Many new improvements for Six Flags Over Georgia this season. Perhaps the Six Flags chain is about to have a second era of glory days...
*******************************************************Six Flags chain's new chief wants cleaner, kiddie-oriented parks
Thrill rides to take back seat to showsBy MATT KEMPNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/26/06
Something gnawed at the new chief executive of the troubled Six Flags theme park chain as he marched up a hill inside Six Flags Over Georgia on Wednesday.
A worker had told him that visitors stood in two-hour-long lines for the Thunder River water ride only to see some boats sitting idle.
Mark Shapiro, a 35-year-old former ESPN programming chief, called out to the entourage of about 20 suited Six Flags executives trailing him as he toured the park.
"We've got to cut those lines," Shapiro said. "Get those four boats. Write that down. 'Thunder River.' "
Using the boats will increase labor costs a little, but Shapiro is rearranging spending priorities for the nation's largest chain of regional theme parks, which for years has lost money while staggering under more than $2 billion in debt.
Shapiro — on the job for just a month — wants to attract more families with young children to the parks, which have become havens for teens.
Shapiro promises to clean up properties, improve customer service, offer more shows, avoid constructing monstrously expensive thrill rides and focus on gentler kiddie rides.
One example of his aim to send a different message: Reduce reliance on past advertising staple Mr. Six, the dancing bald man in a tux who looks like a senior citizen on a roller-coaster-load of speed.
"I'm not sure what he stands for," Shapiro said.
The Six Flags park in Austell plans to start daily parades this spring and daily laser shows and fireworks in the summer. Roving costumed characters will increase from one or two a day to 30 every hour, Shapiro said.
The park is adding 150 garbage cans and stationing staff in every restroom. The entire chain has adopted a policy to restrict smoking.
"Parents don't want their kids walking around in clouds of smoke," Shapiro said.
The man who helped ESPN build high-stakes poker into a national passion envisions Six Flags attracting visitors by perhaps holding an Atlanta Falcons day or an Atlanta Braves day, with past and present members of the teams.
"We need buzz," he said, adding later, "Theme parks are all about marketing."
Locally, customers have had gripes: trash and wads of chewed gum, long lines, closed rides and an atmosphere catering mostly to teenagers.
Attendance dropped
Six Flags opened a water area called Skull Island last year that was supposed to attract families, but annual park attendance dropped 3 percent, to fewer than 2 million visitors, Shapiro said. Overall North American attendance rose 6 percent to about 35 million visitors.
Shapiro joined the company after a successful power play by shareholder Dan Snyder, who owns the Washington Redskins football team. Snyder became Six Flags' chairman. Already, Shapiro has brought in a number of former colleagues from ESPN, which is owned by Disney, a Six Flags competitor.
The chief executive is touring every park in the chain, bucking up employees, pointing out things to fix and getting a little press.
During his visit to Six Flags Over Georgia on Wednesday morning — his first time in the park — the new chief told employees, "We're trying to put money in the most visible places."
He also said he intends to look for more opportunities to strike exclusive licensing deals, with food companies and others.
One of his biggest moves, though, is to no longer rely on adding expensive thrill rides to juice up attendance. While the attractions hook teens, the attendance spike usually lasts just a year, Shapiro said. "They never pay for themselves."
Six Flags Over Georgia will unveil a mammoth ride this year: the $20 million Goliath, which was approved before Shapiro joined the company. He said flatly, "You won't see any more Goliaths."
Smaller rides for families will cost a tenth of Goliath's price, he said.
Shapiro also faces Six Flags' mountain of debt.
He hopes to sell some of the 3,500 excess acres around parks. He said he doesn't know whether that will include 85 acres at Six Flags Over Georgia — land owned by a partnership that includes other investors — or a smaller parcel at the company-operated White Water park in the Marietta area. He said the company also may sell some parks.
But he said he doesn't anticipate selling Six Flags Over Georgia.
"This is one of our most successful parks."
*******************************************************From <a href='http://www.ajc.com/news/content/business/stories/0126bizsixflags.html?COXnetJSessionIDbuild115=DYXnXzkt5zDCvsC7Td8iRtSJPLU81DlqoIB82OZ2h4EOB9cDS1F3!441034424&UrAuth=`N`NUOaNZUbTTUWUXUWUZT[UUUWU^U`UZUbUbUcTYWVVZV&urcm=y' target='_blank'>The Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a>.
Thats the way I feel.
