Tag Archives: CP Guide

Cedar Fair, News and Updates, News Stories

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company Launches Mobile Visitor Initiatives with Hipcricket

1 Comment

Cedar Fair Press Release

KIRKLAND, Wash.– Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and active entertainment, has selected Hipcricket to further engage park visitors with discounts, promotions, event notifications, and more delivered via mobile devices. The solutions from Hipcricket, the one-stop mobile marketing and mobile advertising company that empowers brands, agencies and media properties to engage customers and drive sales and loyalty, are in place in eight of the Company’s amusement parks across the country.

Cedar Fair has begun integrating mobile into its overall marketing initiatives including traditional and non-traditional channels. The parks, which include Kings Island, Kings Dominion and Dorney Park, among others, are promoting their mobile clubs via Facebook, radio, email newsletters, and in-park signage. These channels leverage the power of Hipcricket’s hyperlocal 6.0 platform and prompt current and potential park visitors to opt-in and receive special offers from Cedar Fair and their local amusement parks. Cedar Point – the flagship park in the Cedar Fair system – will be rolling out its mobile strategy in July.

“We’re always looking for new ways to further connect with visitors while they’re in our parks and also in between visits,” said Lee Alexakos, vice president & corporate division head of marketing & advertising at Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. “This is the first time that we’ve launched a cross-park mobile marketing initiative and we’re pleased by how easy it is to deliver timely and relevant messages to our guests which offer special promotions, encourage repeat visits and ultimately enhance their in-park experience.”

“Mobile marketing is proven to be the best channel to not just reach customers, but to fully engage them,” said Eric Harber, president and COO at Hipcricket. “By using Hipcricket’s hyperlocal mobile marketing solutions, Cedar Fair is able to connect one-on-one with its park visitors and offer them timely and relevant information, no matter where they are.”

Hipcricket has conducted more than 65,000 mobile marketing campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands—including Macy’s, Nestle, KFC, HBO and Clear Channel—as well as hundreds of radio and television stations nationwide. Hipcricket equips clients with superior technology and services that enable them to create mobile advertising and promotional campaigns in minutes.

About Cedar Fair Entertainment Company

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: “FUN”) is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio. The Partnership, which owns and operates 11 amusement parks, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels, is one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world. Its parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, Virginia / District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and Toronto, Ontario. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, California under a management contract. Cedar Fair’s flagship park, Cedar Point, has been voted the “Best Amusement Park in the World” for 12 consecutive years in a prestigious annual poll conducted by Amusement Today newspaper.

About Hipcricket Inc.

Hipcricket Inc. is the one-stop mobile marketing and advertising company that empowers brands, agencies and media properties to engage customers, drive loyalty and increase sales. Hipcricket’s customers connect with consumers across every mobile channel, including SMS, mobile Web sites, permission-based advertising networks and branded apps. Hipcricket’s proven technology and experienced account management teams have provided measurable successes through an industry-leading 65,000 campaigns for clients such as Macy’s, Nestle, KFC, HBO and Clear Channel. The company has also created the first comprehensive permission-based mobile ad network that taps into the buying power of the mass market with industry-leading capabilities to target customers via location and highly-specific demographic information.

Hipcricket is a privately held corporation based near Seattle, Washington, with operations in New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City. More information can be found at: www.hipcricket.com.

Deals, Events, News and Updates, News Stories

Fireworks, Food and Fun Highlight Cedar Point’s Fourth of July Weekend

Leave a comment

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio, June 28 — Special entertainment, delicious meals, and money saving deals will be available at Cedar Point during the Fourth of July Weekend, Thursday through Monday, July 1-5.

Guests will even have a few extra hours to enjoy the Independence Day festivities at Cedar Point as the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort will be open until 1 a.m. on Sunday, July 4.  That leaves nearly three hours to enjoy all of the park’s rides and attractions after the fireworks display ends.  Plus, Starlight Admission, beginning at 5 p.m., is only $29.99 for eight hours of fun and excitement!

Cedar Point resort guests can purchase one-day tickets for $29 and Starlight Admission tickets for $14.99, a savings of $15 per ticket.

Some of the special activities planned for the holiday weekend include:

Fourth of July Fireworks

A spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display will light up the sky beginning at 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Presented by Zambelli Internationale, Inc., of New Castle, Pa., one of the oldest and largest companies in fireworks displays in the United States, the program is synchronized to patriotic music.  (In case of inclement weather, the fireworks show will be rescheduled for Monday, July 5.)

