Oct03Tried&True

When it comes to capitalizing on the growing popularity of Halloween events, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden doesn’t monkey around. But it does go to the gorillas, the elephants, and the polar bears.

During its HallZOOween festival, the zoo integrates the animals into its special events. Visitors can watch the gorillas search for carved “Gorill-A-Lanterns” filled with a foraging mix of granola, raisins, sunflower seeds, grapes, popcorn, and apples.

Then they can go watch the elephants do the “Pumpkin Smash,” or watch the polar bears bob for pumpkins.

Besides providing great entertainment, these activities are good for the animals, says Ed Spevak, the zoo’s mammal conservation program manager. It all qualifies as “behavioral enrichment” for the animals, which can be anything from “food to furniture to toys we put in the animals’ exhibits to elicit natural behavior,” Spevak says.

“Many animals spend their days foraging for food in the wild,” he says, “but at the zoo that need isn’t there. Behavioral enrichment activities stimulate their muscles and brains and give the animals exercise.”

Pumpkin hunting simulates the foraging that gorillas do in the wild. Wild elephants often kick or smash their food to reduce it to a more manageable size. And bobbing for pumpkins gives the polar bears something new to chase and brings out their play instinct. The zoo provides these sorts of activities year-round, and simply adapts them to Halloween during October.

But there’s more to HallZOOween, says Gregg Hudson, the zoo’s president and CEO. There are special activities, special hours, and, of course, trick-or-treating.

“It’s all geared toward the three- to eight-year-olds as an alterative to the scary night, haunted house teen thing,” Hudson says.

Hudson brought the idea for HallZOOween with him from the Fort Worth Zoo, which has an annual “Boo at the Zoo” Halloween festival. “When I moved up here to Cincinnati a little over two years ago, we saw the same void in the market as there was in Texas,” he says. “There was nothing geared to small kids and trick-or-treating in costumes— traditional family Halloween things.

“So we started HallZOOween. Last year we ran four nights, and we did almost 40,000 people. This year we are extending it to six nights, and adding entertainment. For example, we’ll have The Wild Thornberrys and SpongeBob Square Pants. Plus we’ll have other activities like scaryoke, face painting, and storytelling.” To complete the atmosphere the the staff dresses up in costumes, and characters roam through the zoo, such as Frankenstein’s monster and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.”

One of the logistical challenges to HallZOOween is the trick-or-treating. The zoo buys some candy to distribute, but mostly it relies on donations from sponsors. “We work with candy manufacturers to get them to donate candy,” Hudson says. “And we work with local companies. Proctor & Gamble is located here in Cincinnati, and they own Pringles. They donated special trial-size cans of Pringles, and there was a Mexican restaurant chain that donated coupons for a free big burrito. So we get those sort of in-kind things that businesses donate to get publicity and good PR for their business.”

The treats are distributed at up to 12 stations set up throughout the zoo. Guests receive a set of coupons at the gate that they redeem at the stations. This ensures that there is enough to go around. Still, the zoo goes through a lot of candy. “That 40,000 people equates to a half million pieces of candy,” Hudson says.

Guests also receive fliers that list special activities and show where the candy stations are located. “It’s a good way to highlight our sponsors,” Hudson says.

During HallZOOween, the Cincinnati Zoo extends its hours, closing at 8 p.m. All the HallZOOween activities, including the trick-or-treating, are included with the price of admission.

For the inaugural HallZOOween last year, the park bought newspaper and billboard ads, but it mostly marketed the event through the magazine it sends to zoo members. “With more than 50,000 families, they are a good group for us to get a trial run,” Hudson says. This year, the zoo is adding television and radio ads to the mix.

Although a lot goes into putting on HallZOOween, the bottom line is it adds to the bottom line, Hudson says. “Last year it gave us one of the best Octobers the zoo’s ever had. That additional 40,000 people put us up $35,000 from the previous year.

“It plays well to our market and offers a nice alternative to the malls and the other things that have become popular with this holiday,” Hudson says. “When we were growing up, we all went through the neighborhoods trick-or-treating. Families don’t do that anymore. We offer a nice alternative and focus on those younger groups. We don’t scare them too much, and that’s a good thing. It’s a good family event.”

—Frank Elliott