Could Steel Vengeance have a media event?

Could Steel Vengeance have a media event that invites enthusiasts like they did for Gatekeeper?

OK, before I get pounced on as "entitled enthusiast feels like he deserves to be at a media event", let me say this. Mystic Timbers invited ACE members (just ACE) to Media Day, so Cedar Fair might be moving back towards media days. Gatekeeper Media Day in 2013 was one of the best (if not the best) days I've ever had at the Point, and I'd love to see it again with an even better roller coaster.

I know CP management sometimes reads these forums, and if they're on the fence about this, let me just say this: as an enthusiast and GOCC member, I would appreciate this, whether or not I get free stuff. And I feel like many others here would feel the same way. (Free stuff is always nice, but let's be honest, we're there for the ride, not a jacket or poster or whatever :P)

I wouldn't count on it. From what I've heard, there have been too many enthusi-ass incidents at past events. They really push for first rider auctions that support charity.

What Thabto said. The Gatekeeper and Banshee media days were great! Some of the most fun I've had at those parks. It was nice while it lasted.

Eh, again, KI did a media invite thing so I could see CP doing it. The minority of enthusiasts shouldn't screw the rest of us out of a great event that the majority of us will enjoy, appreciate, and spread good word about. Did anybody here attend Timbers' ACE event? How did it go in terms of "rude enthusiasts?"

GigaG said:

Mystic Timbers invited ACE members (just ACE) to Media Day, so Cedar Fair might be moving back towards media days.

If they invited ACE members, it was probably just a select few such as club officials. I'm guessing the park may hold a raffle again at Winter Chill Out, with prizes for SV media day passes.

It seems like all were invited. But only those who had been members before a certain date (no last minute signups) IIRC.

http://www.acenewengland.org/?p=80059

^^They didn't have a drawing for Valravn at WCO the year it opened. It was strictly a media only event.

While I do think the "entitled enthusiasts" do play a factor in why media events are no longer "open", I also think it was a marketing experiment that didn't go quite as well as they hoped. At the Banshee media day in 2014, there were a ton of enthusiasts, and as far as I know, no negative behavior stories. I think the parks were hoping for increased social media coverage from the enthusiast crowd, and they didn't get quite what they were hoping for. That's all speculation on my part though.

Wasn't Banshee Media Day the one with the one guy who shall remain nameless b^&%*ing and moaning that he didn't want to be told what kind of shirt to wear and he wanted to wear a shirt from another park's ride while he was invited to help promote Kings Island's new ride? There's always something. People already getting something extra and don't know when to quit it and just be happy. Jeez - for both Gatekeeper and Banshee, they invited us, fed us I believe two meals, gave us swag, opened up other rides, etc and still a few found something to complain about. I left both those days feeling like CP and KI went above and beyond in every regard and I did what I could to thank some people and spread the word about the new rides.

You might be right that they didn't see the value in whatever extra promotion that they got on social media.

To me, it looks good to at least have full trains for pictures that show up on the front page or on websites, but they can probably pull that off without inviting everyone and all the "baggage" they bring..

They have plenty of fresh faces employees that can fill those trains at any time.

Tony has said it was a failed experiment, but the discussion was slightly more towards those nice 1st day of Halloweekend events they did for a couple of years, with special early entry and first rider type access to the new haunt of the year. With those specifically, the local news was too busy covering high school sports on Friday night to devote a crew and 2 minutes of air-time.

The mommy-bloggers conference being held that same weekend probably gives them more bang for the buck than an enthusiast event.

Not to be entitled, but it has recently irked me that OSU day is held prior to any sort of passholder event, in addition to closing Media Day. It's not even at the same time - they have OSU students in the park as the first members of the public to ride the newest thing hours before passholders can preview it.

Just saying, I was much less impressed by Valravn's preview day than I was with the extremely generous and amazing experience at GK and Banshee Media Days. Sometimes (only recently, really) CP honestly gives off a vibe of viewing enthusiasts as a burden, as opposed to (for example) Holiday World which manages to throw an event nearly of CoasterMania's caliber in a park 1/3 the size and doing special things for enthusiasts (e.g. no-trims Voyage while Magnum unofficially had no trims at CM only up to last year, they were apparently on this year.)

I do enjoy what CP does already, but the last 4 years have seemed to have brought a sudden decline in events. I hope that the Mystic Timbers ACE preview is a sign that CF might be reversing this decline.

"Not to be entitled", but that's because Buckeye students and all of us alumni are simply better than the rest of you.

^Admittedly a better and more polite response than I would have expected. Well played.

And keep in mind that Holiday World took a season or two away from enthusiasts due to the unfortunate and tragic actions of an attendee. They thought long and hard about inviting us back.

Annnnd... OSU day is open to the general public, so any enthusiast could go if they weren't to cheap to pay the admission. Btw, the over privileged OSU students have to pay admission too, they don't get free rides because they belong to a club.
(If you get there early enough you can probably get a free OSU days t-shirt, to cover up the Dorito stained Mountain Dew tshirt)

^^ I know they had that tragedy, and I still find it very interesting that the only park where an enthusiast has died at an event due to what is most likely the enthusiast's own action still seems to love enthusiasts.

^Didnt know that, although it's still a bit annoying. It'd be nice to at least merge the events at the same time. On another note, I do think that associating enthusiasts with "dorito covered Mtn. Dew shirts" is kind of pushing it.

GigaG said:

CP honestly gives off a vibe of viewing enthusiasts as a burden

Probably because we are a burden.

Obviously any group that has a special event is a burden. OSU, enthusiasts, company employees, whatever. I just think it's a bit ridiculous that enthusiasts should be punished for the activities of a vocal minority who likes to loudly complain about the amount or quality of CP swag they get.

Plenty of us will go out and tell friends how amazing a new ride is, while the rude ones will bicker and talk amongst themselves about an alleged scarcity of free stuff. The media and general public quite frankly won't hear or care about a few people who think CP doesn't give them free merchandise.

Just to give you some perspective, the OSU student population is ~66,000. This does not count alumni.

According to their site, ACE has "over" 5,000 members.

So, are you still wondering why the coaster enthusiast community is relatively unimportant?