On July 7, as part of the five-day Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (scientists who study fish and reptiles, respectively) being held at The Westin Providence, the convention has booked a special getaway – to the zoo.
The Roger Williams Park Zoo has been reserved for the evening, when more than 1,000 visitors are expected to roam the zoo’s pathways. The convention, organized by the Kansas-based scientific group, is being co-sponsored by the University of Rhode Island, Brown University and the University of Connecticut.
In 2009, the Providence zoo hosted about 25 events for corporate clients, and it hopes to be able to attract more in the coming year. While the revenue produced doesn’t compare to the overall take at the gate, says Jan Mariani, the zoo’s director of marketing and public relations, corporate bookings are an important component of the zoo’s outreach. The time-frame targeted for most such gatherings is late April through September. “We really want to grow [this segment] more,” she said.
Corporate outings are also part of the business at the Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon, Mass., a family-run, private zoo which has been in operation since 1963, according to Cindy Lavoie, one of the zoo’s directors.
The zoo, which is open seasonally from April through September, is located north of the Rhode Island border off Route 146, and bills itself as “New England’s largest zoological experience,” based upon its acreage and more than 100 species of animals – two Bengal tigers, including a white tiger, as well as a rhinoceros, giraffes, numerous species of primates and birds, and two lions.
“People view us as more of an attraction and a zoo combined,” Lavoie said. “We are a private zoo.”
Increasingly, Lavoie said, there are “quite a few large corporations that want to use the zoo as a venue,” and the zoo has had to turn them away. Because everything at the zoo is outdoors, “the biggest challenge we have is the weather,” she said.
To remedy the situation, Southwick’s Zoo is planning to build a new restaurant facility in the center of the zoo’s parkland, which could accommodate both larger corporate groups as well as the general public. The new facility will be ready in April 2012.
What makes the Southwick’s Zoo attractive as a corporate-outing destination, Lavoie said, “is that we are a beautiful place, out in the country, it’s tranquil. It’s a different feel than what most people experience in a city zoo. We’re very clean,” she added. “And, there’s a lot shade in the summertime.”
Buttonwoods Park Zoo in New Bedford also hosts corporate outings. A spokesman there did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
At Roger Williams, both the entire grounds and smaller sites are available for group and corporate gatherings. “We have facilities with indoor seating – and audio visual equipment – that can seat up to 100 people,” Mariani said. “Outside, under the picnic pavilion, we can accommodate upwards of 200 people.”
To improve its visitors’ experience, the zoo has recently upgraded its concession services, hiring the Boston Culinary Group to manage its food services and the Wildlife Trading Company for its retail merchandise, according to Mariani.
Bringing in Boston Culinary Group, Mariani continued, is a big deal for the zoo. The zoo will be holding a special outreach event to showcase the new culinary approach and new menu. “Boston Culinary will be serving up more healthy choices, with a broader selection and a better quality of ingredients,” she said.
Boston Culinary Group, based in Cambridge, Mass., managed the food concessions for the 2010 Super Bowl and the NFL’s 2010 Pro Bowl, according to Mariani. They also provide food services for the New England Aquarium and run the Union Station Brewery in downtown Providence.
In addition, to further upgrade the visitor experience, the zoo has retained the Wildlife Trading Company, which specializes in environmentally friendly and animal-focused retail products.
In terms of visitation, the biggest factor – both in terms of individuals and corporations – is the weather, not the economy, Mariani said. In 2009, Roger Williams Park Zoo saw “a little bit of a decrease,” according to Mariani, which she blamed on “the worst summer on record in terms of weather.”
But when the weather is nice and the animals are out, the zoo offers a unique experience for corporate outings in the city.
“We’ve got something that no one else has,” Mariani said. •
