Thread: Lessons Learned 2009?

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So now that our day is behind us and we look forward to 2010. What have we learned to take forward?

Me .. Props need to be designed with the weather in mind. I spent a good part of yesterday waterproofing things that I really should have done right up front. Also, things will go wrong so easy access to needed components and adjustments.

Also while my lighting was GREAT I really need some low level lighting on some individual props like tombstones. Many you could not make out what they said.

As for my Ice Chiller. It worked great. We used 50# of dry ice only. But it was obvious as the night went on the dry ice was evaporating. Buy 11pm nothing was left. We did a test run last week with 20# wet and 15# dry and I think that would have been better to stick with. After that test I still had a a lot of wet ice in the morning.

Hide my toilet paper from my guest/friends/neighbors. They are all drip drying next year. They TP'ed my big tree the minute I went in to check on the party and get a bite to eat. Later they told me "We thought you would never go in". Paybacks my friends....I know where you all live

David

Isn't payback fun?

Lessons learned here.....

Sheriff's deputy @ $400 for 2 hours = money well spent. Absolutely no vandalism or prop damage this year. We'll budget for that every year!

Even though the exit was a 6' wide open frame at the end of the haunt, when you're in a fog-filled room with a blacklight and being chased by a guy with a live chainsaw, the door opening is apparently hard to see. We heard at least 5 people hit the wall instead of the opening because they weren't watching where they were going. We need to outline that sucker in fluorescent paint next year.

Crickets don't crawl over buckys, they hide under them, which doesn't make for a very scary bug box effect. We'll just ditch that prop entirely next year.

We really need a fog chiller set up in the morgue. We had a great fogger this year, but it wasn't the effect we wanted.

Finally....a year's worth of work IS worth the 1.5 hours of screams. Every year, in the middle of August, I question what the heck I'm doing. But last night was awesome!

Stacy

I've learned the bubble fogger is a kid magnet and to put it where they will not bump into the other props chasing the bubbles.

I learned test out my fog machine befor the day of!!!My great fog machine I had for 8 years decided it has lived its life . Also buy more duct tape went through a whole roll wind proffing the props!!

No more buying or building props I can't leave outside!!I was wore out getting some of my props in everyday.

I learned to do something besides styrofoam for tombstones because it is just not going to work well in this country in October. I couldn't set up the cemetery until the night before Halloween due to the wind. And they crumbled going into the ground however I did it so I ended up having to tape them together with that clear mailing tape.

I also learned that I am going to have to schedule better during the week before I set up and make sure not to schedule 3 hour meetings during the evenings, agree to babysit for anyone, and to get all major shopping out of the way.