(Branson, MO) -- Corporate conventions can be dull and boring.   Roller coaster conventions are anything but and the ups and downs are what convention goers live for.

"We're roller coaster fanatics," say over 350 fans who recently descended on Branson's Silver Dollar City Theme Park.  

ACE, the American Coaster Enthusiasts, met there for its 32nd annual 'Coaster Con' convention.

Ask around and people can tell you exactly how many different roller coasters they've ridden, 300, 500, some well over 800. And they travel the world over for the next great thrill ride.

"We have a little over 6,000 members worldwide," says ACE President Mark Cole of Winter Haven, Florida.  "We have a historian, an archivist.  We're very well organized."

The group comes from all backgrounds.  Several are teachers.  One is a physician, another a chiropractor.  One female rider is a Denver County, Colorado deputy sheriff, another owns and architectural and engineering firm in Cleveland.

Mark Horwood and his wife Celia are coaster riders from Cowley, Alberta.  Mark enjoys the experience so much, he put it to music.  

"I'm a professional composer of concert music," Horwood says.  "And I actually have a work called 'Amusement Park Suite.'"

Ask what makes a good coaster, and you get plenty of creative answers.  Air time.  Speed.  Hills.  Smooth turns.  The lead-ins and outs, which signal what's to come or top off the ride with a bang.  Some like loops, some don't.  But everyone loves the thrill.  

"Yes, a good blood curdling scream every now and again is a good thing," says Dr. John Gerard, a California physician.  "You have to have fun and let those emotions out, otherwise you'll explode."

Silver Dollar City closed the park to ACE members only for "ERT" or 'exclusive ride time,' meaning ACE members likely got the most amazing summer vacation of any amusement park goer in the country.

"This group is a bunch of crazy people!  Just like you... just like me!," yells one fanatic, as she trails off to find the next big thrill.

If you would like to learn more about ACE, just head over to the group's website.