The Visitor Experience
Attendance increased in 2011 as 147,934 visitors passed through our gates. Membership increased to 4,762 households. New technologies enabled us to sell more online tickets, administer surveys, showcase the Gardens in new and in-depth ways and build a virtual community of Friends. The summer renovation of the Garden Activities Center, re-named the Olmsted House, coincided with the unveiling of a new rental business plan for the Gardens.
Pinewood Estate
Pinewood continued to show strong visitation thanks to the 2010 introduction of self-guided tours. We focused this year on historical interpretation and converted Bedroom 3 into an exhibit that tells the story of the life and times of the original residents in the 1930s. By September we were poised to hire a coordinator with curatorial experience to help us maximize Pinewood’s fullest potential as a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Facility Rentals
Working on the Master Plan had us re-imagining the future possibilities for event rentals in our Gardens. To that end we began developing a strategic business plan and renovated the Garden Activities Center over the summer, and re-naming it the Olmsted House. We enjoyed another successful year with 200 paid and in-kind rentals, from weddings to corporate events, in addition to numerous bookings for special event portraits and photography.
Communications
Our vision of being one of America’s finest gardens caught the attention of media throughout the world. We hosted international journalists who blogged, tweeted and posted rave reviews on Facebook. National newspaper features syndicated by the Washington Post, major editorial coverage including AAA magazines and a 2011 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award helped get the word out. Our Garden Path newsletter garnered several awards and was a finalist in the national American Advertising Federation ADDY awards competition. New cutting edge technologies kept us on in the public eye through micro websites, HD video and 360-degree photography. Online ticket sales and daily deals such as Groupon increased revenue and helped us capture valuable information about our visitors. Our tourism partnership with LEGOLAND Florida led to the creation of an eight-foot Singing Tower LEGO replica in their new park. We increased our media partnerships and were honored to see our second annual WMNF Edward Bok Youth Peace Awards winner enter Mount Holyoke College.
Retail Services
Visitors and members contributed to strong sales in the Café and Gift Shop. We expanded our online retail store, developed new lines of Bok Tower Gardens merchandise and were poised, by the end of the year, to hire our first professional chef to help take the Blue Palmetto Café to the next level.
