The Ouimet years: some early thoughts

There are a number of threads discussing some of the changes that are taking place at Cedar Point, specifically pertaining to improvements and cap ex for 2012, Mr. Ouimet's arrival at the company, and various other changes taking place in the park. I'm inspired to start a new one. There's so much going on right now, on a daily and at times practically an hourly, basis, that I feel the need to step back and try to find a 'big picture' perspective of it all.

Wow. Just wow. If anybody thought that Mr. Ouimet's entrance would be a breath of fresh air, I don't think many of us anticipated the gale of activity he would bring with him. The scale and number of changes--from something as, well, big-ass and visionary as the new Luminosity show to minutae like the curve of a midway's boundaries--is almost bewildering to take in. They seem to be pouring in as fast as Mr. Hildebrandt can get the tweets out. Forget the blog: the way the new regime has hit the ground running, we don't need creative filler to keep us occupied.*

I've been coming to this park since 1976. I've seen innumerable new rides debut over the years, and a few old treasured friends go by the wayside. And I have to say I've never been as excited--not when Millennium Force was unveiled, nor Magnum, Raptor, orTop Thrill Dragster--as I am at this moment. Those were merely rides. Attractions. I don't think it's grandiose to say that what is happening now is a redefining of what Cedar Point means. What had been merely (and arguably) the world's best thrill park with a bunch of kids' rides thrown in for good measure is becoming something more, right before our eyes.

And this isn't to denigrate what Dick Kinzel did for Cedar Point. He certainly had his own vision, and in the grand scales of judgment the parks are all better for having had his personal stamp upon them for so many years. But this...this is something different. Exhilirating. Garth said we fear change, but I doubt he meant the kind of transformation that is occurring right now.

I just got the chance to watch the rest of the presentation at the Pointbuzz event online, and I'm still jazzed. First of all, and before I forget, could anybody, even just a year ago, imagine the administration putting together this kind of sophisticated and informative presentation for a bunch of enthusiasts? I wasn't there, but I wish I had gone. You guys had Hildebrandt, for Chrissake! Telling you in no uncertain terms the future of the park. It's almost like waking up in Oz. Where's a munchkin to hug?

Back to the point. Watching the unfolding of the plans for 2012 in that presentation, my jaw literally fell open. Because what I saw was a brand-new vision of a place I knew well and thought I loved. What was unveiled was nothing short of a park-wide blossoming. Does anybody else get this? In one off-season, virtually the entire front of the park up to Frontier Trail is going to be impacted, improved, made more than it was. And this is just the beginning.

I have to say, from this enthusiast's perspective, Mr. Ouimet's decisions and choices to date have been pitch perfect. I almost feel like he has a direct tap into my brain and understands implicitly what I have fumblingly tried to express many times over the years. The man gets IT. I can't imagine a better kick-off to what I hope will be a long, long tenure at the top. Can you picture what he'll do with a place like Knotts, or Kings Island, or Canada's Wonderland?

I for one am instituting a season-long moratorium on any carping about "charm". :)

Thus endeth the gushing.

*And certainly not meaning to impugn the fine job that Tony and Tyler, and more recently Rebecca, have done with the platform.

As a lifelong guest watching that presentation was like an out-of-body experience. It's hard not to be optimistic for the future of the park. Hopefully the audience, trained for almost two decades to only expect thrill rides, is ready and willing to follow this new vision for what Cedar Point can be.

Very well put Mike! It goes without saying that great shores are on the horizon. Though I guess the shores are already being docked in this case.

And love the Wayne's World reference. Party On! :)

Ensign Smith said:
Wow. Just wow.

Couldn't agree more.

Where's a munchkin to hug?

Retired, and replaced by some silly Frenchman, or so I've heard.

I for one am instituting a season-long moratorium on any carping about "charm".

I have a feeling that, given Ouimet's focus on the minutiae that can make or break the guest experience on an almost subconscious level (i.e. curved walkway borders, improved sound system, etc.), we may see more care toward avoiding tree removal, when possible.

Just curious, are all these new changes Uuimet only?

Like the light show... Would this not be something that has been in development for a while? Did he take over control before everything was handed to him just a few months ago?

Seems like a ton of stuff for the short time he has been in office. Just curious if maybe Kinzel had started the development for a lot of these changes and Ouimet is finishing them out, or if this is 100% all him.

Either way, I love the new stuff. Can't wait!

Well put, Mike.

I believe the changes are all from Ouimet. If you were at the presentation, perhaps you remember Lee saying that Matt walked through the park at night and commented that this is a nice park but we need to light it up and make in more exciting at night. Certainly seems like Kinzel had nothing to do with it.

Ensign, you put things perfectly. Those of you old enough to remember the 60's and 70's, you will remember what an exciting time it was at CP, watching the park grow and be totally transformed by Legross and Roose. In addition to the improvements, they paid a lot of attention to details like food quality and light bulbs working on rides. For the time period, I think the park was perfect.

Fast forward to the present, I think the Ouimet years will see this same type of innovation and attention to detail. It will be a much different park from the 60's, but I believe it will be absolutely great for the 2010's and 2020's. Luminosity I believe will be a game changer, not only in the quality of the show, but in changing people's perceptions of Cedar Point from a "coaster park" back to what it was in earlier years as an amusement park that has a wide variety of entertainment. And yes, I think even Dinosaurs Alive will fit in nicely. I was an early critic to that attraction, but I'm changing my mind on this as I think it will be a nice piece of the puzzle in the big picture. I still wish it was included with admission however.

