Subscribe to our new Patreon for BONUS content

Trends Episodes

Aug. 25, 2025

Vegas Tourism Slumps, Disney and Epic Surge—What Story Do the Numbers…

Las Vegas has logged six straight months of year-over-year visitor declines, with June alone down 400,000 guests amid economic jitters, inflation, and weaker Canadian travel. Is Vegas a canary in the coal mine for U.S. leisure spending—or just a regional wobble?

Listen to the Episode
Aug. 10, 2025

Six Flags’ $100M Loss, CEO Exit & the Season Pass Gamble

Six Flags posted a nearly $100 million loss in Q2—down from a $55 million profit a year ago—on 1.4 million fewer visitors, a smaller base of season passholders, and what it calls “adverse weather.”

Listen to the Episode
Aug. 4, 2025

Six Flags Cuts —What Happens When Cost Savings Kill Return Visits?

Six Flags just canceled its Christmas and Halloween events at multiple parks - will this save cost or cost more in lost visitors?

Listen to the Episode
July 27, 2025

What Makes an IP Popular? Lessons from Comic-Con for Theme Parks

What makes an IP popular today? It’s not just the box office or streaming stats—it’s the fans who show up, dress up, and wait five hours for a free experience.

Listen to the Episode
July 14, 2025

Asia’s Comeback? IAAPA Asia & Legoland Shanghai’s Opening

Asia was expected to become the new theme park capital of the world—then the pandemic hit. Where are we now?

Listen to the Episode
July 7, 2025

Holiday Nostalgia, Living Art & After-Dark Upsell—3 Plays for Year-Ro…

Whether it’s Christmas nostalgia, locally led art, or adult evening events, operators have fresh levers to boost replayability and spend beyond peak season.

Listen to the Episode
June 22, 2025

Louvre Walkout Shocks Paris | Netflix House Revealed

The Louvre closes due to over tourism, and Netflix announces themes for its first FEC.

Listen to the Episode
June 15, 2025

Disney’s Midjourney Lawsuit: Can Copyright Contain AI?

Disney and Universal just opened Hollywood’s first heavyweight copyright war against Midjourney, arguing the AI was trained on “countless stolen works.”

Listen to the Episode
June 8, 2025

Five TRENDS You Can’t Ignore: Mergers, Velvet Ropes, and the Rise of …

In this special, we examine the last 18 months of news to surface the largest trends in the theme park world.

Listen to the Episode
June 2, 2025

Family Culture or Central Control? Herschend’s Acquisition & Six Flag…

Herschend finalized its acquisition of Palace Entertainment’s 24 U.S. attractions with a $1.1 billion leveraged loan—and vows 2025 will be a “listening year.”

Listen to the Episode
May 11, 2025

Pruning Parks, Powering Up Hotels: Six Flags Shutters as DC Invades G…

Six Flags/Cedar Fair’s first post-merger casualty is Six Flags America, erasing 70 full-time and 700 seasonal jobs and $3.5 million in local tax revenue—freeing capital for “marquee” investments elsewhere. At the same time, M...

Listen to the Episode
April 18, 2025

What United Airline's Strategic Shift Signals for Theme Parks & Touri…

Travel patterns are changing. United Airlines' latest earnings reveal a strategic pivot as they prepare for two economic scenarios in 2025, cutting domestic flight capacity by 4% while seeing surges in both premium and budget travelers.

Listen to the Episode