 major trade shows that are held yearly by IAAPA(international association of amusement parks and attractions). This is where buyers go.

The big 3 are held yearly in Orlando, Asia and Europe.

I will also be attending the trade show that is not part of iaapa which is held in Dubai. Im going after Middle East also..

My engineers have been working hard on the changes that I made to make this attraction work.

I have been listening to Ready, fire. Aim...On audiobooks.

I am now refocusing...Sales.

I need to become a master at trade shows.

Right now I am going to be focussing 80 percent of my time on tradeshow study.

I broke it down to the following for study:

-trade show booth ideas/strategy/design
-pre trade show marketing.
-post trade show follow up /marketing
-Trade show training/staff training
-trade show closing sales

I am going to be spending a pretty penny on a 3d printed model replica of the FrightRope attraction(new name of attraction thanks to @Tobore).

Next week I plan on taking my drawings in hand to visit 3 different 3d printers.

My model that I am going to produce for 3d replica is going to be very big. It will measure approx:
52" deep
35" wide
36" high

I will be spending a lot of money on a 20x30 ft trade show booth at each show. I need to go all out with great staff and a sharp booth.

I had some really cool interactive ideas for the booth. I plan to smash these trade shows and be the talk of the convention.
This is my chance.

I will be getting up at 5am every morning to focus on learning everything I need to know about trade shows .... No F*cking around.

 

[Boswell]

Latest....

I still need to find some minor parts to dress up the attraction. Need to find manufacturers for harness/trolleys/led's/Devils tails/pitchforks/horns etc...and someone to produce the unit when the time comes...

But I will no longer focus on only this.

The sales will almost all come from the 3 major trade shows that are held yearly by IAAPA(international association of amusement parks and attractions). This is where buyers go.

The big 3 are held yearly in Orlando, Asia and Europe.

I will also be attending the trade show that is not part of iaapa which is held in Dubai. Im going after Middle East also..

My engineers have been working hard on the changes that I made to make this attraction work.

I have been listening to Ready, fire. Aim...On audiobooks.

I am now refocusing...Sales.

I need to become a master at trade shows.

Right now I am going to be focussing 80 percent of my time on tradeshow study.

I broke it down to the following for study:

-trade show booth ideas/strategy/design
-pre trade show marketing.
-post trade show follow up /marketing
-Trade show training/staff training
-trade show closing sales

I am going to be spending a pretty penny on a 3d printed model replica of the FrightRope attraction(new name of attraction thanks to @Tobore).

Next week I plan on taking my drawings in hand to visit 3 different 3d printers.

My model that I am going to produce for 3d replica is going to be very big. It will measure approx:
52" deep
35" wide
36" high

I will be spending a lot of money on a 20x30 ft trade show booth at each show. I need to go all out with great staff and a sharp booth.

I had some really cool interactive ideas for the booth. I plan to smash these trade shows and be the talk of the convention.
This is my chance.

I will be getting up at 5am every morning to focus on learning everything I need to know about trade shows .... No F*cking around.

Wish you the best of luck on your exhibitions, you seem to have everything organised. Remember, it's sometimes about first impression, try to stand out from others.

 

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[croman]

Decided to go to 2 tradeshows in toronto tomorrow.

Canfitpro tradeshow and the Toronto Gift Fair.

They have nothing to do with my industry but i would like to do a walk thru of both to see what others are doing in other industries at tradeshow.

Maybe something will jump out at me for my tradeshows.

Maybe i will get some very innovative booth ideas.

Buying a booth display was alot more than i anticipated....even used costs large..

 

[croman]

Self Doubt... Im sure we all had this.

For me and this project is was the following:

For the FrightRope attraction, i have 2 models...its the full size model that has the participant walking as high as 57ft on a line/rope, and i have the kiddie version for the kiddie sections you always see at amusement parks or even carnivals.

The self doubt came in when i wasnt sure if for the full size model, if it was too big for a carnival/midway company to carry, or if it was just too small for the amusement parks that have massive roller coasters and other attractions.

Is it too expensive for a midway to carry/purchase, or too cheap and small for the amusement parks. I mean, amusement parks would easily drop a few million or several million on an attraction/ride....carnivals(larger midway companies) would drop as high as 500k or so(my price range)

OK SO I AM REVAMPING

I am now in talks with engineer to produce a 3rd model strictly for amusement parks.

It is not a mobile unit like the original full size model, doesn't have to be.

Solution:
Create a larger scale version.

So the original had stairs, six flights of stairs for that large model....actually 12 flights, 6 on each side.

I am now in process of also producing a supersized frightrope for the amusement parks only.

How will this model differ?

it will instead of having stairs, it will have conveyor belt type escalator to bring participants to heights as high as 100 ft(maybe 150ft) instead of carnival version that has stairs for people to climb to get up to 57ft high, highwire.

supersize it.

