Every year, thousands of Tech students attend Tech Night at Six Flags, an exclusive event in which the amusement park is open to only Tech students for several hours at heavily discounted prices. The Student Center Programs Council (SCPC) hosts the event.
This year, the event was on Friday, Sept. 16 from 6 p.m. to midnight. Down by over 1,000 from last year, attendance for the event was 5,100. The low attendance may explain the mixed reviews from Six Flags patrons.
The experience was “exciting, fun, exhilarating, scary [and] overall amazing,” said Sydney Ray, a first-year UCS major.
Gordon Waller, MSE grad student, was not impressed by the all-you-can-eat buffet, offered for the first time this year. Waller thought the buffet was “not very good.”
Food was also on the mind of George Das, a second-year CS major, as he would have liked to have seen “more concession stands open.”
Sarang Damle, the chair of SCPC’s Atlanta Life committee, which organizes Tech Night at Six Flags, and a third-year MGT major, admitted that the buffet was not to his standards, but attributes the unsatisfactory food to its being the first time Six Flags has provided food at this event, noting that SCPC had no control over what was served.
Damle anticipates the food being better next year and for SCPC to be able to further subsidize the price of the meal for Tech students.
Other plans for next year include more decorations, a photo booth and performances by local bands.
Damle realizes that the main attraction of Six Flags Night is the rides but strives to add value to the overall experience.
Making sure SCPC volunteers are well-trained will also add value to the Six Flags experience, as Damle recognizes that this was one aspect that needs improvement.
Unknown to the average Tech student, Six Flags only operates the rides while SCPC is in charge of the logistics for Six Flags night. Meanwhile, other Tech organizations and campus departments provide support.
SGA allocates money to SCPC in the beginning of the year, helping the organization discount tickets.
The Buzzcard Office makes purchasing ticket sales more efficient by allowing students to buy their Six Flags tickets online via their BuzzCard.
Auxiliary Services provides the buses that shuttle students to and from Six Flags.
In an effort to make sure that Tech Night at Six Flags and other events throughout the year remain popular, SCPC offers specials. Those who attend enough events to be invited to join its exclusive mailing list.
This incentives program included free Flash Passes for the Six Flags event that allowed its users to bypass long lines at rides. The program also provides limited backstage passes to future performances.