Cincinati Zoo

IBM Software

Business Analytics

Business Value Outcomes

Cincinnati Zoo transforms

customer experience and

boosts profits

IBM Business Analytics creates more than $2.2 million

in total benefits, delivering full ROI within three months

Strategy

Executive Overview

Client Profile

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

is one of the nation’s most popular

attractions, a Top 10 Zagat-rated Zoo,

and a Top Zoo for Children according to

Parent’s Magazine. Each year, more than

1.3 million people visit its 71-acre site,

which is home to more than 500 animal

and 3,000 plant species. Although the Zoo

is a non-profit organization and is partially

subsidized by Hamilton County, more than

two thirds of its $26 million annual budget

is generated through its own fundraising

efforts

cincinnatizoo.org

Business Objectives

•

Increase attendance and revenues by

enhancing the customer experience for

each visitor

•

Boost sales for food and retail outlets

through more effective marketing and

promotions

•

Optimize labor costs by gaining a better

understanding of demand patterns

throughout the year

•

Implement a Business Analytics platform

to support its transformation program

and ongoing zoo management

Cincinnati Zoo takes pride in the fact that it has the lowest public

subsidy of any zoo in Ohio and generates more than two thirds of

its $26 million annual budget through its own fundraising efforts.

In challenging economic conditions, the Zoo wanted to reduce its

reliance on subsidies even further by increasing visitor attendance and

revenues from secondary sources such as membership, food and retail

outlets. This would secure the Zoo’s future and enable it to continue its

pioneering work in conservation, preservation and research.

The Zoo’s senior management surmised that the best way to realize

more value from each visit was to offer visitors a truly transformed

customer experience. By using business analytics to...