With 19 major habitats, 32 focus exhibits and nearly 500 species, Aquarium of the Pacific, located in Long Beach, California, is the largest aquarium in Southern California and fifth largest in the United States. The Aquarium has a noble mission: “to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.” For ten years, it has been worthy of its mission, helping its 1.2 million visitors per year learn about Pacific marine life through its many interactive exhibits, exciting daily presentations and various educational programs and classes.

Since 1999, ProFun has worked to help the Aquarium of the Pacific build the business foundation needed to achieve its mission. Our initial marketing and operational audit – which included a review of Aquarium visitor experience and programming/attraction elements, supply-side analysis of facility capacity and throughput, a review of local market complementary and competitive attractions, and an audit of ticket packages, pricing and marketing and sales programs – yielded short and long term recommendations to improve the institution’s financial performance. We worked closely with the Aquarium to implement our recommendations, including creation and development of two unique new programs, the Behind-the-Scenes Tour and Ocean Experience. We’re proud to continue our work with the Aquarium, most recently providing operational and physical planning input for the proposed expansion plans.