3. ORCA Consulting
……works with the client to jointly develop the
best possible experience for the guest, visitor
or customer. Our end goal is to create an
environment that drives high satisfaction and
intent to return.
4. ORCA Specialized Capabilities
• Providing a link between designer and
end-user
• Operational planning and analysis
• Optimizing and integrating operations
• Hospitality and quality service training
• Labor planning and scheduling
5. Key Areas of Focus
• Project development
• Operational planning and optimization
• Creating a superior visitor experience
6. Project Development
• Support creative development at an early stage
• Determine capacity needs to inform exhibit sizing and
optimal layout
• Conduct attendance and flow analysis
• Linking independent project elements into one
coherent offering
• Develop an understanding of the operational
implications imposed by the design
• Amenity sizing and layout
7. Operational Planning
• Identify and integrate operational needs at an early
stage….understand design impacts on the operation
and the visitor experience
• Optimize the various operating components for
capacity and visitor utilization
• Develop labor/staffing models
• Create on-boarding and staff training plans
• Maximize ancillary business opportunity
(partnerships)
• Develop operating plans and budgets
• Prepare RFPs for outsourcing
8. Delivering the Visitor Experience
• Develop a quality service approach to drive
customer satisfaction
…conveying expectations on employee
service standards
…develop staff training models and tools
customized to the operation
…instill a quality service culture within the
organization
• Understanding the role of leadership in
maintaining a quality operation
9. Visitor Capacity and Circulation
• Design and peak day
attendance
• Visitor length of stay
• Instantaneous visitor
counts
• Visitor capacity
• Wayfinding strategy
• Public space and
support facility sizing
and configuration
• Circulation
• On-site transportation
capacity
• Reservations and
ticketing strategy
12. Instantaneous Visitor Count Distribution
Design Day Instantaneous Visitor Count
(example: 20,000)
Attractions/Exhibits/
Entertainment
(70% -- 14,000)
Food
Service
(15%)
Retail
(5%)
Rest-
rooms
(1%)
Public
Circ.
(9%)
Attraction
Queues
ExhibitsAttractions Entertainment
13. Capacity Planning Methodology for Exhibits
# Visitors in Exhibits
(example: 1,000)
Exhibit Design Criterion
(25 sf per visitor)
Required Exhibit Space
(2,500 sq. m.)
14. Typical Capacity Planning Standards
for Theme Parks
• Attraction Wait Times
– Design Day: 15 / 45 minutes
– Peak Day: 30 / 90 minutes
• Fast Food Wait Times: 5 / 15 min. Design Day
• Ticket Booths: 10 minutes Peak Day
• Restrooms: Zero Wait Peak Day
20. Importance of
Visitation Capacity Planning
• Protection of valuable resources
• Optimal utilization of key resources
• Spend budgets cost-effectively
• Manage “excess” recreational demand
• Provide comfortable and enjoyable visitor
experience
21. Effects of Excessive Visitation
• Resource deterioration
• Reduced visitor
experience quality
• Reduced future
visitation through
word of mouth
22. Assessing the problems
• Each site is unique and
requires a tailored
solution approach
• Issues related to
carrying capacity
should be assessed
holistically
• Local stakeholders
should be engaged
23. Managing the visitor experience
Visitor experience should be managed to sustain
revenues and future attendance
• Set the stage for the visitors’ experience
• Provide appropriate wayfinding
• Eliminate circulation choke points
• Develop an effective path network
• Provide adequate amenities
• Provide a variety of interpretive experiences
24. Self-sustaining financial structure
• Often, critical site improvements cannot be
implemented due to lack of funding
• Visitors are willing to pay a fair price for
unique experiences
• Financial mechanisms are needed to ensure
that a site can be sustained and preserved
for future generations
