CF: The Cobra is a giant leap forward in coaster terms for Paultons, both in quality and ride experience. What

convinced Paultons invest a record amount for this ride?

RG: Agreed. The Cobra is our biggest single investment to date so as you may imagine the decision was not taken lightly. Indeed nearly 3 years of planning went in to researching and ensuring that the new coaster was absolutely perfect for our visitors. It’s a well documented fact that in order to retain repeat visits and to encourage new visitors to an attraction you not only have to employ the highest standards of customer care and quality but you also have to be continually evolving and offer different experiences. Our surveys had shown for a long time that there was a definite desire for Paultons to have a larger coaster and it was really a combination of all of these factors that eventually led us to decide upon The Cobra.

CF: Although it's early days, do you consider The Cobra to be a sound investment and have the public been happy with the ride?

RG: It is still early days but all the initial signs have been extremely positive. The comments of visitors coming off the ride after their first experience have been along the lines of ‘fantastic!’, ‘magical’, wow!’ and most importantly, ‘can I go again?!’. Everyone seems to come off The Cobra with a huge smile on their face which is exactly what we are here to do.

CF: With the heavy advertising and publicity surrounding The Cobra, do you think the other attractions might get neglected? What steps are you taking to make sure people are aware of the other attractions before they visit Paultons?

RG: Good question! Certainly around the launch of the coaster the focus has been firmly on the Cobra (and rightly so there is no point in making a significant investment such as this if you are not going to let people know about it!). When we have advertised in our own area, where people largely know Paultons, we wanted to say LOOK, this is new and it’s BIG but it is still a FAMILY ride. I think the poster campaign achieved that goal. However, we have been very aware that we didn’t want to neglect our other attractions (nor our core audience) so we purposely set about designing a whole new brand image which clearly shows the breath of attractions available and presents the Park in a way which is highly appealing to young children – in the office we call this the ‘Paultons World’. Other key messages we use across most of the media are ‘Over 50 rides and attractions included in the price’ and ‘Way too much fun for one day’ both implying there is an awful lot more to Paultons than simply The Cobra.

CF: Paultons Park is only really known in the southern part of England. What are you doing to ensure people in the midlands and up north are aware of it?

RG: The Cobra is certainly going to help put Paultons on the map in terms of national awareness and we are confident that it was also encourage visitors to travel a little further to come to the Park. The internet site is becoming increasingly popular and in the short term it is this channel we see as being the one to reach people on a national level.

CF: Some parks opt for a "cloned" coaster such as an apple coaster or a spinning wild mouse, will Paultons Park always insist on bespoke designs to ensure the park stands out?

RG: I think it is more of a question of what is right for us. We normally have a definite idea of where we want to go and how we are going to achieve it so if an ‘off the shelf’ attraction ticks all the boxes then we may well consider it but if it doesn’t provide 100% all the elements we require then we would look for a more bespoke design. The Cobra has specific features which we felt were needed. i.e the ability to accommodate young children, hence we sourced The Cobra from Gerstlauer with it being the first to be installed in the UK.

CF: It has been rumoured that ride manufacturers Mack have been in talks with Paultons Park. Is this true and if so, what's in the pipeline?

RG: This is something I am aware of. However, we regularly talk to a wide range of ride manufacturers to ensure we are fully ahead of all the latest trends and developments.

CF: Do you intend to keep the educational parts of the park such as the Romany Experience and the Dinosaur Walk as they are, or will they eventually be redeveloped?

RG: The Park is continually changing and being developed but these elements are still extremely popular with our visitors – indeed they are yet another of our points of difference from other destinations. So, at present, there are no plans to change the educational element of the Park.


CF: What new and exciting attractions can we see at Paultons in the next few years?

RG: Another good question, but, as a marketing person, not one you expect me to answer! I think it is fair to say that there obviously will be further development and expansion at the Park in the next few years with plenty more exciting projects being talked about and perhaps even a few surprises along the way – but that is up to the Directors and, at this stage, I honestly don’t know what they will be.

CF: Why should a family visit Paultons Park instead of opting for other family parks such as Chessington World of Adventures or Camelot?

RG: I think it is great the UK has so many wonderful quality places to visit these days, meaning that the overall bar for quality is continually being raised and challenged.

Paultons has a truly unique family atmosphere which is born out of a wonderful combination of our beautiful garden setting, extremely dedicated staff, clean and well maintained grounds and a fantastic mix of carefully selected and varied rides and attractions. I really love the fact that our experience always encompasses the whole family and even where a height restriction is necessary there is always a smaller equivalent ride so that even the little ones never feel left out.

I actually think all the UK Parks offer very different experiences and at the end of the day it is down the individual family to choose what suits them best – many visit two or three parks in a year. What I would say is that I know any family visiting Paultons will not be disappointed and are assured of a fun-packed experience of the highest quality and great value for money.

CF: What have you learnt from other family orientated theme parks? Do you intend to introduce a "parent swap" system?

RG: We all learn from each other and the really good ideas normally seem to be quickly adopted throughout the industry. We have no plans at present to offer a parent swap as we are in the fortunate position of not having queues of such a length that our visitors have asked for it. However, should that situation change or our visitors start to tell us it is what is needed then we will of course consider such a system.

CF: Although Paultons has an excellent family image, what are you views on slowly developing the park to become more 'groups of late-teenage' orientated? Will Paultons always remain predominantly a family park?

RG: Paultons will always remain a family Park. It is a major part of our success that we offer a day which can be enjoyed by the whole family together and we have no intention of doing anything to deviate away from that.

CF: Would you ever consider franchising some recognised brand food outlets at Paultons?

RG: We are always most comfortable doing things ‘in house’ wherever possible and catering is no exception to this. It gives us total control of the visitor experience and the quality we are able to offer.


CF: Family parks are often given credit by amusement industry fans for having certain traits that corporate parks tend to lack, such as a personal atmosphere. Do you believe these characteristics are beneficial in the quest for creating a good park?

RG: I think atmosphere is very important and, as I have already said, I believe Paultons has a truly unique ambiance. Our visitor surveys show that our visitors are very appreciative of our exceptional levels of customer care and our caring attitudes. I firmly believe our ride operators are the best in the country and are a very important part of the whole experience in the way they engage and interact with our visitors. I have always thought (as a visitor myself) it is this sort of personal atmosphere and eye for detail which turns a good attraction into a truly great one.

CF: How much attention do you pay to other theme parks in the country? Does their work and business decisions affect your own, or do you prefer to run thing entirely to your own plans?

RG: The Directors have always had a very clear vision for where the company is going to be in a year from now, five years from now and probably 20 years from now! I don’t think we are affected at all by decisions of other Parks, indeed the long lead times on a lot of the projects does not even allow you to work in this way.

CF: Finally, Paultons Park is now 23 years old, where do you see it in another 23 years time?

RG: That’s another difficult one and pretty hard to answer. I would like to see us as a nationally known family theme park, but not to the detriment of all the things which have made the Park so successful so far – again the personal touch. One thing is for sure though, it’s going to be an exciting ride (forgive the pun) -my predecessor was here for 16 years so I hope I will be here to find out!