While stay-at-home restrictions have forced businesses to halt operations for much of this year, many organizations have demonstrated exceptional resilience in striving to continue their work. Aquarium of the Bay, a San-Francisco-based Smithsonian Affiliate which houses over 20,000 marine animals, has faced a challenge unique to its industry: since the animals still need their care, shutting down completely to cut costs is not an option, even with no revenue coming in. To adapt to these circumstances, the staff now double as digital representatives, broadcasting the wonders of the aquarium to viewers near and far.
Aquarium of the Bay has been running Groupon campaigns for over seven years, attracting both new and repeat customers. Now, at a time when every bit of revenue counts, they continue to use Groupon to market year-long memberships. They’re also pivoting to give the public as much virtual access to the aquarium as possible. To keep as few people on-site as necessary, the staff still in the building have now also become the aquarium’s social media team.
They began reaching out to local schools and offering to host virtual classrooms in the aquarium, and schools have now taken them up on this offer from as far away as Jamaica. The aquarium also hosts a variety of livestreams, online courses, and virtual tours. Stimulating kids’ imaginations, answering their questions, reassuring them they’ll get to see the animals in person someday, and receiving their thank-you cards has been fulfilling for the tour operators. It’s also helped staff work more collaboratively and compassionately, so much so that they’re considering additional ways to virtually experience the aquarium in the future.
To reinforce the importance of our mission to help local businesses adapt and succeed, we recently launched a company-wide initiative allowing merchants to bring their experiences into the homes of our global team. Aquarium of the Bay hosted our second experience, with Alice Pederkoff (Manager of Education Extension Services and Community Outreach), Melissa Schouest (Director of Animal Care), and Meghan Holst (Biologist III) taking employees on a guided tour that included up-close introductions to otters, rays, and a giant octopus.
In light of the many stressful stories we face each day, we thought it would be worth sharing a more positive one. If you’re also charting your own business’s course to a post-COVID recovery, consider running a deal on Groupon. There’s no upfront cost, and we’re committed to doing what we can to help business owners like you get through this trying time and emerge stronger than ever.
