Vortex Tunnels and You

Tyler: What's going on, everybody? Tyler here with the Haunted Attraction Network and a Haunted Attraction Association, and of course the ScareFactor.com. Today. I'm talking with Alan from GEP Productions, you guys are selling some vortex tunnels, right?

Alan: Yes, we are GEP, and we're the only manufacturer of the vortex tunnel. We always tell people, accept no sub. We've been manufacturing the vortex tunnel since like 1994, and we've been coming to the trade shows ever since, and we have got a, quite a few models globally now.

Tyler: Gotcha. And you started off selling some other things, right? And then you've really started taking a focus towards the vortex tunnel?

Alan: Yeah, when we first started going to the Transworld show back in Chicago we had mechanical dogs, mechanical alligators, automated dinosaurs, mechanical wolves, air cannons. Most of that stuff we don't sell anymore because they take a lot of time to build, and the price of materials have gone up to the point where we pretty much just stuck with the vortex tunnel. We do still have one of the best air blasters on the market, so people can actually reach out and get one of the loudest air blasters has ever probably been made.

Tyler: And you were telling me before we started interviewing, you guys are haunters also, so you get to use this stuff and know how it works.

Alan: Yeah, we always used to try and test everything we make in our own haunt. We own the Fear Forest Haunted House and Hayride in Lordstown, Ohio, it is just outside of Youngstown. We have a haunted house, a haunted hayride, a walking trail called the Psychopath Trail, and we have a forbidden cornfield that we don't forbid them not to come in, we encourage that.

Tyler: Tell us what brings you back to the Transworld show every year?

Alan: Transworld is the one place on earth we can go and meet up with hundreds of haunters and owner, operators, and future haunted attraction facilities, where we can pitch to sell our vortex tunnel. There's nothing better than being hands-on, they could walk through it, they can see it, they can feel it, get an idea of what it's all about, get the experience the vertigo. We basically have the ultimate vertigo experiences because of the way our patterns are, we just generate a tremendous vertigo, and it's actually kept us in business all these years. Everybody that tried to do it, it kind of pushed him out of the business.

 So, we have a regular price, the base price of $10,250, it includes the whole vortex tunnel, it doesn't include any part of our display. They have to build a structure around it, and we supply some structural fittings, and they buy some handrail pipe from Home Depot or Lowe's to help save on shipping.

 Then we do have an upgrade right now of our high brightness Echo Bars. They're made by ADJ, they're very bright lights, and they're an excellent add on to the vortex tunnel. If you don't want to invest in that, you could always put your own black lights on it, but the ADJ Echo Bars are really, really nice for not only a vortex, but anywhere else in your haunt that you're looking for UV lighting.

Tyler: Gotcha. Now, are those Echo Lights included with the base price or the show price, or is that an upgrade?

Alan: That is an upgrade. A set of six lights with the daisy chain cables that connect them together, sell for $1550, we don't include shipping, but we have very good shipping rates throughout North America, and around the world for that sake. So, it's pretty reasonable to ship, and if they're close enough to Ohio, they can actually come pick it up themselves.

Tyler: That is wonderful. Thanks so much for talking to us, Alan, I don't want to take any more of your time. Hope you guys have a great show.

Alan: Thank you and have a good day.