Georgia Aquarium: Tank or Bank?

The Georgia Aquarium opened for business in 2005. That year alone, over 3.5 million people traipsed through the carpeted walkways of the building to see the 8 million gallons of water that thousands aquatic animals call home. By 2008, however, the company was presented with the issue of a decline in the number of visitors annually by over 1 million. In order to fix this, the aquarium had to adjust its marketing strategies specifically to fit the tastes of Atlanta’s population, paying particular attention to the areas of Atlanta in which the most returning customers came from. By tracking the interests of Atlanta inhabitants, researchers were given a better understanding of the Atlanta public and were able to create a more enjoyable experience. The results made the aquarium consistently one of the most-visited sites in the state, presenting Atlanta in a more positive light. The aquarium’s impact on the city is apparent in the way that the area surrounding Centennial Olympic Park has developed into an area consistently occupied by visitors.

I saw this article as a good beginning point because it describes how the aquarium had to adapt to unique way in which Atlanta people behave. The Georgia Aquarium has become a part of Atlanta’s identity because of its resulting widespread appeal. Most other articles I found spoke of the engineering behind the building, but this article gave insight in to how the aquarium molted in to a place for Atlanta’s people and the culture of Atlanta.