Belmont Park
Rides & Attractions Marketing Research Report
Jessica Boyle, Luiz Gonçalves, Aamir Munshi, Alan Pleat, Katya Zubovskaya
GSBA 550: Marketing Research
Dr. Andrea Flynn
University of San Diego
School of Business
Fall 2019
Executive Summary
a) Managerial Decision Problem
What is the consumer perception with respect to the current selection of rides and attractions at Belmont Park and what actionable changes could be implemented in the future to bring back consumers?
b) Summary of Methods
Our research design methods included both exploratory and descriptive research. During phase one of our project we employed exploratory research by conducting in-person Belmont
Park surveys with thirteen groups of park guests. These surveys were conducted with visitors at
Belmont Park during the weekend on September 28 - September 29, 2019. With our interview guides ready, we were able to get qualitative in-depth insights from these groups of interviewees based on their current and past experiences. This approach ensured that we had a clear understanding of the managerial problem at hand and enabled us to focus our attention on key aspects of the in-park experience based on patterns in guest feedback. During phase two of our project we employed descriptive research methods through the application of an online survey administered electronically through an online questionnaire to members of Belmont Park’s email distribution list. This research method enabled us to test out our exploratory research findings in a more structured and statistically backed format.
c) Conclusions and Recommendations
Through our exploratory and descriptive research methods we were able to develop several conclusions and recommendations regarding the Belmont Park Rides & Attractions in-park experience. Our first conclusion is that a majority of park attendees come to the Park in groups with children. Second, Belmont Park customers visit the Park in order to create special family memories. Third, guests of the park want rides and attractions that are oriented towards both adults and children. Fourth, guests with children value a relaxing park environment. Fifth, parents consider a safe environment an important part of their overall satisfaction with the Park.
Sixth, the beachfront/boardwalk is just as important to attendees as the rides and attractions offered. Seventh, thrill rides and family-friendly rides are more important to park guests than arcade games.
Our first recommendation for Belmont Park management is the offer adult and children separate and collective ride and attraction experiences. Second, offer family ticket packages.
Third, introduce a fusion ride between thrill rides and family friendly rides. Fourth, marketing efforts should spotlight family moments at the Park. Fifth, social media organic posts and advertisements should highlight the boardwalk/beachfront location. Sixth, reduce the space allocated to arcade games and instead use that space to build more thrill and family-friendly rides
& attractions.
1) Problem background and definition
a) Overview of the problem
According to the Global Attractions Attendance Report published by the Themed
Entertainment Association, attendance at the top 20 North American theme parks grew by 4%
(6.1 million people) in 2018 (Rubin, 2019). This increase is mainly due to growth among the top operators, such as Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld. The growth in this industry is being attributed to these franchises’ creative use of IP in a storytelling environment, made immersive with state-of-the-art technology (Rubin, 2019). For example, BumpArcade rolled out a way to turn ordinary bumper cars into a new kind of ride, where bumper cars drive over lit up elements on the floor, collect points, and engage other players (Poelking, 2018). CAVU Designwerks introduced an innovative drop tower, where there are now two towers with two teams, each controlling the other’s drops via massive screens (Poelking, 2018). Disney’s brand new ride is the Star Wars Galaxy Edge, where the visitor is fully engulfed in the world of Star Wars through dozens of personalized--both digital and physical--experiences to explore along the way. All these rides strive to give the user more control of their experience through digitization and virtual reality. It seems that the future trend of amusement parks isn’t just about what you do—it’s also about elaborate photo backdrops and immersive experiences, providing guests with settings that facilitate their online personae (Rubin, 2019). Belmont Park is older than most of its amusement park competitors. It opened in 1925, the same year that its main attraction, the Giant Dipper, was built. The Giant Dipper is now the oldest coaster on the west coast--one of only two antique wooden roller coasters on this side of the country--and was designated a National Historic Monument in 1990. The mission of Belmont is “to create the iconic San Diego beachfront experience through family memories, genuine service, and endless fun”, as stated by Belmont Park’s director of marketing Michelle McKee.
As one of only a handful of beachfront amusement parks in the nation, it aims to attract tourists, but also be a place that locals return to regularly. Last year, approximately 40% of park patrons visited only once, which corresponds with the high tourist attendance. However, Michelle also stated that Belmont believes that a portion of this 40% is also locals who come to the park once but don’t see reason to return. Belmont currently offers customers the option to purchase a one-time day pass, monthly passes, or annual passes. Customers can also purchase a ticket for just one-ride. “Buy one, get one” promotions have been utilized in the past with minimal results.
Up until a few months ago, many of the rides and attractions were being operated by an external partner. Now that Belmont operates most of the rides and attractions themselves, the park’s administration has been using Placer.ai software to determine how people engage with the park. They have also employed past student groups, who have been successful in compiling preliminary data. Surveys revealed that customers feel the weighted value of the rides is only 3.7
(fair) out of 5 (excellent). The feedback has also been given that customers would like rides and attractions to be more “modern,” and to appeal to younger audiences. Approximately 65% of the groups that visit Belmont consist of 4 or more people. Additionally, previous data has shown that there is not a lot of cross-over between customers who come for the rides and attractions, and those who come for the boardwalk restaurants. Belmont’s ideal setup would be that the rides and attractions lead customers to also make use of the park’s retail and dining (both in-park dining and boardwalk restaurants) offerings.
