How to Design a Theme Park

A theme park is a story land, a place to escape that shuts out the world. When you design a theme park, you must make it appealing to wide audience but still give it a personality. Location, convenience and financial feasibility all play a role in a successful theme park. Here's what you need to do.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Keep current on what's going on in the world of theme parks. "Amusement Today" can point you to design trends. The Theme Park Adventure website has editorials and message boards for theme park enthusiasts.
2. Visit theme parks. Study the map of its layout and note all access and egree routes, where the most popular rides are and where the restaurants, restrooms and stores are located. Pay attention to the people attending the park and figure out how their needs and desires are served by the theme park's design.
3. Explore ideas for a fun theme. Build a world your visitors can escape to. Tap into your obsessions, whether they be science fiction or fantasy, a particular culture, a place you have visited or a hobby you love.
4. Play with layouts for your theme park. A popular design is a loop structure which circles the park. It's simple, but you better place your most popular rides strategically so people don't have to schlep across the park to get from one to the other.
5. Pick a location. The three primary theme park areas are Los Angeles, Orlando and Cincinnati. This doesn't mean you can't set up your park elsewhere, but take into consideration other attractions that draw tourists to the area. It's best to pick a spot that offers warm, clement weather the year round.
6. Figure out the consumers you're aiming at. Attracting families is different from appealing to teens and college kids. Take your competition into consideration. You'll have to offer something extraordinary if you're competing against a successful, established park in your area.
7. Visualize your theme park before you work on your design. Imagine someone from your target market walking through it and anticipate the things they want to find. Describe your plan in words before you begin to draw.

Tips & Warnings

• Join the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) to network and stay current on theme park trends.
• When working with investors, accept that you'll have to modify your design to please their assumptions of what the market wants.

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