Thread: What did you learn?

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I learned that no matter how cool your yard and inside of the house looks durning the day that without the proper lighting at night you're doomed. I got tons of compliments, but a lot was lost due to bad lighting.

I learned no matter how much time you set aside it's not enough. I had so many things planned in my head that I wanted to do and get done and I only got about half of them done.

I learned that most props you buy are cheap junk and will break or don't work to begin with so buy it all on sale, make your own or go without lol.

And last but not least I learned that even if it doesn't turn out exactly how I wanted it or don't get everything done to just relax and have fun because that's what it's all about and people enjoy it anyway.

I reaffrimed that remote controls rock. Having complete control over when a prop turns on and off is the single biggest key to captivating young TOT's

I learned that I need a much better fog distribution system. Here in the cool damp Pacifiic north-west, keeping fog low is difficult.

I learned to surrender to the weather. I thought for sure we would get rain last night and even went out and bought some clear plastic tarps to cover the more delicate props, but it cleared up and turned out to be perfect.

1. I learned that all it takes is 1 year for the rumor to spread that you have a haunted house.
2. I learned that its very hard to go easy on crying kids when you have a chainsaw.

Overall, great year

I came here to start this thread, because I have a lot to say on topic, but I'll bogart this one...

- Since switching over to a full-front lawn, display-style haunt that I thought would bring in more foot traffic thanks to high-visibilty, I got a lot of disappointed folks looking for the old backyard walk-thru I did three years back

- Early frost and freezing rain are the enemy of homemade mechanical props... joints should be well-greased and maintained to prolong the life of said props.

- OVERBUILD EVERYTHING! Skimp nowhere... even if PVC will work, use metal instead.

- Donations were much, much greater with the backyard walk-thru... directing the attention of TOTS and their parents through a static entrance meant more folks recognizing the donation bucket at the door... browsing thru a graveyard meant skipping the thing entirely if you felt like it

- DON'T pay much heed to unsubstantiated rumors from well-meaning passers-by. I was alarmed by several patrons early on that two haunts in the area were closed by the police for traffic issues, both of which turned out to be 100% untrue... one was still open as usual, the other had found a home in a bigger venue not far away for profit

- Give and you shall receive... treat everyone with respect and courtesy, even the kid that's yanking on the fence or pulling on the floating skeleton's leg, and they'll be back. Scold kids for touching things and the rumors will start, and pretty soon, their parents will be telling other parents about the mean guy who yelled at their kids... or worse. Continued success means being the nice guy, and everything broken can be fixed

- Make sure you have a comfort area with chairs available for older patrons who want to relax while their kids and grandkids run around... it costs you nothing to grab the picnic furniture and put it somewhere accessible, but they'll appreciate it more than you'll know

- Listen, listen, listen... your patrons will inevitably tell you what they remembered from last time around, or from years ago, that you may have forgotten to put up. Those are the things they've been talking about all year, and may have brought others by with the intention of seeing it. If you can, promise to accommodate them next time. This is the stuff that legends are born of

- I've personally seen this happen at other places we've visited... no matter how much work you've put in, don't assume that this is enough Halloween entertainment for TOTs... BUY MUCH CANDY and give it out! The haunt is the icing, the candy is the cake, and they must coexist in the minds of the young. Again, you will be remembered by the kids who didn't get candy, and they grow up. Make your patrons as happy as you possibly can

- Fog juice is not the same product from store to store... buy the good stuff.

i learned that...

~if a switch/button breaks, rip out the wires, give them to your brother and yell GO, STOP for him to manually touch them together and then apart!

~that if you build it, they will get scared and run through it.

~tough guys don't exist in front of a chainsaw!

~that i was right that if people follow my plan and direction things turn out GREAT!

it was my first year where everyone (new group of friends) met up EARLY, talked, ran through the thing, made suggestions, ran a couple kids through, discussed, then came out with the ultimate scare tactic. and STUCK TO IT! was wonderful!

I learned, animated props you build yourself rule and with the right amount of lithium grease, windshield wiper motors don't squeak...much.

~I learned that not everyone will appreciate Halloween themed music and will want to listen to other kinds instead...
~I learned that even if my display was small compared to what I'd have wanted...it was the best around here cos people don't seem to bother anymore...
~I learned that a lot of people who go through the motions of putting up decorations will pretend not to be home when TOTs call...meanies...
~But most of all I learned that I still love Halloween!!!

Have extra speakers .I lost two set last night had to bring out my old set and I lost one from that set .Next year bigger and loader.

Originally Posted by jimf

Have extra speakers .I lost two set last night had to bring out my old set and I lost one from that set .Next year bigger and loader.

Did your speakers burn out or did they "walk" off?