Snap is the natural choice for the Eden Project
July 2004
Snap survey software is helping the world-renowned Eden Project to understand the needs of its visitors and assess its impact on the local economy.
Visitors to Eden, one of Britain's most successful destinations, are being regularly surveyed with the aid of Snap. The information collected is being used in the planning of future exhibits and activities, to monitor service quality and in the bidding for external funding.
This article explores how Snap is being utilized by this wonderful celebration of humans living in harmony with nature.
Measuring the 'Eden Effect'
One of the Project's original objectives was to contribute to the regeneration of an area of Britain in need of development, such as Cornwall. To measure the economic value it has brought to the region, Eden researchers carry out a yearly 'Economic Impact Study' of the extra employment, tourism and business confidence it has generated. Since its construction, the Studies have shown that the Eden Project has generated an extra £430 million for the Cornish economy - a trend dubbed the 'Eden effect'.
Visitor surveys, conducted using Snap, have provided useful data for these Studies. In particular, they have helped researchers estimate how many extra visitors the Project brings to Cornwall and the spending power that comes with them. The findings of the Studies help Eden's case for external funding and to demonstrate the difference the investment has made to the West Country.
Developing the Visitor Experience
Visitor numbers are an important part of the ongoing success of the Eden Project and the organizers aim to both attract new visitors and encourage those who have already visited to return. This means making sure that there is always something new and appealing going on at Eden in any given time of the year. But key to keeping the visitor numbers ticking over is having an understanding of its visitors by answering questions such as what bring them to Eden and what might attract them back?
The understanding of visitors and their preferences informs the planning of the themes and activities that regularly take place at the Project. Eden's visitor surveys play a vital role in providing the information to develop this understanding and ensure the activities programme has relevance to visitors of all backgrounds.
An example of theory in practice was when the popularity of chocolate among visitors was discovered, a chocolate festival was organized and hosted over this year's Easter period. Delivering the Quality Experience
An important element of the overall visitor experience is the standard and breadth of services available to the visitor. The quality of exhibits and activity must be matched by the facilities on offer such as the catering, signposting and information provision.
Visitor satisfaction is monitored at Eden using Snap software through questionnaires distributed in its catering areas. The response rate to questionnaire's distributed and has led to a number of service changes including the improvement of catering facilities.
Planning Eden's future
With over 5 million visitors, numerous awards and accolades under its belt, the success of the Eden Project has been immense in its short life. Yet its founders claim to have just started and promise more great things to come.
Visitor research plays a valuable part in helping to shape the future of this unique attraction. Snap-driven surveys have identified the educational aspects of the Project as the area that people would most like to see developed.
Snap software - working in harmony with nature
Behind the Eden's extensive visitor research programme is Snap survey software. Snap assists Eden's research team in the running of their visitor surveys by making the design, processing and analysis of questionnaires more efficient. Snap's consistent format for producing of surveys across the different mediums of paper, web and the PDA has also improved Eden's survey research processes.
Andy Jasper, Eden's Research Manager explains, "We purchased Snap because of its ability to speed up the research process. It has streamlined our survey work enabling us to almost automate many of the processes in each research project. "
With the aid of Snap, Eden's visitor research is helping to inform decisions made by Eden's team that thousands of people enjoy.
To find out more about the Eden Project visit www.edenproject.com