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| Visitor
Center: Concept
| Candidate
Sites | Sponsorship
Opportunities |
The MAP Visitor Center will offer a unique opportunity for people to experience
interspecies communication "first hand" without being anywhere near the gorilla sanctuary.
Through high-definition video technology, it will allow visitors to become immersed in the
gorilla habitat, with a researcher's-eye view of the sanctuary, as seen from within the
Communication Pagodas. While the "Virtual Sanctuary"
will form the core of the center and establish an inspiring emotional connection to Koko and her species,
other elements of the visitor experience—Koko's Kitchen,
the Conservation-through-Communication Learning Kiosks, and Koko Mart—will help visitors
gain a clear understanding of the problems facing gorillas and other great apes,
and provide visitors with both immediate and follow-up ways to support solutions via the Gorilla Foundation
and allied organizations.
Through a large multi-faceted video screen and interactive computer
kiosks, the MAP Visitor Center will integrate content from a
"consortium" of well-known ape language and conservation organizations.
The multi-faceted screen will optionally display panoramic real-time
footage from the communication pagoda, alternate views of the
sanctuary, parallel views of great apes in the wild, and split-screen
views of other great apes participating in the first ape-to-ape
videoconferences. This immersive educational experience will
be a touchstone—and model—for great ape conservation
world-wide. |
|
Visitor Center:
Concept |
Candidate Sites |
Sponsorship Opportunities
|
There are several candidate sites for the Visitor Center, all at least 20 miles from
the MAP Gorilla Sanctuary, and all with pre-existing high levels of tourist traffic:
One of the top candidates is an ocean-facing building on Front St. in downtown Lahaina,
which sees over 3 million tourists per year, and is perhaps the most visited destination on Maui.
However the cost of real-estate in Lahaina is proportionally high.
We are currently looking into other sites on West Maui that
are either less expensive, or provide more room for growth and
diversification. While these sites currently draw less tourist
traffic than downtown Lahaina, they have the potential for attracting
and accommodating at least a million visitors per year, especially
with an attraction as unique as communicating with Koko. Final
site selection and detailed design will be decided jointly with
the right corporate sponsor(s). (Future plans allow for expansion
to multiple sites.) |
|
Visitor Center:
Concept |
Candidate Sites |
Sponsorship Opportunities
|
The Gorilla Foundation is looking for a corporate sponsor(s) to co-develop and underwrite
the MAP Visitor Center. Benefits for a corporate sponsor include naming rights, high visibility
and tourist traffic, product showcasing opportunities, a potentially high return on investment,
and an important role in preserving the future of several great ape species.
Specific benefits can be co-designed and negotiated with an appropriate corporate sponsor.
Such a public partnership might be highly attractive for a corporation
who would like to expand their success in one or more of the following areas:
- Technology Products (eg, Hi-Def Video Cameras, Displays, Computers)
- Theme-Park Management
- Restaurant/Retail Management
- TeleCommunications or Media Production
Please contact us at
corporatesponsor@koko.org
for more details.
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