Comments left on online platforms such as Yelp and TripAdvisor reveal additional insight about the customer experience. Some complaints reference the recent change in the arcade, saying it is now much more expensive and harder to win, therefore not as much fun
(TripAdvisor, 2019). Several people during the summer months complained about annoying crowds and long lines (Yelp, 2019). A specific recent case details that a client and her husband felt humiliated after being called “too big” for the ride car in which they were in and were asked to move from the line (TripAdvisor, 2019). Some of these complaints are more recurrent, while others are rarer and more extreme, but all of them point to potential pain points.
b) Decision Problem
For this research, the managerial decision problem was:
“Who are the key customer personas and target persona who visit Belmont Park for rides and attractions and what elements of the current selection of rides and attractions are most engaging for the target persona?”
c) Research Problems
To help this study to answer the decision problem, decision problems were created:
· Customer satisfaction levels with current selection of rides and attractions · Customer views on the quality/experience of rides and attractions
· Most valuable characteristics/aesthetics of rides and attractions for customers
that would bring back consumers
· Customer perception of the price paid for the current rides and attractions
vis-a-vis competition
2) Summary of Phase I – Exploratory Research
a) Research Design
The Rides and Attractions Team approached the first phase of our project by using exploratory research as the preferred choice over other methods of research design. This approach provided us with many benefits. Firstly, it ensured we had a clear understanding of the managerial problem on hand. After our initial meeting at Belmont Park, exploratory research helped us gain greater insight into how customers actually experience the park. Secondly, exploratory research works best in the initial stages of a project, given its flexibility in terms of developing a decision problem and formulating a hypothesis. Exploratory research does not “box in” the researcher - rather, it allows us to ask open-ended questions and provides the freedom to follow the path the respondent’s answers might lead to. With an open mind, we began to investigate whether the perceived problem was really the actual problem. We believe this is extremely important, because if the problem is incorrectly identified at the outset of the project, the recommendations generated at the end will not actually address the real challenges being faced by the client. Lastly, exploratory research design was helpful given the small scale of the research in terms of the limited duration we had on hand (only a few hours on one weekend), no budget allocation and a limited sample size.
b) Primary Data Collection Method
The primary data collection method we used was in-depth interviews. These were conducted with visitors at Belmont Park during the weekend on September 28-29, 2019. With our interview guides ready, we were able to get qualitative in-depth insights from the interviewees based on their current and past experiences. In many cases, their facial expressions conveyed a lot more meaning beyond their actual words. It also eliminated the social pressure that respondents in a focus group are succumbed to while providing their opinions amongst their peers.
We did not opt to use ethnography as it would have been a very time-consuming method and would have required researcher expertise to get quality data, even though it provides far more in-depth insights and is contextually relevant. Given these advantages of in-depth interviews, it helped us create a better fit between the method and the purpose of this research.
c) Primary Data Sources
During our research, we spoke with a wide variety of people at Belmont Park. Six of the thirteen respondents we interviewed were members of families that were visiting the park as part of large multi-family groups (five or more people). This gave us many different persona perspectives to consider when drafting our managerial decision problem. We also collected survey data from a few groups of teenage children that were part of these family units.
Additionally, at least three of these interviewees were part of tourist groups visiting the park from out of town, often from Arizona. However, six of the respondents clearly stated that they haven’t visited the park in over three years or have never visited before.
d) Summary of Key Insights
While speaking to the interviewees, many common themes emerged from their responses.
These included purpose of visit, standout park attractions, current satisfaction with rides and attractions, perspectives on ticket price fairness, and potential changes to the park experience.
Mainly, people visit with different types of groups (with children, without children) and for different purposes, and they also perceive the ticket prices as fair.
Five out of the thirteen respondents visited Belmont Park for a birthday party and thought it was the best way to celebrate such an occasion. While kids were busy with the rides and attractions, the adults could casually hang around and also enjoy a glass of beer. A lot of the respondents mentioned proximity to the beach as a factor that brought them to Belmont Park.
The atmosphere, the surrounding vibe, and having everything under one roof (entertainment, food and shopping) made it a convenient place to hangout for everyone in the family. Three of our respondents were also visiting San Diego for the day and had either heard of the place through word of mouth or looked for fun things to do in San Diego and discovered Belmont Park online. In summary, from the interviews we can perceive that guests believe that everyone in the family can have a great time in the park.
During these conversations, it was interesting to listen in to how many customers compared
Belmont Park to the likes of SeaWorld San Diego and Disneyland. As Nicole, one of our respondents mentioned, “My son usually likes to go to SeaWorld. But he really wanted to do the bumper cars and that is what brought us here today. It’s nice that parents can stand and watch their kids as well as do their stuff while their kids enjoy. It’s just perfect for all of us.” On the other hand, 25-year-old Chris said, “If I wanted to go on the rides myself, I would have gone to
Disneyland. But since his family was of mixed ages, Belmont Park was perfect.”
