When people ask Ashlen Naicker, CIO of Zoos South Australia, what he does for a living he tells people he’s in the entertainment business. Having a background in the movie industry, Ashlen made the move to Australia from South Africa three years ago and joined Zoos South Australia, the organisation responsible for the management of Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Zoo.
While zoos aren’t the first things people tend to think of when they think entertainment industry, Ashlen has leveraged technology in some fascinating ways at the Adelaide and Monarto Zoos to create a truly first-class entertainment experience for patrons.
Conservation is at the heart of everything that Zoos South Australia does, but the reality is that in order to sustain itself and to continue its conservation work, the zoos need to also act with the mind set of a commercial enterprise, despite being a not-for-profit business.
Ashlen and his team at the zoo recognised this as a challenge, but also as a major opportunity to push the envelope in terms of technology in order to drive productivity benefits and new innovative ways to engage patrons.
One of the solutions they have worked on in conjunction with Perth-based R-Group, is rolling out Skype for Business in the organisation.
It all started when Ashlen walked past the Animal Health Centre and noticed the small window through which you could view veterinary operations being performed. Being relatively new to the zoo, he found this exciting and wondered if there was a way procedures could be broadcast and shared with the entire zoo.
Using Skype for Business, Adelaide Zoo can now do exactly that thanks to a huge screen located at the central lawn area. On the day it was first demonstrated, it attracted an enormous crowd including zoo staff.
“People were, quite simply, astounded at what we were doing – taking a simple technology and using it in a creative way. The whole zoo was buzzing,” Ashlen said.
“People were, quite simply, astounded at what we were doing – taking a simple technology and using it in a creative way. The whole zoo was buzzing”
Skype for Business has also played a crucial role in combining the conservation – or “cute and cuddly” – aspects of Zoo South Australia with the business side of the organisation. For instance, it’s become a way to cross-promote the two zoos. Adelaide Zoo is well known, but Monarto Zoo is much less famous. In order to address this, Ashlen organised for a zoo keeper at Monarto to connect, via Skype for Business, to a big screen at Adelaide Zoo to demonstrate the attractions at Monarto. Popular animals such as cheetahs roamed around Monarto and patrons from Adelaide were immediately excited.
On the day that Monarto Zoo broadcast to Adelaide Zoo, the CEO was busy fielding requests from customers on how they could get to Monarto and how they could buy memberships.
The zoo has also used technology to augment the extremely popular macaw bird show. Macaws are a beautiful and colourful bird, but when there are 100+ visitors in an open area it becomes difficult to really see their distinctive features. Using Skype, the keepers can now display the bird up close via a big screen. Additionally, keepers can broadcast a “behind the scenes” for various other species.
The reality is that the role of the zookeeper has changed with the times. Whereas once upon a time zookeepers existed to tend to animals, that role has evolved to include communication with and education of the general public.
Amy Nelson, Herbivore Zookeeper at Zoos South Australia said, “Skype for Business has been fantastic in that it helps us reach our audience, the public, in entirely new ways.”
Alongside the many creative things that Zoos South Australia are doing with Skype, real business benefits are being driven as well. With the two zoos located a 1.5 hour round-trip from each other, travelling can prove challenging. Training sessions, particularly live sessions within the Animal Health Care department, can now be conducted via Skype for Business, meaning that vets and nurses can remain onsite as much as possible. The ability to record these sessions and play them back is invaluable.
“We hear the feedback in real time and it’s overwhelmingly positive. People simply feel more connected. With our two locations being so far apart it’s important that our staff feel as if we are one zoo,” said Ashlen.
“We hear the feedback in real time and it’s overwhelmingly positive. People simply feel more connected. With our two locations being so far apart it’s important that our staff feel as if we are one zoo”.
Zoos South Australia is also reaching patrons that are unable to make it to either Adelaide or Monarto Zoos. Ashlen Naicker said, “We can bring the zoo to school children who wouldn’t usually be able to visit in person. Being able to reach these children and give them the experience of being at the zoo over Skype without leaving the classroom has been incredibly satisfying.”
So what’s next for Zoos South Australia? Quite a bit so it seems. The Zoo has outlined its Master Plan, a vision for Adelaide and Monarto over the next 20 years. The Master Plan aims to create new and exciting memories for visitors and provide a commercial platform on which to build.
Ashlen Naicker is excited about the role that technology will play “We’ve upgraded all our IT now so the question is how we can leverage this platform to create experiences that people will pay for. I’ve got some exciting visions for what this might look like – I’m talking about virtual reality, I’m talking about holograms that depict animals that have gone extinct many years ago – so the idea of literally having an elephant in a room here in Adelaide is something that is possible.”
“I’m also looking at building a 4D cinema at the Adelaide Zoo to showcase Monarto Zoo, so taking the concept developed with Skype for Business and extrapolating on that.
“There is a lot happening and it’s extremely exciting”.
