On an Economic Run

The Outlaw Run brand is only three months old, but already Silver Dollar City’s newest roller coaster is creating an economic impact beyond the Branson theme park’s borders.

In mid-March, SDC officials unveiled the $10.5 million wooden roller coaster, designed with 450,000 board feet of lumber, 59,000 wood screws and the intention of attracting families from across the country.

Lisa Rau, spokeswoman for Silver Dollar City Attractions and its parent company, Herschend Family Entertainment, said, surprisingly, global media outlets have covered the story of the one-of-a-kind, twisting “woody,” far outpacing the company’s expectations.

The ride, she said, is expected to draw at least 80,000 visitors to the park this year. Since the coaster was unveiled this spring, Springfield companies such as PFI Western Wear and Hiland Dairy have jumped on the promotional bandwagon.

In the last year, Rau and others have focused on building the Outlaw Run brand. The coaster is the world’s steepest drop on a wooden coaster – a 162-foot fall at 81 degrees. It also is the only wooden coaster to twist upside down three times, and it has the second longest drop of any wooden coaster, according to industry databases UltimateRollerCoaster.com and RCDB.com.

From “NBC Nightly News,” to USA Today and multipage spreads in publications in Italy and Germany, Rau said Outlaw Run has generated unprecedented attention for Silver Dollar City. In a June 16 Los Angeles Times article, travel writer Brady McDonald called Outlaw Run the year’s most eagerly awaited ride. “If I could visit only one theme park this summer, I’d head to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo.,” McDonald wrote.

Roller Coaster DataBase operator Duane Marden visited SDC on June 27, according to Rau, along with “Good Morning America” crews for a story on the best rides in the nation. Milwaukee, Wis., resident Marden last month made his first trip to the park – a personal visit with coaster-enthusiast friends.

“It’s hard to compare it to anything else,” Marden said, adding he expects other parks to incorporate the unique, smooth track design into new rides. “There are a lot of rides that have these firsts. … The thing about Outlaw Run is they have fitted these thing together so well.”

The “Good Morning America” piece was scheduled to air July 6. “Silver Dollar City has never seen this kind of press,” Rau said. “It is the biggest splash in (our) history.”

Turning turnstiles
After an early spring where one- to two-hour lines were the norm for Outlaw Run riders on the weekends, Rau said poor weather in May tempered excitement levels.

Through June 26, the park had drawn 672,000 visitors, down from 673,000 during the same period in 2012. But numbers are rebounding, Rau said. Since May 9, after unusual snow and rain storms, guests are up 10 percent compared to last year.

Season ticket sales are climbing, too. Through June 26, SDC sold 239,027 season tickets, an increase of 10 percent compared to last year.

During Springfield Regional Economic Partnership’s annual meeting on May 31, Rau delivered a presentation dubbed “The Ups and Downs of Roller Coasters,” which examined the impact of the new coaster on the local economy.

Nearly a decade ago, she said SDC representatives contacted the 5,000-member American Coaster Enthusiasts to determine the kinds of rides they would like to see in Branson, and almost unanimously group members recommended a “woody,” or wooden roller coaster. The group is now planning a July 19 member trip to the theme park, according to ACEOnline.org.

“Coaster enthusiasts can make or break your ride,” Rau said at the meeting. “As far as strategy, we don’t just decide that six months out and say, ‘Let’s go for it.’ We’re talking about this idea having noodled on it for 10 years.”

Rau said SDC executives developed the strategy with input from the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“When you are selling fun, it is not about winging it. Not even close. This was very strategic,” Rau said.

Branson impact
Ross Summers, president and CEO of the Branson-area chamber and CVB, said he thinks the ride should help advance tourism in the area.

“The publicity Outlaw Run has generated internationally has been tremendous,” Summers said, noting the CVB has received inquiries about SDC from as far as South America, Europe and Asia since the ride premiered. “Economically, it can do nothing but be a boon to the Branson area.”

However, he said tourism projections for 2013 are flat with 2012 at an estimated 7.3 million guests.

“The rain we had in April and May and the snow and cold, it really kept the traffic down. Were it not for the bad weather we had, I think the spring would have been fantastic,” Summers said.

With Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) launching direct flights out of Branson in March, Summers said the combination of access to Branson from major markets and a well-known roller coaster could bode well.

“During the next two or three years, Southwest will have a big impact on Branson. This year, I think they are anticipating 150,000 enplanements at the airport, which in the grand scheme of things is a relatively small number,” Summers said. “Once they get to the 400,000 or 500,000 enplanement level, that will really make a big difference.”

Branson Airport’s other carrier, Denver-based Frontier Airlines, said last week it plans to run additional nonstop flights to Denver from Branson September–December, increasing Frontier’s seating capacity this fall by 42 percent.

Outlaw running
All the attention has prompted local companies to try to cash in on the coaster’s buzz.

In a cross-promotion with PFI Western Store, kids ages 4-11 attending the National Kids Fest at SDC June 8–July 21 can receive a badge and certificate rewarding them $15 admission, versus $48, for Sunday through Thursday tickets. The tickets come with a $10 PFI gift card.

In May, Hiland Dairy introduced Outlaw Run Ice Cream, which features chocolate chunks and twists of sea-salted caramel mixed in vanilla ice cream.

Greg Stephenson, a Hiland marketer who worked with Silver Dollar City to develop the promotional ice cream, said the flavor has been flying off the shelves. He said Outlaw Run Ice Cream sales are 15 percent ahead of the previous top-selling feature flavor, the seasonal Quarterback Crunch, marking the most successful launch of any feature flavor after about six weeks in stores across the six-state Hiland footprint.

“I think we hit a home run, I really do. I think we outran the outlaws on this one,” Stephenson said, declining to disclose sales volumes but noting the limited production run will last for five months.

Rau said the ride is an investment in the reputation of the theme park, as well as the southwest Missouri economy.

“We needed something like Outlaw Run to shake, rattle and roll the trees and say, ‘Guys, there’s a lot happening in Branson,’” Rau said.[[In-content Ad]]