All of our respondents were satisfied overall with their experiences on the rides and attractions. We heard a lot of respondents emphasize the minimal lines, manageable crowd size, easy ride access, proximity to the Mission Beach boardwalk, and the small size of the park as critical elements that enhanced their overall experience. Adding to the experience of the rides and attractions, respondents also brought up the music being played in the park as enhancing the overall vibe.
We also heard respondents of all ages consistently suggesting the desire for more thrill and adrenaline inducing rides that adults and older teenagers would enjoy. Specifically, there were requests for rides that are taller, faster, more modern, and have more loops and other exciting elements. We can tell from Jennifer’s response - “My daughter loved the Sky Rope. However, she was scared on the Beach Blaster,” that the current selection of rides and attractions are thrilling for the younger demographic already.
Although people would like to see a thrilling addition to the park, some visitors are concerned with the safety and durability of the Giant Dipper, as well as the traffic any additions could bring along. As Sam (one of the respondents) said, “While the Giant Dipper is iconic and vintage, it is scary and a little rough.” On the other hand, Nicole (one of the respondents) raised concerns about the crowded pathways existent at the park. She said, “I would have liked if the pathways running across the park weren’t as crowded, since customers are essentially walking across vendors.” In general, we saw that visitors had mixed feelings about adding or focusing on thrill rides at the park.
Feedback provided by the kids pointed to some downfalls in the laser tag attraction, citing issues such as inconsistent functionality, and lack of clarity once inside the ride. Respondents called the laser tag too simple and underwhelming in terms of engagement. We also heard support for the return of the wave pool, which seems to have been so popular that it still was brought up in our conversations with visitors now. Some visitors, although a minority, also voiced the need for more rides for toddlers and smaller, stroller sized children.
Moreover, two respondents mentioned that they had observed an impressive increase in the selection of rides and attractions available at the amusement park and the upgrade to the existing offerings since their last visit to the park over three years ago. One of these respondents named
Shannon mentioned, “I came here three years back when the park didn’t have half the things it currently does. I am super impressed with the upgrades.”
As for the value of the ticket, most interviewees found it to be fair. Many people seemed to have purchased their tickets for their groups’ visit through deals with Groupon and Costco, and thought it was well worth the price. It was surprising when Amanda (one of the respondents) mentioned, “I am from the military and even after the discount I receive, I think the price is quite expensive.” Putting together the insights from all the interviews, we conclude that Belmont Park is perceived as a fun option for the whole family, guests believe the prices are fair (with a few exceptions), and they also have mixed feelings about focusing on thrill rides.
3) Summary of Phase II – Descriptive Research
a) Research design
In Phase II of our research project, we shifted gears from exploratory research to descriptive research. If Phase I allowed us to explore the why behind guest’s experience at Belmont Park,
Phase II allowed us to observe and describe the what of those experiences. Descriptive research was required in this phase because after forming a hypothesis based on our exploratory research, we needed a more structured methodology within which to test it. Descriptive research is most useful for investigating a hypothesis because it adheres to a more rigid methodology and can be applied on a larger scale (as opposed to exploratory research, which was fluid and was conducted on just a very small sample). The descriptive research tools we employed in this phase of the project allowed us to reach a greater audience of Belmont Park’s guests, and test our hypothesis using specific and intentionally designed questions.
b) Survey method of administration
We chose to employ surveys as a method of carrying out descriptive research. The surveys were administered electronically using an online questionnaire. These electronic questionnaires helped minimize cost and time resources, given the ease through which responses could be sought from the pool of respondents. Other advantages include reach (we were able to send the survey to thousands of people) and it allows the survey to be (essentially) anonymous.
c) Survey design
i. Degree of Disguise:
The survey was introduced with the following statement: “The following questions ask you about your experience with Belmont Park's rides and attractions.” Since we did not aim to obscure the purpose of our survey in any way and we believed that knowing it would not bias respondents too much, the degree of disguise was minimal. Since the overall purpose of the survey was described in the very beginning, we decided to keep the introduction to our section short, up front, and honest.
i. Degree of Structure:
In order to be able to quantify our results, the survey was designed with a rigid structure.
Questions were separated to gather data from two separate groups: park visitors with children, and visitors without children. We hypothesized that the two groups’ experiences would be vastly different, and therefore came up with a structure that would target those groups with different sets of questions. However, the questions for both groups were structured, closed ended questions. These questions did not allow for free form responses but provided fixed alternatives.
This structure allowed us to quantify the data in a uniform and consistent way, ensure surveys are completed in a faster and easier manner, predict patterns and trends and expect a higher response rate. 4) Sampling plan
a) Target population & sampling frame
The target population was comprised of everyone who has visited Belmont Park and experienced the rides and attractions. To frame that population and collect data from a specific sample, the survey was sent to people that are in one of two email lists, and who have agreed to receive marketing emails from Belmont Park. One of these databases was related to the park in general, and the other was related to the restaurants. Respondents were filtered according to which part of the park they have visited. Those that have indicated in the first question of the survey that they have previously experienced the rides and attractions segment were presented with our portion of the survey.
b) Sample size
Our survey was distributed to approximately 70,000 people currently existing on Belmont
Park’s email distribution list. Additionally, the survey was distributed to approximately 25,000 people currently registered on Belmont Park’s restaurant email database. Based on Belmont
Park’s previous email marketing engagement performance, we anticipated a 10% open rate. On top of this, we expected a 10% survey completion rate. Thus, based on these parameters and expectations, we predicted that approximately 950 total people would complete the survey.
c) Procedures for maximizing response rate As more organizations invest in marketing research, marketers are competing for consumers' attention in order to understand what makes them happy. It is difficult to get customers to complete a survey, as people generally do not like doing surveys. However, in order to maximize response rate, we formatted our survey using the following best practices:
1. Large pool of respondents: Our survey was sent out to a large pool of respondents (95,000 in total). Assuming the aforementioned open and completion rates, we expected a large amount of data to work with (i.e. 950 completed survey responses).
