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There is a bid to takeover Bud…

Sea World Orlando: Will Busch be sold???

From Brian Emery
Posted May 23, 2008 at 7:12 PM
There is a bid to takeover Bud…

Belgian brewer InBev is reportedly working on a $46 billion takeover bid for Anheuser-Busch, according to the Financial Times.
If this goes through, I am wondering how the parks will affected…

I doubt it will happen because of the tradition of Anheuser-Busch and the CEO being a Busch – August A. Busch IV …


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Justin Spisto
Posted May 24, 2008 at 6:20 AM
It's not going to happen. Busch has no reason to sell it.

From Hans Meiser
Posted May 25, 2008 at 3:16 PM
There are 2 direct influences of Annheuser on the park and they are both negative:

- Beer advertising
- war prophaganda

So maybe things will get better without Annheuser.

From Anthony Murphy
Posted May 25, 2008 at 7:14 PM
War propaganda? Am I missing something? It would not be a good thing due to it being an American Company. They also seem to be doing a good job, especially with Sea World Orlando.

From Derek Potter
Posted May 25, 2008 at 7:59 PM
The CEO is a Busch, however....money talks pretty loudly. If nobody from the family is in line, than it's hard to tell what will happen. It would be a shame if the Busch parks were affected by such a merger. As for the beer, I prefer Blue Moon over Bud anyway.

From Justin Spisto
Posted May 25, 2008 at 8:41 PM
That would be horrible it would take the fun out of the parks.

From Bruce Lane
Posted May 25, 2008 at 11:59 PM
This could be good, bad, both, or indifferent. Purely for the sake of discussion, I will offer my own wild speculations on what might happen IF the merger goes through.

GOOD: InBev decides they don't like the way Sea World currently operates, and mandates changes.

This could have a very positive effect. The Las Vegas-style "circus" type shows could become a thing of the past, and education could receive a much greater emphasis. The dolphin "experience" at Discovery Cove, under such conditions, could actually become as high quality as the aviary.

It could also, on the other wing, make the 'circus' atmosphere even worse.

Now, with that said -- I think it very unlikely that either scenario would come to pass, even if the merger goes through. InBev, to the best of my knowledge, has no experience whatsoever in running any type of theme park, zoo, or oceanarium. Ergo, the logical move, if they don't decide to sell Sea World off, would be for them to simply leave well enough alone.

BAD: InBev decides they don't like the idea of having a bunch of theme parks under their wing, so they dump Sea World off to the highest bidder.

I have no idea who'd buy them, under such conditions. It takes a big budget to feed and care for as large an animal collection as Sea World has, so it'd have to be someone with VERY deep pockets. If it turns out to be a 'skinflint' buyer, the critters could be endangered due to budget cuts.

GOOD AND BAD TOGETHER: InBev decides to cut Sea World loose to function as an independent entity, just as they once were decades ago before HBJ bought them (and talk about a match made in aitch-ee-double-toothpicks!)

This could be good in that Sea World would have to compete in the field on their own merits (or lack thereof, depending on one's perception), without the support of a huge and well-known corporation to fall back on if things go poorly for them.

It could also be bad, along those same lines, if they suddenly discover that the same formula they've been feeding the public for so long no longer worked, and they refuse to change how they operate. Drop in attendance, lost funds, potential downward spiral.

INDIFFERENT: Things remain status quo. InBev makes no significant changes to the Sea World branch of operations. However, given what I've seen of corporate mentality, I consider that unlikely as well.

This is all, as mentioned above, wild speculation, based on the idea that a merger might actually take place. Those who have experience in the business world are far better qualified to speculate on that than I am.

Keep the peace(es).

From Justin Spisto
Posted May 26, 2008 at 8:15 AM
I really don't want Sea World to be sold, becuase Busch does such a good job with it right now. I would be surprised if Busch sold the parks becuase they have no reason at all to do so.

From Donna Tolliver-Walker
Posted May 26, 2008 at 9:14 AM
Re: Hans's comment -- and what's wrong with beer advertising, anyway?

From Derek Potter
Posted May 26, 2008 at 6:38 PM
Corporate mentality states this. When there is a merger, there is cost cutting. The company needs to raise cash to cover the costs of the merger. There's no telling what they would cut if the purchase of Busch goes through. I do know that the theme park division doesn't produce beer, so it's not a farfetched notion that they would either spin off or altogether sell the parks. I also know that the parks are highly successful and highly regarded entities, so there is also merit in keeping the operation intact as it is.

It's all about the money folks.

From Missy Renee
Posted May 27, 2008 at 3:24 AM
"It's all about the money folks"

I couldn't have said it better myself, Derek. Ain't it the truth...

I just hope nothing happens that jeopardizes the integrity of BGE, because I enjoy having a high quality theme park so close to home...and I don't plan on moving anytime soon. But honestly,this speculation doesn't really give me any worries.

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