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VISION 2025 Article by Bob Paine

Aquarium angle on Vision 20-25 Myopia

The Jenks aquarium wants a $12MM share in the Vision 20-25 $885MM myopia spend-and-tax Utopia.

Some questions: 

The newly opened aquarium is boasting of its impressive attendance. The true measure of a successful tourist attraction is a year or so after it has opened. 

By then, you've weeded out the impulsive curiosity seekers who will pay to see anything new. The problem is how to get repeat business. Bell's Amusement Park and the Big Splash waterpark shows you how they get repeat business by INDIVIDUALIZING the amusement experience. 

Once the demand of first time visitors has gone through the turnstiles, who will be visiting the aquarium? Of course, the government controlled entities (public schools) can continue to make field trips to see the aquarium, but what will be the levelized repeat business from voluntary customers? I remember visiting the British Museum once during the workweek when the place was full of school children running around out of control. Definite detractor. 

From what I've heard about the quality and quantity of the aquarium exhibits, I would think that attracting repeat business would be challenging to the operators. I remember seeing out at Oral Roberts University the diorama "Journey through the Bible". I went through it once. It was interesting, reasonably well done. and "free", although there was a recorded pitch by the Roberts' to plant some seed faith with a donation. But, I didn't go back. P.S. The Diorama is closed now. 

Is the $12MM perhaps to pay for cost overruns on the Aquarium??