THORPE PARK'S HISTORY
In 1970, the site was an active gravel pit owned by Ready Mix Concrete and in 1971 work was granted for the construction of a 500 acre Water Park. Thunder River and its surrounding area were developed in 1987, and 1988 saw the opening of the 630 seat Palladium Theatre. In 1989 Canada Creek, incorporating Logger's Leap, was developed. Since 1991 many attractions have been added.
In 1996, X:/No Way Out, the world's first pitch dark, backward roller coaster was introduced and for two years running, in 1996 and 1997, Thorpe Park was voted the most Parent-Friendly leisure in the UK. Pearsons, who owned The Tussauds Group, bought Thorpe Park in 1998. On 19th October 1998 it was announced that Pearson had sold the Tussauds Group to Charterhouse Development Capital for £352m.
Europe's first 4D Cinema experience, Pirates 4D was opened in 1999 and in 2000, Europe's highest water ride, Tidal Wave was added to the excitement of Thorpe Park.
The Tussaud's Group Vision and Mission
Vision: "Entertaining People".
Mission: To deliver real growth in profits to take Europe's leading entertainment world-wide".
Other attractions in The Tussauds Group
* Madame Tussauds London
* London Planetarium
* Rock Circus, London
* Warwick Castle, Warwick
* Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey
* Alton Towers, Staffordshire
* The Tussauds Studio, London
And in association with British Airways - The London Eye
And Internationally
* Madame Tussauds Scenerama (Amsterdam)
* Madame Tussauds (Hong Kong)
* Madame Tussauds (Las Vegas)
* Madame Tussauds (New York)
MARKETING FACT SHEET: Thorpe Park
The Marketing Department are a small team who work across both Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures. It is the overall responsibility of the Marketing dept to ensure that the brand identities of the two Parks are maintained in all communication both on and off the Parks.
They do this through first identifying the brand identity, target market, and visual representation of the brand, ie the logo. For Thorpe Park the target market is families with children over 12.
Each year the marketing department will put a marketing plan together which covers the following areas:
Product. Although almost with out exception a new attraction is launched each year, and the main launch communication will focus on that, general communication about the rest of the Park is required. Theme Parks provide a whole day out for the family and its not just bout the rides. The other attractions, places to eat, games, photography, the atmosphere all play an important part in delivering a great day out.
Pricing. There is a complex pricing structure for the Park which looks to maximise the revenue the Park can achieve with it's targeted number of visitors. Marketing will review the pricing each year and along with the finance department look at how the budgeted targets can be achieved through the pricing matrix. Advanced sales are important to the business so tickets booked in advance are discounted, also those booked via the Internet are further discounted as this is a more efficient way for us to produce the tickets. Advanced tickets reduce the queues at admissions as visitors already have their tickets and can go straight in to the Park.
Promotion. Promotion of the Park happens via a number of different communication channels.
Advertising. This is generally broken down into two areas; the creative production of the advert and then the choice of where to place that advert, TV, Radio, Press etc. For the year 2002 communication for Thorpe Park is the launch of the World's First 10 Looping Coaster, Colossus, targeting a young teen market. New adverts will be created for both TV and radio use.
Promotions. Promotions are very import in incentivising visitors to come to the Park. The incentive is generally either a Buy One get One Free mechanic or a discount of the full adult or child price. Thorpe Park runs promotions on it's own or in conjunction with the Tussauds Group, ie Tesco. Promotions are often run with a wide variety of retail and media partners, newspaper, or solus via a direct mail campaign to surrounding homes.
Public Relations. This area is all about getting positive exposure in the media, TV, Radio and Press. This is generally achieved through issuing Press Releases and conducting interviews with journalists.
Measuring the Success.
Throughout the year, how the Park is doing against its financial targets is constantly reviewed, but in addition Marketing conducts ongoing research in to how the Park is performing on a daily basis. Questionnaires are handed out to visitors as they leave asking them to rank the rides experiences, eating places, how friendly and helpful the staff were, etc. This provides information on where things may be going wrong and how to put them right.
