Zoo Advisors is pleased to announce the promotion of Zachary Winfield into the role of Vice President. Zachary continues to lend his expertise in analysis, economic evaluation, and earned-revenue strategies. Zoo Advisors also welcomes Kristin Elliott to the team in the role of Project Consultant.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) recently released the results of their mid-year earned revenue survey (ERS). After years of general growth, this year’s results were an outlier: organizations across the United States reported moderate to heavy declines in attendance. These declines are being roundly contributed to poor weather. In this post, we test that assertion, as well as to provide input from a group of zoo directors and industry outsiders on the issue.
Zoo Advisors has worked with more than 70 different zoos and aquariums. Every single one of those engagements has been unique, but of course there have also been a lot of similarities. One question we get on just about every project we work on is: “how do we compare to our peers?”
Of all the zoos and aquariums we’ve worked with, the number of folks who are fully satisfied with their data systems is roughly zero. Today we’re going to take a shot at prioritizing your data collection efforts, and make a few suggestions about what you can do with what you’ve got.
Your membership program can be a tremendous source of revenue, but only if it’s being priced the right way. Priced too high, and you’ll miss out on big chunks of your market; too low, and you’ll kill your gate. Either way, you’re leaving revenue on the table, and we HATE that. We hate it more than steamed vegetables, which is a lot.
How many times have you been ready to make an online purchase when it timed out, or the vendor required too much information and the purchase became just too cumbersome? Frustrated, you abort, maybe vowing to go back when you have more time, but often never doing so. How is it we make it so painful for our customers to give us money?
A day at the zoo for a family of four can cost well over $100 in many places. Not cheap by most family’s standards. So how do we navigate that fine line of maximizing our revenues without alienating potential visitors? It’s an important question, and there’s no doubt that admission pricing is a tricky business.
Sometimes to find the signal, you have to dig through a cloud of noise, and there sure is a lot of noise out there. Within that noise we’ve come to learn about some striking statistical correlations. And one of those correlations in particular may indicate that a dangerous conspiracy is afoot!
We’re in a growing industry, but not everyone is growing at the same rate. Who’s growing the fastest? How do you compare? Zoo Advisors has analyzed the data over the past decade to give you the answers.
Nearly all AZA organizations have a membership program, and while some have more member-support than others, we can safely assume that membership represents a significant source of revenue. Your organization spends good money to acquire and serve these members—are you maximizing your efforts to retain them?
We explore the root causes of today’s economic situation and how they are specifically impacting cultural attractions.
Results of a brief pulse survey asking what you thought were some of the most influential and pressing issues in our community.
We’ve ramped up our business intelligence efforts to understand how modern market conditions are affecting zoological visitors in comparison to other local attractions.
Climate volatility is increasing and as a result, our constituents are changing how they approach outdoor activities, including a visit to their local zoo.
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