Below is the third and final of three installments of a research report conducted by top zoo design experts, Stacey Tarpley. In “Enriching the Visitor Experience: PGAV Destinations and Environmental Design,” Stacey takes a brilliant, academic approach to clearly define and give examples of what enrichment is today; how exceptionally well-designed enrichment can greatly benefit the visitor experience; and why enrichment isn’t a luxury in zoo design, but rather an essential starting point.

One example of highly successful planning team collaboration is the Glacier Run exhibit recently opened at Louisville Zoo. This exhibit is an innovative, immersive, and engaging experience, incorporating state-of-the-art polar bear and sea lion holding facilities and visible enrichment areas. Thematically inspired by the town of Churchill, Canada (the polar bear capital of the world), the exhibit motivates visitors to take action in support of the conservation of animals and their delicate habitats. The exhibit opened in April 2011 and the expansion for the zone, including a flight cage for Steller’s Sea Eagles, opened in spring 2013.

From the start, enrichment for both animal and guest was a priority. So much so, in fact, the overall design concept was rooted in the ideas of ‘change’ and ‘surprise’ with a goal to create entirely new enrichment techniques. Additionally, the exhibit was intended to enable the involvement of the guest in enrichment activities creating a highly dynamic experience within an escapist storyline that entertained as much as it educated. Beyond that, the team identified several specific implementation goals including a targeted number of enrichment devices per species and a targeted utilization rate to be measured and assessed at regular intervals. Read more...

The following is an adaptation of a presentation Stacey Tarpley gave in September 2013 at the AZA National Conference as part of the session ‘Enrichment as Guest Experience.’  This is part two of two. Check out Part 1 below.

What is experience? 
Put quite simply, it’s everything.  Literally and figuratively.
Experience at zoos and aquariums is everything from the moment your guest turns onto your property in their car.  It’s every moment, every interaction with staff or animals, every view. All of these moments combine and culminate to create an ultimately positive or negative association with your institution. Experience is also quite possibly the most important aspect of what you do.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs summarizes the pattern of human motivations from the most basic to the sublime.  A parallel can be made to your guests’ needs.  Meaning, before we can reach people on a transformational level, we must satisfy their lesser needs beginning with the desire first to be comfortable and safe, moving through to simply having a good time, onto learning something, which sparks something deeper (the ‘I wanna help’ moment), and ultimately providing them the inspiration to take action.

The key here is to remember that your guests do not come through the door ready to be transformed.  We must provide a great guest experience starting with the most basic needs guiding them to transformation.     Continue reading...

The following is an adaptation of a presentation Stacey Tarpley (Zoological Planner with PGAV) gave in September 2013 at the AZA National Conference as part of the session ‘Enrichment as Guest Experience.’ This is part one of two.

The guest experience is a critical component to any institution that aspires to educate the general public in a single visit.  Zoos and aquariums have a trick up their sleeve, however: the animals.  And as long as we optimize the connection between guests and the animals, the guest experience is elevated.  In order to ‘optimize connection,’ zoos and aquariums can and should use enrichment as a critical element of the guest experience.
Zoos and aquariums are doing fantastic work across the country and around the world working on conservation, research and education programs. … Continue reading