New Media is a crucial area for involvement now and in the future. In addition to maintaining it's own site: www.thorpepark.com, the Marketing department looks to exploit other opportunities for advertising, promotions and PR on other sites.
Use of agencies. Thorpe Park uses a wide variety of agencies as they bring different areas of expertise and experience to the Park. We use and advertising agency to create the TV, Radio ads etc and also for all the design work for the Gate Map. The space for the TV, Radio slots etc is purchased by a media buying agency. We also use a Sales Promotion agency, PR agency and Internet design agencies. Some of these are different agencies to those used for Chessington World of Adventures.
Corporate Hospitality makes it possible for businesses to entertain their guests at Thorpe Park. Thousands of corporate guests can be catered for at any one time, or even hire the whole Park for an evening.
Education. An establishment like Thorpe Park offers the opportunity for students studying the leisure industry, business or animals to visit the Park and find out more about their subject. For this reason, it is possible for groups to incorporate an educational talk into their visit.
Most often asked marketing questions
Q Is the price of a new attraction affected by the viability of the ride?
A Careful research is undertaken before a new attraction is bought. The attraction may be put in place to address a gap in guest numbers for a particular age range. The new attraction will encourage that element to visit the Park and therefore increase guest satisfaction.
Q Are ticket prices changed when a new ride is introduced?
A Ticket prices are reviewed annually. Any adjustments will consider the new attractions in the Park and other attractions in The Tussauds Group and competition in the market place.
Q How often do you introduce a new ride?
A It is our intention to introduce a new and exciting attraction every year. The nature of this attraction is dependent on a number of contributing factors based upon research results.
Q What is the time from conception to the completion of an project?
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Q Are ticket prices changed when a new ride is introduced?
A Ticket prices are reviewed annually. Any adjustments will consider the new attractions in the Park and other attractions in The Tussauds Group and competition in the market place.
Q How often do you introduce a new ride?
A It is our intention to introduce a new and exciting attraction every year. The nature of this attraction is dependent on a number of contributing factors based upon research results.
Q What is the time from conception to the completion of an project?
A Once a need has been identified, it may be as much as three years before the project is completed, depending on ground work and the size of the finished attraction.
Q Are there any discounts or special offers?
A Yes and these vary throughout the season. Discounts are available all season on those tickets that are booked in advance. Promotional offers/discounts vary throughout the year and are generally conducted with third party partners.
Q What is the company's mission statement?
A "To deliver real growth in profits to take Europe's leading entertainment business world-wide".
HUMAN RESOURCES FACT SHEET: Thorpe Park
Each year approximately 2 000 seasonal jobs are advertised for Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures. Adverts appear in the local press to advertise two open days when prospective cast members can visit the Park and the selection process is put into place. The Recruitment Manager and team will also visit colleges and universities in order to make students aware of the job and career opportunities that exist at Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures. Once suitable candidates have returned their application forms they will be interviewed and if successful, they will be offered a position. All new cast members are then required to attend two days induction training.
Thorpe Park will employ about 1 100 seasonal cast in 2002. Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures also employ 250 permanent cast, many of whom work across both the Parks.
Induction Days
Day 1 covers:
The Tussauds Group Group video
Park structure - who's who Fire safety
Health and safety issues Emergency procedures
Guest care Uniforms and appearance
Standards of behaviour Rules and regulations
Role play situations Map games to help familiarisation
Day 2 covers:
Department Specific Training
Tills and admissions, games, catering, cast facilities, rides (have to pass a verbal and written test on ride safety).
The Human Resources Department has a variety of functions that include cast welfare, cast development, training of cast, recruitment, administration and accommodation.
It is important for the business to develop the potential of cast members so that the service offered by Thorpe Park is of the highest possible standard. Combined with this is the necessity to encourage cast members to improve their personal performance with a view to improving their employment potential.
The Training Manager and team put together the training plan for Thorpe Park. Also, they analyse training needs, write and deliver courses, implement the training strategy (where needs have been identified), oversee management development and advise on further education, both internal and external. An example of the type of courses available is the Foundations of Management Course. This is a flexible, modular development programme designed to develop the knowledge and skills needed to perform effectively as a first line manager within The Tussauds Group.
