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Volume 1, No. 11. June 29, 2001

Frills over thrills
Year two and Jazzland in New Orleans, Louisiana, was looking to make a big statement by building a Vekoma double-looping roller coaster. But after reflecting on the park's rookie season, Jazzland officials realized that while some customers wanted more thrills at the park, many more wanted comfort and fundamental guest services, something sorely lacking last year.

"The thinking was if someone is uncomfortable or they're not satisfied with our cast members, it doesn't matter what ride we get, they're not going to come back," said Patrick Evans, Jazzland's public relations manager.

So, the park instead invested in 400 new shade trees, additional awnings, eight cooling-off zones, a new set of lockers inside the park (previously the park only had lockers outside the front gate) and the season pass processing center moved from a trailer in the parking lot to a new building inside the front plaza. Jazzland also added more benches and put its staff through an additional 150,000 total hours of training.

Though officials can't yet gauge whether the improvements have translated into increased attendance—the park endured early closings and rain-outs for almost a week during Tropical Storm Allison's trek through the region earlier this month—Evans did say guest comments reflect happier attendance, at least. "We've had a lot of people thank us for the shade and for the chairs. I've had people tell me personally that they had noticed an improvement in the customer relations."

Another factor in the decision was the rising cost of the coaster's installation. Jazzland sits on a swamp, and all structures require extensive support pilings. When the projected cost of construction began exceeding the cost of the ride itself, management decided to build up revenues this year via customer service and then put in an even more significant ride for 2002.

"You have diehards who want the big thrill rides, and we want that also," Evans said. "But on the other hand, they also understand what we're doing. Most people in the region understand we just turned 1 year old in May and don't plan to go anywhere. We are here for the long haul. And we have tons of time to expand."

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