A look at the common themes and wisdom found in Adventure Park Insider’s ongoing park profile series, Park 360. PARK 360 DEBRIEF BY BEE LACY
What’s an adventure experience without a good debrief? Since its inception, API has profiled a wide va - riety of adventure operations within its pages as part of the ongoing Park 360 series. The passion, dedication, and enthusiasm for the aerial adven - ture industry shines brightly within the profiles, which examine parks far and wide with varied offerings and program delivery. What follows here is a debrief of the common themes and wisdom found throughout some of those more recent profiles. EXPAND YOUR AUDIENCE Too often, operators overlook key consumer groups when creating pro- gramming and offerings. For example, a large percentage of us in the aerial adventure industry connect with the adventure- and adrenaline-seekers participating in our activities. But we sometimes neglect those individuals who may not share that same level of experience or penchant for risk. This tendency can lead to construction of a park that is, as Go Ape CEO Vernon West put it, in “Go Ape Goes West” (Fall, 2021), “half built,” with gaps that exclude guests who are nervous, young, or have limited abilities. There are different ways to fill those gaps, but the more people that can play at your operation—more, as in, different ages, abilities, interests, etc.; not necessarily more volume of people—the more fun that can be had, and the better your business will be. So, take the time to look at your offer - ings and ask the question: Who are we leaving out? Family-friendly. Offering programs, elements, and activities that are unique and accessible to a wide variety of par- ticipants and guests is a way to increase demand. Consider Upla (“The Hoopla for Upla,” Fall, 2022), an adventure park lo -
BY APRIL DARROW
Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp serves children and adults with disabilities, an audience that is often excluded from aerial adventure activities.
cated in the suburbs of Montreal, which has found early success with a low-skill, family-friendly attraction—a multi-level, brightly-colored network of netted tram- polines, tunnels, slides, and ramps. The netted network creates multifunctional spaces that allow for a self-guided, per- sonalized experience for a wide variety of individuals. The attraction’s striking visual impact and the open-ended invita- tion to bounce around encourage adults and kids alike to jump in and play. Accessibility. The gaps in access to aerial adventures are especially large for folks who have disabilities. “Adapting for Your Audience” (Winter, 2023), looks at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp in north - west Oregon, which began focusing on serving those with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the 1950s. The camp’s mission to empower those with disabilities through equitable access to the outdoors and recreation has led to opportunities for these oft-excluded participants to experience personal growth and, of course, have fun.
As MHKC executive director Dave Mc - Donald explained, the activities attend - ees take part in at camp are “the experi - ence of a lifetime” for most campers. While not achievable for some sites, accessibility is worth the time and effort to address in operations. The impact of equitable access to adventure activities on individuals, families, friends, etc., is truly life changing. Not to mention that, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly one in four American adults live with a disabil- ity (mobility, cognition, hearing, vision, etc.)—a huge potential market. Expanding our audience in responsible and appropriate ways will only help us grow as an industry; it should be a pri - ority for any operation looking to have a real impact in the adventure world.
LET GUESTS DRIVE BUSINESS DECISIONS
When your guests tell you what they want, listen. Guests will often provide
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