Much of the training which took place used to be 'bought in' and, therefore, expensive. In-house training, however, is more cost effective and allows for more cast members to receive training and therefore creates a higher degree of efficiency.
It is important for Thorpe Park to ensure that cast members feel valued in the jobs that they do. For this reason, cast incentives, which should appeal to everyone, are in place. The Dream Ticket allows for a predetermined number of free entries to both Parks, there is paid holiday entitlement and the Sports and Social Club. The latter organises functions and team games between departments to encourage a feeling of being a team member both inside and outside of working hours. Seasonal cast automatically qualify for the attendance/performance bonus which will be paid at the end of the season. A Seasonal Progress Review is in place and takes the form of a formal assessment that identifies performance and provides motivation.
As in any workplace, there needs to be a course of action that is followed when company policy is not followed. The Disciplinary Procedure can be applied only to cast members who have completed their probationary period. The stages of disciplinary action are as follows: verbal warning, written warning, final written warning, suspension, and dismissal.
The Law
Health and Safety Young Persons Regulations 1997 requires that employers take into account the lack of experience of young workers of 18 years and below. All cast who fall into this age bracket are given an individual risk assessment to ensure that they are placed in an area of employment that suits them.
EU Working Time Directive 1998 provides minimum health and safety requirements with regards to working time. It applies to minimum periods of daily rest, weekly rest and annual leave, to breaks and maximum weekly working time.
Further legal requirements of the business are covered by Discrimination Laws, Employment Relations Act 1999, Contract Law, and a number of general employment laws, amongst others.
GUEST SERVICES FACT SHEET: Thorpe Park
First impressions are very important. Cast members have one opportunity only to create a good first impression. Personal appearance is all important and this can be divided into five areas which, when combined, ensure that cast present a positive image at all times. These are dress, personality, attitude, behaviour and personal hygiene.
Thorpe Park attracts to a great variety of groups during the open season. Examples of these are families with young children, teenagers, student groups, people from other cultures, non-English speaking guests and guests with specific needs. In order that cast can be aware of the needs of all the guests, all cast are trained in politeness, awareness of special needs and strategies to use for different situations. Guest Care involves a wide spectrum of skills that are involved when dealing with guests. These skills reflect the essential skills required in everyday life.
We take our appearance / image standards very seriously since through these the cast are able to reflect our high standards. We know that our cast members are maintaining these standards from the feedback we receive from on-going research. Every day, exit surveys are available for guests to complete. The survey itemises all the different areas of Thorpe Park. Through these the marketing department are able to maintain an informed overview of the daily performance of cast and the facilities which are in place for the convenience of guests.
GUEST SERVICES TEAM
The Guest Services Team is ultimately responsible for dealing with guest comments that cannot be addressed by other cast members. These comments can vary tremendously in content and in the way in which they can be resolved. All departments keep the Guest Services Team up to date throughout the day of any information that might affect the guests' day out. For example, if a ride is not working, the Guest Services Team will be notified and given all the facts so that guests can be given correct information.
Most often asked Guest Services / Accessibility Questions
Q What is the disabled policy?
A Disabled guests have a discounted entry price and are given a guide that will allow them and organisers/carers to consider the suitability of the venue and to provide adequate supervision for them.
Q Is there a good access to Thorpe Park?
A There is good access by road, rail and bus.
Q Are there adequate car and coach parking facilities? Do you need to organise transfer from the train station?
A There is a car park which can accommodate approximately 3 000 cars and up to 250 coaches.
Transfer to the Park from Staines station is by a scheduled bus service.
Q What is Thorpe Park's main feature?
A A modern Theme Park offering rides and attractions for visitors of all ages.
Q What products and services are offered for people with specific needs?
A Please see the disabled guide for specific details. Additional information is provided by Guest Services to help specific needs.
Q How is guest flow regulated to and within the Park?
A To the Park: trains, buses, motorway, roads. Road traffic can approach from both directions. Car parking is supervised and surveillance cameras are in operation. Entry and exit to the Park is a one way system.
