Sea World Makes a Big Splash to Lure Larger Crowds
The endorsement came late in the afternoon, while Sea World of California President George J. Becker Jr. strolled from the dolphin exhibit to a drab green executive office building hidden behind the scenes at Sea World.
Becker, who became president in April, had just finished describing how visitors enjoy the park’s recently extended summer hours when a passer-by with several children in tow told her companion how sensible the park’s new hours are.
Given the woman’s late arrival at Sea World, it is likely she eventually fed her children at one of the park’s refreshment stands, purchased a few knickknacks, and stayed at the park for the nightly boat parade and fireworks display.
That scenario is one that Becker hopes to see repeated this summer.
“I want to get more people into the park and get them to spend a bit more while they’re here,” said Becker, who joined Sea World in San Diego 15 years ago as an assistant director of marketing. He spent a dozen years in top management roles with Sea World’s Ohio and Florida parks before returning to San Diego as president of Sea World of California.
Keeping the park open until 10 p.m. through Sept. 2 is one way to accomplish his goals, he said.
Ever-increasing attendance figures and healthier per capita spending are needed to keep Shamu fed and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Sea World’s parent corporation, happy.
Sea World Enterprises, which directs operations at the three parks, generated 20% of HBJ’s $712 million in revenue last year and 30% of its $80 million in operating income.
San Diego, the oldest of the three parks, contributed about 36% of Sea World Enterprises Inc.’s 1984 revenue of $143 million and about 40% of Sea World Enterprises’ $24 million in operating income.
Per capita spending at Sea World’s three operations increased by 8.3% during 1984; 3% was attributed to the San Diego park.
Becker’s return to San Diego as president of the park was part of a management shake-up last spring that ousted several executives, including Executive Vice President Frank A. Powell Jr., who had directed the park since 1974. At the time, sources at Sea World reported that the changes were orchestrated by William Jovanovich, chairman and chief executive of the Orlando, Fla.-based Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
“It was essentially a juggling of the lineup to keep things fresh and to keep our management approach fresh,” said Becker, who reports to a Harcourt Brace Jovanovich executive vice president in Orlando, who in turn oversees Sea World Enterprises. “It was a streamlining of the operation (that gave) each of the parks the ability to operate on an autonomous basis.”
Previously, the San Diego and Ohio parks operated as a unit and the Florida park was on its own. Now, all three parks are treated as separate profit centers, and each must financially fend for itself when planning capital improvements.
“We either have to know we have (cash) in hand or know what to do to generate the cash flow that’s going to pay the bill” for expansion and renovation projects, Becker said. “And I don’t think that’s a bad idea at all.”
Consequently, capital improvements at the 22-year-old park will be completed “when we can afford” them, Becker said.
One of Becker’s first projects will be a new stadium to replace the stadium that includes the 1.4-million-gallon tank that holds Shamu, Sea World’s star attraction. Spectators could be sitting in that new stadium within three years, “depending on how the business goes,” Becker said.
A new stadium would give Sea World the space to add what Becker calls “The Friend’s Show,” an attraction developed by Florida Sea World that features performances by several kinds of whales and dolphins in a 5-million-gallon tank. By contrast, the Sea World tank built in 1974 held just 150,000 gallons of water. That tank now has a walrus exhibit.
Before Becker builds that new show space, he must increase attendance.
That will be a tough task given the “flat” condition of the industry, according to amusement and attraction park analysts. Last year’s Olympics swallowed up tourism throughout Southern California and kept Sea World from drawing a record 3 million annual visitors. Becker said that elusive goal should be reached this year.
“We’re strong in all three parks at once this year, which is nice to have happen for a change,” said Becker, who helped guide the Florida operation almost from its opening day in 1973.
The challenge in San Diego is different. “It’s the challenge of (managing) a park that is 22 years old,” Becker said. “The park has become part of San Diego, and I think it’s pretty much taken for granted.”
Because a majority of San Diego’s residents have already visited the park, luring them back will be a “very interesting challenge,” Becker acknowledged. “It requires a brightening of the product (that will bring) it back into people’s minds.”
To do that, Becker extended Sea World’s hours during the summer months. The park might also extend its hours on Friday and Saturday nights and push the closing time back during the Christmas season.
“The big question mark on Christmas is if it will be too cool at night,” Becker said. “Two years ago on Christmas Day in Orlando it was bitter cold. I worked that entire day and remember that the high was 28 degrees.”
The later hours are needed to attract teen-agers, according to an attractions park analyst. Parks across the country are tailoring their activities to teen-agers. Even staid Disneyland now boasts a disco that is geared for teens.
“We configured our nighttime for that (age group), and we’re seeing a lot of younger people already,” Becker said. In addition, beginning Wednesday, the park will offer nighttime concerts.
Although Sea World does best with parents who have young children, it isn’t attracting enough of the free-spending teen-agers, who feel that “it’s not cool to come to Sea World,” Becker acknowledged.
Sea World Enterprises’ recently announced $100-million park in San Antonio, Tex., includes a “water play park” that is geared toward teen-agers. Although Sea World remains deeply committed to the educational aspects of its marine mammal parks, it has shown an obvious determination to include more active exhibits and attractions.
To that end, Becker recently introduced nightly fireworks and an illuminated boat display, a pair of attraction park standards. The park has also “reconfigured the animal shows” so that nighttime visitors aren’t merely seeing what they would see during the daytime.
The extended hours, nighttime attractions and new shows are in line with what analysts said the park must do to keep attendance growing. But analysts cautioned that for Sea World to grow it must continue to finance new attractions, such as the $7-million Penguin Encounter building that opened in May, 1983.
To that end, Sea World has developed a plan to use 25 acres that the city recently added to the park’s leasehold. The land at the west end of Sea World’s main entrance will probably be turned into parking lots, freeing up parking space at the center of the park for the eventual renovation of aging facilities.
Sea World Enterprises Inc.
1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 Revenues $143 $129 $118 $117 $103 (in millions) % of HBJ’s 20% 20% 21% 22% 21% revenues Operating Income $24 $19 $18 $20 $15 (in millions) % of HBJ’s 29% 31% 46% 38% 30% operating income Attendance 2.9 2.9 2.5 2.7 1.9 (in millions)
