Adventure – Thrill rides, mystery, action. Futurism – Discovery, exploration, science, robotics, science fiction. International – Flavors of the world, areas with national themes. Nature – Animals, gardens, natural wonders. Fantasy – Cartoon characters, magic, myths and legends. History and Culture – Historical ambiance, areas with period themes. Movies – Rides based on films, stunt shows, behind the scenes.
Your business concept: what sort of park you are creating, your strengths and weaknesses, long term goals, and performance indicators, beyond the bottom line, which will let you know you are succeeding or failing. Market research: the nature of the amusement park industry, the size of the market and how much of it you must capture to show a profit, who are your customers, who are your local competitors, how will you advertise your park. A marketing plan: how you will communicate with customers and grow your customer base. An operations plan: identify the individual projects that will lead to completing your larger goals. To begin with, these might include steps to build the park like finding a favorable location, deciding the type of park to build, and hiring an architect, or steps to run the park like hiring experienced managers, deciding on the number of staff needed and their pay, placing ads, and hiring staff. Financial projections: the first thing potential investors will look at, they include: start-up costs such as purchasing land, construction and equipment; operating costs including staff, insurance, utilities, and supplies; marketing costs; and revenue projections from ticket sales, concession sales, games, gift shops, and other sources. Project costs and revenues for at least the first five years. You can find a sample business plans for an amusement park here.
A one minute “elevator pitch” – This pitch should be practiced until you have it down cold. It tells a story that explains the opportunity in the marketplace and how you intend to exploit it, and should make investors want to know more. You will use it both at chance meetings – cocktail parties, elevators – and to start off formal pitches. A compelling PowerPoint presentation – The key here is to keep it short and simple. A good presentation should take less than 15 minutes, meaning 12 to 15 slides that summarize the content of your business plan. An exit strategy – Make sure your PowerPoint presentation discusses how investments will be monetized, whether that means paying dividends, recapitalizing (borrowing money to buy out investors), going public, or selling to another operator. [5] X Research source
In addition to your business plan and design, you will need to write an investor proposal letter. Send it out very judiciously, usually after you have already attracted some investment. [7] X Research source Amusement parks can be a tough sell. To improve your odds, start with people who have invested in amusement parks or entertainment in the past. [8] X Research source Investors receive hundreds of unsolicited proposals, most of which never go read. Your best bet is to use connections who can recommend you to potential investors. [9] X Research source
Ease of access for local residence and tourists. Climate. Surrounding neighborhood and businesses. Potential for expansion. Zoning rules for the proposed site and the surrounding area.
You will likely need state and or local food/alcohol service licenses, public entertainment licenses, amusement park licenses, and more. All states except for Alabama, Mississippi, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and South Dakota regulate amusement parks, so you will need to be sure your park conforms to their regulations. You will also want to make sure your park conforms to the standards of the ASTM International F-24 Committee on Amusement Ride and Devices.
