– By Ben Cober, director of business development and research (Oktoberfest 2016 in Leavenworth, WA) In our latest issue of Destinology, The Fight for Attendance: The Attraction of the Non-Attraction, we explored the success of impermanent attractions such as festivals, sporting events, tabletop games, streaming television, and exercise, and offered tactics for destination managers… Continue reading.
PGAV kicked off the new year by asking top attraction managers what trends they were watching in 2018. A multitude of great opportunities are evolving to enhance the guest experience and visitor engagement with emerging technologies; read on to discover how today’s industry leaders plan to harness that potential! The Georgia Aquarium “Utilizing… Continue reading.
– By Stacey Ludlum, director of zoo and aquarium planning and design In December, I trekked the Indian Himalayas for two weeks in search of snow leopards with Spanish couple I didn’t know, a tour guide, and five local trackers. It was as cold as you can imagine – reaching temperatures of -35°… Continue reading.
– By Ben Cober, director of business development and research In our final 2016 issue of Destinology, Curating a Creative Culture, we explored and celebrated the wonderful environment of PGAV Destinations, how we got there, and where we hope to go next. We conducted extensive research and numerous interviews – all of which… Continue reading.
– By Tony Schmidt, exhibit designer The 6th Annual IDSA-STL Student Design Competition held on Saturday, October 15th, 2016, was the St. Louis Chapter’s most participated annual competition to date, with roughly 100 people attending from across the Midwest. The Saint Louis Science Center delightfully partnered with our chapter for the 2nd time… Continue reading.
– By Tony Schmidt, exhibit designer Darting off for a weekend getaway to places like Pittsburgh, PA to see cultural destinations is the kind of journey that makes PGAV GO so amazing. “You travel to break away from everyday constraints – the office, the agenda, the schedule, the routine… It’s a world you… Continue reading.
– By Teague Peak, architectural designer India (adj.) mystic, exotic, colorful, warm, vibrant, aromatic, enchanting, festive, Bollywood, street food, tuk tuk, kingfisher, etc. The trip was a rather spontaneous decision; we had kept busy with domestic travel, visiting destinations within the Midwest region. Thanks to the PGAV GO program, we had covered… Continue reading.
The Tulsa Zoo has made pollinator conservation a priority. Oklahoma plays an important role in the population of the monarch butterfly, given its location in the center of the monarch migration path between Mexico and Canada. This makes the Tulsa area an ideal location to help increase the overall population of monarchs. The monarch… Continue reading.
The Chicago Zoological Society’s Communities and Nature Program Helping Pollinators, Helping People We depend on pollinators. Honeybees and other pollinators are responsible for a third of our diet. That’s one of every three bites of our food! But pollinator populations are dropping due to habitat loss (the use of glyphosate-based herbicides is the suspected cause)… Continue reading.
“Buttercups” for Butterflies If you visit the Wilds prairies on a hot summer day in August, you’ll find yourself surrounded by tall grasses that can tower over young children, buzzing bees, brightly colored butterflies, and yellow nodding sunflowers. This flourishing landscape did not happen on accident – it was carefully constructed by choosing native… Continue reading.