Also, it is obvious that Hildebrandt has a deep love of the park and is the perfect person to be in charge. With the micromanagement of Kinzel out of the picture, I think the park GM will be able to actually have some autonomy on running the park. I expect that we will see some really good things coming from Hildebrandt in the future.

It is certainly a new era at Cedar Fair, and I can now see why the Disneyland fans were so excited during the Ouimet years at that park.

Very well stated, Mike. And I wholeheartedly agree.

You mentioned a "curve in the midway"....what is that in reference to exactly?

The new Iron Dragon midway is going to be curvy.

And will be renamed Celebration Plaza.

I agree with the sentiment but I do find one thing a bit humorous. Folks used to knock Kinzel for having too much of a dictatorship role, one that people were afraid to offer up ideas. Now folks are praising Ouimet for putting a curve onto a midway. I am not sure that choosing between tumbled and non-tumbled pavers is exactly the role I want a CEO to have. If he is that far into the details things seem like they could take a turn to the dictatorship side of the spectrum pretty quickly.

Luckily, I doubt that is what really happened. Everything I have seen so far suggests that Ouimet is focused on running the business (meaning FUN), and that his view of Cedar Point comes from strolling down the midway, taking what is often referred to as a "10,000 foot" view.

But one of the things that is vitally important for the kind of business that Cedar Point is in is attention to detail. Like whether the edges of the midway should be straight or curved and whether the pavers should be cobbled or flat. Ouimet's job is to make sure that the people who develop the product...the designers, the landscapers, the contractors, all those people...actually pay attention to those details so that as company boss, he doesn't have to.

Here on PointBuzz, we are accustomed to everything that happens at Cedar Point having Dick Kinzel's personal stamp of approval. I think we have already seen that Matt Ouimet is unlikely to operate in that manner. I think the entire company is going to reflect Ouimet's vision, and accordingly, we will see his influence at Cedar Point. But I think what we are going to see even more will be John Hildebrandt's interpretation of Ouimet's vision for Cedar Point. And ultimately I think that's going to better serve *our* interests as customers.

The bottom line is that I think the hallmark of the Ouimet "administration" is going to be a transition into a world where everything that happens in the park can no longer be traced back to the ideas and taste of any one individual. We're going to have a chance to see what kind of talent that company really has.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Agreed. I think what we are seeing are the cumulative ideas of many finally leaking through into reality, merely guided by Oiumet.

And Mike made a great point; no one doubts that Kinzel transformed, in many ways, Cedar Point into a better place. He transformed it from a regional park into a destination park. Great. He just simply did not know when (or refused to) step away in my opinion. I thought his planned exit (before Paramount) was perfectly timed...right when things were looking like new leadership was definitely needed...but he hung on. And hung on...but I digress. I think history will view Kinzel simply as the man who made the transformation, and Ouimet can bring balance back to the force...because for far too long this park has been teetering way out of balance.

I feel like it's finding it's way "home" in a way; back to some of its roots as a place that did pay extra attention to the little things, and certainly had a more family-centered focus (while maintaining thrills, of course). Those of us who danced to the Hobo band know what I'm talking about. :)

I think that if you want to put it in a nutshell, it comes down to this: the park hitherto has been thrilling, and exciting, and fun. Now it has a chance to be truly magical as well.

Now, I'm not too concerned with DK working past the date he was supposed to retire. This has brought us here to Mr. Ouimet, which I'm very thankful for. Who knows who we would have as CEO if Dick woulda retired as plan.

Things happen for a reason.

This is the best thread I've read in years. Like Mike said...Oiumet gets it. HIS vision is also OUR vision, the vision we've all been trying to convey to Mr. Kinzel for the past 10 years. While I believe Dick tried to implement some of these changes, I think he failed in alot of ways i.e. a carbon copy of Camp Snoopy, closure of Paddlewheel Excursions, a flume with too high of a height requirement and some Christmas lights that are not always working. All of these ideas were good ideas, they just weren't executed well. As all of you have mentioned, attention to detail is important.

Here's to a new era!

He totally gets it. There's no doubt that Cedar Point will stay the "best amusement park in the world". I'm curious thought about how much of this will go to other CF parks. Are we getting the special treatment cause were the Flagship park?

I think you defiantly implement the changes a your flagship park first and foremost, but with that being said I think ouimet will focus on running cedar fair and improvements across the company allowing his managers to make the decisions. Cedar point is in a unique situation in that corporate is at the park so naturally I think to start ouimet is pretty involved. I think you will be hearing a lot more of cp management then corporate in coming years.

One thing I have already noticed, you don't see Ouimet being quoted in the press releases for individual parks. At least not much, though there may be a quote or two from him, the quotes being gathered (especially for Cedar Point) are from Hilderbrant and others.
Heck how many times was Kinzel quoted in recent years in releases that were just about Cedar Point!

Shades said:
Folks used to knock Kinzel for having too much of a dictatorship role, one that people were afraid to offer up ideas. Now folks are praising Ouimet for putting a curve onto a midway.

Only that's not what happened. Ouimet is an enabler. He says, "This would be cool, what do you think? It's your budget." It's a far cry from endless paperwork where every little thing had a line on it that said "RDK" and required initials. No joke, it used to be that ridiculous. In particular, I can only imagine what this new leadership will mean for the P&D folks, because they're going to have a whole lot more room to breathe.

I heard from one manager who put it to me this way. He had a meeting with several people before Ouimet was CEO, and getting to know people. Matt told everyone there that he had opinions, but he wanted to be challenged because he was the new guy, and certainly doesn't have all of the answers. He flat out said he doesn't want yes men. I think we all know what happened to people who challenged Dick.

And isn't it too early to talk about the early years when he's only been on the job as CEO for two months? :)