SIX FLAGS NEW ENGLAND
Launching an Entertainment Powerhouse in New England

Business Model
Located in Agawam, MA, Six Flags New England is the only one of the publicly traded company’s 39 theme parks located in New England.

The Challenge
The May 2000 opening of Six Flags' first theme park in the New England market presented an opportunity to develop major excitement around the attraction. There was just one problem: The Boston media is traditionally reluctant to cover events outside of Boston's Route 128 beltway, and the new Six Flags park was 90 miles away.

Strategy & Tactics
A full-scale public relations program to launch and sustain interest in the new park was needed to attract media interest in the transformation of Riverside Amusement Park into Six Flags New England (SFNE) and educate both media and consumers on the scope of the transformation.

The campaign included aggressive media outreach to get Boston media to attend and cover the Grand Opening. The media kit focused on the "Countdown to Opening." Countdown clocks set to hit zero on Opening Day were sent to print and outer market (Providence and New Hampshire) broadcast media. Baskets filled with freshly popped popcorn and cotton candy, SFNE paraphernalia, b-roll footage of a "head cam" view from the Superman-Ride of Steel roller coaster, and the countdown clocks were hand delivered to key newsrooms with exactly one month to go.

The size of the splash was enhanced by creating three key events:

	Setting up four Bugs Bunny appearances on Easter Sunday at major Boston hotels. Bugs raffled off tickets to SFNE and handed out Six Flags-branded "bunny ears," personally touching more than 1,000 people with the SFNE New England message
	Coordinating with Massport/Logan Airport to highlight the arrival of the Looney Tunes characters to New England. An atmosphere fit for Superstars was created, complete with a red carpet, balloons, music, and young, adoring fans.
	Projecting the Bat signal all over the skies and buildings of Boston's Back Bay two days before the Opening, using a custom-designed light that included the SFNE name to highlight the SuperHero Adventures section.

Media Coverage
Six Flags New England's opening day appeared in weekend cover stories in The Boston Globe, USA TODAY, Associated Press, and The New York Times and received exposure on all major TV stations in Boston, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

The Bottom Line
The extensive media coverage and associated buzz helped make Six Flags' first summer in New England an unmitigated success.

Revenue increased by 47 percent and attendance by 32 percent, drawing an audience from a much wider geographic area than Riverside Amusement Park ever was able to reach. Now in its fourth season, Six Flags New England has attracted visitors from far beyond its immediate market area and attendance has increased beyond projections.

This program, recognized by The Publicity Club of New England with multiple Bell Ringer Awards and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association with a Golden Bell Award, was created by the principals and senior staff of Solomon McCown & Company while we were members of a prior agency co-founded and managed by Helene Solomon.