2. Incentives offered: Among the respondents who completed the survey, 2 respondents were chosen daily at random, throughout the period the survey was administered. The incentive offered was either a $50 gift card that could be used at any of Belmont Park’s three restaurants
(Beach House, Cannonball, or Draft) or a day pass offering unlimited rides and attractions.
3. Low estimated response time: The full survey was designed to take a respondent less than 10 minutes to complete.
4. Logical questions: Respondents who have only experienced some of Belmont Park’s four park segments, would have answered questions related to those segments only, implying even less than 10 minutes needed for completion of the survey.
5. Choice of questions: Our survey included only close-ended questions with fixed alternative choices; in other words, respondents were not asked to write free form paragraph responses. 6. Anonymity: Respondents did not need to share any personal information to complete the survey.
Data Analysis and Results
Test #1: One-sample t-test on statement “I come for the thrill rides.”
Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, the mean score of survey participants when asked if they agree with the statement “I come for the thrill rides” is not greater than 3 (neutral). For this, we used a one-sample t-test, as a result of using scale data with one mean, in order to compare the mean of one variable for one group to a specified value.
Sample Mean: Sample Size T-value P-value Ride_enjoy_thrill
3.49 887 12.8 0.0001
Using the one-tailed t-test, we were able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was less than 0.05, and thus offers greater than a 95% confidence interval. This means that we could conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of Belmont Park guests, the mean score of survey participants when asked if they agree with the statement “I come for the thrill rides” was greater than 3 (neutral). Our managerial conclusion for this test is that Belmont Park visitors come to the park for the thrill rides.
Test #2: One-sample t-test on mean allocation of scores between three options: thrill rides, family-friendly rides, and arcade games. Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, the mean score allocated to thrill rides out of 100 is not greater than 33.33. For this, we used a one-sample t-test, as a result of using scale data with one mean, in order to compare the mean of one variable for one group to a specified value.
Sample Mean: Sample Size T-value P-value Ride_enjoy_thrill
39.25 887 6.552 0.0001
Using the one-tailed t-test, we were able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was less than 0.05, and thus offers greater than a 95% confidence interval. This means that we could conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of Belmont Park guests, the mean score allocated to thrill rides out of 100 is greater than 33.33. Our managerial conclusion for this test is that thrill rides are a priority in-park experience for guests, compared to arcade games and family-friendly rides.
Test #3: Pearson two-tailed correlation test on attendees who come for thrill rides and attendees who value a fun experience for both adults and children.
Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, there is no correlation between visitors who agreed with the statement “I come for the thrill rides” and
“Experience for both adults and children is a valuable part of the experience”.
Sample Mean: Sample Mean: Sample Size Pearson Significance Thrill Rides Experience Correlation (2-tailed)
3.49 4.41 887 0.230 0.0001
Using the Pearson two-tailed correlation test, we were able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was less than 0.05, and thus offers greater than a 95% confidence interval. This means that we could conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of Belmont Park guests, there in fact is a weak but statistically significant correlation between guests who come for the thrill rides and guests who value a fun experience for both adults and children.
Test #4: Paired Samples t-test testing the hypothesis “Among all attractions, the Giant
Dipper has the highest satisfaction level, and the Crazy Submarine has the lowest.”
Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, the mean level of satisfaction for the Crazy Submarine ride was less than the level of satisfaction for the
Giant Dipper.
Sample Mean: Sample Mean: Sample Size T-value P-value Giant Dipper Crazy Sub
4.36 3.75 700 14.58 0.00005
Using the one-tailed paired samples t-test, we were able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was less than 0.05. This means that we could conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of Belmont Park guests, the mean level of satisfaction for the Crazy Submarine was less than the Giant Dipper. The Crazy Submarine had the lowest level of satisfaction out of all available rides, and the Giant Dipper had the highest.
Test #5: Frequency analysis of which ride Belmont Park visitors would like to see most in the future: A ride with water features and another Roller Coaster.
To test what kind of ride Belmont Park visitors want to see in the future we ran a frequency analysis for each response, which showed which choice is most desirable. A future ride with water features was chosen most, with another roller coaster chosen as the second most option, and a ride for kids chosen the least.
Ride Type: Ride Ride Type: Ride Type: Ride Type: Ride Type: Ride Type: Themed Type: Roller Kiddie Wave pool Water Other Interactive Virtual Coaster Ride Features Reality (3-8yr/old)
442 344 472 227 338 494 69
Test #6: Paired samples t-test comparing among guests with children whether perceiving the environment as relaxing is more important than the presence of thrill rides.
Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, the mean level of agreement among guests with children that the environment being relaxing was important was less than that of the thrill rides. For this, we used a paired samples t-test, in order to compare the mean of two different variables (relaxing environment, and thrill rides) for the same group.
Sample Mean: Sample Mean: Sample Size T-value P-value Relaxing Thrill Rides Environment
3.69 3.41 752 6.434 0.00005
Using the paired samples t-test, we were able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was less than 0.05, and thus offers greater than a 95% confidence interval. This means that we could conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of Belmont Park guests, the mean level of agreement about the environment being relaxing is higher than the mean of people looking for thrill rides. Our managerial conclusion for this test is that guests who visit with children share a perception that the Belmont Park environment is relaxing, and that perception, on average, is more important to them than coming for the thrill rides.
Test #7: Independent samples t-test on whether guests that visit the park with children place a higher value on having fun options for both adults and children, compared with guests that visit without children.
Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, the mean level of agreement among guests with children of having fun options for both adults and children was not higher than the mean level of agreement among guests without children.
For this, we used an independent samples t-test, in order to compare the mean of the same variable for two different groups (guests with children, and guests without children).
Sample Mean Sample Size T-value P-value
Guests with 4.43 752 1.838 0.034 Children
Guests without 4.28 135 Children
Using the independent samples t-test, we were able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was less than 0.05, and thus offers greater than a 95% confidence interval. This means that we could conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of
Belmont Park guests, the mean level of agreement among guests with children is higher than the mean level of agreement of guests without children regarding the importance of providing fun for both adults and children as part of Belmont Park’s experience. Our managerial conclusion for this test is that guests with children place higher value on the existence of fun options for both adults and children than guests without children.
Test #8: One-sample t-test on statement “Visiting the Park creates special memories for me and my family.”
Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, the mean likelihood that people visit the park because it creates special memories for them and their families is not greater than 3 (neutral). For this, we used a one-sample t-test, as a result of using scale data with one mean, in order to compare the mean of one variable for one group to a specified value.
Sample Mean: Sample Size T-value P-value Ride_enjoy_thrill
4.35 752 53.415 0.0001
Using the one-tailed t-test, we were able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was less than 0.05, and thus offers greater than a 95% confidence interval. This means that we could conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of Belmont Park guests, the mean likelihood that people visit the park because it creates special memories for them and their families is greater than 3 (neutral). Our managerial conclusion for this test is that most customers visit Belmont Park because it creates special memories for them and their families, and that these special moments are an important part of what attracts guests to Park.
Test #9: Paired samples t-test on whether guests place higher value on Belmont’s providing entertainment for the whole family, or on the beachfront/boardwalk location. Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, the mean level of agreement among people visiting Belmont Park because it offers entertainment for the entire family is not more than the mean agreement among people visiting Belmont Park because of the beachfront/boardwalk location. For this, we used a paired samples t-test, in order to compare the mean of two different variables (entertainment for the whole family, and beachfront/boardwalk location) for the same group.
Sample Mean: Sample Mean: Sample Size T-value P-value Entertainment Location Rides (2-tailed) Variable
4.12 4.13 887 -0.209 0.835
Using the paired samples t-test, we were not able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was greater than 0.05, and thus did not offer greater than a 95% confidence interval. This means that we could not conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of Belmont Park guests, the mean level of agreement among people visiting Belmont
Park because it offers entertainment for the entire family is not more than the mean agreement among people visiting Belmont Park because of the beachfront/boardwalk location. Our managerial conclusion for this test is that the beachfront/boardwalk location is not significantly more important to customers as is the entertainment factor; in fact, the two seem to be regarded as of similar importance.
Test #10: Pearson two-tailed correlation on guests with children feeling that the environment is safe for their kids, and the likelihood of having a relaxing experience at
Belmont Park. Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, there is not a statistically significant correlation between parents feeling the environment is safe for their children and the likelihood of guests having a relaxing experience at Belmont Park. For this, we used a Pearson two-tailed correlation, in order to accurately test the statistical significance of the correlation between these two variables.
Sample Mean: Sample Mean: Sample Size Pearson Significance Ride_kids_relax Ride_kids_safe Correlation (2-tailed)
3.83 3.86 752 0.610 0.0001
Using the Pearson two-tailed correlation test, we were able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was less than 0.05, and thus offers greater than a 95% confidence interval. This means that we could conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of Belmont Park guests, there is a significantly moderate correlation between guests feeling the environment is safe for their children and their overall enjoyment of the rides and attractions offered at the Park. Our managerial conclusion for this test is that Belmont Park visitors will enjoy their experience more if they feel confident that their children are safe in the
Park environment.
Test #11: One-sample binomial test on whether the majority of Belmont Park guests attend the park with children.
Our null hypothesis for this test was that, in the population of Belmont Park customers, the proportion of guests who attend the Park with children is not more than 50%. For this, we used a one-sample binomial test, in order to determine whether an actual proportion of the population was more or less than the proportion hypothesized (in this case, not more than 50%). Sample Size Observed Proportions P-value
Guests with Children 752 0.85 0.0001
Guests without 135 0.15 Children
Using the one-sample binomial test, we were able to reject the null hypothesis because the p-value of the statistical test was less than 0.05, and thus offers greater than a 95% confidence interval. This means that we could conclude with 95% certainty that among the population of
Belmont Park guests, a majority of attendees visit the park with children. Our managerial conclusion for this test is that the majority of Belmont’s rides and attractions customers are those who attend the Park with children.