In the Park: signage and pathways direct movement. The major rides are dispersed around the Park within Themed areas.
Q How do you monitor cast performance?
A Introductory Assessment, Appraisal, Mentoring, Training, Observation, Shadowing.
HEALTH AND SAFETY FACT SHEET: Thorpe Park
In one year Thorpe Park will be host to nearly one million guests and employ about 700 cast members. The health and safety of all these people plays an important part in the running of the Park.
Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures
Health & Safety Policy
This Health and Safety Policy applies to the whole of Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures and provides a cultural framework which is designed to minimise the potential for accidents and damage.
Policy Statement
The Company aims to provide and maintain the highest practical standards of safe working conditions throughout is operations together with compliance with legislation on order to protect the health and safety of its employees and visitors to its Sites, so far as they may be affected. It is the duty of Management at all levels to ensure that everything reasonable and practical is done to protect employees and visitors from personal injuries and hazards to health. To this end there shall be readily available for employees a copy of the Group Health and Safety Policy together with the more detailed site specific information contained within the Site's Health and Safety Policy and Manual. It is equally the duty of every employee to co-operate with Management in its pursuance of these aims.
We will comply with legislation.
Under The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Thorpe has a number of responsibilities which include:-
* Providing safe and healthy working conditions for employees.
* Making available safe devices and protective equipment.
* The company consulting its own employees to make sure that safe and healthy work practices continue to be used.
Thorpe has a Health and Safety Committee to ensure that these responsibilities are carried out. Day to day responsibility is delegated to the individual managers and supervisors.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 has Regulations and Guidance that are implemented under it. The main ones that concern Thorpe Park are:
* The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
* Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
* Manual Handling Regulations 1992
* Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
* Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999
* Fairgrounds and Amusement Parks - Guidance on Safe Practice HSG 175
An important area of the law that has particular implications for Thorpe Park is
The Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999. This places a duty on employers to take account of the lack of experience of young workers. All cast of 18 years and below are given an Individual Risk Assessment.
RIDES
All rides display written information and instructions for the safe use of the ride by our guests. This information also appears on the Park map and at the entrance to the Park.
Every day each ride must be passed as being safe for our guests to ride on and enjoy. The engineering department check certain track, mechanical and electrical components early in the morning and then a daily log is signed to confirm the ride is operational. The ride is handed over to the ride operators who then ensure that their area is clean and test all safety bars and harnesses again. Every week, each team leader makes a health and safety check on their ride areas. At the end of every season the rides are stripped down and all safety critical components are tested.
All ride operators undergo thorough training as part of the induction programme in order to ensure to see that our guests enter and leave the rides safely. All ride operators must be over the age of 18 years of age.
Disabled guests are presented with a leaflet, which shows access to each attraction.
FARM
A free boat or train ride will take you to Thorpe Farm, a working farmyard where children can see and safely touch many different breeds of sheep, pigs, cows and goats. There are 20 acres of nature area, including a hay meadow with over twenty species of both grass and wild flowers. Also, over twenty varieties of fruit trees have been planted to make a traditional Surrey orchard.
More than sixty species of wild fowl and wild birds have been identified on the lakes and in the Nature Area at Thorpe Farm. Some of these stay all the year round whilst others are summer or winter visitors.
Guests to the farm can watch foot trimming, sheep shearing and lots of births. There is a comprehensive breeding programme at the farm for sheep, cows, pigs and goats. It is hoped that we may see our first llama birth in 2002.
GENERAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
All members of the cast are trained in the procedures that are in place in case of fire. These procedures are practised regularly.
All cast are trained to operate their areas safely.
Only authorised vehicles are allowed in the Park when it is open, and they must keep to designated routes and speeds.
There is a Medical Centre that can be found in the Dome next to Neptune's Chamber. It is attended by a qualified First Aider. Other members of cast are also qualified to give first aid to the guests and cast members.
SECURITY
Security is important for the enjoyment and the safety of our guests and cast. It is the job of the security hosts in the Park to ensure that it is possible for all our guests to enjoy all the facilities offered by Thorpe Park. Security cameras now monitor all areas of the Park and CCTV cameras are fitted in the shops, rides and the Park in general, and merchandising goods are security tagged.
