MAKING YOUR QUEUE WORK

Developing A Queue Line That Customers Appreciate

The show starts well before the door opens

Too many haunted attractions treat the queue line as a holding area.

What we should be doing is treating our queues as part of the entertainment. In fact, we don't even call our "customer waiting lines" queue-lines, we call them e-lines (entertainment lines). Our attitude is preset before customers get in line. We try to make customers feel that the e-line is actually part of the attraction, not a holding area.

Queue lines are among the first things to piss customers off. To get them in a bad mood or to make them feel that they wish they had skipped this attraction altogether (or gone somewhere else).

The wait should not be just waiting, or at least it shouldn't feel like one. We view E-lines as necessary evils that can sometimes be turned into positive opportunities. If nothing else, your queue line is the moment when guests can begin to shift. They can go from standing in line, getting frustrated, to scanning the darkness. They can go from joking with friends to wondering what that in the hell that sound was. From watching the crowd to feeling as if the crowd is being watched.

That is where a good queue line atmosphere wins. Not by delivering full scares too early.
By applying pressure early.

WHAT GREAT QUEUES SHOULD DO

If you don't feel you can entertain in your queue line, or make it part of the show in a big way, make it a smaller but effective part of the show.
A smart queue line usually does three things well.

REMOVES COMFORT
Not by making people miserable, but by making them slightly unsure. Uneasy sound. Strange lighting. Movement where there should not be movement. Actors who do not rush in for the scare, but stay just present enough to be noticed.

CREATES ANTICIPATION
The strongest queue lines do not give everything away. They hint. A flicker in a window. A strange noise deeper inside. A gate opening somewhere ahead. The imagination starts doing work before the haunt even begins.

BUILDS A CONTAGIOUS ENERGY.
This is where many owners leave money on the table. Guests feed off other guests. They hear screams, see reactions, watch nervous laughter, and suddenly the whole line feels connected to something bigger than a simple wait.

That is when the queue line stops being dreaded dead time and starts becoming part of the show!

OLD QUEUE LINES = BORED, FRUSTRATED & TIRED GUESTS
NEW QUEUE LINES = EXCITED, ANTICIPATION-FILLED, HAPPIER GUESTS
 

HOW YOU BEGIN THE TRANSFORMATION

Start by asking a simple question: If your queue line existed by itself... just how effective would it be? This is a huge question for those who want to master their attractions.

Would your queue still feel like something is about to happen? If not, that is where the opportunity is. The answer is usually not to add more random activity.
It is to become more intentional, more meaningful, more part of the show. This is a good way to start:

Create one clear visual focal point
Control what guests can hear
Use actors in a slower, more unsettling way
Let people almost see something... instead of clearly seeing everything.

A good queue line should make guests lean forward, not tune out.

HOW TO BUILD IT WITHOUT OVERSPENDING
This does not have to be an expensive project. In many cases, the biggest improvements come from a few smart choices:

Better sound placement
More contrast in lighting
Stronger sightline control
One or two dependable actors
One memorable visual moment that guests are glued to

That is the difference between a queue line that looks decorated and one that actually works. Too many attractions add stuff.
The better attractions add purpose.

Your Queue Line is not where guests wait for the fear.

Your Queue Line is where the FEAR STARTS!

WHAT BENEFIT YOU SHOULD EXPECT FROM BETTER QUEUE LINES

A strong queue atmosphere changes the entire rhythm of the night.

Guests enter more alert.
Actors get a better audience.
Scenes hit faster.
The attraction feels more complete.
And the night feels more worth the ticket price.

Most importantly... Guests are happy, leave better reviews, and are more likely to return.

That matters.

Because in an industry where so many people copy the scares, copy the props, and copy the themes, one of the smartest advantages is often found before the first scene ever starts.

Sometimes the edge is not inside the haunt at all. Sometimes the edge is in realizing the line is already part of the show.

Bottom line: Don't manage your queue line... Maximize it!

Rick Singleton