Limitations (Jessica)
As with all projects, we are aware that limitations existed within the scope of ours:
1. The timing of our in-depth interviews, conducted during our exploratory research phase,
may have limited the scope of our initial decision problem formulation. We conducted
in-depth interviews over a Saturday and Sunday, where the majority of attendees
appeared to be families and multi-generational groups. Had we also conducted interviews
during the weekdays, we might have encountered different audience populations.
2. Interviewing only the “weekend” crowd led to lesser diversity in the perspectives gained.
We quickly noticed that it was typical for the female “matriarch” figure to stay behind
and talk to us while letting the rest of the group continue on their way. This added to the
potential for a limited perspective. 3. For our descriptive research phase, one self-imposed limitation was the sole use of
close-ended questions on our surveys. Open-ended questions might have allowed us to
gain more personalized insight into guest experiences, even though it may have resulted
in fewer responses. For this project, we chose to value a higher response rate over the
potential for personalized customer feedback.
4. Another limitation was the sole focus on our team’s goals and objectives. A guest’s
experience at Belmont is not siloed into each of the Park’s four “areas” as easily as this
project was. Additional research into how a guest interacts with all four areas of the park,
as one cojoined experience, would be extremely useful. For example, can correlations be
built between which rides customers enjoy most and the proximity of in-park dining
options to those rides? Questions like these were not part of our project scope.
5. Last but not least, it is important to acknowledge that our findings for this project are
ultimately generalizations. We have taken every effort to ensure that our conclusions and
recommendations are based on findings that we are confident do in fact represent the
larger Belmont customer base. However, we would be remiss to assume that we have
perfectly captured that population with a sample size of just 887 email respondents.
With these in mind, we present the following conclusions and recommendations for your consideration.
Conclusions
Throughout this research project, we used a combination of exploratory and descriptive research methods, that enabled us to develop several conclusions and recommendations regarding
Belmont Park’s Rides & Attractions in-park experience. We divided our conclusions in terms of the decision problems we were trying to study. We separated them into conclusions about who are Belmont Park’s key customers and target personas and what elements of the rides and attractions do these target personas find the most engaging. Our conclusions are explained further below.
1. A majority of park attendees come to the Park in groups with children: This may seem obvious at first, but quantitatively too, we saw a very high percentage of people
(85%) visiting with children. This also lends support to the fact that Belmont Park has
several rides that are catered to the child demographic and that makes it a definite crowd
puller.
2. People enjoy visiting Belmont Park because it helps them to create special family
memories: We learnt during our in-depth interviews people came to the park to celebrate several life occasions, particularly birthdays. There were families that came in just to
hangout and spend the day with their loved ones. We observed that a vital part of the
in-park experience for guests revolved around helping them create special memories with
families. These memories build customer loyalty and repeat park visits.
3. Several of the guests indicated that Belmont Park has rides and attractions that are
oriented towards both adults and children: Given the vast age demographic (respondents in the age group of 25-54) coming to Belmont Park, it may be easy to focus
attention towards the children that come along with their parents. However, adults
themselves have shown a keen interest in wanting to experience rides and attractions at the park, however, they emphasize the importance of the rides being age appropriate for
them.
4. Guests with children value a relaxing park environment: During our in-depth interviews we heard several interviewees tell us about how the park was so great because
it was small in size, the lines were short and the waiting times were not too long. In
essence, these factors all lead to a calm and relaxing environment at the park, where
guests are able to enjoy the various offerings without having to wait for too long and
experience tiredness and fatigue.
5. Parents consider a safe environment an important part of their overall satisfaction
with the Park: For any parent to enjoy a theme park, safety and security for their whole family in the park is key. We see from the data that guests with children value a relaxing
environment more than they value thrill rides. This implies that safety take a priority
above all else and that if the park is positioned as a safe place for kids to enjoy and for
adults to relax and socialize while their kids play around, adult customers will continue
returning to the park with their family units.
6. The beachfront/boardwalk is just as important to attendees as the rides and
attractions offered: Respondents also indicated proximity to the beach as just as important a factor as are the rides and attractions in the park. The locational advantage
(located right on the Mission Beach Boardwalk) is definitely something Belmont Park
can capitalize on and entice customers with as part of their overall experience.
7. Thrill rides and family-friendly rides are more important to park guests than
arcade games: With an aim to understand respondent preferences, when respondents were asked to divide 100 points between thrill rides, arcade games and family rides, we
see how the preference for thrill rides and family rides is substantially larger than the
preference for arcade games. This is key to take into consideration as it highlights that
most respondents would come in to the park in order to experience the thrill and family
rides vis-a-vis the arcade games.
Recommendations
1. Offer adults and children separate and collective ride and attraction experiences:
While a majority of the people come to the park with their children, there is still 15% of
the sample pool that comes in without children. Thus, Belmont Park should offer rides
that cater to building those special family memories with their collective ride experiences
and offer thrill rides that cater to the need for an adrenaline rush amongst people without
children (separate experiences).
