Attendance & Guest Acquisition
Understand who is visiting, who is not, what drives the visit, what acquisition channels are actually producing incremental attendance, and where additional audience opportunities exist.
Who I Help Zoos & AquariumsStronger earned revenue.
Stronger earned revenue.
More resources for the mission.
Zoos and aquariums are mission-driven organizations.
They are also complex visitor businesses.
Attendance matters. Membership matters. Pricing matters. Events, food and beverage, retail, premium experiences, partnerships and repeat visitation all contribute to the financial health of the organization.
The opportunity is not to turn a zoo or aquarium into a theme park. It is to apply stronger commercial thinking where it makes sense so the organization has more resources to invest in animal care, conservation, education, people, facilities and the guest experience.
Every visit is a memory in the making. Great guest experiences are where mission and revenue meet.
Complementary experience
A different perspective at the table
Many zoo and aquarium executives have built their careers in conservation, animal care, education, operations or nonprofit leadership. My career developed on a different side of the attractions industry.
Over 30 years, including 13 years with Cedar Fair and Six Flags, my work centered on understanding why guests visit, what gets them to return, what they are willing to pay for, how experiences are packaged, and how CRM, data, technology and customer strategy can drive sustainable revenue.
That experience gives leadership teams an additional commercial perspective without asking the organization to compromise its mission.
One connected picture
Where I help
Commercial decisions work better when they reflect the guest experience, the mission and the realities of running the organization.
Membership & Repeat Visitation
Look beyond the initial membership sale to utilization, engagement, retention, renewal, segmentation and long-term customer value.
Earned Revenue & Experience Strategy
Evaluate pricing, packaging, seasonal events, premium experiences, food and beverage, retail, upgrades and other opportunities to increase guest value and earned revenue.
CRM, Data & Guest Lifecycle
Turn visitor and member information into better segmentation, communication, personalization, retention and repeat behavior.
Technology & Digital Discoverability
Make better technology decisions while adapting to the way guests increasingly use Google, ChatGPT, Gemini and other digital tools to decide where to go and what to do.
Commercial Strategy & Executive Advisory
Help leadership teams pressure-test opportunities, investments, vendors and growth initiatives before committing money, people and organizational capacity.
Mission and sustainability
Mission and commercial thinking can reinforce each other
A nonprofit attraction does not need to operate like a for-profit company. But guests still make choices.
They decide whether to visit, whether to return, whether to become members, whether to attend a special event, whether to purchase an experience and where else they could spend their discretionary time and money.
Strong commercial strategy acknowledges those realities while respecting why the organization exists.
Revenue is not the mission. Stronger earned revenue gives the mission more resources to work with.
My approach
Understand first. Then recommend.
I do not walk in with a predetermined playbook. The answer starts with your organization, your guests and what you can sustain.
- Listen first.
- Understand the organization.
- Understand the guest.
- Understand how revenue is currently generated.
- Understand what the organization can realistically execute and sustain.
Then recommend the answer.
Start with the business question
Let's Talk About What's Possible
If your organization is looking at attendance, membership, earned revenue, guest experience, CRM, technology or another commercial question, the first conversation does not need to begin with a predetermined solution. Let's start with the business question.