Most often asked Health and Safety Questions
Q What is an Individual Risk Assessment?
THE MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK REGULATIONS 1999
Regulations to safeguard the Health & Safety of young workers (Aged Under 18) have been a legal requirement since the 3rd March 1997. The law is based on 'risk assessment' and falls within the requirements of the recently updated Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The requirement to carry out young persons risk assessment has been updated with these Regulations which places duties on employers to:
a. take particular account of the lack of experience of young workers ( Under 18 ), including their absence of awareness of existing or potential risk and their immaturity, when they assess the risks to their health & safety. A risk assessment should be made before the young person begins work and must address specific relevant factors:
* consider the implications of the risk assessment when deciding whether or not the young person should be engaged in certain types of work activity.
b. there is a duty to inform the young worker, or in the case of children (Under 16) their legal representative ( parent or legal guardian), of the risks and the control measures adopted to protect their health and safety.
Young Workers ( Under 18 ) Must Not carry out work which:
* is objectively beyond their physical or psychological capacity
* Under 18's are not allowed to operate fairground rides.
* involves harmful exposure to chemical agents or radiation
* involves the use of dangerous work equipment including vehicles, plant or machinery.
* involves the risk of accidents that cannot be recognised or avoided owing to insufficient attention to safety or the employee's lack of experience / knowledge.
* involves a risk to health from extreme temperatures, noise or vibration
Adolescents (16-18 years of age) can, however, undertake these tasks when such work is indispensable for their vocational training and is supervised by a competent person. Please contact the Health and Safety Adviser for any requirements of this nature.
Q What legislation is in place for the use of rides?
A Attractions come within the definition of 'work equipment' in the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992 (PUWER) with the exception of coin-operated devices designed for unattended use.
ICT FACT SHEET: Thorpe Park
Information Technology has changed our working practices and business processes. Through communication, design, analysis and implementation, we aim to make our company more efficient.
Information Technology affects five main areas. They are:
* Electronic booking.
* Communication and Information handling, Office and Business Systems
* Tills/merchandising
* Security
* Rides Control
To establish a firm background for all these systems an efficient network had to be installed in order to ensure a fast and comprehensive method of linking all those users.
The FDDI network on a token ring topology is used as our backbone (FDDI stands for Fibre-Distributed Data Interface) and this gives us the requirements we need for speed, distance and capacity.
The nature of our business and the way the Park is spread over a large area, necessitates our using several methods of communication. E-mail is used increasingly: our current software is Microsoft exchange server 5.5 and Outlook 98. It should help to cut down considerably on memos, forms, notice board information and bulky reports. This has the dual effect of saving paper, ink and printing costs and conserves environmental resources.
E-mail address and website: www.thorpepark.co.uk. E-mail goes directly to The Tussauds Group Head Office, and via networks from there, to the other attractions in The Tussaud's Group using an ISDN link (Integrated Services Digital Network). The main telephone switchboard is also ISDN. Voicemail is used to prevent unanswered calls, and an automated attendant kicks in on the rare occasion when our receptionists are unable to answer all the lines, and it automatically operates after office hours. Through a desktop interface we can monitor calls. This is an invaluable tool for analysis of calls, determining our busiest times of day and helping us to plan our casting resources accordingly.
Some cast use mobile phones, particularly those whose work takes them away from the office. Nearly all our cast rely on radios to keep in touch with each other when they are spread about the Park which enables cast to be diverted to specific areas wherever and whenever necessary. Cast can relay information about queue lines on rides and alert security cast to any emergency situation. There are 8 channels all of which can contact, and be contacted by, the Control Room. If a Park-wide emergency situation should arise, cast in the control room can broadcast simultaneously to every radio holder in the Park.
The main security system is CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) which uses infra red cameras throughout the Park, linked to 24 hour video recorders. Black and white and colour monitors in the Control Room can pan and zoom to any area. In this way cast response to a particular incident can be co-ordinated cast response to a particular problem. Our own security cast are on site 24 hours a day.