2. Offer family ticket packages: Belmont Park currently offers group discounts only for groups of 12 or more. While an average family size may be between 4 to 6 people, we
recommend introducing family ticket packages for those customer groups as well.
3. Introduce a fusion ride between thrill rides and family friendly rides: To balance the need for thrill and family friendly rides and those which cater to both separate and
collective experiences, we recommend including a fusion ride, where thrill may be
experienced in the company of one’s family. This will also help to build additional
memories for the family. 4. Marketing efforts should spotlight family moments at the Park: Marketing efforts such as traditional media (billboards, banners, posters, flyers, etc.) and social media
coverage should throw a spotlight on family memories and how coming to the park helps
families develop close belongingness, oneness and spread more love amongst near and
dear ones. Testimonials from families who have organized special occasions at the park
may also be highlighted through short videos (one to two minutes in length) on the
website and social media channels.
5. Social media/ads should highlight the boardwalk/beachfront location: With several people coming to Belmont Park because of its proximity to the beach, it may be ideal for
Belmont Park to showcase its locational advantage (the scenic beauty, the cool sunny San
Diego vibe and the surrounding water) in its social media ads. This could also help draw
an audience that is social media conscious and wants pictures are Instagram worthy.
6. Reduce the space allocated to arcade games and use that space to build more thrill
and family-friendly rides & attractions: With the data highlighting a stronger preference for thrill and family friendly rides and attractions over arcade games, it is
recommended that Belmont Park reduce the space allocated to arcade games and use that
space to build more thrill and family-friendly rides and attractions. Perhaps, the same
space could be used to build fusion rides.
Appendix
Appendix 1: References
Crist, C. (2018). Parents often lack amusement-park safety plans. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/
Karimi, F. (2018). Before you go to an amusement park, read this. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/.
Lui, K. (2017). A Growing List of Accidents Is Putting Safety at Amusement Parks Under the
Spotlight. Retrieved from https://time.com/
Macias, M. (2019). Personal Communication.
Poelking, J. (2018). Interaction Coming to More Theme Parks in 2019. Analyst Insight Report, Mintel Group Ltd. Retrieved from https://academic-mintel-com.sandiego.idm.oclc.org/display/936814/?highlight
Rubin, J. (Ed.). (2019). Theme Index and Museum Index 2018: Global Attractions Attendance
Report. Themed Entertainment Association, 22–27. Various (2019). Belmont Park. Retrieved from https://www.tripadvisor.com/
Various (2019). Belmont Park. Retrieved from https://www.yelp.com/
Appendix 2: Copy of Final Survey
Belmont Park Survey - Rides & Attractions Team
Start of Block: Introduction
Intro Belmont Park is conducting a survey on the guest experience at our park. Because our goal is to provide an excellent experience, we ask you to please take a few minutes to provide us with your feedback. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and your responses will be anonymous.
In return for your feedback, you can enter a drawing to win one of the following: $50 gift card valid at any of Belmont Park's restaurants: Beach House, Cannonball, Draft Ride & Play pass ($56 value) for access to unlimited rides and attractions at Belmont Park Winners will be selected daily!
The survey is open until November 12.
Thank you very much for your participation!
End of Block: Introduction
Start of Block: Screening Questions
Screener Which of the following have you experienced in your past visits to Belmont Park? Please check all that apply.
▢ Rides and attractions (1)
▢ In-park food and beverage concessions (e.g., hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream) (2)
▢ Retail stores (Belmont Beach, Lifeguard Shack) (3)
▢ Restaurants (Beach House, Cannonball, Draft) (4) End of Block: Screening Questions
Start of Block: Rides and Attractions Questions Ride_intro The following questions ask about your experience with Belmont Park's rides and attractions.
Page Break
Ride_kids In your prior visits to Belmont Park, did you visit with children?
Yes (1) o No (2) o
Ride1 Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about your experience at Belmont Park. Strongly Disagree (2) Neutral (3) Agree (4) Strongly Disagree (1) Agree (5)
It is easy to relax while o o o o o my children are enjoying the rides and attractions. (1)
I feel that the environment o o o o o is safe for my children. (2)
I enjoy socializing o o o o o with other adults while our children play. (3)
Visiting the park creates o o o o o special memories for me and my family. (4)
I visit with my family o o o o o because there is something to do for everyone. (5)
Page Break
Ride2 Please tell us about your overall impression of the rides and attractions at Belmont Park. Strongly Disagree Neutral (3) Agree (4) Strongly Disagree (2) Agree (5) (1)
I consider the rides and attractions to be o o o o o family-friendly. (1)
My favorite aspect is that it offers a fun o o o o o experience for my whole family. (2)
The primary reason I visit is because it o o o o o offers entertainment for my entire family. (3)
My favorite aspect of visiting is the o o o o o beachfront/boardwal k location. (4)
It is a place both adults and children o o o o o can enjoy. (5)
Offering fun for both adults and children is o o o o o an important aspect of the experience. (6)
Page Break
Ride3 Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about Belmont Park. Strongly Disagree (2) Neutral (3) Agree (4) Strongly Disagree (1) Agree (5)
While at the park, there are o o o o o many opportunities to socialize with other adults. (1)
The environment o o o o o is relaxing. (2)
I come for the thrill rides. (3) o o o o o
Page Break
Ride4 Which of these rides and attractions do you enjoy at Belmont Park?
