THE EVOLUTION OF THE ZOO

Let us assist you in developing a world-class zoo experience and together we will challenge the approach and thoughts on what a zoo experience should and can become. To achieve this, we follow 3 key design principles: Unzoo, Educate and Entertainment. 

Unzoo

Animals and their habitats should always be first in line, therefore we follow the principle of “unzoo”. In the “unzoo” design approach we reverse the setup of bringing animals to humans. We design towards giving animals as much space to roam and bringing the humans into their environment, so animals and nature will dominate. We believe that animal habitats should be as pleasant for animals to roam in as they are for guests to experience. Therefore we fully immerse the visitor into the environment by adding theming, all based on creative storylines inspired by the animals and their natural habitat. 

Educate 

Although for many visitors zoos are just another tourist attraction, modern zoos actually see themselves as valuable centres of education, scientific research and conservation. We could not agree more, keeping animals should mainly serve as purpose to educate the visitor about the beauty of them and nature in general. So in our design approach, the educational aspect will have a big presence and will not be limited to some written text on a sign and/or a simple tv-screen. We aim to transform the traditional zoo experience, from primarily “watching monkeys” from behind barriers, to an immersive educational experience. 

We see this as a great opportunity, not only to bring across the educational message more effectively, but in doing so we can reinvent and enhance the overall zoo visitor experience. Looking at the world today, increasingly saturated with entertainment options, visitors are more experienced, have higher expectations and demand more immersive experiences. Therefore the standards for visitor attractions have never been higher. So zoos need to stay curious and search for new interesting ways by which they can differentiate themselves and keep up with the evolving market.

Entertainment is the central key

A higher level of education requires a high level of visitor engagement. We need to create an environment where visitors feel comfortable so that they open up and truly invest in gathering the information that is presented to them. This is where our extensive experience of being active in the entertainment industry for 30 years comes into effect. 

We know that entertainment is sometimes frowned upon the prejudice that entertainment and a serious educational message do not match. The so-called fear of becoming a theme park, however this specific industry teaches us valuable lessons on how to engage visitors. With our extensive knowledge in the design, development and delivery of captivating experiences, we aim to present the educational message through means of excitement, wonder, humor and emotion. Thereby using modern techniques of entertainment & storytelling such as the careful choreography of themed environments, lighting, projection (video) mapping, virtual experiences, special & visual effects and music. Transforming traditional animal habitats into animal educational experiences, by including a story driven visitor journey, through the use of a pre-show, an attraction element and / or immersive interactive exhibits.

Your visitors will experience their zoo visit on a whole new emotional level, creating a higher level of understanding and appreciation, fostering human-animal connections. 

Are you ready to discuss the zoo of tomorrow? Reach out to us and together we will explore new opportunities.