In addition to the fireworks, Starlight Experience, the park’s themed lighted walkway along the Frontier Trail that uses more than one million LED lights, will be in operation until the Maverick and Millennium Force roller coasters close for the evening.  At 11 p.m., Hot Summer Lights featuring music, video, pyrotechnics and “Firewater,” bursts of flames that climb 25 feet into the air, will be presented.  (Excluding July 4, Hot Summer Lights is presented nightly at 10 p.m.)

Cedar Point and its unmatched collection of rides and roller coasters will be open until 1 a.m. on the evening of July 4.  The park will also be open until 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 3.

For an added treat, Cleveland Browns sensation Josh Cribbs will be at the park on Sunday.  From noon to 1 p.m., Cribbs, who makes his own fireworks, will meet guests and sign autographs near the Game Day Grille, just off the park’s main midway by the Blue Streak roller coaster.

Salute to the Armed Forces

Cedar Point will salute members of the armed forces on Sunday and Monday, July 4-5.  On either day, any active, honorably-discharged or retired member of the military can receive one free admission ticket for themselves.

Great Meal Deals

Guests with an appetite should be sure to purchase a brat from the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill, which will be located on the midway in front of Dodgems. Brats will be served from 11 a.m. until park closing Thursday through Monday.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 3 and 4, guests can enjoy more great food at the Picnic at the Point in the Coral Courtyard. The Picnic at the Point will feature an all-you-can-eat meal of broiled Johnsonville brats, fried chicken, hot dogs, baked rigatoni, potato salad, baked beans, cookies, ice cream and assorted Pepsi beverages The meal will be available from 4-5:30 p.m. on Saturday and from 4:30-6 p.m. on Sunday.  Tickets can be purchased online at cedarpoint.com or at the park’s admission gates.

Special Entertainment

The weekend will be filled with special guests and entertainment.  On Saturday, July 3, the Cleveland Cavalier’s Scream Team will perform from 1-1:30 pm and 2-2:30 p.m. near the WildCat and Iron Dragon roller coasters.

The Firelands Chorus will perform patriotic songs from 1-1:20 p.m. on Monday, July 5, on the chorus stage by the Extreme Sports Stadium. Also on Monday, former Ohio State University linebacker and Super Bowl Winner Mike Vrabel will meet guests and sign autographs from noon to 1 p.m. in front of the Game Day Grille restaurant near the Blue Streak roller coaster.

Point Patrol Giveaways at Shows

Besides the rides and special attractions, Cedar Point’s entertainment lineup also includes classic summer hits from Jimmy Buffet and Gloria Estefan, toe-tappin’ country tunes, and a real-life version of MTV Games’ Rock Band video game.  There is even an ice-skating show starring Snoopy and a high-energy stunt show with gravity-defying rollerbladers, gymnasts and dancers.

For added excitement, the park’s Point Patrol will be distributing prizes at select live shows on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  Giveaways will include prizes from Red Gold Ketchup (Friday only) and gift cards from Hard Rock Cafe, Perkins Restaurant and Bakery and Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland.  Coupons for Shearer’s Potato Chips, Toft’s Ice Cream and Johnsonville Brat products will also be given away.

For more information about Cedar Point’s weekend celebration, please log on to cedarpoint.com or call the park’s general information line at 419.627.2350.

Events, News and Updates, News Stories, Rides, Water Rides

Cedar Point’s Shoot the Rapids finally makes a splash

Leave a comment

From the Sandusky Register…

SANDUSKY

The first splash came at 10:40 a.m.

The new Shoot the Rapids water ride finally began, after several weeks of delay while Cedar Point officials fixed the ride’s problems.

The first riders were 24 people who bid in a Red Cross charity auction for the privilege.

When that was completed — that first group actually got two rides apiece — it was opened up to the general public.

Cedar Point spokesman Robin Innes estimated that about 8,000 people would ride it on the first day.

Jeff Harper, 43, a Southfield, Mich., resident who bid $105 to be one of the first riders, said that although the ride is aimed at the entire family, its two hills make it substantial enough to please coaster fans.

“I think a lot of the coaster fans will really enjoy those drops,” Harper said. “Those are good drops.”

Harper can draw on plenty of experience when discussing Shoot the Rapids. He has been on 682 roller coasters in 191 amusement parks.

“Cedar Point is my favorite in all those parks,” he said.

“It was great. The first splashdown was the best. Really good stuff,” said Andy Rybarczyk, 28, of Chicago, who drove four and a half hours to get to Sandusky.