Please divide 100 points between the following options according to how much you enjoy each type of ride or attraction. Assign more points to the options you enjoy the most. Thrill rides : ______(1) Arcade games : ______(2) Family-friendly rides : ______(3) Total : ______
Page Break
Ride5 Using the scale below, indicate your level of satisfaction with each of the following rides. Very Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Very N/A (6) Dissatisfied (2) (3) (4) Satisfied (1) (5)
Giant Dipper o o o o o o Roller Coaster (1)
Beach Blaster (2) o o o o o o
Octotron (3) o o o o o o
Tilt-A-Whi rl (4) o o o o o o
Crazy Submarine o o o o o o (5) Krazy Kars (6) o o o o o o
Ride6 Using the scale below, indicate your level of satisfaction with each of the following rides and attractions. Very Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Very N/A (6) Dissatisfied (2) (3) (4) Satisfied (1) (5)
Climbing Wall (1) o o o o o o
Mini Golf (2) o o o o o o
Sky Climb (3) o o o o o o
Zip Line (4) o o o o o o
LaserBlast Arcade o o o o o o Laser Tag (5)
Flee the Escape o o o o o o Room (6)
Page Break
Ride7 What type of rides and attractions would you like to see in the future? Check all that apply.
▢ Themed interactive rides (1)
▢ Virtual reality experience (2)
▢ Another roller coaster (3)
▢ Another kiddie ride (ages 3-8) (4)
▢ Wavepool (5)
▢ Ride with water features (6)
▢ Other (7) ______ End of Block: Rides and Attractions Questions
Start of Block: Demographic Questions
Age Please indicate your age.
18-24 (1) o
25-34 (2) o
35-44 (3) o 45-54 (4) o
55-64 (5) o
65 or older (6) o
Prefer not to say (7) o
Gender Please indicate your gender.
Male (1) o
Female (2) o
Non-binary (3) o
Prefer not to say (4) o
Income Please indicate your annual household income.
$0 - $24,999 (1) o
$25,000 - $49,999 (2) o
$50,000 - $74,999 (3) o $75,000 - $99,999 (4) o
$100,000 or more (5) o
Prefer not to say (6) o
End of Block: Demographic Questions
Appendix 3: SPSS output from data analysis
Test #1: One-sample t-test on statement “I come for the thrill rides.”
Test #2: One-sample t-test on mean allocation of scores between three options: thrill rides, family-friendly rides, and arcade games.
Test #3: Pearson two-tailed correlation test on attendees who come for thrill rides and attendees who value a fun experience for both adults and children.
Test #4: Paired Samples t-test testing the hypothesis “Among all attractions, the Giant
Dipper has the highest satisfaction level, and the Crazy Submarine has the lowest.”
Test #5: Frequency analysis of which ride Belmont Park visitors would like to see most in the future: A ride with water features and another Roller Coaster.
Test #6: Paired samples t-test comparing among guests with children whether perceiving the environment as relaxing is more important than the presence of thrill rides.
Paired Samples Statistics
Mean N Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Pair 1 - The environment is 3,69 752 ,962 ,035 relaxing.
- I come for the thrill rides. 3,41 752 1,130 ,041
Paired Samples Test
Paired Differences t df Sig. (2-taile Mea Std. Std. 95% Confidence d) n Deviatio Error Interval of the n Mean Difference
Lower Upper
Pai The ,282 1,202 ,044 ,196 ,368 6,43 751 ,000 r 1 environment is 4 relaxing. - I come for the thrill rides.
Test #7: Independent samples t-test on whether guests that visit the park with children place a higher value on having fun options for both adults and children, compared with guests that visit without children. Group Statistics
In your prior visits to N Mean Std. Std. Error Belmont Park, did you Deviation Mean visit with children?
- Offering fun for both Yes 752 4,43 ,719 ,026 adults and children is an important aspect of the experience.
No 135 4,28 ,911 ,078
Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test t-test for Equality of Means for Equality of Variances
F Sig. T df Sig. Mean Std. 95% (2-ta Differ Error Confidence iled) ence Differ Interval of the ence Difference
Lowe Uppe r r
- Offering Equal 13,7 ,000 2,1 885 ,031 ,152 ,070 ,014 ,290 fun for variances 01 64 both assumed adults and children is an Equal 1,8 165, ,068 ,152 ,083 -,011 ,315 important variances 38 285 aspect of not the assumed experienc e.
Test #8: One-sample t-test on statement “Visiting the Park creates special memories for me and my family.”
Test #9: Paired samples t-test on whether guests place higher value on Belmont’s providing entertainment for the whole family, or on the beachfront/boardwalk location.
Test #10: Pearson two-tailed correlation on guests with children feeling that the environment is safe for their kids, and the likelihood of having a relaxing experience at
Belmont Park.
Test #11: One-sample binomial test on whether the majority of Belmont Park guests attend the park with children.