Areas and suppliers explored best practices and activities at SAM’s Second Annual Summer Ops Camp at Jiminy Peak, Oct. 3-5, 2011. In all, 55 attendees representing over 25 resorts, along with summer ops suppliers and experts from around the continent, came together to share success stories and cautionary tales about the growing opportunities in summer operations at mountain resorts.

Group discussions and small hands-on break-out sessions, some conducted on-hill at Jiminy’s venues, addressed activities and issues including mountain bike parks, trends in summer events, market feasibility, catering to younger kids, ROI, risk management, staff training and seasonal HR issues, and more.

One of the keynoters, Jason Freeman, global director of safety and security for Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, explained the methods used by its parks to improve and monitor guest satisfaction and safety awareness. A key piece of the program is conducting audience tracking and guest seasonal surveys (GSS) through a third party group.

Freeman also outlined Six Flags’ strategy to drive more web-based revenue through coupons, printable discounts, coupon code offers, promo codes and ticket specials. He said the company’s strategy is to encourage customers to look for the discounts online, where Six Flags has opportunities to upsell guests to other or additional products. A key change he has seen is a shifting mix of customers at his parks, toward teens and slightly away from families, over the past three years.

The other hot-button topics for the Summer Ops Camp group were ROI timelines for a variety of summer activities; how to determine the right mix of activities; best ways to address the younger kids market; seasonal staffing issues; weather related issues; ticket pricing; and first response/safety training.

Ziplines and ropes courses were also discussed widely, as attendees explored how and where to install them, ROI, risk management and regulations. Attendees heard from James Borishade, executive director of the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) and Keith Jacobs, chairman of the ACCT board and owner of Experiential Systems.


Legal Entanglements
One issue for ziplines and canopy tours is what governing bodies and standards resorts should be aware of. Borishade noted that governing bodies vary from state to state—it may be the department of labor in one, and in another, the elevator department. And some states may have no regulations in place at all.

On a larger scale, the ACCT and its standards writing committee have been working with ASTM to address safety and regulatory issues. The ACCT duo estimated this draft will not be out for another 20 to 30 months. In the meantime, they urged interested managers to attend the ACCT’s annual conference in Boston, Feb. 9-12, 2012.

The safety and liability issues of ropes courses and ziplines were examined via a mock trial on the final day of the camp. This session was presented by the Wells Fargo Special Risks team and ASDA lawyers Charlie Gfeller and Mark Seiger. One resort manager called it “a great awakening to the level of care required of an operator.” Added another, “The mock trial reminded us that the ‘experience’ includes safety, education, and shared responsibility that all get incorporated in the fun.”

Dates and location for next year’s Camp will be announced early in 2012. Details will be posted at Summer Ops Camp in www.saminfo.com/events.