We’re more than 25 weeks into this mess and I’m sure few of us would have thought we’d be where we are six months in. And none of us really know where we’ll be six months from now.
But all of us would say it’s been an interesting–to say the least–half year. For me, my luggage has taken a break. I’ve been on a plane only twice in six months. Usually it would be triple that. We’ve hosted over 25 webinar sessions with 2,500 registrants. We’ve pumped out content ranging from how to get your share of federal funding to how to remain focused on your mission. And personally, I’ve run over 1,250 miles up the equivalent of two Mt. Everests in 177 consecutive days. It’s what keeps me sane and grounded.
In talking with hundreds of people, I’ve heard many of the frustrations. The worries. The distress. But more importantly, I’ve seen many of the silver linings. The extra time with family–for me, having six months of quality time with a couple of my grown children who quarantined with us was a true gift. The increased connection with nature. The optimistic and upbeat attitudes about how we’ll get through this together. The sharing of ideas, resources, and support systems. Through this, I’ve seen the gratitude and goodness in so many people.
So what are a few of the lessons learned? I asked Becca Hanson (Partner/Principal, Studio Hanson|Roberts), Shareen Knowlton (Director of Education, Roger Williams Park Zoo), Richard Glover (Vice President of Communications & Marketing, Space Center Houston), and Charles Hopper (Senior Manager Business Operations, Seattle Aquarium) to join in the discussion, revealing the following tenets:
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We’re much more creative and innovative than many of us knew. I’ve seen some great new programs and events come out of this. Laser lights in the parking lot at Little Rock Zoo. A virtual gala with craft cocktails and themed flowers and decorations delivered to your home at Zoo Knoxville. A Giraffeathon at Elmwood Park Zoo. Private golf cart tours after hours at the Columbus Zoo. The Gardens on Spring Creek transformed their large outdoor dinner fundraiser event into a series of smaller “Date Nights” that have sold out and are generating as much revenue as the in-person model. And the nonprofit Space Center Houston implemented a successful “pay as you can” fee for virtual events where attendees can participate for free or pay a fee, to name just a few.
Our staffs are to be commended too for their creative programming. It’s been inspirational to watch animal care staff pull together during a significant reduction in force to job share, support one another, and really rethink routines and priorities, all the while accommodating for additional new revenue-generating programming.
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We can move quickly when we need to. Did anyone know that we could move to online ticketing so quickly? It’s easier to take risks when you’re forced to be more open to change. The switch to virtual technologies has been amazing.
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We continue to adapt to survive and thrive by identifying strengths we didn’t know we had. Studio Hanson|Roberts challenged themselves to conduct a “Strengths Workshop” to identify organizational strengths for “stepping back” that’s helped with the pandemic, including empathy and deep communication. We all must acknowledge that our work in the future will be different—and optimistically adopt the “this feels good!” golden opportunity mantra.
Now for the flip side…
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Our financial reserves are not what they should be. Even at six to 12 months, that may not be enough to get through what the pandemic is throwing at us, even if we continue (or begin) to diversify revenue streams. How do we find exclusive, personal experiences that make significant revenue without being reliant on having so many people? (Ex., SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove revenue success despite relatively low visitation). We’ll continue to innovate, communicate, and share successful solutions.
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Our business models may need to be adjusted. In one of our previous webinars, I shared this quote from Warren Buffet, “It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.” Flawed operational models are more evident now and it’s time to take a closer look at the data to make decisions to improve them.
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Self-care and caring of teams is more critical than ever before. This pandemic has been/is relentless and exhausting for everyone. Acknowledge this verbally and actively via kindness and empathy to ensure you’re attuned to and taking care of your most valued assets–your people. Accept that there are many different ways of solving problems based on culture and upbringing, and recognize this is a benefit to solving challenges.
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We can’t lose sight of our mission. It’s our anchor and guiding light. How do we ensure it remains accessible? We continue to be intentional in how we “show up” for our community, our guests, and our team to demonstrate our relevance. Remember, guests are grateful, thankful, and appreciative we’re re-opening and allowing them to have a fulfilling, “normal” experience with nature during the pandemic. In fact, some institutions are seeing an increase in first-time guests who have lived in the region their entire lives but have never visited before. Accessible content has been a great outcome of the virtual experience—and production value is critical to its success. This digital engagement can continue to further our mission.
There will be more lessons learned in the upcoming months to be sure. But by learning from past successes and keeping our eyes on our mission, teams, and community, we’ll continue to adapt, just as the animals in our care have done for centuries.
Click here to view the full recording of this Community Conversation webinar.
