originally posted on 7/1/2024
What do you choose from the buffet?
Hearing the stories from those attending Coaster Con 46 last week, I kept reflecting on how we were all attending the same event, but the stories and experiences were so different.
During the week of Coaster Con, attendees shared the joy and excitement of experiencing:
- ninety+ rides on Railblazer and Goldstriker combined across the three days
- multiple informal meetups (four attended every informal meetup)
- joy and fulfillment in volunteering to help execute the event
- satisfaction and happiness volunteering with their regular responsibilities for ACE
- different aspects of the parks on a tour
- building new friendships on lifthill walks
- the camaraderie of chatting over muffins or popcorn
- sharing their love of other aspects of coasters with photography, videography and social media
As our membership grows and expands to more than 7,000 members, I see this variety of how we each embrace an event and our membership becoming more and more apparent.
ACE itself is like the buffets that we enjoy so much. We all take different parts of our membership to make it our own — it is customizable and looks different for each of us! Some members may love conversing on Discord. Others may take advantage of lots of discounts (did you know we even have a discount for Skechers shoes now?). Some may enjoy the camaraderie of digital events and never attend in person. Some may share their time and skills through volunteering.
Personally, two aspects of ACE are special to me: (1) My love of the adventure to find unusual and bizarre stops is well accepted, which demonstrates to me that I can be my genuine self; and (2) at events, we are all simultaneously sharing a vacation together even if we haven’t met yet.
What is your favorite offering on the ACE membership benefits buffet?
With the flexibility to design our membership with the buffet of membership benefits and event offerings, the premiere club appears. We are all passionate individuals who come together initially as ACE members for two primary reasons: (1) we love roller coasters and (2) we want to enhance our experience with the benefits of membership.
As I watch us gather at an event like Coaster Con, I see how our unique characteristics, such as age, gender, nationality, socioeconomic status, educational and career background and so many more, build our organization stronger. These characteristics offer us a variety of insights, skills and personality types within our membership.
Embracing our diversity is our success. We are what makes our foundation as an organization. We are the impactful member experience and a strong and stable mission.
We are ACE and I am proud to ride with each of you!
— Elisabeth Ringas, ACE President
#ACENews