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Key takeaways
- Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park (AWCP) partnered with n-gage.io to enhance visitor engagement.
- The n-gage.io platform streamlines operations, membership management, and administrative tasks for AWCP.
- The app boosts conservation and education outreach, connecting AWCP with its community and schools.
- AWCP leverages the platform to diversify revenue through instant donations, corporate events, and promotions.
- Digital engagement is crucial; AWCP found the platform affordable by slightly increasing entrance fees.
The Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park (AWCP) in Gibraltar, a small park with a significant mission, has partnered with n-gage.io. Manager Jessica Leaper aims to amplify the park's message, detailing its origins, purpose, and ongoing needs, all while ensuring an enjoyable experience for visitors worldwide. AWCP houses exotic animals, confiscated or unwanted pets, and endangered species, focusing on education and conservation.
The park, which started in the late 1990s on a disused golf course within the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, opened to the public in 2003. It has since evolved into an internationally recognised member of BIAZA and one of the world's smallest official zoos. Faced with perennial challenges of modernisation and funding, Leaper believes in leveraging technology to work smarter, enhance visitor engagement, and simplify operations. The n-gage.io platform is expected to increase awareness, visits, donations, and overall support for this vital conservation effort.
We are a small park with a big message. A small space, but big ideas and small actions spark bigger results.
Streamlining Park Operations with Technology
Jessica Leaper is a strong advocate for using technology to boost efficiency within her small team. She highlighted that previous apps failed to meet her requirements until she encountered n-gage.io at a BIAZA conference.
I’m quite into using technology to make our work more efficient as we are a very small team. None of the apps I had looked at over the years did what I wanted them to do but meeting Maxine on the first day at the BIAZA conference this year, seeing her presentation and I was blown away about n-gage’s offering – it was exactly what I was after.
The platform's capability to manage essential but time-consuming tasks, such as membership administration, was a key differentiator. The n-gage.io platform, which went live within four weeks of development and integration, immediately offered benefits such as automated membership reminders.
What stood out most was the app’s ability to do all the things we really struggle to find the time to perform but that are essential for the everyday operations and sustainability of the park. Things like management of memberships and all the background stuff – in other words the admin! It’s relatively easy to find the personnel who want to be with the animals but not the paperwork, so we had to find a way to make that simpler as well as attractive.
Enhancing Conservation and Education Outreach
The AWCP plays a vital role in its local community. Leaper believes the n-gage.io app will enable the park to strengthen its engagement with the community, particularly in conservation and education.
Gibraltar is a small place, and we all felt the brunt of COVID-19. However, we are slowly building capacity again and I can’t help but wish n-gage.io had been around back then, as much of our financial constraints could have been mitigated by the ability to stay in touch with our community.
With the app, AWCP plans to expand its school programmes and educational campaigns, as well as involve corporate supporters more meaningfully. The platform's built-in education modules and communication tools allow educators to engage learners, fostering a deeper understanding of animals and the natural environment. Examples include discussing the impacts of extreme weather, such as droughts and torrential rains, on wildlife.
Our conservation message is paramount to us, and I believe that through this app we will be able to convey this information as well as reach more influencers who can help change the way people see things.
Driving and Diversifying Revenue Streams
Like many attractions, AWCP relies on a mix of donor funding, government support, and ticket sales. The n-gage.io platform and app introduce new revenue-generating capabilities:
- Instant Donations: QR codes linked to a donation portal enable visitors to make immediate contributions, capturing 'in-the-moment' emotional connections.
- Corporate Events: The platform facilitates structured corporate team-building events through questionnaires, surveys, polls, and interactive hint-hunt activities.
- Corporate Visibility: Corporate partners can gain exposure by having their logos and news articles featured on the app's newsfeed.
- Enhanced Visitor Experience: QR codes placed around the park provide additional information about exhibits, enriching the experience even when staff are busy.
- Promotional Offers: Vouchers and special promotions can be delivered via the app to encourage engagement and repeat visits.
You know how it is, people rarely carry cash these days and by the time they get home to do a payment, will have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing and that emotional connection in the moment is lost. It’s much easier to grab them in the moment and all they must do is scan a code and press a button and hey presto, the Park receives a donation.
The platform supports a wide range of multimedia content and can be activated by Bluetooth-enabled beacons for an interactive visitor journey. AWCP is also considering a new turnstile with a scanner for digital tickets, integrating seamlessly with the n-gage.io API.
Affordability and Future Insights
Beyond its core functionalities, the app offers unexpected benefits, such as attracting digitally-savvy young volunteers to the park, providing them with valuable skills and fostering environmental awareness.
Addressing concerns about the affordability of such a platform for a small zoo, Leaper remarked:
We couldn’t afford not to have it. Because our prices have been so low, we raised the entrance fee by one pound to cover the monthly costs, as we license the platform from n-gage.io. The fees for the platform are extremely reasonable given its capacity and capabilities. Even though we are a physical visitor attraction, we need to be digitally engaged and this gives us the best of both worlds.
The data generated by the app will provide crucial insights into visitor behaviour, including dwell times and exhibit popularity, enabling AWCP to refine its offerings and personalise marketing efforts. The positive impact of the n-gage.io platform has been so significant that the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, where AWCP is located, is also considering its implementation.
Leaper's advice to other small to medium attractions grappling with manual, time-intensive tasks is clear:
Don’t wait till it’s too late, take the leap and digitise, you won’t look back.
Want this applied to your attraction?
We are happy to talk through your own plans, even at an early stage.
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