This will also increase my profit margin substantially.
the escalator will also improve my capacity per hour which is very important.

So 3 models now:

amusement park model
carnival model
kiddie model.

 

[croman]

No turning back.....



In Sweden with wife at the iaapa(www.iaapa.org) trade show to get motivation and tips on moving forwArd with my attraction.

I planned on hitting all the shows to get a feel for them before committing to purchasing a booth. Already been to Honk Kong, India, Dubai, and now here in Sweden.

I seen enough. Each time picking up something new and valuable...be it big or small....but valuable non the less.

Just booked 2 tradeshows. Asia show in June,
Euro show in October.

I AM COMMITTED.

I am not a seasoned business man in the regular sense of the word.

this is my life's savings.

I choose to move forward and not give away equity for money.

I am a risk taker.

If I follow thru I don't see major risks.

It's about the follow thru.

Now I put myself into full commitment mode by registering 2 shows.

20 x 30 booth
Asia show booth is 23k CAD dollars
Euro show booth is 18,500 CAD dollars

This is commitment.

Getting done for Asia will be TIGHT!!

I have an out for contract by dec 5th and I would only loose 500 usd.

F*ck that. I cannot let this "out" sway my thinking.
There is no out!!!! This needs to be the mentality.

Gotta go go go.

Pluses at this euro Sweden show:

-Pushed me to commit to a booth at 2 shows(next years euro and Asia)

-found an Italian company with very comfortable "padded" and CE approved harnesses! They are perfect. And he can get approval for North America also(right now they good for Europe/Asia/Middle East)....this to me was huge.

-lots idea on pamphlets.

-spoke to someone and got VERY valuable information on the tradeshow in Dubai and what to expect


Now it's time to stop playing around.

I find myself procrastinating in cycles.

Now it's time to go.

Found a Fabricator in my city to meet with for the Fabrication of FrightRope.

Amazing.

They actually made a roller coaster for Canada's Wonderland(large amusement park). They are competent and have experience in this field. Amazing.
I asked them yesterday to sign an NDA and they have no issue.
End of next week I will see him at the factory for a formal meet and see what they are about when I'm back from Sweden.

It in my hands now.

 

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[Guest3722A]

this is my life's savings.

Be mindful of this.

Keep rockin'.

 

[croman]

Latest update:

Finished CAD drawings from overseas engineer.

Handing them in to Canadian engineer firm on Tuesday.

This firm has extensive experience in getting manufacturers of rides like myself ride certification.

I was initially worried that certification would cost as high as hundred thousand per continent. After yesterday's meeting it has came to light that it will cost a measly 5k per location. This is great news.

So now I'm committed, full steam ahead.

I have committed to Asia show with a 20 x30 booth.

Cost over 18k usd. See attachment.

Now it's time to plan my booth strategies ASAP while my overseas engineer makes CAD of the "kiddie version" of FrightRope.

This kids version will complement the full version well.

I expect this version to maybe sell as well or better then full size version as most parks have a kiddie section

I have self doubt always creeping in.

This is a huge undertaking for me.

 

[croman]

Latest update:

Lost 11,500 usd because I booked both China and euro trade show and had to cancel this year

I am aiming for next years shows(Asia,Euro and Orlando) starting in June.

I could not make the Orlando show and did not want to launch without being able to hit all 3 shows. Orlando is the biggest.

Unfortunate but a nice little lesson.

So my CAD plans for the Attraction will be looked at by an engineering firm here in Toronto area. It will cost about 70k to bring to astm certification etc.

These guys are huge in the industry with many connections. Actually one of the engineers is a safety inspector who travels to amusement parks all over North America.

They hooked me up with a guy who worked for one of the biggest amusement park design companies in the industry. He now has his own company.

I emailed him and on Friday have a meeting with him and "new senior Landscape Architect/Master Planner who has fifteen years in the industry".

They have designed amusement parks for six flags and many other giants.

Reason for meet is to discuss the attraction.

I have concerns that the amount of operators to run this attraction(6-7) may be on the high side which may prove detrimental to sales to park owners.

I also want some validation.

These guys know what park owners look for. I want to get their reaction to the renders of the attraction.

I feel that this is a one of a kind very unique attraction much different than anything else. A nice addition to any park, offering many advantages. It would definitely be an eye catcher because of its sheer size and themed look.

But you know how it is, people become biased with their own projects and may not see clearly because of this. Its like a parent who thinks their children are the most beautiful and smartest in preschool. lol.

I have kept the design secret.

I need to safely validate this idea.

Any other suggestions to validate?

Don't want to just go public for opinion.

Any of the big Giants in the industry who develop rides/attractions can just take the concept and be first to market.

 

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[MitchC]

Any update?