New Year, New Booooooo!
As we stare down the barrel of the 2026 season, our industry is shifting. According to our 2025 Haunt Industry Report, haunters are facing bigger crowds, staffing shortages, and a massive shift toward digital sales. If you want to keep your haunt from becoming a ghost town, you need to adapt.
Here are six New Year’s Resolutions every haunter should make to keep their queues moving, their monsters happy, and their revenue rising.
1. I Will: Finally “Kill the Conga Line”
We all love a busy night, but the “Conga Line of Death” is a guest experience killer. In 2025, over 50% of haunts used timed ticketing to manage flow, and 10.8% used virtual queues. If you are still forcing guests to stand in a cold, 3-hour line, you are living in the past.
The Resolution: “I will move my line to the cloud.” Use Virtual Queues to let guests wait on their phones while they buy concessions or play midway games. It keeps them warm, happy, and spending money.
2. I Will: Haunt 365 Days a Year
Maybe Scrooge said it best, “I will honor Halloween in my heart and try to keep it all the year” (wait, did we get that right?).
Halloween isn’t just for October anymore. Our report found that 34.9% of haunts now host events in the off-season (up 37% from last year!). From “Bloody Valentine” dates to “Halfway to Halloween” parties, the hunger for horror is year-round.
The Resolution: “I will stop letting my building sit empty for 11 months.” Plan at least one off-season event this year. It keeps your haunt active, your staff engaged, and your bank account happy.
3. I Will: Bury Cash (and Resurrect Revenue)
No, no. We’re not actually talking about shoveling money into the dirt.
But here’s a scary stat: In 2025, the average in-person transaction was roughly $55, but the average online transaction was $84. That is a 54% increase just by getting guests to buy online!
The Resolution: “I will force the upsell online.” Stop hoping they buy a t-shirt at the exit. Use HauntPay’s product upsells to sell merch, fast passes, and parking during the online checkout. Capture that wallet before they even arrive.
4. I Will: Stop Fearing the “AI” Uprising
We know, new technology can be scary. But you know what’s scarier? Writing 50 different social media captions at 2 a.m. AI isn’t here to replace your scare actors; it’s here to do the boring work for you.
The Resolution: “I will let the robots do the grunt work.” Use tools like our AI Event Assistant to answer repetitive guest questions (“Is it scary?”, “Can I touch the actors?”) so you can focus on building the sets.
5. I Will: Protect My Monsters (and My Business)
Haunting is a physical contact sport. Whether it’s a slip-and-fall or a “touch haunt” gone wrong, liability is always lurking in the shadows.
The Resolution: “I will cover my assets.” Ditch the paper clipboards. Use Digital Liability Waivers integrated right into your checkout. It ensures every single guest has signed off on the risks before they step foot in your attraction, and stores the digital signature safely in the cloud.
6. I Will: Stop Burning Out My Zombies (Staff Retention)
For the second year in a row, Staffing was listed as the #1 challenge for haunt owners. If you are churning through actors every weekend, your show quality suffers.
The Resolution: “I will automate to save my sanity.” You can’t manufacture more time, but you can stop wasting it. By automating your social media, using timed ticketing to prevent “crush nights,” and streamlining check-in, you create a less chaotic environment. A less stressed owner makes for a happier cast—and a happier cast screams louder.
Ready to Make 2026 Your Wildest Season Yet?
HauntPay is the only ticketing platform built by haunters, for haunters. We know the industry because we live in it.
Schedule a no-pressure call with a haunt expert today. What if 2026 could be your biggest season ever?