Volume 3, No. 14. July 25, 2003
Pandaring
to the public
Amusement parks using queue reservation systems for popular rides have had to
grapple with the eventuality that the ride may not be operating when guests
show up at their appointed times. Amazingly, the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, which
introduced a timed ticket system for guests to view the zoo’s new pair
of pandas, has encountered that eventuality, too.
Tuesday Memphis
endured a killer storm, with straight-line winds ranging between 80 mph and
100 mph (129 km/h and 161 km/h). The cause of four fatalities in the city, the
winds toppled trees and power lines, cutting power to 310,000 utility company
customers, including the Memphis Zoo. Through Thursday, the zoo was still without
electricity and, like many businesses in town, closed. Because the zoo was well
prepared with generators and food stocks, the animals were never in any danger,
said Elizabeth Boggan, the zoo’s vice president of marketing and development.
Other than causing
the gates to be shut, the wind storm’s only impact on the zoo was canceling
visits by those customers who had reserved tickets to see pandas Ya Ya and Le
Le, tickets which can be obtained up to three months in advance in the zoo,
by phone or through the zoo’s web site. The zoo had contact information
for some ticket holders, and those were contacted to have their visits rescheduled.
Many local customers knew from watching the news the zoo was closed. Zoo officials
also staffed the gates to intercept visitors.
However, the pandas
and the year old China exhibit they reside in (THE
LOOP, July 26, 2002) are drawing visitors from all across North America.
When those tourists showed up at the front gates, the zoo let them in for private
tours of the China exhibit. Because those visitors could not watch an eight-minute
film—the fable of May May telling the story of panda conservation issues
through the eyes of a panda—they received their own copies of the film
to take home. “We’re trying to give them almost the same experience
they would otherwise get,” Boggan said.
Other than this
week’s freak-of-nature interruption, the timed ticket system has worked
exceptionally well, Boggan said. Gateway Ticketing Systems installed a new system
for the zoo in early 2002 which has the capability of providing reserved times.
The zoo didn’t use that capability until Ya Ya and Le Le actually arrived
April 7 and went on display April 25. Up to 225 guests are admitted at 15-minute
intervals, allowing leisurely time to enjoy the China exhibit's stunning architecture,
view the film, then meander the path that takes in several Asian species, including
the giant pandas.
“People are
averaging 30 to 45 minutes in the 3-acre (1.2-hectare) exhibit,” Boggan
said. “And it’s very comfortable. The exhibit itself is wide and not
deep, so there is a lot of horizontal viewing area. So far, people seem to move
through at their leisure and see all of the pandas they want to see without
being rushed by the next group.”
While Tuesday’s
storm was particularly freakish, this has been, like most of eastern America
has experienced, a wet year for the Memphis Zoo. However, since the panda's
arrival, attendance is up 48 percent, and of 343,000 visitors to the zoo in
that period, 246,000 have bought the $3 timed tickets to see the pandas, money
that goes directly to a fund for panda conservation in China. “We’ve
had a few days that we’ve had times that sold out, but not had any days
where we’ve not been able to accommodate guests,” Boggan said.
Ya Ya and Le Le,
in fact, are outdrawing Elvis. While the Memphis Zoo, on the strength of local
repeat visits, has long outranked Graceland in number of visitors, this year
the pandas have become the Memphis market’s primary tourism draw, Boggan
said. “We’re actually working together with Graceland putting together
packages to do co-marketing to help each other,” she said.
Graceland is famous for its overwhelmingly hospitable customer service. Based on this week’s experience, Graceland will have a suitably hospitable partner in the Memphis Zoo.
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
©2003, Minton Enterprises
LLC
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