Rybarczyk had spent the whole winter watching the construction of Shoot the Rapids on a Cedar Point webcam and decided he’d be one of the first riders. He bid $125.

Cedar Point is marketing the ride as suitable for all ages. The youngest first rider Saturday was Abe Haprian, 8, of Wadsworth, Ohio. The oldest was his grandmother, Meredith Hickey, 70, Huron.

Cedar Point officials had not been completely sure the ride would launch on Saturday. It flunked a Thursday night state inspection, but inspectors from the Department of Agriculture returned Saturday morning to complete the licensing process.

Innes did not specify what the last-minute mechanical hitches were, but said Cedar Point and the state inspectors agreed to raise the height requirement for Shoot the Rapids. It had been 42 inches. That was raised to 46 inches for a person accompanied by an older adult, and 48 inches for a person riding by himself.

Shoot the Rapids originally had been supposed to open on May 15. That was delayed to May 29, and then was delayed further. Although other rides have launched behind schedule, the six-week delay for Shoot the Rapids was the longest ever logged for a Cedar Point ride, at least within recent memory, Innes said.

The Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross has been having auctions for first riders since 1994, and has raised $150,500 with those auctions, said Judy Kinzel, who is active in the local chapter. Shoot the Rapids raised $7,000.

Not everyone could attend Saturday’s debut on short notice — the ride’s launch was announced Thursday — so a few of the people claiming the first 30 seats will come later.

Each rider who won a spot in the auction received the first two official rides on Shoot the Rapids and all-day admission to the park. They also got yellow Shoot the Rapids rain slickers, a Cedar Point mug, a Cedar Point beach towel, a Cedar Point T-shirt, a commemorative medallion and a certificate.

The highest bidder was Jeffrey Brashares of Columbus who bid a total of $2,400, or $800 apiece, to put himself and two family members on the ride. As the top bidder, Brashares got the first pick of available seats.

News and Updates, News Stories, Rides, Water Rides

Cedar Point’s New Shoot the Rapids Water Ride Opens For The Summer

Leave a comment

Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Cedar Point’s Shoot the Rapids water ride is now open!

The newest ride at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort, Shoot the Rapids, opened for the season earlier today, Saturday, June 26.

“The first hill rocks,” said Jeff Braschares, from Delaware, Ohio, who rode the new water ride with his wife and 9-year-old daughter.  “You get super wet at the bottom of the first hill!”

Located on the Frontier Trail, Shoot the Rapids is Cedar Point’s third water ride.  The new family thrill ride features two hills and two splash landings.  The first hill is 85 feet-tall, one of the tallest water ride hills in the world, while the second hill crests 49 feet above the ground.  At the bottom of the first hill, boats are traveling nearly 50 mph!  To ride Shoot the Rapids, guests must be at least 48 inches tall or 46 inches tall and accompanied by a responsible adult.

Shoot the Rapids uses more than 730,000 gallons of water.  The 2,100-foot journey carries riders through a dark mist-filled tunnel and in between canyon walls with spraying water before sending the boats skimming across churning rapids at the bottom of the ride’s second hill.

Non-riders can also join in the fun.  Eight water geysers are located along the ride’s meandering course.  For only 25 cents, guests who want to stay dry can launch bursts of water at unsuspecting riders from an observation deck located near the bottom the ride’s grand finale!

Eight-year-old Abe Haprian of Wadsworth, Ohio, described the park’s newest ride in one word:  “Awesome!”  The first hill was cool and the geysers are really neat.  Everybody gets wet!”

With the opening of Shoot the Rapids, Cedar Point now has 75 rides, including 17 roller coasters, more rides and more coasters than any park in the world.

In addition to Shoot the Rapids, the park has introduced five new shows to its entertainment package.  This summer’s new shows range from country classics and a real-life version of MTV’s Rock Band video game to a high-energy ice skating show featuring Snoopy and the PEANUTS characters.

For more information, visit cedarpoint.com or call the park’s General Information Line at 419.627.2350.

Events, News and Updates, News Stories, Rides, Water Rides

Shoot the Rapids gets green light and splash down

Leave a comment

From the Sandusky Register…

SANDUSKY

It’s finally here!

UPDATE: 10:40 a.m.

Inspectors and Cedar Point officials smoothed out last-minute snags and 24 Red Cross highest bidders took the inaugural ride today.

The ride is expected to be open through the weekend, barring any other problems.

Cedar Point official expect 8,000 people will ride the new offering on Saturday alone.