In merchandising, sophisticated till systems are in use in all the shops and food outlets. EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) is used for our products with barcode scanning facilities for the whole range of goods on sale. This is linked to the central stock control to monitor the movement of all our merchandise and food items from both our warehouses. This is essential for maintaining sell-by dates and to forecast sales accurately.
EFTOS (Electronic Fund Transfer Point of Sale) is the system through which credit and switch cards are debited immediately and automatically through the national banking system. Any credit or switch cards used in the shops are attached to a polling machine. This is essentially a communications technique which determines when a terminal is ready to send data - the bank's own computer will check all its attached terminals on a regular basis.
All of the ride attractions have computer control systems that are fed by mechanical levers and optical sensors. The rides, that are all mechanical, fall into three categories - water, motor and track. The computer, through the use of optical sensors, detects the locking of safety bars and the speed and number of carriages passing. This information enables the operator to dictate how fast and how often the ride runs. Each ride has a very comprehensive range of fail-safe devices that are mechanical or electrical. There is video surveillance on each ride - cameras are trained on the tracks and on the carriages. This helps us to detect any faults or potential problems.
Software programmes are applications that are bought in from major manufacturers such as Microsoft, Oracle (database), Computer Associate (backup) and Network Associate (anti-virus). These can be specifically suited to a particular business function, such as Finance packages, which include wages and payroll systems, spreadsheets, etc. Other more sophisticated software, such as AutoCAD, may be necessary for our Engineers and the production team for our Entertainment's Department. We primarily use Microsoft Office 97, which contains a comprehensive range of applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, PowerPoint.
It is possible to customise our own databases - for instance, we have one specifically written for our Guest Services Department, Charter 2000. This logs comments made by guests, produces a personalised reply, and collates information so that it can be reproduced in report form using a programme called Business Systems. It is currently used at Thorpe Park and Chessington with a planned introduction to the other Tussauds Group attractions in 2001. This information is confidential between the guest and the company. We are registered under the Data Protection Act to declare any information we may hold. The Tussaud's Group Marketing Database on the other hand is common information shared by every attraction in the company. It helps us gather marketing information in order to improve our service. There is an electronic booking service for groups so that they can arrange their visit and tickets by phone, with a credit card. Individuals can make advanced bookings. This helps us to build up a profile of our guests and their requirements.
The sales and admission system is called Omni Ticket Network. OTN have supplied all the hardware apart from the hard drives, VDU screens and key boards, which are standard hardware made by Compaq. The software used is called Overview. The Attractions General Database (AGD) has been designed by Syntegra, the Systems Integration Business of BT and is a component of the Sales and Admissions system. Its primary purpose is to provide a data repository for Sales, guests and admissions data and to provide tools to allow analysis of this imported data. A secondary function is to facilitate the exchange systems, and General Marketing Database (GMD), the external guest contact system. AGD configures all the information taken from Overview (information collected through Admissions on the tills each day) and turns it into reports for Finance and Marketing.
Most often asked ICT Questions
Q What security systems are in place for IT systems and the information stored in them?
A Every user has a password to gain entry into their own machine, and a second password for access into email. The information from the shops and admissions tills are stored in a main server. Each night, all this information is backed up onto tape which is stored in a fire proof safe.
Q How is IT used on the rides?
A For example, Logger's Leap has sensors around the track of the ride. The track is divided into blocks. The sensors indicate where on the track a car/boat is and ensure that two cars/boats can not be in the same block at the same time. The information is visible on a screen to the operator in the control cabin
.
Travel Information
Thorpe Park
By Rail Regular services from Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Reading & Guildford by Stagecoach SWT to Staines station.
By Road From the M25 take J11 or 13 and follow signs via A320 to Thorpe Park. Access from J12 is not possible.
By Bus 426/436 from Woking, 437 bus from Heathrow, no. 551/561 bus from Staines. There's also a coach service from Victoria, London.
Educational Talks at Chessington World of Adventures
Why not spend the day at Chessington World of Adventures and incorporate into your visit an educational talk that relates to your course work.
The talks, that can be tailored to meet your individual needs, are available during our open season and must be booked and paid for in advance.